Cutting out sweets and sugar??

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AndrelleJohnson
AndrelleJohnson Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I need help cutting out sweet and sugary foods from my diet. I stop drinking so much sweet drinks and have one every now and then but it's not so easy for the candy and cookies. To make things even worse I have cavity or I guess a sensitive tooth but and that still isn't stopping me.

Back to the point... what can I do to cut all sweets and sugars out my diet?
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Replies

  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    Unless there's a medical issue, you don't have to cut them all the way out.

    If you want to have something sweet with lunch and/or dinner, that's fine. When I'm having a tough time staying in my calorie goal, I limit sweets to with dinner only. I also make sure I have plenty of good stuff available to choose from.

    If I try to cut them out completely, I end up eating entirely too many eventually. Better to include a little something every day.

    ~Lyssa
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    I fit something sweet every day too, but if you're really looking to cut all the good stuff out, just don't have it in the house and willpower through it. That's about all the advice anyone can give you.
  • arijacks80
    arijacks80 Posts: 13 Member
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    I thought that cutting out sweets and things was the way to go at first...I was wrong! I grew up having brownies and cookies and cake and pie and guess what? YOU CAN STILL HAVE IT! :smile: One thing I do that helps me out a lot is plan my dinner and snacks FIRST before breakfast and lunch either the night before or in the morning and then once I plan ahead for that "indulgence" at night or the middle of the day (not every day either....just every 3-4 days) then I don't feel bad about it b/c I eat around that food or those foods that particular day. Stay within your calorie goals and as you start making healthier choices, you will start reaching for a natural sugar fruit more often then the loaded sugar brownies, etc......hope this helps!
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    I don't know, I still eat sweets/sugar and am losing weight.
  • Mosiak
    Mosiak Posts: 41 Member
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    If you're a sugar addict like I was, what worked for me was cutting it out completely, and get used to not eating it all the times, I then added 1 of my favourite drink back into my eating plans and felt satisfied with the smaller amount instead of the mountains of sugar I used to consume. I just powered through it really, I had no plans to cut it out, I just did one day and simply stopped buying sweets.

    Also be honest with yourself, include the sweets into your log. If you make smart eating choices you can fit sweets into your diet, but of course it has to be a lot smaller amounts than what you might be used to now.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
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    Can't cut it out completely I would go insane. Eat in moderation and you will be fine.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Are u planning on cutting out sweets for the rest of your life? Whenever people get too restrictive or completely give up the foods they love, it almost always leads to bingeing, feelings of failure and old habbits. Everything in moderation.
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
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    AndrelleJohnson wrote: »
    So I need help cutting out sweet and sugary foods from my diet. I stop drinking so much sweet drinks and have one every now and then but it's not so easy for the candy and cookies. To make things even worse I have cavity or I guess a sensitive tooth but and that still isn't stopping me.

    Back to the point... what can I do to cut all sweets and sugars out my diet?

    You can work to build a solid nutritious diet filled with fats and proteins which help you feel full and provide a longer lasting fuel than sweets and sugars (which fall into the carbohydrate macronutrient). If you are a person who has difficulty regulating sugars and sweets to the minimal in your diet, it may help you to not eat them for a bit.

    Not sure why the first 7 posts contained no hints on how to minimize the calories eaten in sweets and sugars.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    edited December 2015
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    umayster wrote: »
    AndrelleJohnson wrote: »
    So I need help cutting out sweet and sugary foods from my diet. I stop drinking so much sweet drinks and have one every now and then but it's not so easy for the candy and cookies. To make things even worse I have cavity or I guess a sensitive tooth but and that still isn't stopping me.

    Back to the point... what can I do to cut all sweets and sugars out my diet?

    You can work to build a solid nutritious diet filled with fats and proteins which help you feel full and provide a longer lasting fuel than sweets and sugars (which fall into the carbohydrate macronutrient). If you are a person who has difficulty regulating sugars and sweets to the minimal in your diet, it may help you to not eat them for a bit.

