Candy Binger

[AlanRhoads]

I am a candy binger. :nono: I think I know the answer to what I can do, but I'd like to hear from anyone who wants to assist. Mostly, the 'Holy crud I got to eat anything with sugar in sight' urge comes at night before bed time. It's a habit I know I will have to break.

What sayest thou???

[Lessara]

I'm also the same way. :(
If I make a cream cheese dessert I have to eat the whole thing! I'm getting better. I'm sticking to a no more that 5 carbs at a sitting. For some reason I don't binge when its that low. I eat often, 5-6 times a day so my total carbs are around 30. This has worked so far, knock on wood!! :)

[razzle]

Hmmm.... i wonder if you're using it a bit as a sleeping aid. (?) The way I have reactive hypoglycemia, carbs are like knock-out drops for me! Think about that--if it's so, can you replace sugar with meditation, soothing ambient sounds on a tape, self-hypnosis or some other natural sleep aid?

So here's my take on addiction and bingeing in general:

1) cure your chemistry first and the rest will follow (more easily, at least). That is, eat healthy green veggies, eggs, and meats. Stay away from fake foods, additives, and artificial sweeteners, limit your cheese, nix any medication you can do without, take supplements (a multivitamin at least) for at least a couple months. As your body heals itself with this natural diet plus supplementation, ideally, the urge to eat sugar will abate

2) abstenance is much easier than trying to eat "just a little." In this, take a page from the AA book...they don't suggest that alcoholics have a half a beer a day to keep the urge at bay! Be aware than any planned lapse into a serving of sugar is a possible relapse into total sugar addiction

3) if you do have that lapse, eat the sugar WITH protein and fat. Having it alone is the worst possible thing to do.

4) when you are ready, try to sort out any emotional component to what led you to begin eating sugar. A cleanaholic mother and a workaholic father can be nearly as emotionally absent for children as deceased or alcholic parent. Childhood trauma, bad relationships, adult trauma...all this makes us who we are, including people who turn to food for emotional treament. People self-medicate (and sugar is self-medication) for various reasons, and figuring out our own is part of the journey. OA or a good eating disorders therapist can help you find these answers, but I believe it's possible to find them through self-help methods, too.

congratulations on asking the questions...that's always the necessary beginning to the cure. :)

I hope something in there was helpful.

[AlanRhoads]

Better answer than I expected. Thanks a bunch. I do also suffer from low self esteem and a few other problems like that. I was on Effexor for a while but stopped after my outlook was corrected. (8 years ago) Emotionally I go in waves as does most everyone. But you make incredible good points, especially the AA comment as it related to Sugar Addiction. Wow, what a thought started. So today is already a great day as I have learned something new and have plenty to think about.

Donkey Shorts!!!

Alan

p.s. to explain Donkey Shorts, years ago as an American in West Germany, the German words for Thank You is Danke Shurn (sp) which somehow evolved to an americanized slang expression Donkey Shorts or just Shorts, which I always use when I am truly thankful to someone who has been helpful in a friendly way - Cuz it's fun!!!

[lyzjnqtpy]

I seem to have a sweet tooth at night also, pretty much before bed time. So I bought a bag (which has 10 pieces) of sf chocolates and allow myself 2 pieces a night.

[lbh17]

Ugh... I have the night binging thing too. It sucks. I've been doing a hypnosis program (http://www.thinkandshrink.com) that was recommended on one of the weight loss blogs that I read for the past few nights and it's been helping.

[sexymommy2]

I've figured out that I binge on Sundays, it has been every other Sunday since I started LC. I finally figured out why. You see my husband works nights. I don't really get to be with him, especially without the kids. On the weekends, its like all our cares, except kids are gone. Its so nice and I don't feel lonely anymore. On Sunday afternoons it all starts over again. Reality hits me in the face when he goes off to bed at 2pm. The reason I do this every other week? He has been taking alot of vacation time, longer weekends, trying to keep buisy. I don't like reality. :D I'm doing my best to avoid the "Sunday binges". I felt good yesterday, hopefully next Sunday I am prepared. No candy in the house, nothing sweatened, nothing tasty.

I am hoping that I've figured out the root of my depression, I can alleviate things and stop my emotional binges.

I think thats the start of everything, that and eating LC!

Jacki :wave: