How do you deal with sugar withdraw??
Replies
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I try not to buy any of it, out of sight out of mind. After a while, the cravings go away. I eat Oh Yeah ONE protein bars when I do have cravings. Some of them really do taste like cake or brownies and they only have 1g of sugar.1
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It depends.
I don't think you really have withdrawal from sugar. If you drastically cut carbohydrate consumption, you can experience some carb flu, and I have experienced that. Had I been supplementing properly at the time, I could have spared myself.
For example, I did a recent stint on a plan that was low cal/low carb and had no carb flu because I was supplementing properly. And I normally have pretty high carb consumption.
Anyway, what I do now when I want something sweet varies. Right now I'm going through a phase where I'm having trouble moderating, so I don't have treats around the house. I have certain things planned in my day, like regular snacks of fruit, a nice big bowl of kettle corn (with sugar), and lattes with artificial sweetener that feel like a real treat. I space them all out with some diet soda here and there. As you can tell, I'm a bit of a grazer. I also always have something to look forward to.
Every now and then, I do plan and go buy a box of cupcakes or a candy bar. I budget the calories for it, enjoy it, and go back to my normal pattern.0 -
Yep. Those are them. It generally starts with loss of sodium, then low magnesium and potassium if the sodium isn't addressed. By then the symptoms are uncomfortable (headaches, fatigue, nausea, moodiness, muscle aches and spasms) and people either use more sodium or drop the diet and say it wasn't for them.
Some symptoms of "withdrawal" may persist even if the electrolyte imbalance is addressed.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »It depends.
I don't think you really have withdrawal from sugar. If you drastically cut carbohydrate consumption, you can experience some carb flu, and I have experienced that. Had I been supplementing properly at the time, I could have spared myself.
For example, I did a recent stint on a plan that was low cal/low carb and had no carb flu because I was supplementing properly. And I normally have pretty high carb consumption.
Anyway, what I do now when I want something sweet varies. Right now I'm going through a phase where I'm having trouble moderating, so I don't have treats around the house. I have certain things planned in my day, like regular snacks of fruit, a nice big bowl of kettle corn (with sugar), and lattes with artificial sweetener that feel like a real treat. I space them all out with some diet soda here and there. As you can tell, I'm a bit of a grazer. I also always have something to look forward to.
Every now and then, I do plan and go buy a box of cupcakes or a candy bar. I budget the calories for it, enjoy it, and go back to my normal pattern.
I think we often forget that ability to moderate comes in phases and one must play to the tactic that works at that time
Good point @GottaBurnEmAll
I don't think that gives us leave to make up things like "sugar withdrawal" as though it's a biological thing though or say that anecdotal evidence trumps true data2 -
I follow a LCHF way of eating and keep my carb grams to a max of 15 a day. I eat few things with sugar and avoid artificial sugar. Eating this way changes the way the body is fuelled - from glycogen to ketone bodies. It does take a few weeks for the body to adjust, but after this the desire for sugar pretty well goes away and so do the afternoon crashes! This is the ketogenic way of eating.0
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I remember feeling certain that there was such a thing as sugar withdrawal because I got headaches, very similar to the headaches you get when you stop drinking coffee. I've long ago given up on the concept of giving up sugar entirely and my memory fades, but I was surprised to get a reminder just the other day. I used Splenda instead of sugar in my morning coffee and didn't have carbs at lunch (chicken and broccoli). I had leftover lentil soup for breakfast, so there were some carbs but not lots. Shortly after lunch I got a headache. I'm fortunate in that I don't generally get headaches, so this was a surprise. I had the intention of keeping carbs low that day but I wasn't THAT driven. I put sugar in my tea and it was gone almost instantly.
Based on the electrolyte comments here I googled just now and see that it has been suggested that carb flu headaches come from dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance and that drinking salted water should take it away. Given that I felt better after a tea, you could argue that it was dehydration that was the real problem, except that I have experienced dehydration many times and it feels different. When I'm dehydrated I guzzle water and the water tastes sweet.
