Mum 2 Mum: Sugary Confessions

What is Mum 2 Mum? I have made many good friends online and often wish that I could sit down with them for a cuppa and chat like I do with my real life friends; other Mums with good advice, interesting stories to share, laughs to be had and experiences to learn from.  Mum 2 Mum is a place where as online friends we can share a little of our own experiences, so why not pop in for a cuppa and join the conversation.

Sugar is my crutch.  When I am tired or upset, bored or hungry, sugar is what I crave.  Especially the sugar variety known as chocolate, in all its brown, velvety goodness.  I know that chocolate and sugar are not good for me, offering nothing nutritionally, contributing to the terrible bloating which makes me look six months pregnant.  So I am currently trying to cut sugar out of my diet.  Trying.  Some days are good and some days, well…not so good.  Days when the voice inside my head sounds like this,

“But they are just Smarties.  They are tiny. Hardly any sugar at all.  Just a little taste of sweetness will get you through.  Just one.  Or maybe two.  Oh look, five slid out of the box. That’s okay, its just a few.”

It’s pathetic really.  Bargaining with myself over little sugary morsels.  And of course I eat them. And then I feel bad about it.

Which got me thinking.  Do other women have this type of internal monologue when it comes to food choices?  Do men?

Do you have a food crutch?  Have you ever tried to quit it?  And how on earth am I going to kick this sugar habit for good?

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25 Comments

  1. Go with dark chocolate. It’s good for you! 🙂

  2. Yup sugar can be the “go to” for me too. I have to avoid certain kinds because I rebound and just want more. Dark Choco as advised is good…love hot cocoa, esp. in the winter it just…feels good:). Now I’m into pecans and raisins, lol. Those can creep up in calories too. Keeping a watchful eye on those:) Goodluck!

  3. You should read ‘The Sweet Poison Quit Plan’. It is excellent, highly recommend.

    1. Someone else mentioned that to me recently, Kristy. Thanks for the reminder.

  4. Try taking chromiam, it is a supplement that helps regulate blood sugar levels. It works for me and i’m a borderline type 2 diabetic.
    I find sugar dulls my tastebuds, and when I’ve managed to get through the detox period, complete with headaches (sorry, sad but true) everything else feels better when I’m over it. True. A fresh crunchy raw carrot can taste amazing when you have tastebuds clean of sugar and other processes stuff.
    Good luck. You can do it if you believe you can!

    1. I have had headaches for the last two afternoons, Susan, and last night realised that it is most probably the fact that I have cut out the sugar. I tried chromium once before, about 2 years ago, and didn’t find it that helpful but maybe I should try it again, I am more determined this time.

      1. Headaches should only last a day or 3 so hang in there.
        If you need a mid afternoon boost, try a small handful of almonds or a piece of cheese. Protein will get you going and keep you satisfied longer.
        I’m going through this with you, aiming to get slim as well as fit (already there) for my 40th in 5 months. 🙂 Sugar and carb craving are holding me back!

        1. I am not really a cheese or nut eater. But I must find an alternative boost, you’re right.

  5. Often sweet stuff is just so much easier to snack on than good stuff… Maybe try to have some pre-prepared quick snacks ready to go so you have already planned what to have in “those” moments… Carrot sticks, celery sticks, apple slices, nuts, sultanas, etc. Often fruit sugar can satisfy the craving… Unless you are ditching that too. I just sat down to eat an apple!

    1. I am not a huge fruit fan, Alissa, but you are right, I should have a plan for alternatives, maybe a little dried fruit or a homemade fruit muffin (without added sugar) or biscuit.

  6. I too have a inner voice that tells me its ok or the other one that tells me no! But I try and reason with myself and say I need something to get me through my day or things will get ugly. So I allow myself that fix just one. A soda candy or hot cocoa or even tea with cream and sugar. It makes me feel better which makes me a better person and mom and wife. I believe that you should be allowed that indulgence. Everything in moderation that’s what needs to be trained.

    1. I know what you mean about treating yourself, Timmi, but for me, the voice that really doesn’t like my body as it is at the moment is loudest one so I am trying to treat myself in ways which don’t involve sugar. Like buying a magazine to read with a cup of tea.

  7. Christie, you might like to try the truffles we make. They’re sugar free, but still chocolatey and perfect for an afternoon hit. They contain unsweetened cocoa and their sweetness is from natural dried fruit and they’re great fun to make with kids.

    I posted about them here:

    http://oeschanddoots.blogspot.com/2010/12/troffles.html

  8. For those who have successfully given up sugar, how do you go when you are out? Do you allow yourself the occasional treat or are you still strong?

    1. Definately allow myself ‘occasional treat’. Life’s too short not to enjoy cake with coffee or icecream (my when-out-and-about weaknesses). If I feel really guilty or think I really overdid it i’ll simply skip dinner and have a fresh vege juice instead – sort of like punishment 😉

  9. You don’t do drugs, you don’t drink (much), you don’t smoke, your not a shop-a-holic…….but you like a bit of choccy. What’s the problem?

