hopeful for progress

[NarcKiddo]

You absolutely can get addicted to sugar, as far as I know. Well done for spotting what was going on and good luck with dealing with the problem.

 

[Blueberry]

You absolutely can get addicted to sugar, as far as I know. Well done for spotting what was going on and good luck with dealing with the problem.

 

Oh absolutely! One of the addictive parts of an eating disorder. I think eating disorders are no longer counted medically as addictions, but that doesn't mean some food types aren't addictive, imho and ime. Casein, a protein in cheese, is also addictive.

Good luck, san!    (I gave up working on my eating disorder, I'm sorry to say, but I wish you all the best.)

[HannahOne]

SanMagic7, well done on sleuthing out your health challenges! I know for me sugar can feed yeast and bacteria in my gut, and that can lead to MCAS flares, which is basically an allergic reaction, a histamine reaction like you get with a cold. Because those yeast and bacteria LOVE sugar, they release their own chemicals that can make us feel drunk. Sugar can also activate dopamine, which is part of the addiction. Cutting out sugar really helped stabilize my moods, too! I do have sugar once or twice a week. Just not in every dressing, ketchup, bread, cracker...sugar hides in so many foods! I find it fascinating how complex our bodies can be!

[zen_racer]

I'm glad you've figured that out and are hopefully feeling better, SM.  I can relate a little bit.  A long time ago, I was introduced to the idea of using mental outlook to stop getting sick as often.  I know that sounds weird, and the rest will too.  Essentially, it theorized that we all know how placebos can work.  Our minds think its medicine, and we actually get better.  The same thing can be true in the opposite direction.  We see other people get sick, we have a cough or a sneeze, and we figure we are getting sick.  Then our mind is already convinced, and we get the same placebo effect except in the other direction.  What I had read theorized that if we just convince ourselves we aren't getting sick, then we aren't inviting that sickness into our body.  Naturally, some viruses and bacteria will make us sick regardless.  But after reading about this, and actively trying to embody it, I've gone up to 5 years without getting a single cold before.  These days, decades after I'd read that and done my best to adopt it, most of the times I get sick are when I get stressed out, get too tired, get depressed and don't have the mental energy to fight against getting sick.

Sending more love and hugs! 

[sanmagic7]

thanks, NK, for your validation.  it is a real thing

blueberry, thank you for wishing me luck.  i appreciate it.  the only reason i've decided to tackle this one is because it was literally making me feel like crapola, like my body simply can't handle it anymore.  it was a swift kick thru that door that i didn't want. 

thank you, hannah1, for your support.  i'm not worried too much about the hidden sugars or fruit sugars - they don't seem to bother me.  it's the cakes, cookies, donuts, ice cream that i don't stop eating until i'm too full to put anymore in me, and within a few hours i feel miserable, stress flu time, and have a sugar hangover the next day,  can't do it anynore.

hey ZR, thank you for your care.  i don't get 'sick' in the meaning of illness from a bug of some kind, have only once in the past 10 yrs. or so.  my 'stress flu' is not a real illness from a bug, but a reaction from my body to too much stress.  flu-like symptoms - chills, low-grade fever, fatigue, no strength, difficult to walk, and then only very slowly, headache.  and now with how i've been eating sweets, it's proven to be too stressful for my body to process. and i get 'sick' like a horrible hangover, only sugar induced.  we'll see what happens.

i've worked as an addictions counselor, and from what i've learned you can get addicted to most anything.  some people say there are 'good' addictions, but i don't believe that.  anything that gets in the way of a healthy, functional relationship w/ a person or your body - including exercise, reading, whatever - can be looked at as an addiction.  and addictions, by nature, rob you of balance in your life, in yourself, in your relationships.  so, yeah, sugar as an addictive substance is very real.

i was raised on refined sugar, but these cravings have gotten worse over time, eating more and more at one sitting and then, a few hours later, it hits me hard, i feel terrible for 2 days, and now i believe it's my body not being able to process it in copious amounts like it used to.  so, i get enough stress flu on my own w/o something like this adding to it, which is why i've taken the addiction route.  day 2, no sugar.

[HannahOne]

Hooray for Day 2!

You know what's best for you right now and you're taking action on your own behalf.

[SenseOrgan]

Hi San, are you on the other side of the stress flu? I get something like that when I've been in extreme stress. I call it a stress hangover. I get physically ill from the stress. It's awful.

i've worked as an addictions counselor, and from what i've learned you can get addicted to most anything.  some people say there are 'good' addictions, but i don't believe that.  anything that gets in the way of a healthy, functional relationship w/ a person or your body - including exercise, reading, whatever - can be looked at as an addiction.  and addictions, by nature, rob you of balance in your life, in yourself, in your relationships.  so, yeah, sugar as an addictive substance is very real.

Wise words San. Pointing to the substance, whatever it is, kinda misses the point. The root of addiction is not being able to be with difficult sensations. I say that without judgment. I think we all deal with this in some way or another. Some are just not recognized as such, and considered normal.

I'm one of the lucky few who doesn't like sugar all that much. I think my challenge is more with salt. Until recently I wasn't aware of something called a salt addiction. I think it's useful to look through this lens sometimes.

And like you also seem to say, I feel like I can't afford unhealthy eating habits because my body is chronically taxed with stress hormones already. It's really not good self-care to add more on top.

What I enjoy doing is creating new beneficial habits. It's not too difficult to establish them (and phase out others). Will power isn't going to work long term, but habits are. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on that with regards to your professional background. One example. Many years ago I had a kidney stone. Doc advised me to drink enough. I measured what I drank during the day and increased that. I started drinking two cups of hot water in the morning because it was a bit difficult for me to reach the target. That has become something that doesn't require any effort anymore. Or even thinking about it. It's just something I do. I've been doing this for many years and it would feel "wrong" if I don't get my cups of warm water in the morning. No wrestling with it, no nothing. 

Much love