Quitting sugar is harder than drugs.. Change my mind lol

[NEMSZ]

I could pound a box of fruit roll ups every other hour with a smile on my face. Which I think I did when the gym was closed.

Don’t follow a “diet”, don’t even call it a “diet”. If you’re a competitor or have a very specific short term goal then yea do all the macros and crap but if not just eat healthier and eat less....all set.

Won’t be long before you yourself don’t want to pig out and eat bad because you’ll feel like shit after and you know what, even bad food is okay sometimes.

You don’t have to torture yourself with a “diet” unless you have a specific reason for it. Just eat better and eat less and it won’t take long before it’s the norm.

That’s pretty much the strategy I’m following.. I’m not following a super strict diet as I found doing that makes me want to binge even more and in even greater amounts, but I definitely cleaned it up significantly and improved it. But those last couple hundred calories of the day (not every single day but most days) always get me. Which we all know like 3 cookies is like 300 calories so it’s not like I’m eating packages of Oreos every night lol but just a little something...

I just have no idea what it’s doing in terms of progress.. A couple weeks ago my goal was to go full PSMF and get as shredded as possible etc but with my businesses/priorities and my realistic goal and I know how I am with binging etc, I mean, it’s just not what I want at the end of the day. I’m really happy with an athletic/lean physique but doesn’t have to be 6% dry lol I can be 10-11% and be a bit more muscular than I am now and be perfectly cool with that.. But damn I wish I could just be super strict and disciplined with it.. Another part of it is as I was explaining to TheOtherOne a couple posts above is that I was a bit blessed/spoiled when I was younger and didn’t really have to work to be super lean.. I could workout, eat whatever, go drink some beers 6 nights a week and still have a 6 pack and look good. Now obviously with no real AAS besides TRT, being older etc those things change Lol and I’ve given up absolutely everything in terms of alcohol and partying the last few years to even soda and fast food, haven’t had any in 2 years, But damn those sweets lmao. I figure I can still get in shape and have my cake too.. lol

 

[Ashop]

It's all about cutting it back slowly. I used to put 2 teaspoons of sugar in my coffee. I backed it down to 1tsp and then a few weeks later a half teaspoon, now I'm not using sugar in my coffee. Another tip is fruit like blueberries, strawberries, watermelon really helped when I craved something I shouldn't have.

 

[gungalunga]

So NEMS.....just out of curiosity.....are you a cannabis user?

 

[NEMSZ]

So NEMS.....just out of curiosity.....are you a cannabis user?

Was very heavy into cannabis for years, then I took a 9 month break last year, I tried smoking a couple times again and each and every time I take a couple puffs and I get crazy anxiety attacks.. I know my tolerance went down but man, I used to smoke literally an ounce every few days of some FIRE and I used to take full gram dabs then hit the gym or go about my day etc.. Now a couple puffs fuck with me so bad and I hate it. I love weed and wish I could smoke even just a little bit at night (I have no interest in smoking as much as I used to), but for whatever reason my body seems to not agree with it anymore.. lol so long answer short, no, I don’t use cannabis anymore lol

 

[gungalunga]

Was very heavy into cannabis for years, then I took a 9 month break last year, I tried smoking a couple times again and each and every time I take a couple puffs and I get crazy anxiety attacks.. I know my tolerance went down but man, I used to smoke literally an ounce every few days of some FIRE and I used to take full gram dabs then hit the gym or go about my day etc.. Now a couple puffs fuck with me so bad and I hate it. I love weed and wish I could smoke even just a little bit at night (I have no interest in smoking as much as I used to), but for whatever reason my body seems to not agree with it anymore.. lol so long answer short, no, I don’t use cannabis anymore lol

OK....I was just wondering because when I do indulge in smoking there arent any cookies, ice cream, chocolate or candy left in the house by the next day. This is why I only smoke occasionally. Luckily edibles and liquids don't give me the same kind of ravenous sugar cavings.

 

[btails]

Quitting sugar or SOME drugs isn't really that hard. One day you just kind of come to the conclusion that if you want some things then you have to give up other things. The cost is either worth it to you, or it isn't.

 

[Cv215]

Dude trust me i feel you. My diet is literally perfect from 7 a.m. to midnight. Those six hours in the middle of the night mess me up so bad. My cravings in the middle of the night are just awful. I am an opioid addict ten years clean so i know addiction. Addiction to sugar feels very real. The one thing I've learned is that if you can just get a few days without sugar under your belt it gets incrementaly better fast.

Im really good at eating the food that i need during the day to build muscle. Im not as good at saying no to junk food in the middle of the night.

