I was watching this fabulous lecture by Robert Lustig, a US, pediatrician, and he was explaining that sugar and high fructose corn syrup are as addictive as alcohol. He pointed out that alcohol is made from sugar... so possibly thinking of it that way brings into perspective it's dangers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z5X0i92OZQ

I'm wondering how people on this forum have tackled their sugar addiction? I am not addicted to sugar, but I am addicted to coffee, and it sabotages the diet. I had to go total cold turkey and that worked for me. However I know that a sugar addiction is far more all-pervasive and difficult to crack. What did you do to manage it? Has anyone found any helpful books, or found it useful to attend Weight-watchers or Over-eaters Anonymous? And do you think the state should intervene?

Robert Lustig says that 25% of America's exports are foods, and he theorised that it has affected the governmental nutritional guidelines, and led to subsidies on the corn industry, etc. He considers that the health cost alone is so considerable that it justifies cutting the subsidies and putting the cash into subsidising more healthy foods, and the loss of revenue would be balanced by lowered health costs.

The author of this website, End Sugar Addiction, was recently interviewed by Jimmy Moore. She has many tips on her site and had praise for the OA approach. Much good info here:
http://endsugaraddiction.com/

Cold turkey, other than an unconscious slip-up or two early on.

Kirsteen. I have a lot of alcoholism in my family. Now, this is just my personal theory but I have always said, If I did not like sugar so much, I'd be an alcoholic But seriously, I really do think there is a link to these things. I think I just happened to steer towards sugar for my life addiction. This is thee single most uphill battle for me. I absolutely LOVE sugar. I could eat it non stop, all day. It is a demon that I cannot seem to get out of my life and it has literally ruined my health. Some days it is an all day thought and I really try to substitute with sugar free sweetners which really never stop that craving. I think, like alcoholism, it is all about having the support (like all of you around me) to keep my head on straight and a constant realization that if I don't keep my head straight, and refrain from sugar, my health will continue to spiral downward because of the damage sugar does to the body. I will say, that I love berries of all kinds and apples and I eat a piece of fruit, even up to one per day to help my severe cravings. I feel that I will always battle this. It will never go away for me. It is a daily struggle but I have decided that I will conquer this. Now, I know this is going to sound crazy....but something I have found since LC'ng...is hot wings.. I love them. I will go out and have hot wings and be totally fine without sugar for the rest of the day. Not sure why, but I have found a non sweet substitute for my sweet tooth.

Kirsteen. I have also read on so many different places, how bad corn is for us. Some say that it should not even be fed to our animals. They are even feeding it to farmed salmon if you can imagine. That is why I will only eat wild fish. Corn is in the past for me but it is something I love. It is very much like sugar to me. Tortillas, popcorn, polenta....all of it. It is something I had to say goodbye to. And this is just my personal opinion also, but I strongly feel that it part of our obesity problem here in America.

My ND recommends taking 3x daily 1,000 mcg of chromium. They're hard to find in that dosage, but I've ordered them online. It really works for me.

Cold turkey worked for me and I'm not even tempted anymore. I actually quit all carbohydrates cold turkey this time, except for basically induction-level veggies. The first time I low-carbed I played around with lc meal bars/shakes, lc breads, etc. and I was miserable with cravings. This time it's purely meat, vegetables, nuts, and high fat/lc dairy like cheese and heavy cream (and honestly, a good bit of decaf coffee, it's my only indulgence and causes me no issues), and I have absolutely no issues with cravings. I'm a much happier person. My advice is to not flirt with junk carbs at all. Btw, the cheese and heavy cream are purely to get enough calories to maintain and I have to force them down.

My diet is very liberating, as food has become a means of sustenance and nothing more. I hope this helps someone!

The reason corn is like sugar is because it is very high in fructose, which is similar to, but worse than sugar. I guess you have heard of high fructose corn syrup? It is a lot cheaper than sugar, so it's added to just about all processed foods in the USA now - it's even in burgers. Have a look at that link I placed above, because Robert Lustig explains the way that the corn syrup affects the body. It is really, really scary.

I was so moved by your post. I have a great amount of sympathy for you, because every day must be so hard for you to accomplish this diet. I saw a young girl on Oprah who'd had some time of weight-loss surgery explain that she'd become an alcoholic after the surgery, because she had simply shifted the addiction over. She'd come onto the show to warn other people.

I'm glad you feel that you're getting the support you need here.. It's just baby steps and every time you fall, you just need to get back up and keep at it. I am addicted to coffee, and I do have to cut it out to enable me to manage this diet. For weeks after I go cold turkey, I crave it every second of every day with every fiber of my being.. but it does get easier.. I know the sugar addiction is far, far worse, but I do believe that over time, you can master it. Jimmy Moore, who is a low-carb blogger, and has become an important person in the low-carb community as a result of conducting interviews with all the low-carb movers and shakes, struggled for years with a diet soda addiction, and I think he did eventually manage to cut it out. He used to challenge himself to go totally sweet-free and soda free for several weeks at a time, and I think that was a good thing.. It gave him a short-term goal which was more achievable than to think he was giving it up for good. I have a huge respect for Jimmy. And his podcasts are just fab!

