SUGAR!!!
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I cut out added sugar and after a few weeks I didn’t even crave for sweets anymore. Candy, Donuts, Cupcakes etc. taste so sweet now that it‘s disgusting. You‘re taste buds will love a simple apple after you cut out the Super Sweets.9
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Sorry if you feel you won't be posting again because people have tried to a- educate you based on what you said in the OP and some other posts, and b- provide other alternatives based on those posts. You did get defensive, and they did get a little condensing. It really does all come down to wording. If someone is looking for support, strictly, verbiage isn't as important. If someone is looking for advice or education on something, verbiage IS important.
That's all anyone is trying to say. Once your point was made more clearly, people were able to provide the advice you were seeking. I would suggest taking this as a forum education moment (since you said you've not posted on here before) and move on.
Continue to post, because this community is filled with more helpful advice and support from educated, knowledgeable people than I have ever come across. If a person is looking to make a change that will last their lifetime, not just the next month, then education and proper nutrition is incredibly important. All anyone wants here is to see people succeed.
and for drinking sugar, I started as a ridiculous coffee drinker. It was glorified sugar water with a little caffeine. I started subbing flavored syrups (sf vanilla, low sugar chocolate, etc) to cut my creamer. Eventually made the switch to a latte for more milk and flavor, no sugar added, no creamer. It took a while, but it was a concerted effort to control the amount of sugar I was drinking. No tricks, just, picking at it over time.12 -
paperpudding wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »Again, had you worded your post sugar habits and wanting to reduce consumption and address triggers ( you don't have to divulge what exactly triggers you) then nobody would be objecting.
It is the incorrect idea of addiction and the inaccurate claims of your doctor ( or perhaps your misunderstanding of what the doctor said, we don't know) that people are objecting to.
And perhaps your defensive attitude.
I am not trying to be defensive. I am reading every single post and taking suggestions into account. Some of been very helpful, some have not. I was simply trying to clarify what I am seeking, which is advice and support. But then I am immediately met with posts, some multiple, getting hung up on wording. I went back and to read what I said my Dr said. Perhaps my haste to keep my post short was the problem. She never said it gets stored in my stomach. She simply said that too much sugar, especially that which is drank because typically the grams are so high, gets stored in the body because it’s in excess. I didn’t go into it ALL. I spoke to this woman for an hour and was simply trying to be concise. I mentioned my stomach areas because it is rounder now than it ever has been. I also want to lose in my butt and thighs but again I was trying to be concise and in the moment was most annoyed by my stomach. But now that people keep trying to educate me on something and do it in a way that I am reading as condescending maybe I am getting defensive even though that is not my wish.
You don’t know me. I don’t know you. Some have made judgements about me based on wording. I have NEVER posted for support and advise or anything on MFP before. Within 24 hours a handful of people have made it so I will not be posting again. If I could figure out how to delete this thread I would so I don’t have to open my app and get met with the warning bell that there is a comment.
To those of you who posted suggestions, thank you!!! It’s a new week and I am going to try and tilt my attitude towards carbs and sugar in general. Onward!
Ok so now the doctor didn't say sugar gets stored on the stomach but excess calories get stored in the body.
I don't think anyone would argue with that - but it isn't what you said before.
Perhaps it is not your wish to get defensive - but it is coming across that way.
Btw, if you want to stop seeing the notification bell just unclick it and it and then you stop being notified of additional posts to the thread.
Thank you for telling me how to turn off the warning bell. It’s not NOW my doctor says it, she said it initially I just didn’t explain it well. That was my mistake.
IF your doctor said that drinking sugary beverages can make you fat because it's easier to go over your calories, since alot of sugar can dissolve in liquids (I was amazed once when I made sherbert, I was pouring the sugar in, and it just kept dissolving), then he or she is correct. We usually advise people that want to cut calories to look at what thery're drinking and analyze that. It's usually an easy way to cut down.3 -
First, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry you got hit with some of these assumptions about who you are, why you feel the way you do, what your emotional state is and how it's affecting your sugar cravings, etc...