I'm fine with saying that my headache was due to "carb flu" not sugar withdrawal. Seems like a less controversial term to describe the same symptom.0 -
Lentils have a significant amount of carbohydrates.3
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sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
Just keep it away from yourself! The best way to avoid it is to not have it around you. The cravings get easier to ignore over time, but in the beginning you just have to suffer through the desires.2 -
You got this! Willpower will get you through.
Try to avoid the empty calories with sugar (like cakes/donuts/candy/soda/etc) and eat the healthy natural sugars, such as fruit or small amounts of juice. When I start craving sugar I just eat a handful of red grapes or a small apple or small banana. If I am REALLY craving something sweet, I usually try to make a smoothie or overnight oats... as you can get them to taste like desserts!0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Lentils have a significant amount of carbohydrates.
But less than my normal breakfast. That's how I should have phrased it I guess.
ETA: in case it matters, I like to eat most of my calories earlier in the day. So the fast I break in the morning is longer than for most people. I'm very often done eating for the day by 4pm, with most of the calories by lunchtime. Meaning that if it's glycogen depletion that causes carb flu, my story might be less odd. I can't recall how active I was between breakfast and lunch but at a minimum I'd have done housework, so an opportunity to deplete glycogen further.
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sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.1 -
goldthistime wrote: »I remember feeling certain that there was such a thing as sugar withdrawal because I got headaches, very similar to the headaches you get when you stop drinking coffee. I've long ago given up on the concept of giving up sugar entirely and my memory fades, but I was surprised to get a reminder just the other day. I used Splenda instead of sugar in my morning coffee and didn't have carbs at lunch (chicken and broccoli). I had leftover lentil soup for breakfast, so there were some carbs but not lots. Shortly after lunch I got a headache. I'm fortunate in that I don't generally get headaches, so this was a surprise. I had the intention of keeping carbs low that day but I wasn't THAT driven. I put sugar in my tea and it was gone almost instantly.
Based on the electrolyte comments here I googled just now and see that it has been suggested that carb flu headaches come from dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance and that drinking salted water should take it away. Given that I felt better after a tea, you could argue that it was dehydration that was the real problem, except that I have experienced dehydration many times and it feels different. When I'm dehydrated I guzzle water and the water tastes sweet.
I'm fine with saying that my headache was due to "carb flu" not sugar withdrawal. Seems like a less controversial term to describe the same symptom.
I don't see how that's possible. I have commonly had a low carb breakfast (2 eggs, vegetables, feta, smoked salmon) followed by a lower carb lunch (I often have salad with veg for lunch -- obviously some carbs, but not high carb) and I never add sugar to anything, and I feel exactly the same as when I have more carbs in those meals.
For that matter, fasting for the first part of the day or even all day (which I like to do on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) obviously means no carbs, and yet I have no "withdrawal" effects (I might be hungry, sure).
I think low carb flu generally requires more time without carbs (or that you intentionally make yourself bonk by doing some kind of hard cardio, maybe), but I wouldn't equate bonking with withdrawal. (I have done light cardio on a day when I ate nothing but some roasted non starchy veg for dinner too, as that was what I did my first Ash Wednesday after starting MFP, so I have a good recall. I was hungry before I ate the veg and after working out, definitely, but fine after.)0 -
sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.
I find sugar very useful at times (while participating in an endurance sport for example) but I wouldn't consider it to be a micro nutrient.
I also disagree slightly with "your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss", because the sugar that comes with fruits and vegetables always comes with fibre and micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals), whereas your added sugar may or may not.
And personally at least, the amount I moderate my sugar affects adherence to CICO because of satiety. So I would disagree that it has nothing to do with my weight loss/gain.
Btw, I LIKE the message that sugar isn't evil and we make it harder on ourselves than need be when we try to eliminate it completely. I credit MFP and the sugar crusaders for changing my view of sugar. But if someone has felt that they have turned to sugar habitually, separating themselves from it for a period of time isn't such a bad thing.
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goldthistime wrote: »sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.
I find sugar very useful at times (while participating in an endurance sport for example) but I wouldn't consider it to be a micro nutrient.
