Oh sugar i did it again.

I'm sorry to hear that. Don't beat yourself up too much. Some scientists say that sugar as a substance is about as addictive as some rather serious drugs. (I have no clue wether that's true or not).

What I have discovered is that the 1&1 diet here on Darebee helps me manage/prevent my sugar-cravings rather well. The fist few days of sugar-withdrawal were bad but afterwards it got better. I Imagine the high amount of vegetables and the nutrients they contain help with managing cravings. Also, it made me eat a lot more fruit. Fruit, again, contains lots of nutrients and it's a natural "sweet" on top. Have you tried dusting a banana with cocoa? That still has calories but at least it's probably pretty healthy. What may also help, is deciding way in advance when you will have your next desert/sweet. That way you can always say, "I just have to wait 3 more days and I'm allowed to have this" whenever you have a craving.

To prevent you from getting hungry shortly after a meal, I recommend eating enough protein and making sure you don't consume products made of white flour. It spikes your insulin and makes you hungry faster. If you do get hungry again despite this, make sure to eat (mostly) vegetables.

And as a "treat", in case you just have to have chocolate, I'll just leave you with a recipe for sugar-free chocolate. You only need coconut puree and cocoa. Just melt the coconut puree (e.g. in a hot water bath or at a low temperature in the oven) and stir in some powdered cocoa (adjust the amount to your taste). If you want to, you can now add a few drops of lemon/lime/orange-juice, an edible essential fruit-oil and/or some spices (e.g. cinnamon), but it's not necessary. Then, pour the mix into small molds or just make blobs on a baking-sheet. Let it cool until it's solid (this may take an hour or three if you don't place the chocolate in the fridge/freezer).

What kind of chocolate do you normally eat, UKmanUK12? If it's mostly milk chocolate, maybe consider switching to darker chocolates piece by piece, to reduce the sugar. And do you want to banish sugar/chocolate complete from your life or do you just want to get over the cravings? In my experience, I don't have big cravings if I regularly eat small portions of chocolate, i.e., I don't forbid myself from enjoying them.

And don't get to upset over your binge. I think it's more important to go on with what you are doing and to not beat yourself up over it. Accept what you did and move on. You can always do better!

every thing i've read lines up with what Cjell said. processed sugar is an isolate - like cocaine. equally addictive but harder to beat because it's legal and it's in everything and even your grandmother pushes it on you. do you track your food? if not, track it for a couple days and see just how much sugar you are consuming. you will probably be surprised. i'm reducing my sugar cravings by reducing my sugar intact and when i need something sweet, i go for a little treat that i make with 1 part each dark chocolate, coconut oil, and peanut butter (the no sugar kind). i make them in an ice tray and they are small so about 60 calories each. i will have 1 or 2 of those and they are sweet enough to calm the cravings but have enough fat that 2 is enough.

Thank you all, I think I need to just admit to myself that i am a sugar addict and completely remove it from my diet, I love chocolate and most puddings but it obviously isn't worth it, since i was a child id raid the cupboards for all sweet stuff and it caused me to be overweight, I think im an all or nothing type of guy and maybe I can reintroduce it as a treat for example pudding after a meal when i go to a restaurant considering i don't visit them often.

It's embarrassing but I actually feel emotional about giving up sweet stuff, for the next month my only goal will be no chocolate, pudding, biscuits or anything obviously sugar laden.

After a month or so if i am succesful i will extend it to change all my grains, bread etc to the brown or natural variation, i think getting more fibre in my diet is important to so maybe swap out potatoes for a less calorie dense side of high fibre veggies.

Once again thank you all for your replies.

UKmanUK12 Good luck with that goal! If the cravings get really bad after a few days (or even after one), remember that the worst phase will only take a few days. It will get better

Cjell Thank you i'll try my best.

UKmanUK12 It sounds like a carb-adiction. Best way to get rid of that is go cold turkey and start a low-carb diet. As long as you keep eating bread, pasta, rice, potatoes or high-carb fruit (like banana, grapes, dates) you will still get cravings. Remove everything with added sugar. In my experience it will take between a few days to a few weeks to get rid of the addiction. After that you can add back some things like high-carb fruit or extra dark chocolate (70% or more cocoa). It takes 3 to 6 weeks to reset your system. After that you can change to the 1+1 or even occasionally go nuts at a party.

