My Husband is a Sugar Addict

My husband is 80 pounds overweight and he has gone back and forth a lot with trying to lose weight.  He'll lose 10 pounds and then get bored or frusterated with not seeing results fast enough and then give up and gain it back.  I have had a lot of conversations with him if he has questions (I have learned a lot from this website!!) but do not push him to lose weight, I know he has to do it for himself and not me. 

My husband has decided he wants to try to lose weight againI keep encouraging him to make small changes in his lifestyle and it won't be so hard, but he is CONVINCED it is all or nothing with him.  So I left that alone.  Then he brought up- he is addicted to sugar.  I always knew he loves pop, candy, etc, but he has never come out and said, "If I had the choice between drugs, alcohol, and sugar, I would pick sugar any day, it gives me a high"...... so, what do we do?  My feeling is have a small treat every day or have a cheat day every week.  But he wants to ban sugar and junk food completely.  Don't get me wrong, I totally support that, I'm just worried he will get frusterated again and then binge and give up like he always does. 

Anyways, I'm just wondering if anyone has dealt with a food addiction.  How do you live with it?  Or better yet, how can I help my husband live with it?     

I have suggestions for you! :)

Start small. Seriously. Don't change everything he eats yet, but see if you can get him to eat LESS. Since he's a guy and at least 80 lbs. overweight, he'll need to eat alot, so let him eat alot.

Feel free to try to swerve him towards better alternatives. For example, instead of a candy bar, a peach or a pear. Feel free to let him have some treats. Personally, with it being summer, I'd look into something called Skinny Cow ice cream. Low calorie ice cream novelties that taste good :)

See if you can get him to exercise a little. Nothing terrible. See if you can just get him to start by walking around the block a little. Walk with him. Make it partner time. :)

Whatever you do, take it slow and try to make it fun :)

Good luck and feel free to come back with specific quesitons about him and/or his diet (or see if he'll come here and talk to us. You know how supportive we are here, greenpea :) )

Yes, I love cc, and I told him he should get on here because there are a lot of people struggling just like him.  Thank you for your suggestions also, I am just worried about his all or nothing attitude- he is determined that he is going to do 1500 calories a day for example and no sugar at all.  I told him he will lose weight faster if he eats more and he doesn't believe me. :(  But at least he is making a step in the right direction, and I think things will fall into place as we go along...   

I'm also addicted to sugar...seriously, and I don't know what to do.

*nods*

Hold on, what if you print this up for him? Do you think he'll listen? :)

*tagged*!!!

I'll pimp this one too, the Calorie-Count.com Diet. :) My pride and joy :)

I don't know if these will help, but.. maybe it will? :)

there are articles online about food allergy/addiction, just google it, it's pretty fascinating stuff

I get addicted to sugary foods. I cut them out of my diet completely (initially b/c i became vegan and refined sugar uses animal bone char in the process of making it white)

What studies show is that the more sugar you eat, the more you crave it. When you cut it out of your diet, you pretty much lose interest in it within about a week.

My vote is to cut it out completely, then if he wants to, add it back in slowly later on.Even though i have permanently cut it out of my diet, you can still use my suggestions for temporary change...

I satisfy sweet cravings with sweet fruits (kiwis, peaches, watermelon, whatever fruits you like). When baking, i substitute sugar with stevia (you can use splenda, equal, or something else, but stevia is all-natural and better for you, also zero calories)

For me, i stopped craving actual sugar foods within a week.

i forgot to mention this as well: studies also show that the brain often confuses the bodies signals of being thirsty/dehydrated with sugar cravings. It helps to drink a glass of cold water when you feel the urge for something sweet so you can rule out dehydration as the real culprit

Back in the 80s MIT researchers made the connection between carbs and serotonin. The pioneers appear to be a husband and wife team named Wurton.  To read up on this, google "serotonin carbohydrates" Your husband is getting a serotonin high from sugar.  Serotonin is the chemical in the brain that makes us feel happy and calm.  The problem with simple carbs, is that it gives a serotonin spike followed by a quick crash, which in turn causes your husband to crave more sugar. If he continues to do this, he will become increasingly insulin resistant, which means it will take more and more sugar to get the same high. So what to do about this? Stop doing things that deplete or interfere with serotonin, increase more constructive ways of getting serotonin.

