The only way I stopped my sugar habit was going cold turkey on most carbohydrate foods. Five years ago I had all the signs of metabolic syndrome; high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and high blood sugar. After losing almost 100 pounds, most of this is in the normal range. For me, sugar just feeds on itself – I never reach the point of satiation. Low calorie diets always left me starving because they had too many starchy/sweet foods allowed. It wasn’t until I started eating a basic “meat and vegetables” diet that I was able to both lose weight and not be starving. I found it hard to believe I was dieting when I sat down to a grilled steak with saut©ed mushrooms, a green salad with ranch dressing, bacon, avocado, and broccoli with cheese sauce. No potato, no bread, no rice, no pasta. These things all make me hungry – when I eat them I notice the difference in my appetite. Every time I stray from this program I start to gain weight, so I guess it’s a good thing I like meat and veggies.

So my advice – and it’s a hard road to travel – is “If you don’t start, you won’t over-do”. It’s the only thing that works for me.

kathy – same here. Did the same thing but fell off the wagon. Back on for 2 days now. Ugh.,

Thanks for that reminder, Kathy. That’s been my experience too. It takes about 3 days of serious withdrawal symptoms, then I forget why I even liked sugar. (But it’s still easy to get back on the stuff.)

This will be how I ring in Pluto-in-Capricorn. Out with the sugar!

“I am like a kid for sweet things. And by the way, why don’t you ever have a pudding at your tablydott (table d’h´te), Mr Schomberg? Nothing but fruit, morning, noon and night. Sickening! What do you think a fellow is – a wasp?” ~Victory, by Joseph Conrad

I’m a yo-yo over-indulger.
To counteract it, I yo-yo work-out.

Bad thing, I know.

Jupiter rising in Cancer… Hell, yes, I over-indulge! In everything, really, but mostly with food.

I’ve learned that the best method for me is food journalling plus a restricted calorie diet (slightly over my basal metabolic rate) combined with about an hour and a half of exercise a day (30 min cardio the rest weights). And, since I’m a hedonistic eater, I don’t fight my cravings. I just eat less of whatever it is I’m craving – otherwise I’ll eat, say, an apple when I want pasta. Then yogurt, then half a sandwich, and so on and so on because I want pasta, dammit, and nothing else will do! And I end up eating way more calories than if I would’ve just had some ramen sprinkled with parmesan in the first place.