Has Anyone Successfully Quit Sugar?

msjuanitasemail

If you are off sugar, have eliminated or minimized your cravings, can you please share what you did to get off sugar or control the cravings?

TeaBea

There is sugar in fruits, veggies, dairy and grains.

Eliminating added sugar does help some people diet. I've done that myself. But the problem for me was I had no plan to cut added sugar forever (regained the weight). Are you thinking about quitting added sugar for the rest of your life? If not, you will still have a management issue when you get to goal.

mohamedahmed07

I'm on a cycling ketogenic diet and I consume around 0-3sugar a day. It can be hard at first but once you've went 2weeks with no sugar, you stop CRAVING sugar and carbohydrates, pizza doesn't look attractive to you as chicken wings or butter, if you need tips, I got 3 for you
1-Elminate them (gonna be hard at first)
2-(eat more vegetables you need potassium and minerals)
3-Remove any sweet products or sugar from your place, or at least away from your room, just don't make it as easy to get.
4-PLAN what you are going to eat, knowing what you're going to eat in the whole day will help you to stop eating after you finish what you're supposed to eat, you know you're done for today, but not knowing what to eat makes you add bad hungry decisions then with a weak will, the will goes through the window when we are hungry infront of menu of domino's pizza lol

janjunie

TeaBea wrote: »

There is sugar in fruits, veggies, dairy and grains.

Eliminating added sugar does help some people diet. I've done that myself. But the problem for me was I had no plan to cut added sugar forever (regained the weight). Are you thinking about quitting added sugar for the rest of your life? If not, you will still have a management issue when you get to goal.

Yes this. I tried eliminating sugar for a while, didn't last long and ended in a lovely binge of ice cream, cookies and chocolate. Oh well lesson learnt. Now I eat everything in moderation and have found I don't get hangry anymore.

anaxmann

If you are looking to reduce your sugar intake, there are a lot of good products out there for diabetic/low carb people (Atkins, Halo Top, Russel Stover). Although, if you are also trying to avoid artificial sugars and sugar alcohols, processed foods typically come off of the table.

Also, you can pretty easily make some things at home with no added sugar, using something like stevia and/or erythritol as an alternative. When I cut added sugar, my solution to cravings was to find a recipe for the thing I was craving that greatly reduced the sugar and make that. Since keto is such a popular diet right now, there are a lot of recipes out there for low carb (thus low sugar) cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc. Just remember that these only help deal with cravings, they typically are not low calorie.

For me, it is nice not to eat all of the sugar calories I used to have, it gives me a bit more flexibility in my calories (stevia has minimal calories, as does sucralose).

comeonnow142857

Yes.

To control the cravings (and socialise better) I re-introduced sugar into my diet (but always, always counted the calories of sweeties) while maintaining a solid base of vegetables and lean protein with some daily fish fats and dairy.

I don't count calories every day when sticking to the likes of spinach and chicken, I can ballpark that range safely, but when I go for those hypersatiating foods, I always keep close track of what I'm eating because I cannot safely ballpark it (even if it's 1,000 calories of chocolate... I'll keep a sticky note pad with me, and jot them down as the day goes). This way it's kept in control and I know where I stand, even if I do indulge quite a bit sometimes, I can do it with plenty of overall nutrition in a deficit or maintenance as I please.

Counting chocolate calories has been crucial in both keeping a moderate overall ceiling on my treats, and knowing how to have a really satisfying amount on frequent occasion too.

extra_medium

The best way to control your craving is to have some sugar. Just log it and make sure you don't go over your calories.

RelCanonical

CiaIgle

I replaced added sugar with sweeteners (mainly stevia).

Now I am in maintenance, and have no plans to remove sweeteners and come back to sugar.

cwolfman13

I eat very little in the way of added sugars...I really don't see a reason to cut out the minimal amount that I do consume; it's no biggie.

lemurcat12

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I eat very little in the way of added sugars...I really don't see a reason to cut out the minimal amount that I do consume; it's no biggie.

Pretty much this. I did cut it completely out for a while (added sugars, not all), and I am currently eating less than usual, but I will still have it from time to time (probably had a small bit with lunch today).

OP, one way to start is to understand what you consume and what you want to quit (or cut down). I'm assuming you really mean "sweets" or "added sugar," since most people don't mind consuming sugar from vegetables and dairy and fruit. If not, the answer might be different (but I would never be in favor of cutting out ALL sugar).

If sweets, when do you eat them, under what circumstances? Do you want to cut them out? If so, understand why, as having a good reason is important in trying to do something, it gives you a reason for the trade off. Do you just want to cut down?

IMO, structure is important -- have an idea of what you are willing to include in your diet, how often, and when. Try that. If it doesn't work, figure out what happened.

If it's not sweets, but sugar in coffee or sugar in all kinds of things, the answer might be different. Gradually cut back for coffee, or try artificial sweeteners or all sorts of other things. If you are concerned about packaged foods, read labels or eat more whole foods.