I don't remember actually writhing this blog. You sound exactly like me! I am into the sweets again and know what I must do, but can't seem to do it. I am also such a procrastinator which is why I didn't actually write it. I'm sure it is part of why I'm having trouble. I hope we can both get back on that wagon. - 5/10/2012   8:23:32 AM

To see that others (lots of other) share this dilemma seems to be comforting but it also gives me another excuse....oh well this is something we all deal with. An addiction is something we cannot control however, there are ways to rise above any addiction. A lot of it for me is being accountable. I have asked my husband to question me daily about my food choices. When it gets really bad, I find I start "fibbing" about it. I need to accept the fact that sugar, for me, is poison. One small piece of a lower sugar/carb pie put me back into craving. It is better for me to not have anything in the house that I cannot eat. Work, well I have a co-worker that I made myself accountable to. Having to tell on myself helps to put the brakes on the consumption. The sneaking food to my desk days are OVER! I can do this, I am worth it!

Happy 2012 to all.....you are what help me in my battle of the bulge!
- 12/27/2011   11:29:42 AM

It's probably the stress. It happens to me too. I need a sense of accomplishment to help me get back on track. Any way you could take a day off to pamper yourself? Rest, destress, give yourself some healthy treats, enjoy the sense of doing everything right, and then go from there. - 12/27/2011   11:20:54 AM

Good luck!!! I too am going through this ... - 12/13/2011   4:54:54 PM

I seem to be addicted to carbohydrates but I don't think I could stick to a low carb diet - 12/13/2011   2:43:21 PM

I just saw this so not sure how active it is, since it was written over 6 months ago... I totally agree with some of the comments that I've seen about the "sugar free" or "sugar substitutes" creating their own little monster problems... and I am specifically referring to Splenda, Sweet-n-low, Equal, and the variant "generic" versions (aspartame, etc) that are also seen on food labels. I'm also referring to High Fructose Corn Syrup. I've been on this rant before and I've seen it happen to me over and over and now I know - I have to avoid all those types of ingredients LIKE THE PLAGUE!!

So far the best things that have worked for me is A) Stevia B) 85-90% Dark Chocolate avoiding as much of the artificial anything that could be in it. If it's plain sugar, I'm okay with it. C) a good quality locally grown honey, as much as possible I buy it raw (think Farmers Markets). I also use D) unprocessed unbleached sugar as much as possible, none of the bleached white sugar - this comes in various forms like turbinado, etc. one kind starts with a D and I can't think how it is spelled now.

Anyway I pretty much had to go cold turkey with the HFCS etc or the stuff we have around here that my husband refuses to part with, I just avoid it. I've gotten to where I see the bottles and I'll think "poison" rather than "goodie". heh. I've gone to weddings where a tiny bite of all the sugary frosting on cake was too much for me and had to spit it out - whereas before, I could plow through a third of a sheet cake if they'd let me have at it!! So its' a limited success, to be sure, but I'll take it since it seems to work for me.

I feel for you though, it is JUST NOT EASY and frustrating how much of the stuff is snuck into foods in restaurants or fast food places etc. I've even been shocked by labels in the grocery store of foods I'd never dream having any kind of sweetener or need for a sweetener, and they'll have some sort of artificial sweetener, sucralose or aspartame or whatever. NO wonder I felt awful "the day after" eating some of it.. Grrrrrr. Hang in there!!

I usually use Stevia powder rather than the liquids, but each has their place. I've used different brands - each has their own charm and/or their own "meh" factor, but I just had to keep using them until I got "used to them" the same way that Splenda or Sweet-n-Low were originally offputting to me before I got "used" to them before the results and afteraffects became more obvious. - 6/23/2011   1:37:19 PM

I have read many of the comments, so I know I'm not the only one who's story is told in this blog. I also had an injury last summer for which I had to take a break, which turned into a longer unnecessary break, which turned into a cruise, followed by the holidays. During that time, all my eating goals went out the window. I am now making my way back. I kicked my kettlecorn habit and started working out again. While I don't celebrate anybody's setbacks, I have to say it's reassuring and encouraging to be a part of a real community where it's ok to share our challenges and encourage each other. - 3/20/2011   2:31:27 PM

In a family journey to be sugar free -- initiated by ADHD and special needs diet issues of my 19 y.o. daughter ---- we've discovered that it's possible to readdict to sugar substitutes, not just sugar. That in turn fires up sugar cravings! It's an amazing and complex issue/struggle. - 2/21/2011   8:25:27 AM

