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[groundhog]

Hi Ladies,

Just want some advice from anyone who has managed to control a sugar problem.  I’ve always had a sweet tooth snd it’s always been the reason why Ive struggled with my weight. As you all know surgery went wrong 6 years ago and I’ve got a host of problems I including 3 bags ( a long term stoma, a fistula bag and a third dressing or bag depending on output).  The excess weight isn’t helping.  Plus we all know sugar is bad for us and is thought to makes inflammatory conditions worse.
Did you go cold Turkey or cut down?  I have a sweet snack mid afternoon ( like a hot cross bun) which isn’t too bad but I will then just pick at anything sweet I can get my hands on. Maybe I should just rid the house of all sweet stuff , what do you all do.
I think if I could lose weight I’d feel better physically and mentally.  I’ve put on about 30lbs since my surgical disaster x

[getting_old]

I prefer sweet stuff to savoury, and need to cut down on sugar. I'd suggest cutting back slowly instead of going cold turkey as I think suddenly stopping could cause a lot of side effects.
Good luck.

[VikkiP]

Hi groundhog! Totally me, 100 %, struggled with being over weight most of my adult life, managed to lose a stone and a half last year, but still very much a struggle. When i am being good, i find having nothing naughty in the house, including alcohol, bread and sugar. If its not there i cant eat it, i also try to put as much healthy veg into my belly, if its full of goodness there is no room for crap, even if i had any. Sugar and bread are my no 1 enemy!

[CLKD]

Hi! easy to say don't buy it but then the cravings begin 

Think about when you reach for a sugary treat.  Then think about what you can substitute at that time.  I try to have chocolate as a pudding ...... most days it works.  DH also cooks lots of veg every evening with a meat dish. 

I used to want chocolate around 4.00 p.m. so opted for readybrek ........... filling and seemed to work.

[Postmeno3]

Yeah, I agree with all of the above. Sugar is comfort and it may be worth looking at what comfort means for you, where it has been absent and how to start with trying to comfort yourself by being kind and compassionate towards yourself if you can. Have you someone who can support you with this internal journey so that the external comfortings start to reduce?
Then, yes, if it's not in the house, it's not there to access and, slowly, the mind recognises that and stops reacting. Treat yourself with one, TIMED, sweet thing a day. I have two squares of 85% chocolate around 4; good for magnesium etc.
There will be tiny victories for you as you move away from something which is clearly making you unhappy and move towards deserved happiness. Tiny victories can grow and grow.....
Gently go.

[CLKD]

Also - do you wake in the night for chocolate?  If it was a true addiction, the brain would get us out of bed at all hours.

There are hidden sugars in foods as well as good sugars. Make sure that you are aware of the difference, there's so much in the media about cutting out sugar. Well the body requires sugars for energy ;-).  Starting the day with a good breakfast can help as it fills the body after fasting.  Dreaming can use up energy in the night. 

Bananas are slow release foods.  DH eats apples, pears as pudding at lunch time - we love mango and melon in the afternoon.

Introducing more veg - slowly, or you'll get awful wind    .  DH adds chopped mushrooms to my mid-day pizza for example.  I know from my bowel when I am not eating enough veg..  It gets slow  . 

I can't abide lettuce, rabbit grub  and struggle with salad .......... tomatoes are too watery tasting.  Same with cucumber.  Though apparently a plate of colour is enticing.  That'll be nasturtium flowers then ?

Dark cholocarte is an acquired taste but I can't eat as much - usually we have 1 square in the evening when necessary. 

[Postmeno3]

Agree. Watch the bananas a bit though as they can cause spikes if too ripe? I eat small ones, just going from green to yellow and not every day. It's all an incredibly personal thing and down to individual metabolism, too, so have FUN experimenting and finding what works for you! 😀

[CLKD]

I can't bear green bananas, nor if they are too ripe  .  They are slow release, a bit like porridge.  Apparently.

Food should be fun.  According to Jamie Oliver etc. ........... it also makes washing up ! 

[littleminnie]

Have you tried the sugar free biscuits?   My OH cut down on his sugar a few years back,  had the sugar free biscuits and chocolate and hasn’t looked back since.  Only 2 pieces of fruit a day, no fresh orange.  He didn’t cut back on anything else, still eats crisps, drinks wine etc and he lost over a stone. 

[CLKD]

I had a walnut whip for pudding - that'll be the healthy option; the walnut ?

[Joaniepat]

I had a walnut whip for pudding - that'll be the healthy option; the walnut ?

Yep, count the walnut as one of your 5 a day 
JP x

[CLKD]

   we have a melon 2 break into later. 

[groundhog]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions.
Now for the excuses ......

I can’t eat a lot of fibre, it’s dangerous for me.  I have no colon so I don’t need roughage as such and the hysterectomy caused serious damage to my small bowel so it’s narrowed and strictured plus has a hole coming out on to my skin ( living the dream lol ).  So my diet is low fibre as in white bread, white rice, fish, chicken,  cheese , very little veg and bananas . That’s about it. Cake and chocolate move through easily so they are not a problem. Typical.

That said they are no good for me apart from creating a weight problem.  I don’t wake up in the night CLKD but I could have cake for breakfast.  My sister is the same, but she is healthy and a gym bunny so just about gets away with it .

Today I’ve had a hot cross bun and some ice cream so that’s good for me.  I did lose 40 lbs many years ago and was quite slim so I know I can do it .  It’s just everything isn’t it, Covid, families , health , life .
Excuses I know.
I’m going to weight tomorrow, il probably faint. I’m tall 5ft 10’ so have always ‘carried it well’ but no more, I feel fat and look fat and I hate it xx

[Postmeno3]

Is there a nutritionist who could advise and support you? Sometimes that sense of being accountable to a knowledgeable outsider can motivate. After all you've been through and now what we're all going through with the far-reaching consequences of Covid, it's understandable that you feel as you do. If you had a best friend in your situation, what would you be saying to her...............?
💚

[CLKD]

Morning. You are eating a healthy diet, all things considered - have you had your thyroid function checked in recent years?

How about grazing?  Do U feel hungry ever?  Is eating filling a gap in the day?  I know it does 4 me sometimes. 

I agree with Postmeno3.  If your surgery isn't helpful - some have dieticians etc. in their practice - perhaps contact a local gym when they re-open to see if there is someone that you could talk with?