    Not sure why the first 7 posts contained no hints on how to minimize the calories eaten in sweets and sugars.

    So mentioning that I limit sweets to with dinner and another poster mentioning that they indulge every 3-4 days doesn't count as a hint for how to minimize the calories eaten?

    Alright, then. If that's how you wanna see it, cool.

    OP - I do make sure I'm eating filling foods throughout the day for the most part, and eat sweets as a treat, rather than as a majority of my diet.

    But there's nothing wrong with having them if you're meeting your calorie goals otherwise.

    ~Lyssa
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    If you want something sweet but low-calorie...
    sugar-free gum
    sugar-free candy
    sugar-free pudding made with fat-free milk
    sugar-free frozen fudge pops or popsicles
    diet soda
    use something like Mio to add flavor & sweetness to water without calories
    high-quality chocolate, just a bit
    hard candy, just a couple pieces
    for drinks or cereal, use stevia for sweetener; it's no-calorie and VERY sweet
    eat fruit, in moderation (not juice, FRUIT)
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    PS: Unless you have a medical issue, you don't need to "cut all sweets and sugars".
    As long as you've gotten the nutrients you need that day, and have calories to spend,
    have a treat. Just make sure it fits, and is a treat.
  • gems74
    gems74 Posts: 107 Member
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    janjunie wrote: »
    Are u planning on cutting out sweets for the rest of your life? Whenever people get too restrictive or completely give up the foods they love, it almost always leads to bingeing, feelings of failure and old habbits. Everything in moderation.

    I've cut out sweets permanently. "everything in moderation" doesn't work for everyone. There are plenty of studies that show processed sugar is more addictive than cocaine. Would you tell an alcoholic, everything in moderation?

    Each person has to decide for themselves and being honest about each person's eating habits is key. What may work for one person, will not and does not work for another.

    If you're looking to cut out sugar as much as possible, then you just have to do it. There is a lot of information out there - blogs, books (food junkies helped me a lot). Its a good change to make, realizing that not all sugar is created equal.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    gems74 wrote: »
    janjunie wrote: »
    Are u planning on cutting out sweets for the rest of your life? Whenever people get too restrictive or completely give up the foods they love, it almost always leads to bingeing, feelings of failure and old habbits. Everything in moderation.

    I've cut out sweets permanently. "everything in moderation" doesn't work for everyone. There are plenty of studies that show processed sugar is more addictive than cocaine. Would you tell an alcoholic, everything in moderation?

    Each person has to decide for themselves and being honest about each person's eating habits is key. What may work for one person, will not and does not work for another.

    If you're looking to cut out sugar as much as possible, then you just have to do it. There is a lot of information out there - blogs, books (food junkies helped me a lot). Its a good change to make, realizing that not all sugar is created equal.

    I agree! I get a great deal of satisfaction from one square of 70-80% cacao. It's good for you too. The higher the % the more satisfying it is.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
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    Gems74, I did that too. One sweet will lead me down a slippery slope. Some of us just can't have any. I don't miss having sweets. My sweet tooth disappeared after a few days.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    gems74 wrote: »
    janjunie wrote: »
    Are u planning on cutting out sweets for the rest of your life? Whenever people get too restrictive or completely give up the foods they love, it almost always leads to bingeing, feelings of failure and old habbits. Everything in moderation.

    I've cut out sweets permanently. "everything in moderation" doesn't work for everyone. There are plenty of studies that show processed sugar is more addictive than cocaine. Would you tell an alcoholic, everything in moderation?

    Each person has to decide for themselves and being honest about each person's eating habits is key. What may work for one person, will not and does not work for another.

    If you're looking to cut out sugar as much as possible, then you just have to do it. There is a lot of information out there - blogs, books (food junkies helped me a lot). Its a good change to make, realizing that not all sugar is created equal.

    "Sugar is more addictive than cocaine."

