Experience with cutting sugar, anybody?

Arizona_C

For years, much of my calorie intake has come from sugar or simple carbs. Cake, Chocolate biscuits, candy, and strong craving when I’m going without.

I know it’s a bad habit but I keep pushing taking an active step for breaking it. I fear something will fall apart, I cannot imagine a life without sweets. Like not stopping at the little store on my way to work for a Snickers for the road, or skipping cream cakes for desserts. Not to mention the bag of candy I always have in my handbag for whatever moment I feel like a sweet something.

As well I know there are a load of bad effects on the body of too much sugar, and I guess it would all in all be a better feeling to be without those sweets running through the system. I want to take the step and cutting down or cutting off, and would love to hear the experiences from you who have managed.
Do you feel better physically, has it been good for your skin? I guess it’s good in terms of weight regulation as well, still I’m in a healthy weight range so this is of little importance to me but maybe to others.

Thank you ever so much for sharing on this topic!

lemurcat2

As an experiment (mainly because the media seemed to be constantly filled with messages about it, and how hard it allegedly would be), I dropped all added sugar for a month some years ago. I didn't find it all that difficult, although it did help as I was simultaneously quitting snacking and it gave me additional incentive to say no to foods that turned up in the office breakroom that I otherwise would have eaten.

My plan was to eventually re-add added sugar in moderate amounts (I admittedly wasn't a super sweettooth person anyway), and I did -- I lost a good bit of weight with occasional desserts after dinner (mostly ice cream, as it's my favorite) when I had the cals.

I felt good taking the month off sugar, but I think it had more to do with the fact I was getting control over my eating habits overall and getting more active. I didn't think there were any miraculous effects, and to be honest when people claim there are I think it's more likely to be mental -- they feel good about taking steps that are more overall healthful.

That said, as I said, I don't think my diet was especially high in sugar before I took the month off (nor refined carbs), as those just don't tend to be the foods I'm most drawn to. I would say that if you think your added sugar or carb to other macro balance is off, that you hardly need to cut out desserts entirely. Just log and take the opportunity to see the ways you could make your diet more healthful, one of which may well be cutting down on added sugar.

Sabine_Stroehm

I agree with much of what @lemurcat2 said above. Starting with added sugars that are obvious (pop, biscuits, candy bars, etc.) would be a great start. Then just read labels. You'll learn a lot about where you can easily cut back.
Years back, I swapped refined grains with whole grains (which eliminated a lot of added sugar), and cut out some obvious added sugars (from dressings, and other convenience foods etc.), and dropped sodas and candy bars and the rest came pretty easily.

AnnPT77

As I said on your other duplicate thread, I think sugar is sort of a popular dietary red herring - a distraction.

Good, well-rounded nutrition is important for health and well-being. (Getting good nutrition can even reduce cravings, since sometimes bodies create cravings out of nutritional deficiency.)

If you focus on getting good nutrition, at appropriate calories, excess added sugar will gradually drop out of your eating anyway, without having to target it explictly. If you're logging food (in MFP or elsewhere) and looking at your eating from a nutritional standpoint, you can gradually remodel your eating toward a better overall diet, without some grand dramatic gesture to eliminate sugar. It's not a universal experience, but I (and some others) have found that making it a point to eat several servings daily of fruit tends to reduce my cravings for higher-calorie, less nutrient-dense foods like candies, cookies, etc., though the effect is not instant. (That may or may not be true for you, but may be worth a try.)

Moreover, focusing on eliminating sugar doesn't automatically result in better nutrition. If one replaces sugar with other higher-calorie, less nutrient-dense foods, calories may stay high and nutritional content low. There's not much benefit in that, healthwise. It would be theoretically possible, in that scenario, to give up the pleasure you're finding in sugar, without getting any particular health benefits from doing so, to compensate.

sgt1372

I cut virtually all added sugar from my diet when I stopped drinking sodas (haven't had 1 in over 5 yrs) and stopped eating baked goods and candy almost entirely.

