sugar

[greeneyes]

You long time abbers... did you have sugar cravings? How did you deal with them? I'm tempted to go buy doughnuts and I never have had those cravings. I just ate a bunch of hubby disgusting candy and continued to do so while I read the horrid ingredients. Ugh! Now I'm half way into a whole bag of grapes.

[Dolly Sunshine]

Green try a low carb diet it truly helps with the cravings.

[xtexan]

Hi GreenEyes:

I increased my sugar consumption unwittingly after I went AF.

It came in the form of Gatorade, which has more sugar per oz. than most soft drinks. I was guzzling it by the quart before, and after my workouts.

After realizing it was spiking my blood sugar, and making me feel terrible I finally went on Atkins induction diet for two weeks, and stabilized my blood sugar, and even lost 20 lbs of weight after low-carbing it for 4 months.

Now I am carefully controlling my carb intake, and avoiding all refined sugars, only eating whole fruits and vegetables, and whole-grain breads for my carb rations.

In the long run, the increased sugar probably helped me over the initial hump, but then it caused it's own terrible raft of emotional and psychological problems. Glad I gave it up, and feeling even better now.

Neil
over 27 months AF

[tea]

What does the low carb eating do to help the sweet cravings?

Lx

[Determinator]

carb-controlled eating habits help to stabilize hormones and insulin levels in the body. Eating sugar and white flour type products is a viscous cycle that leads to an increasingly unhealthy brain and body.

also eating lo carbs helps your body to switch over to burning body fat for energy instead of just burning up the excess carbs in your stomach/intestines.

[charlee]

Green...Hey at least you are eating grapes!!!!....I am eating chocolate after dinner like it is going out of style!!..At first it was the cravings, then (like everything else in my life) it became habit grabbing that handful of choc kisses every nite after dinner. I remind myself of one of those vending machines that have the big claw that you manuever to grab the stuffed animal!!!!..Never knew such at tiny hand could hold so much chocolate!!!!.....The cravings are now gone, but they did last a month or so...now it is a power of wills..I finished the bag up last nite, and told myself I would not buy anymore (sounding familiar??). Just came home from the grocery store and guess what I found on sale. The BIG BAG...buy one get one free!!!........Of course I did!!!

[FallenAngel]

Originally Posted by greeneyes

You long time abbers... did you have sugar cravings? Ugh! Now I'm half way into a whole bag of grapes.

LOL... @ the whole bags of grapes!
When I was about 4 months into my smoking quit (that's a little over a year ago now) I went on a low-carb diet to lose the weight I had gained from quitting. That really curbed my hunger & cravings. Since I quit drinking, I have tried to stay somewhat low carb, but I have noticed that I have an uncontrollable craving for dark chocolate! LOL (have some sitting here right now *as Angel slaps her hand away from the box*). Chocolate does release some "feel good" hormones... so I can see the reason why we reach for it.... we're looking for something to take the place of the good feeling or "buzz" that we got from AL.