Is it okay for a sugar addict to drink diet sodas?
, medical content by Bitten Jonsson, RN
in Addiction, Q&A, Sugar/fructose 
Are there support groups online? How many ounces in carbs, fat and protein on a keto diet for weight loss is ideal? Is Cola Zero bad for the body?
These and other questions are answered this week by our food-addiction expert, Bitten Jonsson, RN:
Online support groups?
Are there support groups online? I am desperate to find a support group and haven’t had much success finding one where I live.
Dolores
Hello Dolores,
Yes, there are. On Facebook, we have a group called “Sugarbomb in your brain.”
Welcome onboard,
Bitten
Sugar addict
Hello, Bitten!
I believe I am a sugar addict. When I eat sweet things and I cannot stop, I will eat until there is nothing left. I love everything sweet, but when I sometimes have restricted sweets I can control myself, but then comes that time of the month – PMS and all the control just seems impossible. From one day to the other it seems like I am a different person and these are the times I relapse (and also on vacations, so that’s why I am actually scared to go on vacations, especially if those two things happen at the same time). I have gone almost one year without sweets on a paleo diet and then I relapsed and for two years just could not get out of it again. Now I am on my second month of LCHF and just went through a bad PMS-craving week, I controlled it with dark chocolate, but I almost didn’t get through with that. Today is again the first good day but I am already scared about the next month.
But my question is – do you have any suggestions about PMS cravings, it’s so bad that I could run during a storm to the nearest shop and buy any sweet that they have, even something I don’t enjoy, if nothing else is there. Or maybe PMS cravings and sugar addiction have nothing to do with one and the other? I am 28 years old, 173 cm (5’6″) and 75 kg (165 lbs).
Thank you!
Agnese
Agnese,
They do trigger each other very much. I recommend that you read “Female brain gone insane” by Mia Lundin. It is a very good book that explains PMS and other hormonal rollercoasters. My advice is to stick to your meal plan, no dark chocolate, it can worsen the triggers. It is not only the sugar that triggers us, addicts, it is also an ingredient in cocoa called “anandamide” that can trigger us to go on a binge. When you feel the beginning of PMS, eat small meals every 2-3 hours those days in order to curb volatile blood sugar which is what happens. Do not forget coconut oil as a snack and if you take a tablespoon of glutamine powder in half a glass of water, it will curb cravings even more. Next time will be better.
Bitten
Cola Zero
Hi!
My husband has had great results on the low-carb diet and has lost 20 kg (45 lbs) since January. He is skinny now and do not need lose any more weight. He has problems staying on the diet or staying away from sweets, but he likes a daily can of Cola Zero (no carbs). Is Cola Zero bad for the body?
Kathrine
Kathrine,
Any sugar addict having anything with sweeteners may risk relapsing in the long run, so I advise against it. For me, it is a chemical :)
Say hi from me,
Bitten
Top food addiction videos
![Sugar addiction 2: how to free yourself]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How to get started on freeing yourself from sugar addiction]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Don't act on false emotions]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How to reach long-term recovery]()
![What is sugar addiction?]()
![One day in a sugar addict's life]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How to avoid relapse]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How do you become sugar free?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How to quit sugar]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Sugar: friend or foe?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The 3 stages of sugar addiction]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![It's not about willpower]()
![Being a sugar addict]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Are you addicted to sugar?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Breaking up with sugar addiction]()
![Podcast #19 — Dr. Robert Cywes]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![What is sugar addiction?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How to commit to a lifestyle change]()
Low-carb basics
- MEMBERS ONLY
!["I sort of wanted to save the world"]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Q&A with Franziska Spritzler]()
![Low-carb tips with team Diet Doctor – Traveling]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Why a low-carb diet and other questions]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
!["A more pleasurable way to live"]()
![A global food revolution]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Low-carb living]()
![7 tips to make low carb simple]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![How to formulate a low-carb keto diet]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Living low carb with Caroline Smale]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Everything in moderation?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The cause of obesity]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The latest science behind a keto diet]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Are there potential dangers with a low-carb diet?]()
![Women's questions introduction]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The three top most common myths about low carb]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Low carb explained]()
![Q&A with Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt]()
Q&A
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Is low carb bad for exercise?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Is low carb bad for the kidneys?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Everything in moderation?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Is low carb bad for the environment?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Is low carb an extreme diet?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Are there potential dangers with a low-carb diet?]()
![Women's questions introduction]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![What is the main benefit of low carb?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Does the brain need carbohydrates?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Can low carb and keto help with PMS?]()
![Is low carb bad for gut bacteria?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Why is low carb important to you?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Can low carb make menopause easier?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Is low carb bad for the thyroid?]()
![Is saturated fat bad?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Is there a link between low carb and eating disorders?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Can you get depressed on low carb?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Can fasting be problematic for women?]()
Earlier Q&A
More questions and answers
Read all earlier questions and answers – and ask your own! – here: