Sugar is like crack!

I can't stop!  Even if I eat just a little bit... I inevitably eat a lot!  Anyone have any ideas for breaking the habit?  I know this is my problem!  I'm addicted to sugar.  I'm not looking to substitute it with blue or yellow or pink packets.  Aspartame is bad and causes more cravings... I gave up soda/diet soda over a month ago... but now it's time to conquer the hard stuff!  please help me cut out the sugar!   

Try agave nectar or something called Stevia. Both are absolutely delish. My mom uses stevia for everything. It's goooood.

How's the rest of your diet?  Are you eating enough fruits and vegetables?  When you eat, the nutrients from your food go into your blood stream, which then passes over a sensor in your brain.  If you are not getting the proper nutrition, you will have more cravings because that's your body's way of telling you that you are missing something essential.  So look at your diet first.

Second, tricks I like to use are chewing gum, drinking flavored (sugar free) water, sugar free pudding and when all else fails I sleep.  I know that sounds weird but when I really want sugar (and I'm a sugar freak) I'll take a 10-15 minute nap and it's like it resets my brain to where I can function normally without the Cream Cheese Danish calling me from the vending machine on the first floor.

It may seem weird to sleep at work but if you think about I'll think you'll be amazing at how many places you could sit or lay down without anyone bothering you for a few minutes.  (PS This practice takes a while to get into - you have to train your body to fall asleep quickly and not be groggy when you wake up - it's very shallow sleep).

This will require will power and some clever food substitutions, like veggies instead of fruit, fruit instead of treats.  Even fruit, due to its sweetness, can trigger cravings.  Try to avoid significant sugar for a good long time, say a couple of weeks at least, to keep it out of your mind.  Then try having some sugary treat just once in a while if you feel like it, like a couple times a week at the most.

Exercise that will power.  It will get easier over time and the more consistent you are.  You are retraining your brain as much as your body.

You're exactly right.  Sugar truly is like crack.  Studies show it activates the same receptors in the brain that heroin acts on.  Studies have also shown that the drugs given to block those receptors and bring drug addicts down from that "high" are also effective in getting people to stop eating sugars & chocolate.  Problem with these drugs is they can lead to memory loss, not and acceptable side effect for those of us concerned about cutting out sugar.

That said.  I've had quite a bit of success simply switching to naturally sweet foods (strawberries, apples, peaches, pears, oranges).  I found that when I munch on natural sweets I really didn't have cravings for the super sugary stuff.  And I didn't go cold turkey.  There were days when I could have killed someone over a piece of candy, and on those days I would go ahead and have a piece of candy.  It's better, in my experience, to make small concessions over a little candy here, a soda there, than to try to go cold turkey and end up binging on a gallon of soda and a pint of ben & jerrys.  Now I don't even have a craving for candy-sweets, but I'd kill for strawberries.  Personally I'd rather crave a "good sweet" like fruits than a "not-so-good sweet" like a candy bar.

Hope this helps!

You're right.  Last night I had some honeydew melon instead of ice cream and I was satisfied!  I've got to make that a habit.  It's just so hard to reach for fruit when sugary goodness is involved... it's so evil...

I don't keep sugary goodness in my house anymore.  If I bake, the cookies get labelled and packaged for distribution immediately.  I keep some "substandard" goodies, frozen raspberry sherbert that is just too sharp on the flavor for me to want to eat a ton of it, chocolate soy ice cream which is okay.  I have some ginger snaps but I'm sure they're stale by now.  Somehow I've managed to keep some tiny chocolate bars in the cupboard for three weeks now and I only eat 1-4 when I have some..

If I really want a snack, I try to have fiber one cereal or veggies or fruit.  I'm eating frequently enough that I'm not as focused on food.  I also got some of the fiber one bars, but I think the cereal is actually better.

Another thing that works (for my husband who LOVES sugar and constantly has candy) are Rice Cakes. Seriously. Caramel, Apple Cinnamon, and Cinnamon Toast are all pretty good. 

I had some TOTAL honey clauster on vanilla silk and it's awesome. I love sweets and those are definitely sweet enough to satisfy your sweet-cravings and not as unhealthy as real sweets out there.

-Lemon Jello