The same thing happened to me when I stopped my regular gym visits due to the holidays, visitors, moving and a vacation. The return to sugar craving crept up on me.
Strategy: I upgraded my itouch so I can get fitness applications. 21st century informatics has given me new motivation--there is new wind in my sails!! Sometimes, it takes a little shaking up!
- 1/17/2011   7:53:21 PM

I can completely empathize. I know I should go cold turkey and cut out the sweets, but I have at least cut back quite a bit since the holidays. I've avoided the afternoon soft drink with sugar and caffeine so far in 2011. It's a start! - 1/12/2011   11:05:06 AM

The holidays were hard this year as they are every year. No matter what I do I always seem to fall off the wagon as far as sweets and the normal holiday fare is concerned and this year was no different. I guess what I need to do is just not go hog wild and just practice more portion control after all the trick is everything in moderation. I am happy I was able to get back on track and back to exercising.
























- 1/11/2011   9:32:30 AM

The best part of falling off the wagon is climbing back on...with the help of the tremendous support system here at SP!!! Love this place! - 1/8/2011   2:12:04 PM

Does anyone know of a sugar detox center?
THanks - 1/4/2011   8:23:57 PM

Most mornings before I get out of bed I resolve to not eat any sweets. Today I got rid of all the Christmas candy and felt so good about myself. Would you believe before the day was over I ate a tbls of honey. Maybe tomorrow. - 1/3/2011   8:47:53 PM

This blog was awesome and so are all the comments. With minor variations, I could have written that blog! :) Everyone's comments and suggestions are inspiring and helpful. I'm so glad to see it's not just me. I lost over 140 pounds over the course of 3 years and have now put 30 back on. So I am going to fight back! I won't get to that point again. I felt horrible. And while I'm feeling bad now, I still feel pretty good physically! I know eating right and exercising helps me feel good! So sometimes it's really mind boggling to understand why I keep repeating the old habits for that temporary feeling of comfort. I'm a work in process! :) And I won't give up this time! It doesn't sound like any of you will either! Good luck to everyone for a successful and joyful 2011! We can do it!! - 1/3/2011   1:14:31 PM

I am having the same problem right now. I know what to do but I just can't seem to do it. Hopefully reading your article will help me get back in control of myself. - 1/3/2011   7:27:41 AM

Thank you! I too am adicted to sugar. I'm worried that something will happen and I'll start down that sugar coated chocolate edged path back to the way things were. Now I know I'm not alone in this fight and I hope that this will help give me the strength to back away from the _____ (fill in with yummy treat of the day). I hope you know that since you did it once you can do it again. For me, it's know that you did it so I can do it too! - 1/2/2011   9:40:40 PM

That sums up my sugar addiction, too. It starts small and you can justify it, and then something happens that makes you ramp up your intake. I am going to break the cycle now. I feel so much better when I get sugar out of my system! - 1/1/2011   9:44:26 AM

Having lost 70+ pounds.. and then having a bike accident which leg to knee surgery - which led to leg brace and time off work and not being able to do things - and still - painful knee. I got on the scale to see I've gained 7.5lbs from my lowet weight. I can sooo relate to this blog ... soooo relate. And being diabetic... my sugars are off the chart again. So its hard to know where to start! - 12/31/2010   2:10:20 PM

I surely believe that sugar is the devil! I've tried going cold turkey but got sick as a dog - felt like I had been hit by a truck for days. I decided that small steps were better for me - switched to using honey in my coffee and teas is one thing - staying away from HF Corn Syrup whenever possible and I was doing good until...dun dun DUN THE HOLIDAYS!!! Oh and Trader Joe's doesn't help with their evil chocolates either. I'm taking a step today and throwing out the chocolates. Thanks for helping me feel not so alone. - 12/30/2010   12:43:34 PM

Me too! It is so good to know that I am not alone in this addiction....which I feel for me is exactly that! Thank you for your support! That's what I really like about Sparkpeople.
Deb - 12/29/2010   8:09:58 AM

I started SP in Oct 2010. On Nov. 1, I vowed to cut out all processed sugar and did well until my birthday on the 19th. Then had a little bit on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and now the week in between the holidays is proving just as challenging. It is a never ending battle. If it was just a habit, you could break it in 21 days. This is an addiction!!! - 12/28/2010   2:47:16 PM