Things which interfere with or deplete serotonin include stress,  over exercising and too much protein (protein competes with serotonin production). The MIT researchers believed aspartame interfered with serotonin, have read this elsewhere, who knows?

Constructive strategies include more sunshine, moderate exercise (20-minute brisk walk), quality sleep  and certain B vitamins.  Most importantly, switch over to complex carbs.  A bowl of oatmeal, a serving of brown rice, popcorn and other whole grains give you a dose of serotonin that is longer lasting. No kidding, when he gets a sugar craivng he should try some whole-grain food.

To read more on this also go to the website www.bodyblues.com
   Body blues is a condition that mostly affects women, but sometimes also middle-aged men.  You don't need to buy the book, the site does a good job explaining everything, including which vitamins are helpful.

I have a cousin who is carb addicted.  His life has a high level of stress, poor sleep and so on.  He knowingly uses carbs as a drug.
I have watched him continually gain.  He is early 40s, about 5'10" and 285... up about 60 pounds in the last five years. He has to change or he will kill himself.

I agree that your husband should gradually shift over to healthier foods...  the healthier the better. This includes  gradually reducing  white flour and sugar.  He has to be weaned off the stuff.  My cousin tried the all-or-nothing radical diet back when he was about 270, but couldn't sustain it, largely due to the stress in his life. He would get depressed and binge on carbs. If then he had tried a more gradual approach he could sustain, he would be at his goal weight today. 

I floated an approach to my cousin that made more sense. ... appeals to guys I think because it is very self-contained and simple.  Most humans need at least 10 calories per pound... the average seems to be about 13, especially if active. Athletes need more like 20. So if every week my cousin multiplied his body weight by 10, and ate no more than those calories every day, he would lose weight. The next week, multiply 10 by his new lower weight, and eat slightly less. Each week he has a slightly lower weight, and loses in a fairly straight line. So when my cousin is close to his goal of 180 then he would be eating 1800 calories a day.  If the weight loss is too slow, try 9, if too fast, try 11 (closer to his goal, don't go under 1500 calories a day).  There is no need for my cousin to start a diet eating 1500 calories a day. He can eat 2850 the first week and lose weight... because likely his current calorie consumption is 3500 to 4000.  This method enables him to gradually adjust to fewer calories. He needs that time to break old habits and adjust to new ones. Most dieters fail... even if they reach their goal, they will likely regain. So this isn't a race to the target weight... the goal is long term maintenance. That means a lifestyle change that is forever.

I stopped eating sugar completely because I too thought I was sugar addicted.  I thought it would kill me (before I started doing it).  It actually hasn't been that difficult.  It's been about 3 or 4 weeks now.  I do eat 1/2 cup of sugar free ice cream a few nights/week as my treat (it has splenda).  And I think my sugar free oatmeal that I have for breakfast a couple of days a week has alternate sugar form (not aspartame though, it gives me a headache). 

I haven't craved sugar at all.  And there's still sugary things in the house.  It is difficult to find "convenient" things to eat that do not have sugar (in any form) to eat, so you really end up eating more nutritious (sp?) foods. 

My husband pretty much quit eating sugar. His big problem was pop sohe cut that out first now he hardly ever eats anything with sugar. His exception is birthdays and holidays but even then he limits it. I have limited mine to a certain extent and I think that I feel better. When I am craving something sweet I go get a piece of fruit and that really helps me. I have never been a fruit person so I have had to train myself to pick up the fruit and not the cookies but I know that once I eat the fruit I won't have the craving anymore. It takes a little bit of discipline and willpower

Wow thank you for all the replies... I am going to google that research study.  We are going out of town tomorrow so hopefully we will start making changes next week.  I will be back with q's I'm sure!  :)

Hello, Everybody ...

