ADDICTION- candy

Terri: Thanks for posting. I really like some of your alternatives, and am going to try some of these myself. I am a total chocoholic and sweet addict, and I think I will fight this until my dying day! As for the above post, all I can say is to try to limit it as much as possible, control your environment as much as possible, and make it harder for yourself to get chocolate (or whatever your offending food is). I know how hard it is. I too am not a dumper, so I can pretty much eat whatever I want without any immediate negative consequences, with the exception of ice cream - more than a couple bites of it makes me pretty sick. I lost down to a weight of 160 and am now fighting to stay under 185. I have never tried any therapy and often wonder if this might be helpful - or Overeater's Anonymous. I think I was always afraid to try it because they want you to totally quit sugar, and I'm too afraid to let go of it completely. The other thing that is important for us is to maintain some regular exercise - it does help mood and will help to nullify some of the effects of our bad eating, weight-wise. Health-wise, I know we would all be better off without sugar, as everyone knows, but how to eliminate it is the problem. Best wishes to all. CArlita

Hi, we have similar addiction,I love dark chocolate and could not be one day without it.However,I am caution with amount of sugar it consist.For example,if the chocolate has 10-18 gramm of sugar,Iwill buy it.If the chocolate has a high amount-I will not buy it,so my point is" LESS is BETTER".In addition, when I am craving for sweet, I am eating all kind of nuts with dry fruits on it.Try it,it may help.Good luck in your fight with a"devil-sweets".

This may not be the best choice, because of carbs, but what has helped me not miss the candy (I went for a long time addicted to sugar free chocolate or sugar free cookies) is low sugar cereals. I replaced the high calorie stuff with cereals, sometimes I feel I need something sweet to munch on so this is a much better alternative for me. There are low sugar cereals that have artificial sweetner. I try to limit it, but keeping this in my house instead of other sweets has saved me hundreds of calories a day. I don't eat it as cereal, I eat it dry, and I actually don't eat much at one time. If I'm really craving something, I eat a bite or two. The calorie difference is tremendous. I know carbs are a touch subject, but I know this has kept me more on the right track. Erika

I think cold-turkey is the way to go. No tapering off. No "occasional treat". Just no more. Period. That's how I quit smoking and it's how I'm trying to quit my night eating. It's haaaaaarrrrrd, but worth it! Good luck!

I think you are absolutely right. Just like the psychiatrist said (the one you have to talk to before surgery)... eating is like an addiction. you have to stay away completely from stuff like pizza.. you think that just one bite doesn't hurt... then next time you eat it- it's half the pizza.. then the next time you are up to eating 2 slices.. etc. I saw that happening to me with pizza and candy and other foods. I just have to stay away completely... i know that.. but doing it is a different story.. that's why I would like to know what helped other people stay away from sweets. from what it sounds like most people choose healthier alternatives... i am curious as to whether or not that gets rid of the sweet tooth addiction or just reinforces it. hmmm...

Why don't any of these replies have the word EXERCISE in them? Calories IN vs. Calories OUT No one is perfect. Depriving yourself will make you just obssess and then binge and then feel like **** for not having the will power to say no. Balance. Budget. Alternatives. Exercise. I am a cake and pastry ***** LOL. Parden my bluntness. But if it is in a 10 mile range it calls my name and and my SUV goes on autopilot. Another suggestion as an alternative is to always have something sweet to drink, non or low caloric. Experiment with crystal lights and protein drinks and sugar free syrups. Use the fluids to fill you and curb the sweet tooth, if you need to chew, use gum. Find a support group and not necessarily a WLS one. I mean for eatting disorders. Over Eaters Annonymous , TOPS, Weigh****chers There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Moral support and ideas from the boards only go so far. You may need accountability as reinforcement. One way to do that is tell your friends and family, or a select person or two who will check on you, and hold you accountable, and yes make you feel guilty if thats what you need. In the end...it's all about you. Who do you want to be? The old you or the new you? I don't wanna be the old me, so when I creep up to my upper no-no limit I jump back on the wagon. This is a life style change, this is forever, and we are never going to be "normal"...it sucks I know. Good Luck and sorry if I left off the "candy coating"...I am not bashing, just offering my 2 cents. Michelle

My addiction is chocolate. When I didn't dump after eating a Resse Peanut Butter Cup I knew I was in trouble. Some days are better than others. Here are things I've tried that have helped me. SF Fudge Cycles Raw Almonds Frozen Grapes (a weigh****chers trick) Watermelon I'm going to try the frozen bananas. BTW, when I was having some serious craving issues, it was pizza at the time, my pyschologist suggested a drug that curbs cravings. You have to take it 6x a day, which I never managed, but it works for his chocoholics. Sorry I can't remember the name. Torrey (281/177/160)