For those who are going without sugar
Replies
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louisaguzman wrote: »I'm a bit frustrated. It's been almost 4 months of no sugar: no breads (except Ezekiel which has no sugar), no pasta, no honey, no artificial sweeteners, no fruit, no cereal, and of course, no desserts). I've lost 30 lbs, which is fantastic. But I thought my cravings would go away. NOT a bit! I crave sugar every day and it makes me insane. Any thoughts?
When you say you crave it every day, do you mean you are craving specific foods (cakes, cookies), or are you just craving the sweet taste? How do your macros look? Sometimes a slight shift in macros can help with cravings, and a lot of people report not having issues with cravings once they've figured out the macro ratio that works for them.
My experience has borne this out, and my macro ratio for doing away with cravings is different from most people experiencing difficulty with such things.
I started on a wild ride with having trouble with cravings and controlling impulse eating (binging) when I cut down on starchy carbs last summer in an attempt to drop those stubborn last 5 pounds. I have been dealing with this issue now and furiously playing with food choices for ... thinking... gosh, it's almost been a year. I think I started this whole mess last July or so.
I've been nail biting my way through days of deficits only to succumb to binging on sweets I was craving (even making trips to the grocery store for them since I require gluten free products due to celiac disease). This was while thinking myself a volume eater and consuming vast quantities of vegetables to feel full and then going out and buying boxes of sugary breakfast cereal or cookies and eating the whole thing.
Finally, I'd had enough and decided to just try mixing things up and eating starch and seeing what happened. I added whole grains, beans, legumes, and tubers back to my diet. Now, this did not really increase my carb consumption, because I had to cut back on the volume of vegetables I ate (I still eat enough, I was eating ridiculous amounts before) to have the calories for this.
It's been like magic. My cravings are gone. I'm not a volume eater after all. I am full and satisfied on reasonable portions of things.
I have wondered, in the past year, what had happened to my ability to moderate, because I had previously been able to successfully moderate treats in my diet.
Now I know. My macro balance was off. I wasn't eating the optimal combination for me and my activity level.
So OP, definitely try playing around with your macros. It might just help.5 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »louisaguzman wrote: »I'm a bit frustrated. It's been almost 4 months of no sugar: no breads (except Ezekiel which has no sugar), no pasta, no honey, no artificial sweeteners, no fruit, no cereal, and of course, no desserts). I've lost 30 lbs, which is fantastic. But I thought my cravings would go away. NOT a bit! I crave sugar every day and it makes me insane. Any thoughts?
When you say you crave it every day, do you mean you are craving specific foods (cakes, cookies), or are you just craving the sweet taste? How do your macros look? Sometimes a slight shift in macros can help with cravings, and a lot of people report not having issues with cravings once they've figured out the macro ratio that works for them.
My experience has borne this out, and my macro ratio for doing away with cravings is different from most people experiencing difficulty with such things.
I started on a wild ride with having trouble with cravings and controlling impulse eating (binging) when I cut down on starchy carbs last summer in an attempt to drop those stubborn last 5 pounds. I have been dealing with this issue now and furiously playing with food choices for ... thinking... gosh, it's almost been a year. I think I started this whole mess last July or so.
I've been nail biting my way through days of deficits only to succumb to binging on sweets I was craving (even making trips to the grocery store for them since I require gluten free products due to celiac disease). This was while thinking myself a volume eater and consuming vast quantities of vegetables to feel full and then going out and buying boxes of sugary breakfast cereal or cookies and eating the whole thing.
Finally, I'd had enough and decided to just try mixing things up and eating starch and seeing what happened. I added whole grains, beans, legumes, and tubers back to my diet. Now, this did not really increase my carb consumption, because I had to cut back on the volume of vegetables I ate (I still eat enough, I was eating ridiculous amounts before) to have the calories for this.
It's been like magic. My cravings are gone. I'm not a volume eater after all. I am full and satisfied on reasonable portions of things.
I have wondered, in the past year, what had happened to my ability to moderate, because I had previously been able to successfully moderate treats in my diet.