 

[Cv215]

Fucking guys that talk all high and mighty arent being real to the fact that everyones brains are wired differently. Some people are wired to feel much greater compulsion towards those pleasure creating centers. This compulsion can feel incredibly intense. I easily become addicted to literally anything that makes me feel good. Whether it be an hobby or activity, sex, drugs, sugar, relationships, gambling, fucking underwater basket weaving.

The compulsion might not feel as intense for you which makes you think its not a difficult task to overcome. This allows you to get over confident about your "will power"... "Its as easy as just stopping." well, no for everyone its actually not that easy. It can be done, and with enough determination WILL be done, but that doesnt mean it will be anywhere as easy for me as it was for you.

The one thing that is true is that it is ultimately the decision to finally say enough is enough that needs to be made. What they have wrong is the difficulty that each person experiences getting to and surpassing that level of enough is enough. When it comes to compulsions not everyone is on an even playing field. People seem to have trouble grasping this concept.

 

[finephysique]

I love chocolate and would fully admit to being addicted to it. I don’t smoke don’t drink alcohol don’t gamble so I figure I need one vice to enjoy particularly when there has been so little to do with lockdowns.

 

[USMuscle9403]

I think I replace sex with food, honestly, since I haven't been getting laid much lately lol

A lot of times we revolve our addictions or replace one with another. You may want to think why you want sugar so badly, it may be more deeply rooted. I'm not trying to be Dr Phil or some shit, I promise lol Is there something else in your life that is lacking? Perhaps you're using it to fill other needs that aren't being met. Or it can be just as simple as having fat boy genetics, in general. I've struggled with my appetite all my life, was renowned for my appetite f even as a kid lol

 

[juggy38]

I suffer from GAD and MDD and when I’m sad or anxious I polish off a box of coco puffs or a giant bar of chocolate.

HALT-B.. are you hungry, anxious, lonely, tired, or bored?

I did carnivore diet for 30 days and slowly re introduced dark greens, sweet potatoes, and a few berrries. I feel much better.

If I eat shit food, it’s on like donkey Kong. I can’t have a couple cookies....it will turn into a couple dozen lol

 

[Aikman56]

Well that’s the thing, I have no problem limiting myself to those last 500 calories or so, sometimes it’s even less but sometimes it’s more. I definitely don’t go into the surplus though.. I just make sure I hit the 250g of protein a day and eat all healthy as possible, and if I have some calories left I finish it off with bullshit lol.. I just don’t know how bad this is effecting me to my goal, though my goal isn’t too serious of a physique.. I just want to be a little leaner and more muscular at the same weight I am now, but concentrated on functional fitness and being athletic.. I’m not trying to get into contest shape..

I never understood that mindset.
Regardless of my momentary goal, I go all-in. Get there faster, then maintain.

Contrast shape = 10-penny nail.
Being athletic = finishing tack.

Swing the same hammer, get there faster, then maintenance is easier.

I don’t understand the “I’m only going going across town, I’d rather walk than drive.” mindset. It’s completely illogical.

 

[Samson250]

Fucking guys that talk all high and mighty arent being real to the fact that everyones brains are wired differently. Some people are wired to feel much greater compulsion towards those pleasure creating centers. This compulsion can feel incredibly intense. I easily become addicted to literally anything that makes me feel good. Whether it be an hobby or activity, sex, drugs, sugar, relationships, gambling, fucking underwater basket weaving.

The compulsion might not feel as intense for you which makes you think its not a difficult task to overcome. This allows you to get over confident about your "will power"... "Its as easy as just stopping." well, no for everyone its actually not that easy. It can be done, and with enough determination WILL be done, but that doesnt mean it will be anywhere as easy for me as it was for you.

The one thing that is true is that it is ultimately the decision to finally say enough is enough that needs to be made. What they have wrong is the difficulty that each person experiences getting to and surpassing that level of enough is enough. When it comes to compulsions not everyone is on an even playing field. People seem to have trouble grasping this concept.

I’ve been following this thread waiting for someone in recovery (like myself) to read it and respond lol. Congratulations on ten years brother.

 

[swm1972]

In my experience, a carb restrictive diet only make sugar cravings worse.
When I'm eating potatoes or rice every meal with lean protein, I'm A-OK and don't crave much.

IF and when i get crave something sweet—cream of rice/oats + whey + PB. Thats enough to curb the sweet. Oats are filling too.

I went low carbs diet in my late 20's. It worked, but I knew I was losing my damn mind when I saw a package of two saltine crackers and my mouth started watering and I craved it like it was a huge slice of chocolate cake.

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Ive gone off the deepend man. After one of my first contests, i was dying. Fucked up a good experience where I was in good shape say 21 days out....but i put myself in a bad scenario. I went on a BACHELOR PARTY TRIP 3 weeks out from a contest hahaha it wasn't like Vegas or anything and i packed my meals but still. We had rented a huge lake house and it was wild...but i just caaaved. Couldn't handle it and it was terrible.

