Pigtails

Hi everyone. I have almost six months of sobriety and I have gained a good 5 to 10 pounds during that time period (I am short, so, every pound counts a lot!) The funny thing is, I thought that my drinking was making me fat, because I had gained a good 20 to 25 pounds during the year to two-year period that my drinking spiraled totally out of control. I was going out every night, eating bar food and drinking tons of calories.

In examining my life and my goals, I've realized that I have as much of a problem with sugar and bad/junk foods as I do with alcohol! To make things worse, it's almost like I've switched addictions, from alcohol to sugar, and that I use fast food/"comfort food" in situations where I used to use alcohol --- I turn to that stuff as a quick fix when I'm having an emotional issue. Of course sugar's not as bad for me, at least in the short term, as alcohol but I've realized it affects my energy level, mood, attitude, weight and physical health, even my emotional health (I have "up" and "down" spurts), and that in the long run it will affect my physical health very badly.

I think that many of the same principles and tools I've been using to not drink can also apply to not eating sugar or processed food that I know is bad for me. I cannot continue to just mindlessly eat, just like I couldn't continue to turn off my mind by drinking. I need to live consciously and take good care of my body and mind.

So starting tomorrow (May 1st ) I am going to abstain from sugar, white flour, and any overly processed/junk foods. Instead I will eat healthy, natural foods. I am making a plan to buy and prepare good foods and have them with me so I don't get tempted to splurge on sugar due to being hungry. Basically this is also part of some overall "self-care" goals I'm starting, to make sure I take good care of myself (I also have an exercise plan) and focus on my responsibilities and needs, rather than being lazy or slothful.

BillyPilgrim

Eating healthy is always good. And like sobriety you feel better

ACT10Npack

You need sugar in your diet, so don't leave it out completely. If you want to eat healthy then you should go through your place and get rid of all your junk food and sweets. Buy food with high fiber. Whole grain is okay but fiber is whats good for you. Keep your sodium low and no trans fat. Peanut butter, avocado, milk, eggs, brown rice, lean chicken, pork, fish and beef are good. If you do have a sugar crave then only buy a snack size bag of cookies or sweets to advice over doing it. Adding exercising is a good way to keep your body healthy and keeps you busy.

Good luck!

Pigtails

Thanks for the advice!

I plan to get my necessary sugar from natural sources like fruit, and if I need to use sweeteners I'll use agave nectar or honey.

Right now I am looking at sugar-filled packaged sweets such as cookies, ice cream etc. as evil, the same way I look at alcohol, and off limits to me because, like alcohol, I can't control my intake... once I have one, I go crazy, so it is safer and easier for me to just avoid it all together.

SOBERINNEPA

Hey there Pigtails!

At intake at rehab, 9/6/11, I was an unhealthy 202 lbs. Seven months later, I was 255. Curse your creamy goodness, Klondike Bars!

I feel like I needed the sugar to carry me through earliest sobriety. SIx weeks ago, I started eating more mindfully and exercising with (some) regularity. Right now, I'm about 237, so I'm heading in the right diretion.

I guess we're still works in progress?

Anna

Pigtails, I love this thread.

I am hypoglycemic, so I have trouble sometimes with low blood-sugar and I knew this from high-school days onward. Sadly, I didn't know the connection between low blood-sugar and alcoholism. When you have hypoglycemia, alcohol one of the worst things you can have. If you have hypoglycemia, you should be forewarned that you should avoid alcohol at all costs. I didn't know this and when I started drinking alcohol, my body loved it.

I am still a carb lover, but have the hypoglycemia under control now. It involves eating lots of protein and good carbs and eating many times during the day.

I wish you well on your no sugar plan.

Muunray

I am a huge carb person. I think I've mentioned it before but me stopping overeating is harder for me than quitting the drink.
Last week i was eating a dozen cookies every day. Months prior to this I was eating a box of crackers every day. I tell my boyfriend I get some sort of sugar buzz from it or something - he thinks I'm nuts regarding this. Anyways, I was able to go cold turkey quitting drinking after almost 30 years of a fifth a day basically...but I struggle with this carb control thing or whatever it is. I don't think I could go right to the extreme you are Pigtails..or maybe I don't want to?

vinyl

Hi pigtails, I have the same problem and have applied my AVRT to sugar over the last week, and it's working! I simply have two beasts to deal with now instead of one. But it helps knowing it's just a pesky voice and not me who wants to eat all this sugar. Now, eating sugar and drinking alcohol is simply no longer an option for me.

eh1988

A few weeks after getting sober I decided to go on a diet too. Like you I cut out junk food, low sugar and no white flour or fatty foods. I also started jogging with my dogs, which they really enjoy since i never took them to the park when I was busy drinking. I managed to lose 20 pounds in a month and a half. Back down to high school weight

Chrisy

I just found out a month or so ago that I am diabetic. My body is fighting it, because it got used to higher levels of sugar and when it starts going into a normal range I get real shaky and need to get my sugar level higher. It shouldn't surprise me at 54 I got diabetis, as my whole life I have loved sugar and desert. I was sexually abused at 11 and raped before and have always used food to deal with the pain. At 11 I couldn't buy booze so I became addicted to food and sugar. It is common that many of us have more then one addiction. Some it is food, some it is pain pills and some it is booze.

At the same time I am taking myself off the oxycodone because I realize that I am addicted as if I don't take it I get sick and needed it to feel normal. Left a message with the pain mangaement doctor that I was taking myself of oxycodone and Wed. when I go I want to see if there was something else that I could do for the pain that didn't involve oxycodone and like med. Maybe I am crazy for going through both addictions at one time. Maybe it is smart to get them both out of my system. I don't know the answer to that, I just know that I am prone to addictions.

I have found sugar free fudge bars that take like choclate ice cream. I love choclate. I found sugar free hot choclate too. Some diabetics use splenda in place of sugar when baking. I loved to bake.

Good luck and I wish you much success.

Chrisy

seanie1888

Hi pigtails,
good tread thanx for starting, I'm the same went sugar, choc and crap food nuts since giving up drink, I just wanted to keep myself stuffed to keep the alco cravings at bay. I started today also to try cut it out and eat more fruit for my sugar.
I've always been very active and exercise a lot so I keep thinking that's its ok to eat all the big bar or bag of sweets.
Good thinking on using avrt on it vinyl, must give that ago

Dee74

I'm glad you're aware not to suddenly cut out all sugar - I made myself pretty sick that way

best of luck PT

D