I also disagree slightly with "your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss", because the sugar that comes with fruits and vegetables always comes with fibre and micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals), whereas your added sugar may or may not.
And personally at least, the amount I moderate my sugar affects adherence to CICO because of satiety. So I would disagree that it has nothing to do with my weight loss/gain.
Btw, I LIKE the message that sugar isn't evil and we make it harder on ourselves than need be when we try to eliminate it completely. I credit MFP and the sugar crusaders for changing my view of sugar. But if someone has felt that they have turned to sugar habitually, separating themselves from it for a period of time isn't such a bad thing.
You're disagreeing with the sugars being the same by talking about things that come WITH the sugar and have nothing to do with the sugar itself.4 -
stevencloser wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.
I find sugar very useful at times (while participating in an endurance sport for example) but I wouldn't consider it to be a micro nutrient.
I also disagree slightly with "your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss", because the sugar that comes with fruits and vegetables always comes with fibre and micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals), whereas your added sugar may or may not.
And personally at least, the amount I moderate my sugar affects adherence to CICO because of satiety. So I would disagree that it has nothing to do with my weight loss/gain.
Btw, I LIKE the message that sugar isn't evil and we make it harder on ourselves than need be when we try to eliminate it completely. I credit MFP and the sugar crusaders for changing my view of sugar. But if someone has felt that they have turned to sugar habitually, separating themselves from it for a period of time isn't such a bad thing.
You're disagreeing with the sugars being the same by talking about things that come WITH the sugar and have nothing to do with the sugar itself.
Yes, it's semantics. But I interpret "your body knows no difference" to mean "your body doesn't react any differently". And if you look at the GI studies, your body reacts differently depending on what is accompanying the sugar.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »I remember feeling certain that there was such a thing as sugar withdrawal because I got headaches, very similar to the headaches you get when you stop drinking coffee. I've long ago given up on the concept of giving up sugar entirely and my memory fades, but I was surprised to get a reminder just the other day. I used Splenda instead of sugar in my morning coffee and didn't have carbs at lunch (chicken and broccoli). I had leftover lentil soup for breakfast, so there were some carbs but not lots. Shortly after lunch I got a headache. I'm fortunate in that I don't generally get headaches, so this was a surprise. I had the intention of keeping carbs low that day but I wasn't THAT driven. I put sugar in my tea and it was gone almost instantly.
Based on the electrolyte comments here I googled just now and see that it has been suggested that carb flu headaches come from dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance and that drinking salted water should take it away. Given that I felt better after a tea, you could argue that it was dehydration that was the real problem, except that I have experienced dehydration many times and it feels different. When I'm dehydrated I guzzle water and the water tastes sweet.
I'm fine with saying that my headache was due to "carb flu" not sugar withdrawal. Seems like a less controversial term to describe the same symptom.
I don't see how that's possible. I have commonly had a low carb breakfast (2 eggs, vegetables, feta, smoked salmon) followed by a lower carb lunch (I often have salad with veg for lunch -- obviously some carbs, but not high carb) and I never add sugar to anything, and I feel exactly the same as when I have more carbs in those meals.
For that matter, fasting for the first part of the day or even all day (which I like to do on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) obviously means no carbs, and yet I have no "withdrawal" effects (I might be hungry, sure).
I think low carb flu generally requires more time without carbs (or that you intentionally make yourself bonk by doing some kind of hard cardio, maybe), but I wouldn't equate bonking with withdrawal. (I have done light cardio on a day when I ate nothing but some roasted non starchy veg for dinner too, as that was what I did my first Ash Wednesday after starting MFP, so I have a good recall. I was hungry before I ate the veg and after working out, definitely, but fine after.)
Sorry I didn't see this earlier. It surprised me that it happened that quickly but I don't have an alternative explanation. I've had plenty of Splenda before without headaches so that wasn't the problem. I lean towards the term carb flu despite the fact that sugar was the solution because I strongly suspect that if I'd had rice or potato or bread with lunch I would have been fine.