Coming back off my latest hard diet (one where i could've stepped on stage but meh, I still needed another progressive offseason) i mentally prepared myself for the goals i wanted. Did I want a fucking brownie? Hell yeah i did. But i could have 1 for 1 day of craziness and be done. Basically, I wanted to look better than have that fuckin brownie. The satisfaction LASTS longer to me.

I mean it all comes down to priorities and how strict you keep the lifestyle. If you're just a dude trying to look better, setup a diet with some lil mini cheats once a week....if you're a competitor, that shit might not be worth it.

Foad Abiad and Ben Chow were just talking about this on their podcast the other day. Basically, should EVERY BBer be as serious as fuck with their lifestyle. And in reality, some need to and some don't. If you have basic white guy genetics and want to be a pro more than anything, its better to live life like a robot. But hell, if this is a side gig for you, you can have some fun and look good too. Balance is a weird word in bodybuilding.

I went low carbs diet in my late 20's. It worked, but I knew I was losing my damn mind when I saw a package of two saltine crackers and my mouth started watering and I craved it like it was a huge slice of chocolate cake.

 

[swm1972]

Fucking guys that talk all high and mighty arent being real to the fact that everyones brains are wired differently. Some people are wired to feel much greater compulsion towards those pleasure creating centers. This compulsion can feel incredibly intense. I easily become addicted to literally anything that makes me feel good. Whether it be an hobby or activity, sex, drugs, sugar, relationships, gambling, fucking underwater basket weaving.

The compulsion might not feel as intense for you which makes you think its not a difficult task to overcome. This allows you to get over confident about your "will power"... "Its as easy as just stopping." well, no for everyone its actually not that easy. It can be done, and with enough determination WILL be done, but that doesnt mean it will be anywhere as easy for me as it was for you.

The one thing that is true is that it is ultimately the decision to finally say enough is enough that needs to be made. What they have wrong is the difficulty that each person experiences getting to and surpassing that level of enough is enough. When it comes to compulsions not everyone is on an even playing field. People seem to have trouble grasping this concept.

This is true. Everyone responds differently. That's why some people try a hard drug and instantly become hooked and others can use occasionally/recreationally for years and never become an addict.

I struggled with my weight through my early 20's. Generally a shitty diet and excess, but also sweet junk food that offered nothing nutritionally. It really comes down to how much you want it. I was tired of being winded walking up a flight of stairs. Seeing how women would avoid eye contact with me. In 13 months of clean eating i went from 300lbs to 180lbs just with diet and walking 3 miles a day right before bed. Then I looked in the mirror and saw a scrawny little bitch and wasn't any happier.

That began my journey that has spanned 20 years and brought me a good place. The past decade (or more) I've been as large as 240lbs at a 32" waist 5'10"... but typically walk around at 220lbs... depending on where I am cycle wise and what my goals are. Certainly not enormous like some of the people that frequent this forum, but its helped given me what I've wanted from life.

The thing is, anyone that drags there ass to the gym 3 or 4 times a week after working all day, or wakes up and goes to the gym before work has the mindset to succeed. They just need to focus some of that same determination into (IMO) the most important part of the equation for a healthy lifestyle. Diet. Its also undoubtedly the hardest part of dial in and maintain.

 

[smok44]

I love sweets too and couldn't live without them. So my strategy is to replace almost all regular sweets with my own custom desserts made with artificial sweeteners. I'm totally addicted to the Natreen sweetener available in my country, I consume daily around 200 tablets where the suggested maximum dose is 16 But still I don't think it can be dangerous. I also drink 1 or 2 big bottles of diet coke every day .

One of my favorite recipes lately is a kind of pudding : 100g low fat cottage cheese, 150g egg whites, 20g PB2 powder, 3 or 4 chopped dates, 30g potato starch, baking powder and lots of sweetener. I mix everything and microwave for 3 minutes, tastes awesome

On special occasions like family dinners I usually eat as much cake as I want which is probably 4000kcal, then try to throw up as much as I can. I know this is sick but it happens only a few times a year

 

[Cv215]

This is true. Everyone responds differently. That's why some people try a hard drug and instantly become hooked and others can use occasionally/recreationally for years and never become an addict.

I struggled with my weight through my early 20's. Generally a shitty diet and excess, but also sweet junk food that offered nothing nutritionally. It really comes down to how much you want it. I was tired of being winded walking up a flight of stairs. Seeing how women would avoid eye contact with me. In 13 months of clean eating i went from 300lbs to 180lbs just with diet and walking 3 miles a day right before bed. Then I looked in the mirror and saw a scrawny little bitch and wasn't any happier.

