The Last Hurdle: Sugar page

[lexsi340]

I have never been that into sugar, or overly sugary things. Sugar cravings happened very rarely - I almost always would have had a bowl of pasta with marinara and meatballs..
But now going primal, this seems to be the thing I can't cut. Who would have thought?! I've cut out grains, just recently dairy, legumes/beans - things that were the mainstay of my diet before. But recently I've been trying to cut out sugar (other than the dash in my tea), and it has been harder than I ever remembered kicking carbs was.
I avoided them ferverntly all day today, ate extremely well - and when I felt my cravings come I loaded up on some fat and protein, drank some water (hunger cravings are often dehydration?).
I haven't binged since going full paleo (during my extremely slow weaning process, I had several falls) - but tonight was a big sugar binge.. something I probably wouldn't have even eating before going primal! It was paired with a severe anxiety attack that only went away after foods loaded with sugar and about two hours of tv (something I also rarely do..).

Anyone else have these problems? I feel like I'm kicking cigarettes, and feel so silly! What did you do to kick sugar?

[zoebird]

haven't kicked it yet, but i admit i'm not trying. i mostly have regular doses of dark chocolate, but it's becoming more irregular these days, which is good.

for a long while, i didn't have any sugar -- i think it was two years or so -- but then i went back to it while in africa, because food was strange there (good, btu strange. difficult to order properly). so, i ate what i could, and that was usually ice cream at the end of a meal. LOL "back on the wagon" as one would say.

i don't know why i went without sugar for so long, i just did.

[SteakNchop]

The reason you can't kick it is you have some in your tea. To eliminate sugar cravings, you must eat 0 sugar.

[Suse]

I just dont think I could be bothered to kick all sugar to the kerb. But I've definitely limited it a lot more than I ever used to...

[elorajade]

Griff has a great saying in his signature line.....something to the effect that the body cannot tell the difference between a tbsp of sugar and a tbsp of rice.

You are a sugar/carb junkie, only instead of getting your fix through straight up sugar, you were getting it through pasta and higher carb foods. Now that they are cut out of your diet of COURSE your body is going to go jonesing for it.

[BarbeyGirl]

The reason you can't kick it is you have some in your tea. To eliminate sugar cravings, you must eat 0 sugar.

+1 Even fruit, especially dried fruit, will keep those cravings going until you REALLY break the addiction. Might you be up for a Whole 30 challenge? It'll cure what ails ya!

[lizch]

Unless you cut the dairy for a specific reason rather than just to follow paleo principles, I'd be tempted to add that back in until you are down to 0 sugar.

[hazyjane]

The amino acid L-glutamine is very helpful for cutting sugar cravings. Take 2000 mg, 3x/day between meals. It works wonders! It also provides the brain with a fuel source as the body learns to burn fat instead of sugar (coconut oil does this too) and it heals the gut lining.

[nutritionut]

I feel your pain. I second glutamine. Chromium is also said to reduce cravings. But honestly, give yourself a week with NO sugar, and your cravings will subside, and you will feel SO much better both physically and mentally. Once the withdrawal subsides, it's worth sticking to a clean diet.

http://nutritionut.wordpress.com/