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Nutrition Are you addicted to sugar?

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@Marc this amused me. All I would add is that what people call "sugar addiction," is in fact more likely, "sugar + fat addiction". This is why Ori Hofmekler frequently advises against combining fats with carbs/sugar, as it's hard to deny that such combos are highly addictive and ruin one's ability to reach satiety. Or if not "addictive," let's at least admit they are "moreish".

Examples - most commercial chocolate, pizza, cake, cookies... All tend to contain high amounts of both fat and sugar/carbs.
 
Not anymore. I used to binge eat sugar really really bad. Then, I reached out to Ori Hofmekler and he gave me some tactics and drills to beat the sugar cravings and bingeing.
 
Well, sugar isn't really addicting. The combination of sugar/fat is highly palatable but again, not addicting because none of these alter your brain structure.
 
Which is sadly difficult for many people out there, myself included. Therefore I tend to just cut these foods out all together.

Personally I regulary fit chocolate/cookies into my macros. Usually 1 whole chocolate or cookies and I am happy with that amount.
Pizza and cake is a different story: no way I only eat one slice. I'd eat the whole pizza and the whole cake. Therefore I save that for special occasions.
 
Well, sugar isn't really addicting. The combination of sugar/fat is highly palatable but again, not addicting because none of these alter your brain structure.

"Palatable," yes, that's the word I was looking for. For me Marc, I am yet to find a fat + sugar/carb combo that I can really eat in moderation... even bread and butter is something that I end up just eating more and more of. Some might argue it's a lack of discipline on my part, though I can quite happily live on a daily diet of veggies and protein, with added carbs like oats or beans, or fats like nuts and seeds. I then just save splurges on junk food for social occasions for the most part.
 
I don't really have to take the test to know I'm a sugar addict. If I am stressed I can eat an entire family sized bag of chewy sweet tarts, sprees, or sour patch kids in 20 min.

I can usually make it for a while without sugar, but for some reason I find that a sleep better if I drink a couple cups of chocolate milk just before bed.
 
Well, sugar isn't really addicting. The combination of sugar/fat is highly palatable but again, not addicting because none of these alter your brain structure.

I assume that the psychological part of addiction can work with pretty much any reinforcement driven behavior. As pointed out twice by @Marc (both in the original post and the one quoted here) the palatable sensation of sugar+fat is what some people get addicted to, not sugar.

I think an interesting question is how many people are addicted to blaming addiction. By that I mean that while addiction is a real problem, lately I meet way to many people that use the "addiction card" way to generously to justify all their bad judgement and inability to follow through.
 
I'm convinced I was addicted to cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting.

One day I went to the grocery store looking for some and they didn't have any so I just about went into a panic. I circled around in the store in desperation looking and trying to find a suitable substitute, I felt like I didn't know what I was going to do. I've never reacted that strongly to the absence of a particular food before so I decided I should probably stop eating them. I thought about them constantly and it took a couple weeks for the cravings to go away.
 
Nice! What were some of those tactics if you don't mind sharing?
Yeah sure. Allot of these tactics are in Ori's new book the "7 Principles of Stress"

Let's start by explaining what binge eating is. Binge eating is a chronic stress-related disorder where your glucocorticoids fail to suppress appetite and regulate feeding. Over time food (particularly sugar/fat treats) becomes as addictive as drugs. My favorite was pizza and ice cream. Fat, salt and sugar.

So the first thing that's recommended is to avoid sugary treats for a good few months. Treat it like you're in recovery. It is now known that sugar binds to the same receptors as crack cocaine and if you have a predisposition for addiction than you need to avoid it. If you want sugar, have fruit.

The second thing to do is make sure you're eating a healthy and wholesome diet. Lot's of vegetables, some fruits, wholesome carbs, protein and healthy fats.

The third thing to do is keep stress acute and not chronic. Fasting is a stress, the same that exercise is a stress. If you went for the sinister standard your first time touching a kettlebell, it would literally crush you. Have this mindset when it comes to fasting. Keep your fasting window manageable and don't overdo it. Treat it like exercise and keep it progressive. Also, when you combine fasting and intense exercise, you double the impact and in turn the stress. Stress also comes in all different forms and isn't always caused by your own decisions. Sometimes it's emotional or life just hit you with a monetary emergency. You need to practice at managing stress in a healthy and productive way.

The fourth thing is to watch out for the signs of when stress is changing from acute to chronic. The signs are things like persistent fatigue, chronic cravings, weight fluctuations, anxiety and depression.

Now, what to do when you're in the middle of a binge. You want to take a break first and foremost. Come to the realization that you're bingeing, it's harder than it sounds when you're in the middle of a box of Tastykakes. Go find a private area and bust out some really intense exercise drills like burpees/jumping jacks or shadow boxing for about 60 seconds. After the drill you will find your cravings and feeling of bingeing will subside. It has something to do with how your body activates stress management. Take this moment to get away from the junk food and get yourself back under control.

I hope this rambling helped!
 
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