My wife and I both went through this. For me it was just a few days until the cravings stopped. For my wife it was harder. Now we do something like the 1+1 and it goes well. We make sure we do one or two low-carb days after we had a high-carb day like a party. And I enjoy my 85% dark chocolate every day, just a small piece.

Also: Don't do it alone! Ask support from your family and friends.

elitw Hey thanks for that, this moment in time i think carb restriction would put a real downer on everything and make me continue the cycle of inconsistencies, however 1 on 1 off sounds good and when i go shopping i will shop with that in mind.

The only real problem is I've never eaten a meal without carbs and chicken and broccoli doesnt sound to appetising, where can i get some easy ideas for meals? Preferably some that i can make without adding numerous spices etc haha (I'm a lazy cook)

Have a good day

I don't know if you'd be ok with an intermittent fasting approach but the preset six mealplan could be helpful for you. As food cravings can also come from a lack of nutrients eating chicken with Broccoli would maybe be a good idea ;-) mac and cheese and burgers and fries may be convenient but regarding their nutritional value they are not too great. If you are a lazy cook try frozen veggie mixtures and buy some ready to use spice mixtures (only spices no sugar, no taste enhancers etc.!) and frozen chopped herbes that you can put in there. It seems like highly processed Foods are not uncommon in your diet, those also can cause Food cravings, in the end they are designed to make you want more, so try cooking from scrap as much as possible. it might seem like a big hassle in the beginning, but with a bit of practice it really can be a lot of fun. Maybe your kids would like to cook with you (if they are old enough), like cutting veggies, stirring the pot etc...

BusyBumbleBee. I think i fast unintentionally to be honest i usually eat at 12pm and 5pm followed by snack(s) at 8pm then thats it for the night.
I most deffo need to get rid of processed food or some of the ridiculous ones, my wife cooks good meals for her and the kids but i usually sort my own food out, i'm having pasta bolognase with them tonight which is the first time we will have eaten a meal together in a long time.

I also swapped out my cereal for porridge and peanut butter at 12pm today, so i am aware of what i should be doing it's just keeping consistent i will have to work on.

I still think chicken and broccoli are a little bland

Hope you're having a good day!

If you don't do anything with them they definitely are put them e.g.in a curry with some coconutmilk and curry paste with other veggies like carrots, bell peppers and leek and they are lovely
Well if your wife prepares homecooked meals your life is much easier anyways. Think of eating with them as a way to show your wife that you value her and her work. If you want change you'll have to change some habits and nobody likes that but it usually is totally worth it! And don't be too hard on yourself, when you slip. If there a days you fall back into old habits, well, so be it, we all stumble or fall off the wagon from time to time and one day out of 10 or 20 is really not that big an issue as long as you go back to your new habits the next day. The food thing is a lot like running IMO. Just like you don't just run a marathon you don't need to change everything at once. You changed your breakfast, now make that a habit, then slowly increase the number of days when you eat with your family and who knows in the end you might end up cooking together or you for them...

Enjoy your family meal! I think you are on the right way!

UKmanUK12 I know how that can feel. But you only have to have strength for the first few days. Then the carvings will get less. And get some low carb snacks. Of course you can use carrots and such, but I prefer hard boiled eggs (you can keep the in the refrigerator) with some (herb) salt, cheese or cold cuts.

I also don't like the sound of dry chicken and bland broccoli. When I want to cook an easy low-carb meal I often use minced meat, (frozen) mixed veggies and some ready mixed spices (mostly Italian style). Like BusyBumbleBee mentioned. Sometimes with grated cheese on top
Or I make a curry with some meat, veggies, coconut milk and curry paste. I'm agreeing a lot with BusyBumbleBee here, i guess.
Another easy all time favorite is an omelette filled with veggies. Sometimes with some bacon for extra taste.

The beginning is the hardest. You have to find the mixed spices or seasonings without sugar. Same for the curry paste. You have to try some recipes, until you found some you like. It gets easier. Just start. You can't run a marathon if you don't take that first step.

Get your family involved. Indeed, share a home cooked meal. Make shopping a game for your children. Like who finds the most different curry pastes without sugar (if they have learned to read yet, I don't know how old they are). Cook together. Don't make it a problem, make it an adventure. The quest for the new and improved UKmanUK12

Salt, pepper, olive-oil, fried onion and garlic.