Now I know. My macro balance was off. I wasn't eating the optimal combination for me and my activity level.
So OP, definitely try playing around with your macros. It might just help.
This is interesting.... I also think of myself as a volume eater, but could quite easily munch my way through mountains of cookies/bread/cereal etc if I gave myself the opportunity. I've often considered cutting down the volume and including more starchy stuff like you mention, but freak out that I won't be satisfied - that's completely stupid logic as I tried IF just fine, and didn't die, and coped easily.1 -
4 and a half years. Under 25g of carbs (sugar) a day. Only in the last couple of months have I upped that to about 50 - 70g but that comes only from vegetables like tomato etc, and I allow myself a skim latte here and there (19g carbs per). Type 2 diabetes runs in my family and I eat low carb for that reason, not only for weight loss, but it works for me. Your body does NOT need sugar, in any form, and can live quite happily without it (it will create the small amount of glucose it actually needs from protein).
Each to their own, but for me I've never been healthier and I no longer get crazy hungry like I used to on a low cal low fat high carb diet.0 -
louisaguzman wrote: »I'm a bit frustrated. It's been almost 4 months of no sugar: no breads (except Ezekiel which has no sugar), no pasta, no honey, no artificial sweeteners, no fruit, no cereal, and of course, no desserts). I've lost 30 lbs, which is fantastic. But I thought my cravings would go away. NOT a bit! I crave sugar every day and it makes me insane. Any thoughts?
Hmmm. Ive heard of yeast on the tongue causing constant sweet cravings. Maybe go to the doctor and get your tongue swabbed for yeast.0 -
I've been largely sugar free for about 2 years. I have had a few days where I'll eat something sugary, like a piece of birthday cake, but not many. My carbs are usually quite low, and sugar is usually under 5g per day, and definitely under 10g. My sugars tend to come from dairy or fruits that most eat like veggies like peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
I continue doing it because I feel healthier and better this way.1 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »louisaguzman wrote: »I'm a bit frustrated. It's been almost 4 months of no sugar: no breads (except Ezekiel which has no sugar), no pasta, no honey, no artificial sweeteners, no fruit, no cereal, and of course, no desserts). I've lost 30 lbs, which is fantastic. But I thought my cravings would go away. NOT a bit! I crave sugar every day and it makes me insane. Any thoughts?
When you say you crave it every day, do you mean you are craving specific foods (cakes, cookies), or are you just craving the sweet taste? How do your macros look? Sometimes a slight shift in macros can help with cravings, and a lot of people report not having issues with cravings once they've figured out the macro ratio that works for them.
My experience has borne this out, and my macro ratio for doing away with cravings is different from most people experiencing difficulty with such things.
I started on a wild ride with having trouble with cravings and controlling impulse eating (binging) when I cut down on starchy carbs last summer in an attempt to drop those stubborn last 5 pounds. I have been dealing with this issue now and furiously playing with food choices for ... thinking... gosh, it's almost been a year. I think I started this whole mess last July or so.
I've been nail biting my way through days of deficits only to succumb to binging on sweets I was craving (even making trips to the grocery store for them since I require gluten free products due to celiac disease). This was while thinking myself a volume eater and consuming vast quantities of vegetables to feel full and then going out and buying boxes of sugary breakfast cereal or cookies and eating the whole thing.
Finally, I'd had enough and decided to just try mixing things up and eating starch and seeing what happened. I added whole grains, beans, legumes, and tubers back to my diet. Now, this did not really increase my carb consumption, because I had to cut back on the volume of vegetables I ate (I still eat enough, I was eating ridiculous amounts before) to have the calories for this.
It's been like magic. My cravings are gone. I'm not a volume eater after all. I am full and satisfied on reasonable portions of things.
I have wondered, in the past year, what had happened to my ability to moderate, because I had previously been able to successfully moderate treats in my diet.
Now I know. My macro balance was off. I wasn't eating the optimal combination for me and my activity level.