THis is where I am sitting right now..... I am addicted to sugar. Every morning I wake up and say this is a new day. But the somebody brings something to the office and I say oh well just a 1/4 and by the end of the day I have ended up eatting the whole thing. This morning I threw good fudge and great toffee squares in the garbage..... I felt guilty for I know friends put a lot of work into making them....but I have a hard time controling myself..... I hope that I can get back on the regimen that I once was.... I am feeling down about myself and how I feel. Thanks for all of your words...I know I am not alone...and I know we can all work together and kick the sweet blues. - 12/27/2010   8:52:15 AM

Clearly we sugar addicts are not alone. And this time of the year is certainly the toughest time. The sugar cravings generally die down about 3-6 days after quitting 'cold turkey', but doing it that way also makes me miserable. My tactic: to wean down slowly. ONE piece of chocolate, not 5; frozen grapes (purple ones are especially sweet); a graham cracker instead of a chocolate chip cookie (if you need something sweeter, put some fruit-only jelly on the graham cracker); or a baked apple sprinkled with splenda and cinnamon, with some raisins added to the cored center. It's also important to read packaged goods; some are loaded with salt and sugar, so you may be wondering why you still have cravings if you have cut out true sweets. Good luck to us all! - 12/25/2010   12:26:28 PM

Stevia has saved my butt so many times. ;) I have a wicked sweet tooth and I've been working on baking my stuff with stevia instead of sugar. Saves calories and it seems to not trigger a sugar binge like traditionally sweetened things do.

I eat dessert daily but I make it with no added fats and no sugar. It's as far as I'm willing to go, currently. - 12/24/2010   10:14:46 PM

Thank you for posting this. I am going through the same thing. Between having a surgery and the holidays...I just fell OFF the wagon! Glad to know I'm not alone and we'll all get through this! Merry Christmas! - 12/23/2010   10:31:15 PM

thankyou for your comments i too am a sugar addict i haven't even tried to quit scares me to even think about however reading what you wrote has me thinking
- 12/23/2010   10:11:06 PM

Oh, yes!!!! That sugar gremlin has me too. Of course, I rationalize that it is the Holiday Season and that sugary stuff is everywhere. I have decided to ask myself if I want to be healthy and slimmer or eat that awful dessert. I hope I make it through to Jan. 2nd!!! - 12/23/2010   5:16:25 PM

Thank you for posting so honestly and openly. It made me realize I am not alone. I really needed that. Thank you! - 12/23/2010   3:02:31 AM

I can totally relate to this... I have been meaning to "quit" sugar for a long time. I eat healthy, until I get a taste of something sweet in my mouth. Then it's all downhill!

Has anyone heard of "Potatoes not Prozac"? It is a book written by an addiction specialist. She offers a 7 step solution to get your body to stop craving sugar. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Potatoes-Seve
n-Step-Stabilize-Cravings-Recognize
/dp/0684850141 - 12/22/2010   5:43:54 PM

Thank you for sharing honestly. I think just knowing that we are all going through this together is a huge help for me personally. I have been struggling with the same thing for the past month and have felt shame over it. But after reading your blog, and after seeing all the comments, I don't feel alone anymore! Thank you for having the courage to practice self honesty. In helping yourself, you are helping others, too. - 12/22/2010   10:33:48 AM

I also continue to fight the sugar addiction. I go for long periods and do great then something happens and I am back at the sugar again. I get it under control and then I seem to get caught back up again with the sugary things. I have a problem with just one when it come to sugary things. - 12/22/2010   9:41:09 AM

i cant seem to get away from the sweets either... - 12/22/2010   4:41:20 AM

I've been having a lot of cravings lately too, and indulging them more often than I would have during my weight loss phase. There are days I feel a little guilty, but I make sure when that starts that I start owning my choices-- I consciously stop before eating that treat (be it sweet or salt/fat, as both hit me lately, which is unusual) and I weigh it out, look at the amount of calories/ fat I'm eating and say, I choose to eat this __ (fill in the blank)-- I know I don't need it, I know I am eating for emotional reasons, --or whatever is true-- and I allowing myself this treat. Then I eat it and I let it go, I don't feel guilty, I don't make up for it by starving myself later or purge them out-- but I own those extra calories, I look at them in my food journal I recognize that I may have to face a scale that goes up a few pounds if I do this too often.

Now, after doing that a day or two, for some reason, I soon find I still have the cravings but decide NOT to indulge them and ignore them. I say I feel this craving, I know I want this, but right now I"m choosing to be healthy and choosing my long term goals over my short term desires.