That began my journey that has spanned 20 years and brought me a good place. The past decade (or more) I've been as large as 240lbs at a 32" waist 5'10"... but typically walk around at 220lbs... depending on where I am cycle wise and what my goals are. Certainly not enormous like some of the people that frequent this forum, but its helped given me what I've wanted from life.

The thing is, anyone that drags there ass to the gym 3 or 4 times a week after working all day, or wakes up and goes to the gym before work has the mindset to succeed. They just need to focus some of that same determination into (IMO) the most important part of the equation for a healthy lifestyle. Diet. Its also undoubtedly the hardest part of dial in and maintain.

You're absolutely right. It does come down to how badly you want it.

I wish i could just have one brownie and be done. One brownie is pointless for me and only serves as a warmup for more brownies. I then find myself eating multiple brownies until I'm satisfied, every single night. Besides that, my diet is so good and ive been doing this for so long that i still look better than the majority of the population.

My motivation comes from knowing the progress i can make if i simply knock out that extra 1000+ calories of junk in the middle of the night.

Its almost like heroin. You can't just be clean and have "a hit". Just like i cant be sugar free and simply have A brownie. The thing is once i break the sugar connection, im like completely free and those cravings rarely appear at all.

I guess the reason this thread really resonates with me is because for the last few months ive really been trying to break free from being a junk food junkie in the middle of the night, and last week i finally made it happen and have been good since and noticing changes in my body daily. Thats literally 1000-1500 calories of junk i was able to drop. A lot of times it also comes in the form of foods that don't necessarily look like junk but are actually junk in disguise. For instance i love a big bowl of greek yogurt with blueberries, and granola but it easily as a 1000 calorie price tag on it.

Once you break through you realize how worth it it really is.

 

[swm1972]

You're absolutely right. It does come down to how badly you want it.

I wish i could just have one brownie and be done. One brownie is pointless for me and only serves as a warmup for more brownies. I then find myself eating multiple brownies until I'm satisfied, every single night. Besides that, my diet is so good and ive been doing this for so long that i still look better than the majority of the population.

My motivation comes from knowing the progress i can make if i simply knock out that extra 1000+ calories of junk in the middle of the night.

Its almost like heroin. You can't just be clean and have "a hit". Just like i cant be sugar free and simply have A brownie. The thing is once i break the sugar connection, im like completely free and those cravings rarely appear at all.

I guess the reason this thread really resonates with me is because for the last few months ive really been trying to break free from being a junk food junkie in the middle of the night, and last week i finally made it happen and have been good since and noticing changes in my body daily. Thats literally 1000-1500 calories of junk i was able to drop. A lot of times it also comes in the form of foods that don't necessarily look like junk but are actually junk in disguise. For instance i love a big bowl of greek yogurt with blueberries, and granola but it easily as a 1000 calorie price tag on it.

Once you break through you realize how worth it it really is.

After nearly 20 years of clean living when I am occasionally induced to eat sweets I find myself unable to finish. Recently at a wedding they didn't ask, they just delivered cake to every seat at the table after the first dance. Returning to my seat, I tried it. It was good but quickly became overwhelming and i wasn't able to get even half of it down.

I sympathize with you, because 20+ years ago I was in the same situation. Eating shit. But seemingly in a much worse general health condition.

I never had any intentions of competing and probably could have gotten away cheating fairly frequently. I did what I did for bitches and hoes... a shameless pursuit of pussy. 20 years later I've been married to a gorgeous woman 10 years younger than me for over a decade. If I hadn't chosen a different path for myself I'd be fat, alone and probably depressed as hell.

I remember one time earlyish in my journey I caught my reflection in a storefront window and didn't recognize myself. I saw some buff looking dude and looked around to see who the monster was near me. The realization that it was me I was seeing completely sold me on this lifestyle. And I've locked that shit down ever since because I am not going back to living like that ever again.

If you are happy with where you are, I say roll with it. If not, how important is making a change? Because if it really matters to you, you'll find a way to make the change.

 

[goback2013]

I went low carbs diet in my late 20's. It worked, but I knew I was losing my damn mind when I saw a package of two saltine crackers and my mouth started watering and I craved it like it was a huge slice of chocolate cake.

i find going zero carb(carnivore) for a week breaks the sweet cravings and helps to control the binges.
actually 72hrs of zero-carb breaks the sugar addiction.
to op.. maybe try the vince gironda egg and steak diet. i like raw egg shakes with zero-carb protein powder for flavoring.
although any zero-carb flavoring will work.
the first 24hrs will be ROUGH, especially at night. but plug away, and after 72 hrs the sweet signals will start to diminish.
certainly after one week you'll be able to walk by the candy/sweet section of a store and not even be tempted.

another trick is to down a teaspoon(or more) of salt whenever sweet cravings come along.
but again.. you need to go through the withdrawl process.. which may include body shakes.

yes.. this type of addiction is very real.