Losing Weight

[loseweight1973]

I am addicted to certain food groups such as chocolate, cakes, crisps and anything with a high fat and sugar content. I've tried countless times to reduce my intake but it never works. I can't even stop for one day.

Robert

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, loseweight1973

I'm afraid when push comes to shove, it's a case of gritting your teeth and girding your loins and determining to cut them out of your diet completely. Reducing won't help, because each mouthful will feed your addiction, just as each cigarette feeds a nicotine addiction, each drink feeds an alcoholics addiction and each 'fix' feeds a heroine addicts addiction.

Move in with a strong friend/family member, have no junk food in the house and lock the doors. It really doesn't take too long to knock it on the head, I've done it myself. I stopped junk food/carbs, cigarettes and alcohol all at the same time and came through the other side

Have a look at these:

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

phcuk.org/wp-content/upload...

youtube.com/watch?v=h0zD1gj...(Not working as expected?)

Follow this link to our chat thread and a list of all the activities we run. We've found active participation to be key to success, especially with our weigh-ins and Daily Diary.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

To make navigating the forum easier, we've put all the information you'll need in a newbie pack and here's the link

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Please take the time to read it carefully, so that you're able to enjoy everything that we have on offer.

We ask that you also read this important information about internet privacy and security.

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Wishing you all the best

[Juppy]

“Addicted” is a good word. I think it really can be physiological and it can be extremely difficult to correct by willpower alone. I had success last Spring using Dr Hyman’s 10-day sugar detox. It helped me get past the cravings. I also did the Diet Doctor keto induction. dietdoctor.com/low-carb/get... For me it worked because I had an exact meal plan for 2 weeks of every meal. It got me through those first days on plan. It also got me over my fear of fat and got me past my addiction to sugary foods and crisps. Best wishes and don’t give up!

[Cosmo501 Restart May 2024]

Lots of us have arrived here in this forum with similar experiences as yours, feeling that desperation of needing to make changes but not imaging it possible. With all the support and knowledge here, anything is possible!

You can do this!!

I agree with everything Moreless and Juppy have written above - it has helped me turn my life around and finally get rid of the uncontrollable cravings, and finally be able to think about other things in life other than trying to blot out the cravings. It's just an enormous relief. Oh... and there's the weightloss too, which is the other benefit

Good luck on your journey. I hope you hang around here and get all the info and support you need. Best wishes!

[Tiggerr]

Hi Robert and welcome.

It's unlikely to be the fat that leaves you craving more of those foods and quite likely to be the carbs (sugar).

Many people lose weight by cutting back the amount of food (calories) but if you're finding it hard to minimise eating those items then maybe you might try a completely different approach and go for low carb high fat (lchf).

The issue with carbs is that many of them are quickly turned into sugar in the blood stream. Your body then produces insulin to quickly remove the sugar whilst storing it as fat. Part of the problem is that the brain gets a rush from the sugar but then a kind of withdrawal when it's removed and hence the cravings.

At the other end of the scale, fats (cream, butter, cheese, nuts and others) actually act to make us feel sated for longer.

Good luck!

[Hidden]

I think any addition needs to fought with a cold turkey approve. Remove all tempataion from the house and try and plan ahead when you might be tempted out of the house (work can be hard as there's always a birthday or some other celebration food around) and think how you will tackle it. I've recently found I have a wheat intolerance so it's now easy for me to say no because of that and no-one questions it.

Planning how you will tackle tricky situations really is the key. I gave up alcohol 6 years ago just before Christmas, if there can ever be a harder time of year. Planning and support got me through the hard bit and now I don't think about it much, it's just something i don't do.

Good luck kicking the sugar. I follow LCHF and I find that helps stop sugar cravings.

[Renegade1234 1lb]

I feel the same at the moment. Let's try eating healthily as planned... today only.

Deal with tomorrow when it comes.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Renegade1234]

Good approach, Renegade1234, and welcome to the forum

I'm going to offer you some things to read, based on your comments about over-restricting and bingeing, especially at night. Take your time reading and come back with any questions

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013...

helpguide.org/articles/eati...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

This is a busy place with loads of support and information to help you on your way and we've put everything you need into this Welcome Newbies post. healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... I recommend joining a weekly weigh in and using the Daily Diary.

Please also read this information about security/privacy healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

To make the most of the forum, join in with activities, read and reply to posts, ask questions and encourage others – it will all pay off for you 😊

[Renegade1234 1lb in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thanks, that looks useful. I'll have a read. I've realised that it has been "dieting" which has led to gaining weight so I'm trying to "not diet" as it perpetuates the binge/restrict cycle for me but want to get back to normal BMI!

Thanks again.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Renegade1234]

You're welcome

Go for eating real food, cooked at home, avoiding processed stuff, and that includes anything labelled low fat or light or diet - all heavily processed. Take your time reading and come back with any questions. Also, look at the Daily Diary, where members share their meal plans. Again, ask any questions about their choices: it's very interactive and friendly

[Eleanorba Maintainer]

It’s deffo the sugar! Although I agree that sugar-and-fat combos are particularly lethal. You’ll be able to lose weight eating healthy fats though, as long as the sugar goes. I am acquainted with ex smokers, recovering alcoholics and one ex heroin user. They can’t Just Have One cig/drink/fix and you might have to cut sugar out entirely. Good advice already for you on here. Very best of luck to you!

[Hidden]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I hope you can join in some of the topics. The daily diary is a great place to start you journey and meet other members.