Anyone Successfully Quit Sugar?

BlueSkiesGirl

Hello,

I would like to quit sugar as part of a hormonal balancing diet ...

Has anyone quit sugar successfully and if so please share your story.

THanks!

Unknown

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s_shortridge

By quitting sugar...do you mean fruit sugars and milk sugars and even the sugars in vegetables? or just refined sugars? or also honey, coconut sugars, etc?

Serah87

How do you "quit" sugar?? LOL, you know veggies, fruits, etc.

Unless you have medical reason there is no reason to quit it.

Sugar is not the devil, just because it's another fad diet. JS

BlueSkiesGirl

I mean refined sugar..

s_shortridge

I believe I have gone over the hurdle. I am 60 days into this journey. I started because I felt there was a relationship between refined sugars and my pain level. I have had multiple accidents and suffer from chronic pain and fatigue. My doctor has tested me for tons of stuff: lupus, RA, thyroid, etc, etc. I got fed up and took control of my health in the one way I could...what I put into my mouth. Eliminating refined sugars and grains has cut my pain WAAAAAAY down and I have SO MUCH MORE ENERGY. I cannot even begin to tell you! That said, I am not fanatical about it. I just really think about what I eat and how it will make me feel. I really think that is why I was able to eliminate it, it wasn't about calories and weight loss, it was about being sick and tired of being sick and tired

sixxpoint

I have read that limiting refined sugars like white sugar, and those found in baked goods, ice cream, candy, most store bought juices, etc. to approx. 50 g or less per day is a good health strategy. I don't eat too many of those foods for it to ever become an issue. But like others have said, you really can't quit whole food sugars, nor would it be wise to.

beliwoohoo

I'm getting there. I've been drinking magnesium powder before bed time and after about 3 weeks of doing that the cravings started to drop away. I could eat two large family blocks of chocolate in a day. Now I'm rarely craving it.

I've been increasing my whole foods too ie reducing packaged foods that may contain added sugar.

beliwoohoo

Ps I would bet Blue Skies Girl is Australian (as am I). There is a diet movement to quit sugar here which refers to processed foods. Google "I quit sugar". : )

lemurcat12

I quit added sugar for a month when I first started and again in January. I found it helpful in dealing with emotional eating issues and workplace triggers. I have no dramatic stories, though -- I found it pretty easy and more about not snacking (as I mostly eat whole foods anyway, so it was about not eating sweets).

MommyL2015

No. Why would any one want to quit sugar? It's sweet.

But seriously, I don't succeed at any kind of diet or weight loss if I restrict myself, so the only thing that has helped me lose the weight I have so far is by changing how much I eat, not what I eat. If I ever have a poor checkup at my doctor's visit and it is suggested that I make certain dietary changes, I would take what he had to say into consideration but as long as I'm healthy, my numbers are all good and my weight continues to come off, there's nothing off limits to me.

DeguelloTex

My maternal grandmother did it. Her story: she died.

lemurcat12

beliwoohoo wrote: »

Ps I would bet Blue Skies Girl is Australian (as am I). There is a diet movement to quit sugar here which refers to processed foods. Google "I quit sugar". : )

Why would sugar=processed food? I mean, I am aware that plenty of processed foods contain sugar, but not all do, and lots of people add sugar to stuff made at home (like coffee or oatmeal or a rhubarb sauce or, my personal favorite, pie).

Beyond this, why does everything have to be all or nothing? I gave my anecdote about quitting added sugar for a bit, so I would never say it can't be helpful for people, but I don't understand why a government would try to promote something that a population at large is going to be quite unlikely to do (NO sugar at all) vs. trying to encourage the kinds of more moderate, sensible cultural things that many of us grew up with and that were common until recently. Specifically, having something sweet occasionally, as a small dessert or after-school snack, and only if you ate a nutritious meal with vegetables. The problem isn't that humans like and want to eat the occasional sweetened thing--it's the complete lack of restraint where people eat them at all times and huge quantities and don't do enough exercise to account for the calories, etc.

At least, that's what I see in the US.

aledba

Kevin Smith* did it. He also walked his dogs more. It worked extremely well for him. To each his own.

*Of course, he was consuming a ridiculous amount of extra cals via soda

EMDelgado

I did for 5 months. Refined only. But when I tried it again it was like a relapse; I couldn't get off it. I needed a piece of candy everyday. Now I've controlled it but if you leave it, trust you will relapse hard. Just eat it in moderation no need to quit!

queenliz99

DeguelloTex wrote: »

My maternal grandmother did it. Her story: she died.

I'm sorry.

GaleHawkins

BlueSkiesGirl wrote: »

Hello,

I would like to quit sugar as part of a hormonal balancing diet ...

Has anyone quit sugar successfully and if so please share your story.

THanks!