P.S. Just talking about switching addictions over.. I have noticed that I do that too. Alcohol/coffee/chocolate... for me these are interchangeable. I give up coffee and find myself tippling, etc.. I find it easier to limit alcohol because I don't like feeling drunk, and although I enjoy a small amount, I wouldn't want to get tipsy every day.. However, there are no such barriers in the other two, so in ways they are worse for me. Unfortunately, I cannot drink alcohol and lose weight, so I need to be strict about cutting them all out.

Thanks for this link. I love Jimmy's podcasts, so I will listen to that..

Here's the link for the interview with Jill Escher:

http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/...permachub/13424

Incidentally, I listened to a fantastic podcast with Julia Ross, author of the Diet Cure and The Mood Cure. Julia is a psychologist dealing with addiction, and shares some tips which might be worth trying. This is well worth listening to:

http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/...on-episode-266/

Other podcasts on the subject, which I haven't listened to yet are:

Pam Killeen Claims That Addiction Is The Hidden Epidemic:

http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/...ic-episode-435/

Nutrition And Sugar Addiction Coach James Hahn II

http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/...hahn-ii-ep-343/

Also, Jimmy seems to love Karly Pitman, who shares her experiences with her own sugar addiction in a number of podcasts:

http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/...?s=Karly+Pitman

I hope people might enjoy some of these. I love all Jimmy's podcasts, but particularly enjoyed the Julia Ross one.

I used to call chocolate chip cookies "my heroin" because I never ate just 1, and they called to me from the freezer. Then when I gave up wheat, chocolate chips by the handful and vanilla ice cream filled the sugar gap. Looking back, it's been a very gradual progress for me to eat LCHF. When I was a kid I would drink sugar water after school, steal money from my parents to buy candy, and positively gorge myself if there was every a candy jar or dish of mints available. There is a history of alcoholism and drug addiction in my family, not to mention obesity. I do think these things go together. Here are my rules now (just coming off a slippery slope back down to handfuls of chocolate chips) I cannot have chocolate (even the 85% variety), but cocoa is OK. Too much artificial sweetener just makes me feel lousy, especially if it doesn't come along with a load of fat. In general, eating enough fat and staying really LC (induction veggies, occasional slice of strawberry, and minimal carbs from cream and cheese) keeps my sugar cravings at bay to a good degree, it's when I let the carbs creep up that all those old cravings come back and next thing I know I'm stuffing cookie dough and fresh cookies into my mouth and feeling horrible (both emotionally and physically). Not worth it!

I have been a lifelong sugar addict. Every day. Until I stopped cold turkey. I find Lustig convincing. Cravings are gone. But one more thing happened. I became certain that sugar is bad for me. I defined it as poison. Now I look at sugar, and I think "That is poison. It's toxic."

Rats find rat poison delicious. I'm done with sugar.

Even reading this is making the monster roar. I too, can eat chocolate non stop, it's my heroin too. Any sugar laden product from candy to baked goods. Being full has nothing to do with the amount. I've always told my husband I can't have "just one" because it's like a drug addict only shooting up a little bit once. No one believes me. But I've been off all my "goodies" since last fall and I know it's bad for me.

Thanks everyone for sharing.

Solarmom, it's pretty amazing that you have managed to keep your top weight to below 180 under the circumstances.

KayeKaye - I have the same issue with not even being able to read about certain things.. However, I have begun to notice a shift, after three years of low-carbing. I really think that the insulin monster is getting a bit more tame, so hang on in there, because it gets easier eventually.

Mio1996 - it sounds as if you just get your head down and use a routine to keep things ticking over, not allowing yourself to get hungry, which might cause stress or weakness - that's probably quite an important point.

Nancy.. Thanks for sharing about chromium supplementation.. Julia Ross mentioned both nutrition and supplements in her interview with Jimmy. I'll try and list her suggestions in a separate post at the end, and add yours in too, if it's different.

That is a powerful thought.

Hi Kirsteen - I'm glad you started this thread. I'm very worried about my family and the amount of sugar they eat. My daughter is 6 years old and eats so much sugar. And my husband is no help either. He's just as bad. It's in everything and everywhere. And I truly believe it is poison! I don't know what to do to change it. Going sugar free is a good start but for me, my next goal is to get away from all artificial sweeteners as well. Aspartame, sucralose, sweet n low etc...they are all evil. But they are such a part of our daily living, I find it hard to keep on course. I know people that eat very healthy natural diets and I so want to be that person and I want my family to follow suit. It really is so important but so difficult to overcome. It would take a radical life change.

To answer the original question, for me it has always been cold turkey. I do make a lowcarb dessert to have on hand but again, it has aspartame in it so I don't feel good about eating it either.