So OP, definitely try playing around with your macros. It might just help.
This is interesting.... I also think of myself as a volume eater, but could quite easily munch my way through mountains of cookies/bread/cereal etc if I gave myself the opportunity. I've often considered cutting down the volume and including more starchy stuff like you mention, but freak out that I won't be satisfied - that's completely stupid logic as I tried IF just fine, and didn't die, and coped easily.
I was freaking out about being satisfied because I was binging on carby stuff!
I've been IF'ing naturally for years, but I just decided to try this. I was sick of the volume of food I was eating.
I figured that if I wasn't satisfied, I was just going to binge again anyway in the same way I'd already been binging. What was another ruined day in a pile of on again/off again diet/binge cycling at that point?
To my astonishment, the first day I started and made myself my planned starchy meals (I started with 2 rice cakes topped with cottage cheese and tomatoes then and brown rice and beans for lunch, an apple for a snack, and a salad with chickpeas for dinner and yogurt with berries and caramel syrup for dessert) and I came to the end of that day and I was perfectly satisfied, I wasn't feeling that urge to roam around the kitchen and look for something else to eat or leave the house and run to the grocery store for something. I was astonished. And day after day of eating more starch just kept being like that.5 -
I go on cycles... Just started cutting 4 days ago and cut carbs way down (under 50g total) & sugar out mostly. Today I had 10 grams sugar post workout & 39 carbs total... Usually go 4 - 6 weeks then increase my sugar and carb intake but not real high for 2 months. Always keep sugar under 40 - 45g - mostly fruits...0
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How long have you gone without it? Thanks.
Since January 8th of this year for me. First time in my life for sure. A day or less for 60 years before this year. I have no doubt.
Keto killed my cravings for sugary junk food like magic. It certainly wasn't my willpower, that's a fact! LOL
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Sorry to ruin your day, but the starch in bread, even Ezekiel bread, gets converted into disaccharides as soon as you chew. Guess what disaccharides are? SUGAR.louisaguzman wrote: »I'm a bit frustrated. It's been almost 4 months of no sugar: no breads (except Ezekiel which has no sugar)
Even worse: Starch itself is a polysaccharide consisting of bonded glucoses, so chemically speaking it's loaded with sugars. It just doesn't taste sweet because of the resulting molecular structure.2 -
louisaguzman wrote: »I'm a bit frustrated. It's been almost 4 months of no sugar: no breads (except Ezekiel which has no sugar), no pasta, no honey, no artificial sweeteners, no fruit, no cereal, and of course, no desserts). I've lost 30 lbs, which is fantastic. But I thought my cravings would go away. NOT a bit! I crave sugar every day and it makes me insane. Any thoughts?
Enjoy some fruit. It comes with fiber! Berries are low sugar but very satisfying. Did you know raspberries are only 1 Cal each?
I enjoy a bowl of half frozen strawberries with about 1/4 cup Greek yogurt. But my favorite sweet snack is Cara Cara oranges. They are amazing!1 -
I have to have my fruit and veg. I've been added sugar free for over a year now. I rarely crave it and when I do I know I'm not getting something right about what I'm eating, usually the fat, carb, protien ratio has to change. I like this way of eating.0
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If only people understood and/or explained context when asking questions and giving answers.
I eat very little in the way of added sugars. If I am going to indulge on a treat it's going to be something homemade or from a good bakery/restaurant, and that's not going to be very often. I don't drink soda or add sugar to my coffee and eat very little processed food. I certainly don't avoid fruit, or starchy vegetables. I'm not the biggest consumer of bread, only because I'm not a fan of it.
since sugar = sugar, source does not matter....2 -
If only people understood and/or explained context when asking questions and giving answers.
I eat very little in the way of added sugars. If I am going to indulge on a treat it's going to be something homemade or from a good bakery/restaurant, and that's not going to be very often. I don't drink soda or add sugar to my coffee and eat very little processed food. I certainly don't avoid fruit, or starchy vegetables. I'm not the biggest consumer of bread, only because I'm not a fan of it.
since sugar = sugar, source does not matter....
