Mac4711

I totally understand - when two different addictions come into play, that makes it so much harder. My point was simply that the craving for sugar caused by quitting alcohol is something that will eventually go away all by itself, hence no real need for diverting attention/ will power from the main job, namely staying sober. But again, easier said than done when an eating disorder is also present!

SoberCAH

You should be very careful about missing your diet Mountain Dew.

It's an indispensable part of my meal plan.

Stayingsassy

Ha! Oh I love it, another diet mountain dewhead.

My nightstand near my bed used to be littered with hard selzer and red wine bottles...now there are diet mountain dew cans, Pellegrino bottles and cups of herbal tea.

MindfulMan

Ugh. I can't think of a worse drink than Diet Mountain Dew!

Well...maybe Diet Red Bull.

SickInLove

Oh my how I used to love Diet red bull , now the smell of Red Bull makes me want to puke. Diet Coke is a hard one for me to give up. I know it’s terrible for you but I just can’t help it.
Glad to hear your healthier eating habits are going well for you sassy. I thought of you when I was at Disneyland on Sunday. I’m on a whole 30 and I was so jealous watching my kids eat their churros and corn dogs while i ate my packed from home snacks haha

Stayingsassy

oh my gosh I left disneyland Friday, we just missed each other!
I can't believe you stayed paleo in dland, my hat is off to you. I think I've almost done that once, but still with a small treat from pooh corner....so that shows incredible restraint.

Good luck on your remaining paleo days!

MindfulMan

Never drank the diet. The regular was so foul and upset my stomach, so that the only way I could drink it was with vodka. Mostly vodka.

Obviously that's out, so no more Red Bull. Good riddance.

I just got back on the keto horse yesterday. They had pizza at a seminar I attended that went several hours longer than I'd expected. I was a bit lightheaded as I hadn't eaten much breakfast, but I managed to say no. Plus it was Dominos...what a waste of carb cheat.

Love the Pooh Corner cheat. That's so cute.

Stayingsassy

Pooh corner has the "tigger tail," a slew of marshmallows dipped in caramel, then white or dark chocolate, impaled on a stick. Its pooh corner, but that tigger tail is no child's play when it comes to a carb cheat, that thing means business.

MindfulMan

As Keanu Reeves would say....Whoooaaahhh. Sugar City!

That's not cute, that's serious cheatin'.

Right?!?

I am so craving sugar these days. I think I want to sleep on a bed of gooey chocolate caramel cake. This is weird for me, I've never had a huge sweet tooth. This is like a late withdrawal symptom.

Sugar PAWS? Kinda appropriate for Pooh Corner.

Stayingsassy

lol! YES. Sugar paws. I kind of wish that was my username now.

Its true, you were not talking about sugar like this at all before. Keto all the way for long enough and it will go away...as you know.

Funny its being called keto now. 5 years ago, keto was paleo. And ten years ago, paleo was low carb. And 15 years ago, low carb was Atkins. And yes, I've been returning to it for that many years..nothing else kicks my food addictions.

JustTony

I've thought about this a lot and simply changed the internal rhetoric.

Some context:

Firstly I have been weight training for over half of my life (on and off) and would like to think I know a fair bit about exercise as a result. I also do a reasonable amount of cardio work to keep the aerobic side of things up to scratch. So exercise, diet and that lifestyle balance has always been something I have read about and tried to experience consistently.

Secondly - I have a big drink problem (we can call it alcoholism - I don't mind).

Thirdly - I adore food from healthy, to junk to Michelin Star.

Fourthly - I used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day MINIMUM (until I gave up in April 2003)

So here's MY internal rationalisation and 'labelling':

I don't call what I am "cross addicted" (you can if it helps - that's none of my business - I'm just sharing). I call it this:

GREEDY

I'm a greedy so and so. Booze, food, cigs, coffee, whatever.... I have no "off button" when I'm being a bad boy.

For me this puts a different context on things (maybe through many years of conditioning as to what words like "greedy"mean?) Gluttony is a deadly sin as we all have read about and know. It means I'm bad when it comes to 'inputs'. I have a predilection for sin in the wider and no religious sense of the word (I am NOT God fearing - I am a deist - not a theist).

I forget every other label when I want a chat with myself. I don't call myself an alcoholic, cross addicted, eating disordered or anything else. I just acknowledge I am GREEDY.

I am/was(?) a GREEDY drinker.

I was a GREEDY smoker.

I am a GREEDY eater.

That breaks it down for me quite easily and I realise there is one difficult but simple solution for THAT moment when GREED temps me.

I don't stick anything in my mouth until the feeling passes.

Once I get past that, it doesn't matter if I am on a Keto, Pescatarian, Tee-Total diet, or whatever way of living.... I just stay healthy by breaking it down to the simple fact I have to stop being such a GREEDY, reckless, uncontrolled individual.

NOTE: - All of these labels are what I call myself and how I manage me. They are NOT a value judgement on anyone else in this thread. This is my self controlling mechanism and my internal labelling. I'm simply sharing how I manage myself and how I am recovering (you're never totally recovered are you?)

JT

SportsFan15

I agree, timing is key. I'm at 6 months and feel like I can work on trimming down my diet now. Give time, time.

LateBloominCait

I have always avoided sugar because I am terrified of diabetes. I have watched people die from it and their addiction to sugar was a lot like an addiction to any other substance in that they could not stop eating it even though it was killing them. Funny that I ended up drinking alcohol instead which breaks down into sugar and causes diabetes as well.

Glad that insanity is behind me. I am becoming a personal trainer now, so eating well is part of my job. I'm glad it is because it keeps me accountable. My weakness is salty things though. I'll take a bag of chips now over a cake.

Stayingsassy

Hey tony, that makes a lot of sense, in fact that's how my dad looked at his food and drink problems, he was an alcoholic and knew it but never called himself that. He would drink off the rails for long periods at a time off and on until he got sick from kidney disease related to his long standing heart problems. Hes still with us but sick, although he is 83 and our family doesn't live much past that.

Cait, yep you are fortunate that you have a built in excuse.

Sports fan, I'd wait it out but what I found was the massive food binges were doing what alcohol did to an extent. Couldn't get out of bed, couldn't finish projects, no energy to go to work or exercise, feeling depressed all the time, until I thought how do you know if this is paws, or if you're back to binge eating disorder? So I went on my abstinent diet, felt almost 100% better after 4-5 days and I realized it wasn't paws, I'm not ill, I'm not depressed: I just need to care for myself in more specific ways.

SickInLove

Tigger tails and Carmel apples from poo’s corner are my favorite Disney treat too! When I was pregnant I’d buy 2 Carmel apples. One to eat there and one to eat the next day. Something about Disneyland Carmel apples and popcorn , it’s better than anywhere else. I guess my “sugar paws” are coming out now too. Last night I had a dream that I was this candy shop near where I live, eating handfuls of candy out of the bins. I guess it’s better than dreaming about booze.

Stayingsassy

haha it's only a matter of time before I have dreams of rolling around naked in a giant candy bin...

I haven't actually tried their caramel apples, but now I need to...after I clean things up for a few months!

MindfulMan

The word COMPULSIVE also works.