I think we have already discovered that you and I experience many things differently. You said earlier (this thread I think) that you consider some foods to be too sweet. Not me, no such thing as too sweet. You like savoury and consider chips to be more tempting than sweets. Not me, cake and pastries are my Achilles. I can have an open bag of chips on the counter forever and not want any. I have a couple friends who are more like you and a couple who are more like me (although I may be the most extreme of the bunch).
I used to hear the "you're not a special snowflake" argument fairly frequently in these sugar threads but so many people have come to MFP over the years describing similar experiences with sugar to my own that my experiences can't be viewed as particularly unique.
I have to admit that I have also fasted (for a colonoscopy) and not had that "sugar withdrawal/carb flu" headache. I purposely carb loaded the night before and wasn't active the fasting day so maybe keeping my glycogen levels up helped.
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Chips aren't really my thing -- I'd take ice cream over chips any day and prefer plain roasted potatoes with a bit of salt to all but the very best chips -- but on the whole, yeah, I find savory more tempting. Without getting into possible reasons for your personal experience, I don't think that has much to do with whether sugar withdrawal is possible (or low carb flu merely from cutting back on some added sugar) which is what is being suggested by some in this thread.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Chips aren't really my thing -- I'd take ice cream over chips any day and prefer plain roasted potatoes with a bit of salt to all but the very best chips -- but on the whole, yeah, I find savory more tempting. Without getting into possible reasons for your personal experience, I don't think that has much to do with whether sugar withdrawal is possible (or low carb flu merely from cutting back on some added sugar) which is what is being suggested by some in this thread.
I think that if I were to keep my starchy carb consumption up and stopped eating added sugar completely I wouldn't experience headaches. So based on my own experiences only, I agree that sugar withdrawal isn't the right term.
Out of curiosity, have you ever experienced hunger headaches? All three terms (carb flu, sugar withdrawal and hunger headaches) blend together in my mind.0 -
I tend to like those Oikos yogurt cups. They have a little fruit in them for the sweetness and the yogurt has plenty of protien to temper the sugar rush. Seems to work for me. Other options are Muscle Milk shakes (banana!) or a cliff bar. Just keep your carbs on the complex side, you know? Simple sugars seem to have the most cravings attached and the least benefit.1
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goldthistime wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Chips aren't really my thing -- I'd take ice cream over chips any day and prefer plain roasted potatoes with a bit of salt to all but the very best chips -- but on the whole, yeah, I find savory more tempting. Without getting into possible reasons for your personal experience, I don't think that has much to do with whether sugar withdrawal is possible (or low carb flu merely from cutting back on some added sugar) which is what is being suggested by some in this thread.
I think that if I were to keep my starchy carb consumption up and stopped eating added sugar completely I wouldn't experience headaches. So based on my own experiences only, I agree that sugar withdrawal isn't the right term.
Out of curiosity, have you ever experienced hunger headaches? All three terms (carb flu, sugar withdrawal and hunger headaches) blend together in my mind.
I don't personally (at least not that I haven't attributed to something else), but I am sure they exist, and that could be something that people assume is related to "sugar withdrawal" if they cut added sugar and also cut calories extremely at the same time, sure.
What I was finding weird was people claiming that they cut added sugar only (not fruit, not carbs in general) and would experience physical symptoms (called withdrawal). That makes no physical sense.
I should do keto for a few weeks just because I am curious what it feels like.0 -
goldthistime wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.
I find sugar very useful at times (while participating in an endurance sport for example) but I wouldn't consider it to be a micro nutrient.
I also disagree slightly with "your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss", because the sugar that comes with fruits and vegetables always comes with fibre and micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals), whereas your added sugar may or may not.
And personally at least, the amount I moderate my sugar affects adherence to CICO because of satiety. So I would disagree that it has nothing to do with my weight loss/gain.
Btw, I LIKE the message that sugar isn't evil and we make it harder on ourselves than need be when we try to eliminate it completely. I credit MFP and the sugar crusaders for changing my view of sugar. But if someone has felt that they have turned to sugar habitually, separating themselves from it for a period of time isn't such a bad thing.
You're disagreeing with the sugars being the same by talking about things that come WITH the sugar and have nothing to do with the sugar itself.