Usually after a couple days of not satisfying the cravings, they subside-- until the next bout of exhaustion or PMS, LOL. :) Still, I'd rather gain back a few pounds and own my choices, loving myself than just be thin but fall back into those self-hating, self-destructive patterns of guilt and shame. - 12/21/2010   11:58:47 PM

Thanks for your honesty. I too am back to trolling for chocolate at work. I even ate a donut this morning...not like me at all. I feel so much better when I"m off of sugar. Thanks for telling the truth. I need a NO SUGAR support group. - 12/21/2010   4:39:33 PM

I work in a clinic and you would not believe the spread our patients brought in today. Cookies and fudge, homemade chocolate covered nuts and chocolate rum cake . . . should I go on? I had a small piece of rum cake because I am on the 5% Winter Weight Loss Challenge which ends in January. I can't tell you what a difference being a part of the Underdogs team has made for me this season. I encourage everyone who is struggling to join the Winter Challenge or one like it. The comraderie, the weekly lifestyle challenges and the weekly weigh in have kept me on track. I'm not just maintaining but losing this season. - 12/21/2010   2:43:38 PM

I am definitely there with all of you. The sugar craving monster has taken me by the hand and led me down a path that I need to find my way back from. Especially with the holidays . . . Where to go for suggestions would really help me out a LOT. Thanks!! - 12/21/2010   2:38:35 PM

Thank you for writing this blog! I have been eating too many sugars lately, and needed to be reminded of one thing I have a lot of control over - what food comes into our house. Being the grocery shopper, I can choose not to buy processed sweets (including bread) and I can choose what desserts I make. The difficult part is making sure I shop when I'm not hungry, with a completely prepared list, and even better, first thing in the morning instead of on my way home from work. I am blessed with a supportive family that is willing to do without junk so that we all feel better. I make dessert on Sunday afternoons when the rest of our family visits. I make just enough for everyone to have one serving, and no one complains! - 12/21/2010   2:05:57 PM

I feel that I am constantly falling all the fitness wagon. However, I just remind myself daily that it's a new day and time for a fresh start. - 12/21/2010   12:20:02 PM

It's good to know I am not alone and others are going through the same issues. - 12/21/2010   11:20:25 AM

Wow, did you write this or did I? I was reading this as I popped a Hershey's kiss in my mouth from the office gift basket. I've worked hard to take the weight off and now I feel like I am sabotaging myself. I truly believe that I am a sugar addict I've done it before and I can do it again. Thank you fo putting it out there and smacking me in the face. I needed to hear it from someone else.

WE CAN DO THIS. - 12/21/2010   11:10:05 AM

I can really relate. I went off track spectacularly and started behaving like I had never been pursuing a healthier lifestyle. I am in the process of getting back on track. - 12/21/2010   10:36:32 AM

I ate so much yesterday, I could hardly sleep. I'm so frustrated with myself. The holiday season is hectic, I haven't been exercising, and now I'm pigging out too. I can completely relate to your frustration! It helps to see I'm not alone. There's always a chance for a new beginning! - 12/21/2010   10:07:03 AM

Just get rid of all candy from the house ..When you have a craving for sugar or sweets , eat a fruit .. you need to cut it at the source ..Works for me . - 12/21/2010   9:53:11 AM

Thank you for this blog. Even though I know that I am not alone in this struggle, it is nice to read about others tackling this problem. - 12/21/2010   8:53:27 AM

I am in the exact same boat. I have a wicked sweet tooth. - 12/21/2010   8:32:45 AM

I can completely relate. I'm simply disgusted with myself. - 12/21/2010   7:51:08 AM

I can totally relate. That has happened to me. I not back on the wagon yet, but it has slowed way down. - 12/21/2010   6:03:34 AM

Sugar creeps back into my food plan. My mind says " A little won't hurt." We know where that leads us! When I eat sugar one day, I crave it the next day, too. It takes me about 2- 1/2 days to wean myself off of sugar. I find by having lots of sugar fee jello around really helps, even with a touch of milk or half/half gets me through the cravings. I also cut back on bread as well. Tomorrow is another day, and I'll do the best I can. We all will. - 12/21/2010   3:31:16 AM

I like so many others could have written this blog word for word.I was never bad r sugar up until about a month ago.Now sugar is all I want ,and want ,and want.I also am not geting the exercise I need.I need t start,but don't quite know how. - 12/20/2010   11:08:08 PM