May I suggest xylitol? It's available from http://xlear.com/xylosweet/ (and some grocery stores) and it has many advantages:

(1) It not only helps prevent tooth decay, it actually encourages the teeth to lay down new enamel over small dental caries (see the booklet on the website for more info);

(2) It can be exchanged one-for-one with regular granulated sugar (see the excellent recipe book on the website for more info);

(3) It's available in various forms, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, mints and other "safe" candies;

(4) It has zero carbohydrates, is just as sweet and tasteful as table sugar with 1/3 fewer calories (~ 2.4 calories/gram versus sugar's 4.0), has a glycemic index of 7, and is made of a naturally-occurring substance found in fruits and vegetables like plums, strawberries, and corn (unlike splenda, which involves chlorine in its processing).

I think you will like it!

Note: In the beginning, it may have a slight laxative effect, but this will quickly pass as the body develops enzymes to process it.

Also, it is my understanding that it must not be given to dogs or cats, as their systems can't handle it.

Apart from that, though, I have found it to be a blessing. My husband, also, was addicted to sugar, but he's over that now.

I switched to whole-grain foods, as mentioned above, and substituted xylitol for sugar in recipes, and discovered that it has a sort of timed-release effect on the body, much like stevia does.

It sort of "smooths out" the ups and downs of blood sugar levels and keeps him from getting "cranky" ... if you know what I mean.

Also, I have discovered a fat replacement by SunSweet called "Lighter Bake". It's basically a prune/apple puree and can be substituted one-for-one for butter in most recipes.

So now it's possible for us to enjoy a delicious, fat-free, sugar-free oatmeal cookie. In case you might enjoy one, too, here's the recipe:

Lighter Bake - Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Xylitol
(fat-free & sugar-free)  Yield: 24 Servings

½      cup     granulated xylitol (original recipe called for ¾ cup sugar)
?      cup     Sunsweet Lighter Bake
1½    tsp     Ener-G Egg Replacer beaten with:
2       tbl      Water
1       tsp     Vanilla
¾      cup     Flour (I used spelt or whole wheat)
½      tsp     Each baking soda and cinnamon
¼      tsp     Each baking powder and salt
1½    cup    Rolled oats (not instant)
¾     cup     Raisins

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 1996 20:17:58 -0600 (CST) From: "Natalie Frankel" This recipe is slightly altered from the recipe on the jar of Sunsweet Lighter Bake (tm), a fruit substitute for fat. I also made the recipe with applebutter - equally good. Particularly good frozen - very crunchy and delish. Lighter Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (slightly altered for FF) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking sheets lightly with Pam (or use baking parchment paper to avoid any need to prepare pans). Set aside. In mixing bowl, beat together sugar, Lighter Bake, replacer mixture and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir into Lighter Bake mixture. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 8-9 minutes or until edges begin to brown (mine took around 12 minutes). Cool on racks. Makes 2 dozen cookies. Per cookie: Calories: 85 (5% cff), Protein: 1.5g, Fat: .5g, Carbo: 18g. [might be less with xylitol] FATFREE DIGEST V96 #86 From the Fatfree Vegetarian recipe list. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.

Enjoy!

Warmest Regards ...

Elizabeth

:)

Wow EBA.  You almost sound like a commercial!  :)

greenpea88, I'm glad to see your thread.  I could've written your OP myself about my dh sweet/carb habits.  I've been struggling with small changes for the household and it is NOT working.  We are now buying 2 loaves of bread a week...one white, one wheat, two kinds of ice cream, even 2 kinds of PB&J!!!  I have definitely taken suggestions from some of your responders to heart and will keep plugging away.  GL with your dh and wish me luck with mine!  :D

I have a sweet tooth a mile wide...however; now that I've been eating a much healthier diet for 3+ months, my sweets cravings have subsided significantly.  I can actually have a serving of ice cream and not finish the entire bowl, have a cookie or two instead of the whole box...I haven't tested myself against my favorite mini peanut butter cups from trader joe's yet, I don't think I'm quite up to that challenge just yet.