Yes, it's semantics. But I interpret "your body knows no difference" to mean "your body doesn't react any differently". And if you look at the GI studies, your body reacts differently depending on what is accompanying the sugar.
But the thing is you rarely eat things in isolation, so there won't just be sugar alone coming into your body.
When was the last time you ate a piece of white bread alone for example? Not good GI by itself but you know, you usually make a sandwich with some meat, cheese and veggies or whatever out of it and it doesn't matter.3 -
stevencloser wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.
I find sugar very useful at times (while participating in an endurance sport for example) but I wouldn't consider it to be a micro nutrient.
I also disagree slightly with "your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss", because the sugar that comes with fruits and vegetables always comes with fibre and micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals), whereas your added sugar may or may not.
And personally at least, the amount I moderate my sugar affects adherence to CICO because of satiety. So I would disagree that it has nothing to do with my weight loss/gain.
Btw, I LIKE the message that sugar isn't evil and we make it harder on ourselves than need be when we try to eliminate it completely. I credit MFP and the sugar crusaders for changing my view of sugar. But if someone has felt that they have turned to sugar habitually, separating themselves from it for a period of time isn't such a bad thing.
You're disagreeing with the sugars being the same by talking about things that come WITH the sugar and have nothing to do with the sugar itself.
Yes, it's semantics. But I interpret "your body knows no difference" to mean "your body doesn't react any differently". And if you look at the GI studies, your body reacts differently depending on what is accompanying the sugar.
But the thing is you rarely eat things in isolation, so there won't just be sugar alone coming into your body.
When was the last time you ate a piece of white bread alone for example? Not good GI by itself but you know, you usually make a sandwich with some meat, cheese and veggies or whatever out of it and it doesn't matter.
Pop (soda to Americans I think) and hard candy are basically eating sugar alone, and cake and pastries (my favs) don't have sugar alone but have very little fibre or protein, the two things that most change how the body reacts to the sugar.
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goldthistime wrote: »sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.
I find sugar very useful at times (while participating in an endurance sport for example) but I wouldn't consider it to be a micro nutrient.
I also disagree slightly with "your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss", because the sugar that comes with fruits and vegetables always comes with fibre and micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals), whereas your added sugar may or may not.
And personally at least, the amount I moderate my sugar affects adherence to CICO because of satiety. So I would disagree that it has nothing to do with my weight loss/gain.
Btw, I LIKE the message that sugar isn't evil and we make it harder on ourselves than need be when we try to eliminate it completely. I credit MFP and the sugar crusaders for changing my view of sugar. But if someone has felt that they have turned to sugar habitually, separating themselves from it for a period of time isn't such a bad thing.
In other words, you will not gain weight on sugar alone, and the CICO part is the same no matter what the sugar source is. Whether or not something satiates you is a whole other issue.3 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Chips aren't really my thing -- I'd take ice cream over chips any day and prefer plain roasted potatoes with a bit of salt to all but the very best chips -- but on the whole, yeah, I find savory more tempting. Without getting into possible reasons for your personal experience, I don't think that has much to do with whether sugar withdrawal is possible (or low carb flu merely from cutting back on some added sugar) which is what is being suggested by some in this thread.
I think that if I were to keep my starchy carb consumption up and stopped eating added sugar completely I wouldn't experience headaches. So based on my own experiences only, I agree that sugar withdrawal isn't the right term.
Out of curiosity, have you ever experienced hunger headaches? All three terms (carb flu, sugar withdrawal and hunger headaches) blend together in my mind.
I don't personally (at least not that I haven't attributed to something else), but I am sure they exist, and that could be something that people assume is related to "sugar withdrawal" if they cut added sugar and also cut calories extremely at the same time, sure.
What I was finding weird was people claiming that they cut added sugar only (not fruit, not carbs in general) and would experience physical symptoms (called withdrawal). That makes no physical sense.
I should do keto for a few weeks just because I am curious what it feels like.
Given that fruit has sugar and starchy carbs break down into sugars, I have to reluctantly agree, it doesn't make sense.