I still have a pastry and some M&Ms now and then but always w/in my cal limit. I also still use certain condiments (like ketschup and bbq sauce) w/added sugar in it but not often and again I log what I eat of it.

So, it's pretty easy to eliminate added sugar from your diet IMO, as you as long as you have the discipline and determination to do it.

Good luck!

kshama2001

Here's the Challenge thread for eliminating or reducing added sugar that lemurcat2 started in 2019:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10769530/30-day-logging-limiting-added-sugar-challenge/p1

I was trying limit my ADDED sugar to no more than 5% of my calories, which was too difficult for me during "baking season" - I'd probably have much better luck strawberry - peach season.

So key takeaway - try adding fruit.

Like others, I find it more pleasant to concentrate on ADDING, for example, working to hit my protein and fiber goals, and adding fruit, than to concentrate on SUBTRACTING, which feels more punitive and can lead to feelings of deprivation.

Perhaps see how much added sugar you are consuming now and then work to reduce it. I used a spreadsheet for this.

I'm going to guess I'm around 10-15% added sugar these days and may track for a while to verify that.

allierat84

In 2012 I lost a lot of weight (well about 50lbs, people's idea of a lot would vary) and part if what I did was cut out most processed sugar. It excelled my weight loss, it prevented my stomach bloating and my skin was far better.
However, I put the weight back on and had a few babies since then and in those pregnancies I was found to have gestational diabetes. This meant cutting sugar again to diet control and again it had a big effect. But I'm obviously not someone who has a normal insulin function (classed as pre diabetic now and have testing regularly), so this may be why it is a big thing for me.
I do think that we consume an awful lot of refined sugar that isn't good for us though, we don't need it, it's not nutritious and it can eventually cause type 2 diabetes if you're eating a lot of it.

lemurcat2

Processed sugar = added sugar? I think that's a clearer term. Or free sugar as defined by the WHO.

I do get annoyed with claims like "we consume an awful lot of refined sugar" as it was super easy for me to give up all added sugar and when going over my diet it was clearly not my issue with weight control, but the media is obsessed with sugar and supposedly how all fat people are eating tons of it. Sure people who overconsume added sugar should cut down, but to assume that's the issue for everyone with weigh issues is IMO incorrect.

T2D is generally caused by genes plus obesity. It manifests as insulin resistance but to assume the cause has nothing to do with anything but sugar is inaccurate.

ahclay

It's the only thing that works for me. I gave up not only sugar, but foods containing sugar and flour. Grains are good for us, but any flour is processed, and pre-digested. It's not as filling as the whole grain, and it can spike blood sugar. The most success I had was giving up all sugars and flours. It's really, really hard to find a manufactured bread with not sugar, so giving up bread was easier. I still occasionally partake, but these things are treats for me now.

springlering62

I understand where you are coming from. I sincerely believe sugar affects some people differently than others, and that many others have a hard time understanding the gripping control it can exert on those of us it does.

My extended family is addictive- alcohol, drugs, gambling. I avoided all of that, but sometimes think the bad behavior reared it’s ugly head with me in the form of sugar.

You could be my twin. Stops on the way to work, candy in my purse, multiple bags in my desk drawer, hidden around the house. My world revolved around getting my next cookie, candy, cake. Not one piece or slice. Whole bags and cakes. Box of Little Debbies? Merely a warmup for my afternoon. Out of sweets? A bakery loaf or baguette would have to suffice til I could get to the store. Popeye’s apple pie? Why stop at one? Gas stop? Yippee! An excuse to hit the candy counter. A Pepperidge Farm BOGO sale would be the highlight of my week. Half price candy after Christmas and Easter? Jackpot!

I did manage to give sugar up for a while, but as I lost the weight, I reintroduced it. Life is too short not to enjoy small quantities of foods I love. I have to be very careful. As my food diary will show, there is no “one cookie” or small piece of chocolate for me. I am
not going down that path again, so have to stay vigilant.