Nobody here knows anything but their own experience and that of their friends, and your experience is not necessarily theirs.
I don't know about your own sugar cravings, just mine. And I did manage to quit, so I'll share, in case it helps.
I REALLY started increasing my own sugar intake when I was in high school, and it stayed high for a long time. I felt like it was bad for me - NOT because it's a trend (as some seem to say here when they hear the 'sugar is bad for me' statements), but because I, personally, physically FEEL like sugar is not so great for me. And I would try to keep it low, over and over, and then go right back to high sugar intake, for years.
I tried low carb. I tried eating only non-cane sugar sweeteners. I went to only honey. I went to 'no added sugar' in products but using honey and sweeteners on my own. I tried having a little 'hit' of sweet, like a tiny hard candy, to try and take care of the cravings. Literally nothing worked for me.
I know it DOES work for some people, sometimes, but it did not work for me. :-/
I kind of had a breakthrough that helped me when two things happened close together. One, I found out my mother and HER mother both had the same thing, so I figured it was something that wasn't 'just me.'
Two, I found animal studies that showed that, in fact, sugar can be treated as an addictive substance in the body. Not all the time, but more often in animals who consumed higher amounts of sugar, the brain can start to respond to a hit of sugar kind of like they react to a hit of morphine. And they have withdrawal from it too.
It hasn't been studied that way in humans yet, but considering when I tried to stop having sugar I would dream about it, think about it ALL day (literally all day, even in the middle of work I would want the taste), want a sweet taste even if I was nauseated and wanted nothing else to do with food? I figured that addiction might be the way to view it for myself.
So the way I managed to stop craving sugar was, basically, to stop having ANY added sweetener. At all. Not pre-packaged food that had it, not syrups, not honey, nada. And for the first two weeks, it was pretty much awful. I would crave sweet tastes SO BADLY. Like, headaches and brain fog badly. I was miserable and sick feeling and...seriously it was bad.
But after the first two weeks, the cravings would slowly just fade away. Until I didn't really want sweets anymore, not in a way that was a huge craving, anyway.
And then a few times now, I have been free from added sugar and concentrated sugar and would be out somewhere, and offered a dessert, and think: what would it hurt?
And it was basically like an addict taking a hit, because after one dessert, the sugar craving was back, instantly, and all I could think of was the taste of it, and I had to go through another two-three weeks of craving hell. But I went back 'on the wagon' usually after a few months of giving in and having every sweet thing in the world, essentially.
I am off of sugar again right now. I CAN sometimes have honey, but if I do, I have to fight cravings for a day or so. I have noticed that if I have a lot of carbs, it can sometimes trigger lower level cravings as well.
I do not know if your craving for sugar is at this level - I've met a few others now who have had similar experiences so I know I'm not the only one. I just wanted to share this because many people advocate, and successfully follow, the practice of sweets in moderation. But like most things, it doesn't work for everyone.
So if, on whatever process you choose, you are still having trouble, I put this out there as a possibility. Admittedly, it's a process that is, well, not fun. But I DO feel tremendously better off of sugar, like hugely better. I just have to cook a lot more and do sometimes miss fun desserts. I think it has been worth the extra effort, for me, though. :-)13 -
Sugar is the devil! (at least for me it is!) It makes me crave more... cuts my weight loss... emotionally I feel bad... over all.. YUCK! But I do find that I slide back into the sugar habit .... maybe not often but it happens... so what I do when I am feeling it.... is I pretty much cold turkey it... I eat lots of protein... of milk in coffee, I use fairlife because it has so much protein.... I cut any additional sugar and no fruit.... then I find I don't need it any more. I also got rid of (sadly) diet coke / diet drinks.... they made me crave more sugar too. Good Luck!20
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Thank you Kohanai for encouraging me to not leave.
THANK YOU Shaumom and Elyseinchi!!! This is what I was poorly communicating. I feel awful and when I look honestly at the MFP Diary its the added sugars. The calorie count is fine but I feel tired, lethargic, kinda sick (hence me seeking professional help) and if I have ONE thing of sweet I'll eat the whole box. Then I feel guilty and its a downward spiral. (I'm not blaming my sugar cravings for everything it is just a trigger I've linked) Plus I turn 40 soon and so some of this stuff is new. I wouldn't say I'm eating MORE sugar now but it seems to be effecting me differently.