I say reluctantly because my motivation for entering into these conversations is often that I see someone who has come here looking for support and is instead getting grief about their terminology. I don't want to turn this into a debate about whether support or facts are more helpful, but obviously I place more importance on support than others in certain circumstances.
One of the reasons you personally lemurcat constantly get my praise is that you tend to make an effort to support before you begin to correct what you perceive to be wrong information.
We've had conversations about sugar and lasting fullness in the past. I personally don't find sugar and starchy non-fibrous carbs to give any lasting fullness at all. So when I have made an effort to eliminate sugar (before MFP and calorie counting) I probably was eating too little because all my other satiety cues were kicking in sooner. In the beginning, low carb makes me feel like I have rocks in my stomach, I can't face eating yet more protein so I very likely under eat. So my own perceptions of sugar withdrawal could just be hunger headaches, or carb flu, or something else entirely. I dance around it by entering the conversation saying something like "I've had the same experiences".
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goldthistime wrote: »sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.
I find sugar very useful at times (while participating in an endurance sport for example) but I wouldn't consider it to be a micro nutrient.
I also disagree slightly with "your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss", because the sugar that comes with fruits and vegetables always comes with fibre and micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals), whereas your added sugar may or may not.
And personally at least, the amount I moderate my sugar affects adherence to CICO because of satiety. So I would disagree that it has nothing to do with my weight loss/gain.
Btw, I LIKE the message that sugar isn't evil and we make it harder on ourselves than need be when we try to eliminate it completely. I credit MFP and the sugar crusaders for changing my view of sugar. But if someone has felt that they have turned to sugar habitually, separating themselves from it for a period of time isn't such a bad thing.
In other words, you will not gain weight on sugar alone, and the CICO part is the same no matter what the sugar source is. Whether or not something satiates you is a whole other issue.
I agree that when you are calorie counting and ignoring hunger cues entirely, the amount of sugar you eat shouldn't affect weight loss (with the obvious and meaningless carb/water retention exception). Whether the satiation issue can be ignored or not depends on whether you are trying to develop habits that will help you stay at the same weight when you eventually stop logging. Not to mention compliance.
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goldthistime wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
I'm not sure what sugar withdrawal is...?
If you're not feeling well, have you been to the doctor? There could be something more going on.
If you are trying to avoid sugar, you will need to cut out all fruits, vegetables, sauces and any other kind of food that has one trace of sugar added. You will then be 100% sugar free.
However, I don't recommend this at all because sugar is as necessary as all your other micro nutrients.
Some people choose not to have added sugar, but still eat vegetables and fruits. However, your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss.
Have you thought of just moderating your sugar intake to a certain amount that you want to do? This would have nothing to do with weight loss/gain, as those are dependent on CICO, and would be preference only.
I find sugar very useful at times (while participating in an endurance sport for example) but I wouldn't consider it to be a micro nutrient.
I also disagree slightly with "your body knows no difference between added sugar and sugar in fruits and vegetables when it come to weight loss", because the sugar that comes with fruits and vegetables always comes with fibre and micro nutrients (aka vitamins and minerals), whereas your added sugar may or may not.
And personally at least, the amount I moderate my sugar affects adherence to CICO because of satiety. So I would disagree that it has nothing to do with my weight loss/gain.
Btw, I LIKE the message that sugar isn't evil and we make it harder on ourselves than need be when we try to eliminate it completely. I credit MFP and the sugar crusaders for changing my view of sugar. But if someone has felt that they have turned to sugar habitually, separating themselves from it for a period of time isn't such a bad thing.
You're disagreeing with the sugars being the same by talking about things that come WITH the sugar and have nothing to do with the sugar itself.
Yes, it's semantics. But I interpret "your body knows no difference" to mean "your body doesn't react any differently". And if you look at the GI studies, your body reacts differently depending on what is accompanying the sugar.
But the thing is you rarely eat things in isolation, so there won't just be sugar alone coming into your body.
When was the last time you ate a piece of white bread alone for example? Not good GI by itself but you know, you usually make a sandwich with some meat, cheese and veggies or whatever out of it and it doesn't matter.
