You've already realized that changes are necessary, and that's half of the battle. And the more changes you make, the easier the new lifestyle will come to you. In the beginning, I coped with my sugar withdrawals by allowing myself small pieces of sugar-free candy every night until I essentially "detoxed" from needing sweets altogether. Once I was comfortable with the idea of having treats and not being tempted to binge, I allowed myself to occasionally have things like no-sugar-added ice cream (I do bars or sandwiches and make sure I stop at one, I don't buy cartons of ice cream since I might be tempted to scoop out more than one serving). Even now I won't bring certain treats into the house and will only have them in controlled situations. I guess it's another one of those aspects of always struggling with my weight. It took me forever to like fruit; I was so hooked on sugar that the natural sweetness of a strawberry wasn't enough, to my tastebuds it was as sour as a lemon and I'd need to pour sugar on it to make it edible. Now that I've gone away from sugar, strawberries are quite lovely to eat without having to pour that crap over them.
I've done worse than what you've mentioned, by the way. When I was a little kid I'd sneak whole spoonfuls of table sugar directly out of the bowl, and I could sit down with a can of frosting and eat the whole thing by the spoonful like it was ice cream. Am I ashamed of that? Nah, although I can understand why people would be grossed out or wonder what the heck is wrong with me. But am I ever going to bring home a can of frosting from the store and set myself up to possibly do it again? Hell no. I personally can't do processed sugar because I literally can't stop; it's like it sets a switch off in my brain. Offering me a cupcake is like handing a beer to an alcoholic and saying, "Go on and take it, it's ok to have some in moderation!" That one cupcake is capable of making me spiral out of control with my eating for weeks at a time . . . sometimes I feel like a drug addict over a substance that's perfectly legal and socially acceptable to push. I didn't choose it to be my drug but it is what it is.
Even if this isn't exactly your issue, just know that you're not alone. Once again, I have a link to a forum full of people that struggle with these very things. And the struggle doesn't mean you're weak or that you have no willpower, it just means you've been lacking the tools and know-how to work through the issues under the surface. In the meantime I recommend "The Beck Diet Solution," which is not actually a diet book, but instead teaches cognitive therapy as means to change your habits for the better.
Good luck.