And the cravings, good gosh, the cravings. That is why i used the word "addicted". And my Mom and Nana struggle with it too, my sister must have better will power than me because she fights it off better. And I've tried low carb in the past and historically only lasted about 2 days. So, cold turkey huh? Ok. I'll try that and see if it works. I didn't do coffee creamer this morning which meant no coffee so half way through Monday for me and I've not had any added sugars. Just keep it up, right? Again, thank you so much for your encouragement and tips on what you've done.
Life is a journey and this is just part of my journey, but I'm wanting to eat properly to fuel MY BODY the way it NEEDS. Again, THANK YOU!8 -
Hugs! And glad I shared. That sounds very similar, yes!
If it helps, for going cold turkey, here is what I do now, after having a number of failures under my belt.
First, I literally right now (seriously, I have had to re-do this far more times than I should have, sigh) treat my 'dropping all the sugar' diet as a kind of, hmmm, an illness that I know is coming. Because I really DO feel pretty awful, have brain fog, headaches sometimes, general body aches sometimes. It can just feel super crummy.
And with the crumminess, it's even HARDER to make safe food, to stay on the diet and resist going to sugar, because sugar made things feel better, you know?
So now, I try to pick a time where there's not so much stress, if possible. Like, if you have a serious deadline at work, or any family drama that you know will be done soon, it can be helpful to hold off on the diet change until that's done, because mentally, it's just so much tougher coping with lots of stress AND mental/emotional stress from the diet, know what I mean?
I try to make sure I am snacking constantly, as being hungry tends to make my cravings worse - for folks I've talked to, it just seems that knowing what makes your cravings worse, and trying to mitigate it, can help a lot if trying to avoid sugar. One gal I knew had worse cravings when she had too little sleep, so she was really conscientious about that when she was trying to avoid sugar.
And I also make 2-3 weeks worth of meals to eat and freeze them, to just defrost and eat. Then I plan out fruit, veggie, nut/seed, or other snacks that I can have in between meals, and prep them as much as possible, or pick ones like bananas that need no prep.
That way, I don't worry about not having the energy to cook anything, because it is already made. And when I was going off of sugar, for the level I went to...holy cow was there a lot of cooking. Because cereal, bread, and crackers had added sugar. And all the sauces and lots of condiments had added sugar. And most canned goods had added sugar, and many varieties of chips, and so on and so forth.
Oh, and another thing that helped was if I could find a recipe or two that I love, and make sure that was in my meal plan a LOT during my 'go off sugar' phase. Just emotionally, I found that very helpful to have that little bit of comfort food, you know?
Wish you good luck, and let us know if it helps you! :-)
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Hugs! And glad I shared. That sounds very similar, yes!
If it helps, for going cold turkey, here is what I do now, after having a number of failures under my belt.
First, I literally right now (seriously, I have had to re-do this far more times than I should have, sigh) treat my 'dropping all the sugar' diet as a kind of, hmmm, an illness that I know is coming. Because I really DO feel pretty awful, have brain fog, headaches sometimes, general body aches sometimes. It can just feel super crummy.
And with the crumminess, it's even HARDER to make safe food, to stay on the diet and resist going to sugar, because sugar made things feel better, you know?
So now, I try to pick a time where there's not so much stress, if possible. Like, if you have a serious deadline at work, or any family drama that you know will be done soon, it can be helpful to hold off on the diet change until that's done, because mentally, it's just so much tougher coping with lots of stress AND mental/emotional stress from the diet, know what I mean?
I try to make sure I am snacking constantly, as being hungry tends to make my cravings worse - for folks I've talked to, it just seems that knowing what makes your cravings worse, and trying to mitigate it, can help a lot if trying to avoid sugar. One gal I knew had worse cravings when she had too little sleep, so she was really conscientious about that when she was trying to avoid sugar.