I was a sugar addict too...

And while I normally suggest making small, incremental changes - I think this is different.

I needed to detox from sugar and carbs in order to get out of the addictive cycle. After a couple weeks without them I was able to readd them to my diet. And because I was able to REALLY taste sugar for the first time in years (like the sugar in ketchup, or the sugar in bread)...I had a completely different concept of how much sugar I wanted and was able to eat considerably smaller portions.

Not necessarily saying your husband should go Atkins or anything....But maybe he can cut out non-natural sugars and generally cut back for a short period of time...with the idea of adding a treat day in after a couple weeks.

Hello, vklamorick ...

Did you mean me by "EBA"? If so, I'm really sorry if I sounded like a commercial. I certainly didn't mean to. It's just that I did a whole lot of research about a year ago in an effort to find a sweetener that was both "safe" and "interchangeable" with sugar and, having found it, I have a hard time keeping quiet about it!

The trouble with artificial alternatives like "aspartame", et cetera, is they are thought to cause cancer. The trouble with things like "fructose" and "stevia" is fructose doesn't bake worth beans and stevia doesn't contribute the necessary volume. And things like honey and brown rice syrup, although thought to be healthful, are really not that much different from cane sugar, when you get right down to it.

As for "splenda" ... well, when I found out they used chlorine and other chemicals in its production, I scratched it off my list, too. I am wildly allergic to chlorine!

But xylitol! It had possibilities! The thing that really fascinated me about it was how the bacteria in the mouth that cause tooth decay simply cannot live -- let alone thrive -- in its presence. In fact, it was really in the Balkan countries, where most children can't afford expensive dental care, that most of the early research on xylitol was conducted. The idea, you see, was that if cavities could be prevented in school children by the simple expedient of replacing regular sugar with xylitol, then dental care wouldn't be necessary. And so it proved! (And you can read all about it in the little booklet that's available on the website for $3.95. One of the authors is Jonathan Wright, M.D., one of the first of the modern-day physicians to advocate natural remedies.)

The recipe book, Sweeten Your Life The Xylitol Way, "Delicious Recipes Using Nature's Own Low-Calorie Sweetener," 2nd Edition, by Karen Edwards, PhD., is very responsibly written, in my humble opinion. I appreciate the effort she has made to incorporate whole-grain flours and other nutritious ingredients. It's a little pricey at $17.95, but it has been worth every penny to me, and she includes her email address in case you have any questions.

My recent discovery of SunSweet's "Lighter Bake" prune/apple puree "fat replacer" has enabled me to take many of Karen's recipes to the next level of "fat-free" as well as "sugar-free."

And to top it all off, I also just discovered "Ener-G Egg Replacer," which enables me to have an alternative for eggs, as well. I do feel that eggs have much to recommend them, but my husband's doctor has asked him to limit himself to one egg yolk a day, which he has for breakfast with the whites of two additional eggs, so there isn't any more "room" in his diet for any more, unless I substitute something else for them.

"Ener-G Egg Replacer" mimics what eggs do in recipes, but is animal and dairy-free. It comes in an economical 16 oz. box, which contains the equivalent of over 100 eggs, and costs $5.99 at VeganEssentials http://tinyurl.com/2xzcgm. For each egg called for in a recipe, simply mix 1-1/2 tsp of egg replacer with 2 tbsp of water thoroughly, and add to batter/mixture. [Ingredients: Potato starch, tapioca flour, leavening (calcium lactate [non-dairy], calcium carbonate, citric acid), cellulose gum, carbohydrate gum]

Nutritional Information:
Servings per container - 113
Calories per serving - 15
Total fat - 0g
Sodium - 5mg
Total carbohydrate - 4g (og fiber, 0g sugars)
Protein - 0g

Testimonials:

"Essential item for the vegan kitchen!"
From Anonymous of Bismarck, North Dakota on 10/19/2006.

"I must say the first time I bought this stuff after reading all the good things about it I thought hey this stuff just looks like glorified flour, and boy was I ever wrong! This stuff has worked with almost everything I've used it in with few exceptions and I have never had any issues with it affecting taste in any way. Quite the contrary, I think it actually makes everything taste BETTER then when they were made with eggs as I had never realized how overpowereing the eggs were till I used this, greeeat stuff!!!"

"This is a great product. I use it for all of my baking needs from cookies and cakes to pancakes to breading vegan chicken. All of the carnivores never know the difference..."

"My boyfriend, who unfortunately is a carnavore, happens to be allergic to eggs. We have used this product for years and love it. You just use it in place of eggs in your cookies, cakes, pancakes etc. I don't find it works too well for recipes that call for more than 3 eggs though."

Anyway, with "Xylitol" in lieu of sugar, "Lighter Bake" in lieu of fat, and "Ener-G Egg Replacer" in lieu of eggs, a smile and a little moisturizer, a girl can go a long way!

Warmest Regards ...

Elizabeth

:)

Hello, echstee ...

You make some really good points, I think.

Sugar is definitely addictive. In fact, it's been called "Kiddie Cocaine."

If you ever want to be free of it, you just have to STOP.

There are some things you can do, though, to help make the transition as painless as possible:

1) Start taking a good multi-vitamin-mineral supplement with chromium in it to help control blood sugar and mood swings, and with the full spectrum of B vitamins to help calm your nerves, plus all the other nutrients that can be so helpful in so many ways. There's some good liquid supplements on the market these days that are a refreshing alternative to capsules and tablets.

2) Two servings a day of a green-juice supplement like Green Magma can work wonders on your energy level and sense of well-being.

3) Drink lots of water: 1/2 ounce water per pound of body weight (divide your weight in half and that's how many ounces of water you should drink every day). It will help to rehydrate you and assist your body to release trapped toxins and so on that might possibly be aggravating your addiction.

4) Take a good digestive aid with meals, in case for some reason you are not digesting your food properly. Health food stores carry various kinds. You want one with at least some lipase (for fat), protease (for protein) and amylase (for carbohydrate). If it contains enzymes for digesting vegetable matter, too, then that's all to the good.

5) Keep fresh oranges on hand for "emergencies." That is, when you feel like you absolutely must have a chocolate bar or die, tell yourself that you can have all the chocolate you want AFTER you've eaten TWO fresh oranges. (What happens when you do this is the potassium in two oranges readjusts your electrolyte balance and the natural sugars raise your blood sugar level and suddenly the thought of that greasy old chocolate coming in on top of those two refreshing oranges is downright repulsive!)

6) As was mentioned in a couple of posts above, begin serving brown rice instead of white, whole-wheat or spelt bread instead of white, fruit instead of candy, and keep some "safe" treats on hand like oatmeal cookies made with whole-grain flours and xylitol and fat replacer and egg replacer (see the recipe I included above) and make "Blueberry Lemon Pecan Scones" from Karen Edwards Sweeten Your Life the Xylitol Way cookbook (above). It is very difficult to feel "deprived" when you have such delicious things to eat. They won't give you a "sugar rush", but then, they're not supposed to! They're supposed to give you an opportunity to find out how enjoyable life can be when you're free from your addictions. You have no idea how much you have to look forward to!

Warmest Regards ...

Elizabeth

:)

I used to joke that the first hit of (regular) Pepsi, was, for me, like the first drink of alcohol for my alcoholic relatives. Then it became pretty obvious when I started really paying attention that it wasn't a joke.

I cut out all soft drinks, and switched to peppermint tea with sugar...then when I was ready I cut the sugar out of that. And I quit buying candy.

There really are withdrawal cravings, but they really go away after a couple of days.

I would try to talk him out of doing too many things too drastically, but cutting out refined sugar completely is probably a good idea for him.