Pop (soda to Americans I think) and hard candy are basically eating sugar alone, and cake and pastries (my favs) don't have sugar alone but have very little fibre or protein, the two things that most change how the body reacts to the sugar.
But you're not consuming those on an empty stomach alone either. At least I hope your diet doesn't consist of days of just cake and soda.2 -
goldthistime wrote: »Pop (soda to Americans I think) and hard candy are basically eating sugar alone, and cake and pastries (my favs) don't have sugar alone but have very little fibre or protein, the two things that most change how the body reacts to the sugar.
Off-topic, but it's pop in most of the midwest. (But I taught myself soda in college, in MA, and now use both interchangeably.)
Sort of on-topic, although I'm not sure that it is for the thread, I think how your body reacts to specific foods is different, but claiming this is about the sugars being different, as many really do seem to think, is wrong, so I think it's a worthwhile correction, and weird how people argue that no, the sugars ARE different. A good illustration of this is that some would say added sugar is BAD (or processed sugar is BAD, more often), so must be avoided, even if it makes oatmeal (with fiber) taste a bit better for you or you enjoy a tsp in coffee, which you consume with your morning omelet. That's an ignorant claim and it's worth educating people out of false information.
(And although this always gets "enjoy your poison, then, but I won't!" as a response -- yes, I absolutely know that wouldn't be your response, of course -- I will note again that I don't like sugar in coffee or oatmeal. But if someone does there's no reason to avoid it.)0 -
Thread hijack:
Lemurcat, I love lemurcat with the Cubbies bear in your new profile shot. I'm pulling for them since my brother-in-law wants them to win.
Back to the regularly scheduled thread.2 -
goldthistime wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Chips aren't really my thing -- I'd take ice cream over chips any day and prefer plain roasted potatoes with a bit of salt to all but the very best chips -- but on the whole, yeah, I find savory more tempting. Without getting into possible reasons for your personal experience, I don't think that has much to do with whether sugar withdrawal is possible (or low carb flu merely from cutting back on some added sugar) which is what is being suggested by some in this thread.
I think that if I were to keep my starchy carb consumption up and stopped eating added sugar completely I wouldn't experience headaches. So based on my own experiences only, I agree that sugar withdrawal isn't the right term.
Out of curiosity, have you ever experienced hunger headaches? All three terms (carb flu, sugar withdrawal and hunger headaches) blend together in my mind.
I don't personally (at least not that I haven't attributed to something else), but I am sure they exist, and that could be something that people assume is related to "sugar withdrawal" if they cut added sugar and also cut calories extremely at the same time, sure.
What I was finding weird was people claiming that they cut added sugar only (not fruit, not carbs in general) and would experience physical symptoms (called withdrawal). That makes no physical sense.
I should do keto for a few weeks just because I am curious what it feels like.
Given that fruit has sugar and starchy carbs break down into sugars, I have to reluctantly agree, it doesn't make sense.
I say reluctantly because my motivation for entering into these conversations is often that I see someone who has come here looking for support and is instead getting grief about their terminology. I don't want to turn this into a debate about whether support or facts are more helpful, but obviously I place more importance on support than others in certain circumstances.
I didn't make an issue of it with OP at all, but unfortunately various others jumped in and claimed that added sugar withdrawal is a thing, which is why the sideline. This is actually what I commonly see, an OP asking for help, others giving the help (and also as an aside commenting on or correcting terminology), and then some jumping in and insisting on the importance of that terminology and diverting the conversation. Not so much here (since I don't think this conversation has really been diverted and if OP pops back in I think a lot of people have offered advice and would be interested in discussing further), but in many threads.One of the reasons you personally lemurcat constantly get my praise is that you tend to make an effort to support before you begin to correct what you perceive to be wrong information.
I appreciate this.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Thread hijack:
Lemurcat, I love lemurcat with the Cubbies bear in your new profile shot. I'm pulling for them since my brother-in-law wants them to win.
Back to the regularly scheduled thread.
Fabulous! I thought it was kind of subtle, but fun.0
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