And I also make 2-3 weeks worth of meals to eat and freeze them, to just defrost and eat. Then I plan out fruit, veggie, nut/seed, or other snacks that I can have in between meals, and prep them as much as possible, or pick ones like bananas that need no prep.
That way, I don't worry about not having the energy to cook anything, because it is already made. And when I was going off of sugar, for the level I went to...holy cow was there a lot of cooking. Because cereal, bread, and crackers had added sugar. And all the sauces and lots of condiments had added sugar. And most canned goods had added sugar, and many varieties of chips, and so on and so forth.
Oh, and another thing that helped was if I could find a recipe or two that I love, and make sure that was in my meal plan a LOT during my 'go off sugar' phase. Just emotionally, I found that very helpful to have that little bit of comfort food, you know?
Wish you good luck, and let us know if it helps you! :-)
It sounds like you’ve tried repeatedly to give up added sugar and it hasn’t worked for you, have you considered that this might not be a long term sustainable approach for you, and looked for other alternatives?8 -
WinoGelato wrote: »It sounds like you’ve tried repeatedly to give up added sugar and it hasn’t worked for you, have you considered that this might not be a long term sustainable approach for you, and looked for other alternatives?
Actually, it's more been a case of lots of initial failures, with very, very few recent ones. Because I slowly figured out what was causing the failures, and found solutions for them. I had one failure recently during a couple years with huge family upheaval combined with major health issues for both myself AND one of my kids, but frankly, everything including just doing the dishes was a failure during that time, so I'm not surprised that everything crashed and burned. ;-)
For me, to succeed at this diet, I just had to get over what I consider the problem for anything the brain treats as addictive: the idea that once you are off of your addiction for long enough, you are 'done' and it won't be a problem again. Except that's not how it works, at least for myself. Accepting that this is a truth for myself took me a while, but once I did, it's been a very different experience.
But re: sustainable approaches. I know that a lot of folks find all-or-nothing approaches to diets too extreme, but honestly, that's what I have to deal with day to day anyway, so it's not that different for me. I have celiac disease, so I can't have gluten or I'm very ill. I have food allergies, so there's another huge group of foods that I simply cannot have, period, no cheating ever.
Although to be fair, there are some milder food allergies I have that I can cheat on. It'll make me sick, but sometimes, you're tired or it's a hard day, and the slightly allergic food is tasty or easier to make, and so you cheat, and you regret it instantly. So I try to improve on that, too.
I would say that I view avoiding sugar similar to how I view the these milder food allergies, physical therapy, certain medications, or even certain medically inspired lifestyle changes: difficult, but necessary.
I know that sometimes, something being extremely difficult means it's the wrong choice. But sometimes, something being extremely difficult is just a fact of life that has to be accepted, because difficult doesn't always mean it's not the right thing for my physical/mental health, you know what I mean?
But it does mean that whatever I can do to make it EASIER is good, so that's why I have figured out over the years how to make it more workable for me. Not getting too hungry, making sure I have some pre-made meals for times of stress, gardening if I'm feeling stressed, etc...
Because I actually do lose the craving for sweets, almost entirely, when I'm off them for long enough. In the past, the sugar 'cheating' was typically in a social situation where there were others partaking of some food for a celebration, like birthday cake and such, so I had some to be social rather than due to a craving for the item. I can't do social food sharing due to the allergies, now, so that's ceased to be an issue, thankfully.
As for alternatives to a diet like this...I would be shocked if there is an alternative to this approach that I did not try. Could be wrong, of course, but seriously, I tried for YEARS to deal with this, in so many ways, with no success. I have tried meditation, and exercise, and a multitude of dietary changes and diets and mental practices and lifestyle changes - nothing worked.
Dropping sweeteners and added sugar has, so far, been the most successful of everything I've tried. Now, if someone came up with something I haven't tried that looked like it might work, I'd probably be willing to try it, but to date, I haven't seen anything that would qualify, you know?3 -
Thank you Kohanai for encouraging me to not leave.
