https://ask.metafilter.com/356757/Oh-sugar-sugar
I am trying to reduce my sugar intake. Seeking advice about certain aspects of this I'm struggling with. [TW: some talk of past eating disorder]
Background: 38, overweight, history of ED. For my own mental health, I will never 'diet' again. But at the same time, I'm conscious that over the past 6 months my sugary food intake has been much higher than it normally would be (in pre-coronavirus days) and a large part of that is probably because sugary, creamy foods give me comfort. But I have no off-switch when it comes to these kinds of foods. Seriously, I can eat large amounts of them with no nausea etc.
Anyway, of course I've gained weight, but I've also noticed more frequent and severe acne breakouts, disrupted sleep etc, and I cannot deny that my sugar intake is unhealthily high. So I've decided to cut down on sugary food intake on weekdays. I will eat them on weekends, if I want to, but so far weekends haven't been a full-on sugar orgy, I guess because my stress levels aren't so high on weekends so I don't find myself craving sweet foods quite as much. I've been doing this for maybe a month and already my skin is clearing up noticeably.
However sustaining this low-sugar thing on weekdays is very hard for me because I crave the comfort of sweet, creamy food to break up the boringness of sitting at home alone working or to reward me at the end of another long day (my work is extremely toxic and stressful). Nothing relaxes/comforts me more immediately than sweet food and not having that to fall back on on weekdays is tough. I hate thinking about food and not eating it, and I feel like I spend way too much time thinking about how damn much I'd love a slice (or four) of cheesecake.
I am looking for advice. Is this something that will get better? Given my lack of an off-switch, is it worth investigating low-sugar desserts, or am I just going to binge on them and undo all my good work? What have your experiences been of lowering sugary food intake? What worked for you and what didn't?
I'm not looking to change anything else about the way I eat. Apart from an addiction to desserts, my diet is pretty healthy and varied and I'm happy with it. I eat everything except fruit, as I don't like the taste/texture.
Imagine being a grown-ass adult and not being able to control what you choose to put in your mouth or even think about it ("I can't pay attention to my diet or else my brain will explode!")
15 responses and not a SINGLE person mentions non-sugar sweeteners, e.g. stevia, sucralose, xylitol. Zero useful practical advice.
there doesn't seem to be anything here