I did find that, the further away I got myself from gorging on sugar, the less appealing it became.

Sweets that used to be the greatest things on earth started to taste kind of gross.

Fruits began to taste, not just better, but almost otherworldly sweet, and other more savoury foods began to taste better, too, as if the sugar had been masking flavors.

Body changes? Well besides the obvious, my painful GERD vanished, I began sleeping better, lost the CPAP and the mid afternoon crash followed by another post-sugar crash disappeared. I’m embarrassed to admit, but my temper improved.

I always relied on sugar to “give” me energy. I know realize it was sucking it up and leaving me flat and drained.

Nowadays, if I keep any sweets in the house,
I keep them in the freezer. Knowing I have to wait for them to thaw, I either move on to something else, or by the time they do, I’ve been able to think it over, and just measure out a portion, instead of mindlessly wolfing down a whole bar.

I’ve discovered that many sugar feee products taste just fine now- I have a lovely chai latte twice a day with some salted caramel SF syrup in it, SF maple syrup ain’t half bad, and the Walden Farms dressings are pretty darn good substitutes for more calorie laden ones.

The daily sugars I do permit myself nowadays include fruity balsamic vinegars, and ginger or lemon honey globules that I sprinkle on my evening bowl of yogurt whipped with sugar free (naturally) pudding mix.

I’m not particularly keen on so many sugar free chems in my life, but otoh you’d have to be blind not to notice my health is vastly improved regardless. Pick your poison, so to speak.

You can do this, but it will take effort and willpower. For me, it was saying F it! One day and clearing my pantry of candy and junk foods. Others will tell you there’s no such thing as a junk food. Disagree. Those of use who eat them to excess know exactly what they are.

TL:DR carefully restricting sugary products has been a life changer.

kimny72

I wanted to second what several other people said - it is far easier to stick to positive goals than negative ones. If you are eating too much sugar, you must be eating too little of something else. If you focus on eating more of the important stuff you're lacking, while maintaining your calorie goal, it will naturally push out that excess sugar.

I never paid attention to sugar other than as a curiosity as I reviewed my food log numbers. But I was trying to increase my protein and fiber, and as I did, I noticed I was generally eating less sugar.

AnnPT77

springlering62 wrote: »

(unfair snippage of quoted text, including most of the good stuff, to pick out one point)

I did find that, the further away I got myself from gorging on sugar, the less appealing it became.

Sweets that used to be the greatest things on earth started to taste kind of gross.

Fruits began to taste, not just better, but almost otherworldly sweet, and other more savoury foods began to taste better, too, as if the sugar had been masking flavors.

(more unfair snippage, read the whole good post above in its entirety please)

Oh, man, yes.

I was not primarily as sugar-focused as you report, but certainly eating unnecessary amounts of it. When I started emphasizing getting several daily servings of fruit - because I'd heard from a dietitian that it could reduce cravings for candies, cookies, etc., as kshama points out - many of the less nutrition-dense sweets definitely lost not just pull, but even lost appeal.

So many candies and baked goods (especially the routine grocery store stuff) started tasting unpleasantly and overwhelmingly Just-Sweet, with no interesting, pleasant complexities.

I can still enjoy a good dessert-y thing, but it needs to have more going on than Just-Sweet, and I don't have the *cravings* even for those any more unless super-fatigued or something.

slbbw

Sugar has often led me to binge and also gives me stomach issues if I over indulge. I have cut out added sugar completely for various stretches, 6 months was the longest. In that time I allowed a bit of honey or maple syrup, but I really focused on my fiber intake and recalibrating my taste buds to less sweet foods. I am happiest when I can keep a small treat at the end of the day, but it is difficult for me to start there, especially after holiday season, when I more often than not over indulge. Its worth an experiment to see if you feel better. But if it takes away things you find joy in and your health is ok, I am not sure it would be worth it.