THANK YOU Shaumom and Elyseinchi!!! This is what I was poorly communicating. I feel awful and when I look honestly at the MFP Diary its the added sugars. The calorie count is fine but I feel tired, lethargic, kinda sick (hence me seeking professional help) and if I have ONE thing of sweet I'll eat the whole box. Then I feel guilty and its a downward spiral. (I'm not blaming my sugar cravings for everything it is just a trigger I've linked) Plus I turn 40 soon and so some of this stuff is new. I wouldn't say I'm eating MORE sugar now but it seems to be effecting me differently.
And the cravings, good gosh, the cravings. That is why i used the word "addicted". And my Mom and Nana struggle with it too, my sister must have better will power than me because she fights it off better. And I've tried low carb in the past and historically only lasted about 2 days. So, cold turkey huh? Ok. I'll try that and see if it works. I didn't do coffee creamer this morning which meant no coffee so half way through Monday for me and I've not had any added sugars. Just keep it up, right? Again, thank you so much for your encouragement and tips on what you've done.
Life is a journey and this is just part of my journey, but I'm wanting to eat properly to fuel MY BODY the way it NEEDS. Again, THANK YOU!
Just throwing this out there-have you had your D level checked? It's a very common deficiency and has symptoms like you're describing. It's a simple blood test and an easy fix (you can get an rx or an over the counter, high dose D3 supplement).
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I am going to think a lot about what you said about waiting until my life is less stressful. I can tell that when I am tired I crave carbs. Bread in particular. So I have tried to eat protein instead. However, I too am an all or nothing person. I have no delusions that going cold turkey will be easy. But for me and my family I feel like I've got to make the change now. Ya know? Maybe one day I can try moderation. But currently that isn't working. Like I said, I'm looking at the dietary changes not just to lose weight. Yes I want to lose 30-35 lbs but if I don't its not the end of the world. I'm trying to be healthier.
I know I have a tendency to stress eat if I can't go for a walk or do yoga or if I'm being too lazy to do those two things (which I always pay the price for). Its been a life long personality trait of mine to bottle it all up and hold it all in to the point of making myself physically sick. So now I'm trying to navigate life stress and I am hoping that if I can get the sugar under control and physically feel better that life's stresses won't give me migraines, shingles, vomitting... you get the idea.
Everyone has stress and I can't avoid it but I can try and fuel my body and take care of my body better to hopefully manage it better. I really appreciate you being so encouraging and sharing your failures and success.2 -
MerryMavis1 wrote: »Thank you Kohanai for encouraging me to not leave.
THANK YOU Shaumom and Elyseinchi!!! This is what I was poorly communicating. I feel awful and when I look honestly at the MFP Diary its the added sugars. The calorie count is fine but I feel tired, lethargic, kinda sick (hence me seeking professional help) and if I have ONE thing of sweet I'll eat the whole box. Then I feel guilty and its a downward spiral. (I'm not blaming my sugar cravings for everything it is just a trigger I've linked) Plus I turn 40 soon and so some of this stuff is new. I wouldn't say I'm eating MORE sugar now but it seems to be effecting me differently.
And the cravings, good gosh, the cravings. That is why i used the word "addicted". And my Mom and Nana struggle with it too, my sister must have better will power than me because she fights it off better. And I've tried low carb in the past and historically only lasted about 2 days. So, cold turkey huh? Ok. I'll try that and see if it works. I didn't do coffee creamer this morning which meant no coffee so half way through Monday for me and I've not had any added sugars. Just keep it up, right? Again, thank you so much for your encouragement and tips on what you've done.
Life is a journey and this is just part of my journey, but I'm wanting to eat properly to fuel MY BODY the way it NEEDS. Again, THANK YOU!
Just throwing this out there-have you had your D level checked? It's a very common deficiency and has symptoms like you're describing. It's a simple blood test and an easy fix (you can get an rx or an over the counter, high dose D3 supplement).