@BlueSkiesGirl I quit sugar successfully for pain management. When in 30 days the pain dropped from a subjective 7-8 level to 2-3 on a 1-10 scale I made this way of eating (5% carbs, 15% protein and the rest fats) my eating lifestyle. A year later the pain is still manage, I daily eat until I am stuffed, IBS was cured within six months, lab results continue improve and my weight continues to drop if I do not eat over 2600 calories a day permitting me to now be under 200 pounds for the first time in 22 years.

Learning that eating carbs are not a requirement for quality health by humans help permit me to break my emotional need for carbs.

In the real world very few will ever walk away from most sugar be it sodas, apples or ice cream because there may be no medical reason for them to do so. No one else in the house has given up sugar and it is everywhere I look. However they fully can see how removing sugar from my life has made mine and their lives better since I no longer have sugar crashes and get meaner than a Junk Yard dog.

lucys1225

Yes, I quit sugar a years ago and do not miss it. I started the South Beach Diet and, after a couple of weeks, I realized that I didn't crave it and I felt better than I ever had. I don't restrict it for dieting purposes as I only had less than 10 lbs to lose when I started, I just feel great! For me, there's just no reason to go back.

lyndefisher

I have given up refined sugars for over three months now and feel great. I have found that I don't crave sweets anymore - other than fruits! LOL We try and not eat white breads or pastas and have actually switched to gluten free products to avoid the wheat products because of stomach issues and have found them to be just as good and no issues! I found that at work, it is now so easy to say no to sweets!!

louise13dunstan

I have been sugar free 2months by going ketogenic. Its not for everyone but works for me. Never felt so positive and full of energy

ericGold15

I've given up candy since the start of my diet and I do not intend to start again.
Unfortunately I lack the discipline to eat a small amount, so I prefer none at all.

abetterluke

I would assume since its a hormone balancing diet this is doctor recommended?

Bob314159

I've been 98% off obvious sugar for 2 months, no honey or any effective sugar like stuff - just decided one day and went cold turkey. I wasn't super high on sugar, but a coffee yogurt every night and a chocolate bar once a week, and maple syrup on a home made gluten free waffle adds up.

I still have a small quantity [3 tablespoons a day of a pasta sauce I love that has some sugar. Two days go I switched that to tomato paste. Two weeks ago I went ketogenic when I realized many carbs are sugar in disguise.

louise13dunstan wrote: »

I have been sugar free 2months by going ketogenic. Its not for everyone but works for me. Never felt so positive and full of energy

BlueSkiesGirl

Thank-you for all of these posts. I really appreciate the info espceicially the two people who mentioned that it helped them with chronic pain control and energy. This is one of the major issues that I am hoping that it will help with.

For the people who did it gradually, what steps did you follow? (Thanks to the person who mentioned the pasta to tomato paste gradual transition...)

BSG

JustMissTracy

Never. But I've tried many times, especially since logging and realizing just how much sugar I'm really eating all day!

lemurcat12

Ooh, I'd hope you wouldn't switch from a pre-made pasta sauce to tomato paste, as tomato paste on pasta doesn't sound good at all. It's really easy to make pasta sauces at home and add no sugar if you prefer (I've never added sugar to any of mine).

WinoGelato

Bob314159 wrote: »

I've been 98% off obvious sugar for 2 months, no honey or any effective sugar like stuff - just decided one day and went cold turkey. I wasn't super high on sugar, but a coffee yogurt every night and a chocolate bar once a week, and maple syrup on a home made gluten free waffle adds up.

I still have a small quantity [3 tablespoons a day of a pasta sauce I love that has some sugar. Two days go I switched that to tomato paste. Two weeks ago I went ketogenic when I realized many carbs are sugar in disguise.

louise13dunstan wrote: »

I have been sugar free 2months by going ketogenic. Its not for everyone but works for me. Never felt so positive and full of energy

Just out of curiosity, if you really weren't consuming that much sugar, why did you feel you should try to give it up?

Also, what do you mean when you say many carbs are sugar in disguise?

WinoGelato

BlueSkiesGirl wrote: »

Hello,

I would like to quit sugar as part of a hormonal balancing diet ...

Has anyone quit sugar successfully and if so please share your story.

THanks!

What is this hormonal balancing diet, and how does sugar impact it relative to other foods/food groups?

cwolfman13

BlueSkiesGirl wrote: »

Hello,

I would like to quit sugar as part of a hormonal balancing diet ...

Has anyone quit sugar successfully and if so please share your story.

THanks!

I eat very little added sugar...really, only occasions like birthdays and such where there is cake or pie. I will have the occasional soda...like maybe 3-5 per year.

brianpperkins

It's funny how a chemical compound can get such a different level of acceptance depending on how it is ingested although the compound remains chemically constant.

J72FIT

brianpperkins wrote: »

It's funny how a chemical compound can get such a different level of acceptance depending on how it is ingested although the compound remains chemically constant.

I think a better way to approach this would be, "I am trying to reduce my calorie intake, and reducing foods with added sugars seem like a good place to start because generally they are the most calorie dense variety..."