Thanks captain obvious
I see no issues with getting the majority of my calories, carbs,(including sugars) protein, & fat from nutrient dense foods. Other people don't choose to eat that way.1 -
Yeah, there's natural sugar in fruit and other food but I've cut out virtually all refined or processed sugar souces, including those found in baked goods and sodas, from my diet for a year. Still use honey or agave on occasion but very infrequently.1
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »livingleanlivingclean wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »louisaguzman wrote: »I'm a bit frustrated. It's been almost 4 months of no sugar: no breads (except Ezekiel which has no sugar), no pasta, no honey, no artificial sweeteners, no fruit, no cereal, and of course, no desserts). I've lost 30 lbs, which is fantastic. But I thought my cravings would go away. NOT a bit! I crave sugar every day and it makes me insane. Any thoughts?
When you say you crave it every day, do you mean you are craving specific foods (cakes, cookies), or are you just craving the sweet taste? How do your macros look? Sometimes a slight shift in macros can help with cravings, and a lot of people report not having issues with cravings once they've figured out the macro ratio that works for them.
My experience has borne this out, and my macro ratio for doing away with cravings is different from most people experiencing difficulty with such things.
I started on a wild ride with having trouble with cravings and controlling impulse eating (binging) when I cut down on starchy carbs last summer in an attempt to drop those stubborn last 5 pounds. I have been dealing with this issue now and furiously playing with food choices for ... thinking... gosh, it's almost been a year. I think I started this whole mess last July or so.
I've been nail biting my way through days of deficits only to succumb to binging on sweets I was craving (even making trips to the grocery store for them since I require gluten free products due to celiac disease). This was while thinking myself a volume eater and consuming vast quantities of vegetables to feel full and then going out and buying boxes of sugary breakfast cereal or cookies and eating the whole thing.
Finally, I'd had enough and decided to just try mixing things up and eating starch and seeing what happened. I added whole grains, beans, legumes, and tubers back to my diet. Now, this did not really increase my carb consumption, because I had to cut back on the volume of vegetables I ate (I still eat enough, I was eating ridiculous amounts before) to have the calories for this.
It's been like magic. My cravings are gone. I'm not a volume eater after all. I am full and satisfied on reasonable portions of things.
I have wondered, in the past year, what had happened to my ability to moderate, because I had previously been able to successfully moderate treats in my diet.
Now I know. My macro balance was off. I wasn't eating the optimal combination for me and my activity level.
So OP, definitely try playing around with your macros. It might just help.
This is interesting.... I also think of myself as a volume eater, but could quite easily munch my way through mountains of cookies/bread/cereal etc if I gave myself the opportunity. I've often considered cutting down the volume and including more starchy stuff like you mention, but freak out that I won't be satisfied - that's completely stupid logic as I tried IF just fine, and didn't die, and coped easily.
I was freaking out about being satisfied because I was binging on carby stuff!
I've been IF'ing naturally for years, but I just decided to try this. I was sick of the volume of food I was eating.
I figured that if I wasn't satisfied, I was just going to binge again anyway in the same way I'd already been binging. What was another ruined day in a pile of on again/off again diet/binge cycling at that point?
To my astonishment, the first day I started and made myself my planned starchy meals (I started with 2 rice cakes topped with cottage cheese and tomatoes then and brown rice and beans for lunch, an apple for a snack, and a salad with chickpeas for dinner and yogurt with berries and caramel syrup for dessert) and I came to the end of that day and I was perfectly satisfied, I wasn't feeling that urge to roam around the kitchen and look for something else to eat or leave the house and run to the grocery store for something. I was astonished. And day after day of eating more starch just kept being like that.
I thought I was a volume eater too and upped my veggies but then found it hard to finish and got cravey quite quickly afterwards. Adding back in some starchy carbs with meals, one being porridge nearly every morning almost completely fixed it and makes compliance almost effortless when I'm mentally doing better too.2
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