    I do know what you mean though. Have you tried the “Sugarless” brand of chocolate they sell at chemist shops? It tastes great. Also, dark chocolate is good for you and because it is so rich you can only have a few squares (no really!). Weight Watchers have a really yummy chocolate mousse you can make up from a satchel. It’s quick to make, sets fast and really satisfies the chocolate craving. Also, enjoy a weight watchers hot chocolate for arvo tea to get you through. Just look for better alternatives rather than struggling daily to give up a very innocent vice. The “Sugarless” brand also have yummy fruit lollies and choc caramels. Oh, try carob (bought from health food shops).

    1. My bloated stomach is the problem 🙂 I like the idea of looking for some alternatives, thanks for the suggestions.

  10. I can so relate.

    I’m trying to give up my afternoon chocolate hit by replacing it with a boiled egg or dates (the big fresh type) or if I really need a choc hit i’m trying to restrict myself to a few squares of dark chocolate.

    I’ve been seeing an auveyda lifestyle consultant. She suggested instead of using chocolate or sugar to give myself an energy boost, I should just listen to my body and slow down and take a quick break. She suggests sitting in a quiet space (i’ve even ducked off to my car for a while when at work) and meditating or doing breathing exercises. It seems to have bee working.

    Good luck and I hope the headache leaves you soon 🙂

  11. Love the idea of Mum 2 Mum, I have a similar sweet tooth issue – mine involving chocolate chips. I keep them in the top cupboard near the trash by the stove so whenever I throw something away or cook dinner I find myself mindlessly reaching in to grab a few. Do you have any idea how many times a day I throw stuff away? Not good for the waistline!! for sure.

    Occaisionally, I’ll get a wild hair and some will power and vow to give it up & stop buying more bags of chips (till the next holiday). Here’s the best advice I can give you, if you can cut your habit for 14 days you’ll stop having the cravings. Apparently, it takes that long for the urge to leave your body.

    True story. Only bad part is … if you start again, well then you’re at it again.

    Good Luck

  12. I have just read Sweet Poison Quit Plan and it makes alot of sense what is written. I am a lifelong addict to sugar, and just like a alcho or drug addict I constantly thought about sweet things 24/7, often poking my head into the fridge or pantry looking for something sweet. Often resorting to many tablespoons of maple syrup to get my ‘sugar fix’.
    My sahm back in the 70’s/80’s used to bake cakes and biscuits weekly and we had dessert every single night. I didn’t realise that cutting out cakes, biscuits and nightly dessert as an adult, then subsituting this for lots of fruit or what I considered a healthy alternatives such as fruit bread without butter for a snack or giving my toddler sultanas for a snack thinking I am giving her a healthy snack. No no no, the fructose is bad news according to Sweet Poison. Author David Gillespie suggests high fibre, low fructose fruits such as pears and kiwi fruit.
    I went cold turkey, cutting out my 1 sugar in coffee to no sugar and changing what I previously considered a low sugar breakfast cereal Sultana Bran to vita brits with nothing on it except milk. It took me about 4 days to enjoy sugarless coffee and vita brits. I have lost 2 kgs in 3 weeks and I nolonger feel bloated. It certainly has me looking at everything I buy now, even bbq sauce is usually more than 50% sugar. Just yesturday, I had a friend coming over to make gift cards and instead of my usual sweet baking session before a visitor arrives, I baked a batch of savory scones – no sugar. My tastebuds are now alot more sensitive to flavours.
    Apparently if I keep on my no sugar within the next month or two I will not have that addiction but will need to keep my sugar intake very very low to keep off the merry go round of ‘sugar addiction’ returning.

    1. Thank you for the advice, Lisa, you leave me feeling very encouraged. The book sounds really interesting.

  13. Totally agree with everything Lisa has said. I used to think I was a comfort eater until I started the Sweet Poison Quit Plan. Turns out I was simply addicted to sugar. The concept sounds too good to be true but it really works and leaves you feeling so much better (both physically and mentally) as well as empowered and in control.

  14. I also agree with what Lisa said 🙂 I never thought I could beat an addiction to sugar because as far as sugar addicts go, I was one of the worst! Anything sugary in the fridge would ‘talk’ to me until it was all gone…

    I came to realise though, I couldn’t do moderation… Yes, I’ve heard the talk that moderation is a good thing, but I just couldn’t do it… Moderation for me would start at one of those Smarties, then the whole box, then i’d look to see if there was anything else even remotely resembling smarties in the fridge/pantry cause one packet was NOT enough!

    I came to realise that addiction to sugar is just as bad as addiction to other things, cause when I wanted to stop having it, or just stop at one or two Smarties, i just couldn’t… Now though, I am totally sugar (well, fructose anyway) free, and my bloating is greatly reduced, and I’m slowly but surely starting to lose some weight…

    I’d recommend the Sweet Poison Quit Plan as well, mainly because it tells you step by step how to quit, but then gives you recipes and tips you can use to survive in a sugar filled world. I now enjoy a packet of chips or other savoury treat without feeling guilty, and no longer even desire sugar laden treats…This is a HUGE statement from someone like me…

    If you are determined to quit sugar, prepare by doing lots of research as to why it is a good thing to do, and that will help you through the initial withdrawal period and help you stay determined to maintain your new lifestyle…Good luck!

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