    Really? Have you been addicted to cocaine to make that comparison?
  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
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    Try weaning yourself off of the sugar. Water down fruit juices/sodas to get more volume out of them, less sweet same calories. I sometimes water down my sugary almond-milk coffee drinks.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
    edited December 2015
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    Alluminati wrote: »
    gems74 wrote: »
    janjunie wrote: »
    Are u planning on cutting out sweets for the rest of your life? Whenever people get too restrictive or completely give up the foods they love, it almost always leads to bingeing, feelings of failure and old habbits. Everything in moderation.

    I've cut out sweets permanently. "everything in moderation" doesn't work for everyone. There are plenty of studies that show processed sugar is more addictive than cocaine. Would you tell an alcoholic, everything in moderation?

    Each person has to decide for themselves and being honest about each person's eating habits is key. What may work for one person, will not and does not work for another.

    If you're looking to cut out sugar as much as possible, then you just have to do it. There is a lot of information out there - blogs, books (food junkies helped me a lot). Its a good change to make, realizing that not all sugar is created equal.

    "Sugar is more addictive than cocaine."

    Really? Have you been addicted to cocaine to make that comparison?

    I wouldn't be willing to admit on an open discussion board an addiction to an illegal drug, but I will say that I used to have a serious drinking problem, as well as problems with other substances and behaviors, and the cravings for food felt exactly the same.

    Now I get high from exercise.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    umayster wrote: »
    AndrelleJohnson wrote: »
    So I need help cutting out sweet and sugary foods from my diet. I stop drinking so much sweet drinks and have one every now and then but it's not so easy for the candy and cookies. To make things even worse I have cavity or I guess a sensitive tooth but and that still isn't stopping me.

    Back to the point... what can I do to cut all sweets and sugars out my diet?

    You can work to build a solid nutritious diet filled with fats and proteins which help you feel full and provide a longer lasting fuel than sweets and sugars (which fall into the carbohydrate macronutrient). If you are a person who has difficulty regulating sugars and sweets to the minimal in your diet, it may help you to not eat them for a bit...

    Yes, increasing protein in relationship to carbs helped me tremendously with not wanting treats during the days. (My fat level was already sufficiently high, lol.)

    I have about 70 calories of chocolate after dinner. I don't have food that trigger me to overeat like Oreos, Girl Scout Cookies, M&Ms, etc. in the house. I stopped making baked goods for a few months until I got things under control, and now when I make them, I do it right before I am going to visit my family so can give away most of it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
    Options
    AndrelleJohnson wrote: »
    So I need help cutting out sweet and sugary foods from my diet. I stop drinking so much sweet drinks and have one every now and then but it's not so easy for the candy and cookies. To make things even worse I have cavity or I guess a sensitive tooth but and that still isn't stopping me.

    Back to the point... what can I do to cut all sweets and sugars out my diet?

    You're probably not going to want to cut out all sugar, as foods like fruits, vegetables, and dairy also contain sugar. If you say "added sugar" people will know what you mean :)

    Get your tooth fixed! Feels like I've spent all year at the dentist...my takeaway is to fix little problems before they become big problems. And if a dentist tells you you need a crown, get a second opinion.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    I lived without sweets for a long time before learning to live with them again.

    Cutting them out of my diet completely was as simple as just... not eating them after deciding not to and staying determined.

    The hard part came after that. I realized that wasn't really a sustainable path for me. I'd have slip-ups. And eat a whole box of cookies.

    The problem wasn't the sweets, the problem was how I thought about them and related to them.

    It turned out that restricting them was the worst thing I could do. It turned out that thinking of them as "bad" was setting me up to binge on them.

    Once I "allowed" myself to eat sweets, the lost the allure of being forbidden fruit, and I was able to eat them in moderation.

    So, I plan my day now and leave some room for a few cookies at the end of it. Not the whole bag, just three or four.

    That's how I dealt with sweets. Hope it helps.

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