# Dealing with Sugar Withdrawal Thread...



## jdrubnitz (Jan 26, 2013)

*I'm miserable...sugar withdrawal is a real thing*. I am fatigued, irritable, and fluctuate between bouts of hopelessness right now. I've always dealt with mood issues of some sort, but have never experienced the "brain fog" and feeling of "brain mush" like this. I used to hate being around people, but now I REALLY hate being around people.

In the last few weeks, I've come to find I am *extremely dependent* on sugar. I started to eat very little throughout my day, but at night I would *ritualistically buy a pack of cookies* and eat all of them in one sitting. *Almost 2,000 calories in pure simple carbs and sugar.* Extremely unhealthy for me because I am a small person.

It was coming to the point where I didn't believe I would get through my day unless I had a giant serving of sugar at night.

Since then, I've completely tried revolutionizing my diet...I'm eating tons of vegetables, and making sure to get *good fats* (avacados, macadamia nut oil) in there, which seem to help with the cravings. It's only been two weeks, and to be honest, *I feel like crap*.

I will be posting my progress, changes in mood, and social behavior, if any, as life goes on.


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## farfegnugen (Aug 16, 2010)

Good job. You'll adapt. Things that you thought were great at one time will taste sickeningly sweet if you go back to them. I get some salt cravings mostly because of doing a lot of physical activity. I should find alternative ways of replenishing my losses.


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## jdrubnitz (Jan 26, 2013)

farfegnugen said:


> Good job. You'll adapt. Things that you thought were great at one time will taste sickeningly sweet if you go back to them. I get some salt cravings mostly because of doing a lot of physical activity. I should find alternative ways of replenishing my losses.


UPDATE:

I hope I adapt. Things are feeling a bit better, but only if I go to sleep *early enough* (around 10:00-10:30 PM). Cravings are easier to resist when following through with a healthy sleep schedule, I've been finding.

That being said, whenever I feel any sense of stress, I immediately am overcome by a craving, and literally feel like I cannot do anything else with my thoughts or energy but eat.

I got an email today from an employer who may be hiring me, and it set off my anxiety. Such a horrible feeling when a sense of being grounded is ripped out from underneath me by an unexpected change.

I really do hope resisting these kinds of foods will strengthen my nervous system.


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## firestar (Jun 27, 2009)

I have the same cravings when I'm stressed. I drink a lot of diet soda (though I've gradually cut back, so not as much as before). I also allow myself dessert: cottage cheese with lite whipped cream and sugar free jello. The cottage cheese has some nutrition in it, at least. Otherwise I try to keep away from sugar because it gets too tempting when I'm anxious.

I've thought about cutting it out completely but I don't have the willpower. Hope you feel better soon


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## jdrubnitz (Jan 26, 2013)

firestar said:


> I have the same cravings when I'm stressed. I drink a lot of diet soda (though I've gradually cut back, so not as much as before). I also allow myself dessert: cottage cheese with lite whipped cream and sugar free jello. The cottage cheese has some nutrition in it, at least. Otherwise I try to keep away from sugar because it gets too tempting when I'm anxious.
> 
> I've thought about cutting it out completely but I don't have the willpower. Hope you feel better soon


The cottage cheese is a great idea for something a bit healthy, for sure! I'm finding that the only way it's possible to completely cut everything out, or come close to it, is to eat TONS of alternatives. LOTS of vegetables, and a lot of fats. Most of my calories come from healthy fats, such as avacados and macadamia nut oil (high in omega-9's which I am substantially deficient in).

I manged to go all day yesterday without anything, when an unexpected guest visited our family, and she had chocolate as a gift...I ate one 1.5 inch square. :serious: Part of me didn't want to be impolite. Another part of me knows I rationalized my way into a downfall. It was bad, but I noticed I didn't particularly crave much more after that. A lot of it was to be polite...I think?

That being said, most of my caloric intake was from vegetables, fats, and protein foods yesterday, so I'm proud of that.

I might get a food allergy test soon. My face seems to break out/itch in reaction to certain foods (broccoli, wheat, cocoa, etc.). Possible to be allergic to broccoli? yes. I didn't eat ANY vegetables growing up at all. None.

The combination of early sleep and eating better is definitely lifting the weight of my ongoing depression off of me. Food-mood connection is pretty legitimate if you ask me.


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## firestar (Jun 27, 2009)

jdrubnitz said:


> The cottage cheese is a great idea for something a bit healthy, for sure! I'm finding that the only way it's possible to completely cut everything out, or come close to it, is to eat TONS of alternatives. LOTS of vegetables, and a lot of fats. Most of my calories come from healthy fats, such as avacados and macadamia nut oil (high in omega-9's which I am substantially deficient in).
> 
> I manged to go all day yesterday without anything, when an unexpected guest visited our family, and she had chocolate as a gift...I ate one 1.5 inch square. :serious: Part of me didn't want to be impolite. Another part of me knows I rationalized my way into a downfall. It was bad, but I noticed I didn't particularly crave much more after that. A lot of it was to be polite...I think?
> 
> ...


Haha, you did better than I would have! I went to a party today at the place where I volunteer and had some cake with ice cream. It was tough to resist the urge to get something else on the way home. My problem is that if I'm not careful, I get into this mentality of, "Oh well! My day is ruined! Might as well eat everything I can before tomorrow, when I have to be good again!" Which I know isn't healthy but, as you know, sugar just tastes so good that it's hard to resist the temptation to indulge.

Allergic to broccoli? That would kill me  I didn't eat many vegetables growing up, either, and now I eat broccoli all the time. Frozen broccoli is cheap and delicious.

Definitely agree that there's a connection between food and mood. I have more energy when I eat better. I feel better about myself. But at the same time, it's not always easy to fight the cravings, either. It takes a certain amount of belief in yourself, a willingness to believe that the future is worth sacrificing the gratification that you get from eating sugar.


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## regimes (Aug 24, 2011)

just keep charging through it. if you feel too bad have a SMALL snack with sugar in it- natural sugars would be better, so like some fruit or dairy. i got off my major sugar addiction eating a cup of greek yogurt (and i put some fresh blueberries in it and a spoonful of honey) whenever it got too bad.


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## jdrubnitz (Jan 26, 2013)

regimes said:


> just keep charging through it. if you feel too bad have a SMALL snack with sugar in it- natural sugars would be better, so like some fruit or dairy. i got off my major sugar addiction eating a cup of greek yogurt (and i put some fresh blueberries in it and a spoonful of honey) whenever it got too bad.


This is a good idea. I had a bit of sugar foods in the last two days. It sucks when it's just sitting there at a family event where everyone else is taking some...

That being said, I'm still eating well otherwise, and now I've thrown some fruits into my diet, which is solving a lot of my fatigue issues. I'm quite surprised.

Back on the grind.


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## LouABQ (Dec 1, 2021)

jdrubnitz said:


> *I'm miserable...sugar withdrawal is a real thing*. I am fatigued, irritable, and fluctuate between bouts of hopelessness right now. I've always dealt with mood issues of some sort, but have never experienced the "brain fog" and feeling of "brain mush" like this. I used to hate being around people, but now I REALLY hate being around people.
> 
> In the last few weeks, I've come to find I am *extremely dependent* on sugar. I started to eat very little throughout my day, but at night I would *ritualistically buy a pack of cookies* and eat all of them in one sitting. *Almost 2,000 calories in pure simple carbs and sugar.* Extremely unhealthy for me because I am a small person.
> 
> ...


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