I did have my Vitamin Level D checked. Along with thyroid and other things. We’re still working on it but this is something I want to change. Thanks0 -
I am going to think a lot about what you said about waiting until my life is less stressful. I can tell that when I am tired I crave carbs. Bread in particular. So I have tried to eat protein instead. However, I too am an all or nothing person. I have no delusions that going cold turkey will be easy. But for me and my family I feel like I've got to make the change now. Ya know? Maybe one day I can try moderation. But currently that isn't working. Like I said, I'm looking at the dietary changes not just to lose weight. Yes I want to lose 30-35 lbs but if I don't its not the end of the world. I'm trying to be healthier.
I know I have a tendency to stress eat if I can't go for a walk or do yoga or if I'm being too lazy to do those two things (which I always pay the price for). Its been a life long personality trait of mine to bottle it all up and hold it all in to the point of making myself physically sick. So now I'm trying to navigate life stress and I am hoping that if I can get the sugar under control and physically feel better that life's stresses won't give me migraines, shingles, vomitting... you get the idea.
Everyone has stress and I can't avoid it but I can try and fuel my body and take care of my body better to hopefully manage it better. I really appreciate you being so encouraging and sharing your failures and success.
A lot of what you are describing resonates with me. I've had the all or nothing mindset and it was really challenging to work with. I also had certain foods that I knew I would overeat if I kept them in the house in any large quantity. I don't have kids, so it's easier for me to manipulate my environment and to work on changing my mindset.
First, I took the foods I would overeat out of the house. I would allow myself one or two items per week, which I would pick up that day and in single serving form only. I wanted to learn to moderate, so occasionally would bring in a larger container (I'm mostly speaking of ice cream here). If I overate it, I knew I wasn't ready to keep it in the house yet. It took a long time, but I can now keep it in the house and have a single serving when I want it. This wasn't an easy process.
Second, for me, I find that when I focus on exercise, the food choices tend to naturally gravitate towards that which is filling and better balanced nutritionally. Perhaps changing your focus will help change your mindset.
Third, I allowed failure. With the all or nothing mindset, one "bad" choice, let to giving up and eating everything in sight for the rest of that day, and often for the rest of the week. That leads into:
Fourth, realize that food choices are just choices, not good or bad. Making a food choice that doesn't fit my plan does not make me bad, or a failure. When that happens, start over with the next food choice, not the next day.
Fifth, don't be too strict or too restrictive. The more you have on your "forbidden" list, the more likely you will crave and give in to those items. If chocolate is a weakness, then have a piece or two at the end of the day (make it fit your goals and only have a piece or two available). Knowing that is coming at the end of the day, helps me stay on track through the day.
Sixth, don't set the goals too high. 2lb per week can be too much, too restrictive, and lead to failure. Give yourself the space to lose more slowly, but still be on track.
Seventh, just log for a week, see where you could be making changes and then find small subtle changes that take you in the direction you want to go.
These are things that have been very helpful for me. Through changing my approach my relationship with food and myself has changed significantly.5 -
I lot of great information here. Thanks.1
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Oh good gosh! I’m meeting my calorie goals 5 days a week and the other two days that I don’t it still isn’t far off. However my sugar is off the chain!!! I know this is slowing down progress. It’s in my coffee creamer the most. I’m an addict. It’s my only vice in this world. Anyone else trying to kick th sugar habit gave tricks. Oh yeah and I refuse to ingest fake sugar alternatives.
I haven't read all of the replies, but Stevia is a natural, plant-based sugar substitute. I don't much care for it (too sweet), but it gets the job done and is carbohydrate free.
Also, I've seen the posts suggesting that your Dr. is a quack. If interested, and depending on your age (if over or approaching 50), you can research the relationship between declining estrogen levels and insulin to gain an understanding of why eliminating simple carbohydrates matters when it comes to fat storage.8 -
To be fair, people were initially posting comments about the doctor when it had been stated that he/she said something which turns out wasnt what was said at all.4
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Sugar is my weakness too. I eat too much candy. I'm trying to replace it with beef jerky and water and apple cider vinegar. It's been rough. 3 days in. I have a desk job5
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CountShredder wrote: »Sugar is my weakness too. I eat too much candy. I'm trying to replace it with beef jerky and water and apple cider vinegar. It's been rough. 3 days in. I have a desk job
Why ACV?2
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