Cutting out added fructose, looking for like minded people

Kitpurr

I didn't think I was an addict, after all I don't need sugar all day everyday. Then last night one scoop of ice cream turned into half a tub. Even as my mental calculations told me I was eating over half my allotted calories in one, non-filling sitting, I still couldn't seem to stop. This doesn't happen for me with salt or fat, this only happens with me with sugar. Once I get a taste my will power often grinds to a halt and 'full' is not a word I recognize anymore.

I wanted to know this was happening to me, whether I was built with faulty self control or what? So I did some digging and there is some pretty compelling scientific evidence that the fructose in sugar bypasses and disrupts our bodies satiety systems and some other horrible stuff like getting converted directly to fat and upping our stress hormones - stress hormones cause us to eat more and worse types of food! Then I read that fructose also bombards the pleasure center in our brains with so much dopamine we need bigger and bigger "hits" to get the same enjoyment from eating. Which sounds a lot like a drug user who gets tolerance to their drug of choice and has to take more and more, or a girl who can't put down the ice cream tub...

I know not everyone on this site has problems with sugar, and I don't mean to demonize something that many people here enjoy in moderation. But for me, I have a problem and like an alcoholic or any other kind of addict I feel I need to get this stuff out of my life completely. Is anyone else here looking to do the same as me or have you already gone through the process of doing it? I'm looking for motivation, friends, support, success stories, failures. All of it.

snazzyjazzy21

Sorry, do you mean fructose or sucrose? Fructose is the sugar found in fruit , I've never seen it in ice cream? Nevertheless, nothing bypasses any sort of digestion and its turned directly into fat. Any calories not burned will be turned into fat, regardless of where it comes from.

Sugar can have an addictive quality for some people, although I'm not aware of fructose having the same effect. Do you know if you have the same reaction with stevia/honey/artificial sweeteners? It's a good idea to figure out if it's the sugar or simply the sweet taste that you have a problem with.

Also please bear in mind, MFP's sugar macro limit is ridiculously small. It doesn't differentiate between fructose (sugar found in fruit) and sucrose (processed white sugar) so you can go over your limit by eating just fruit. Cutting out sucrose totally would be very difficult, although not impossible. I do recommend trying a few different sweeteners first, to find out if its the sugar or the sweet taste that you can't resist.

yarwell

I've done it, by eating low carb. I spent many years working in the sugar industry.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1017237-so-what-s-with-this-sugar-then-faq may be helpful.

You chose fructose, and added fructose at that, which is a bit odd. Fructose is seldom used for sweetening as its too expensive, though HFCS obviously contains a lot (42 - 55%) and sucrose is effectively 50% sucrose.

Are you a disciple of Lustig ?

Kitpurr

The reason why I said I was cutting out "added" fructose is because I will still keep on eating vegetables and the odd fruit but anything with added sugar which is a molecule which is half glucose and half fructose I want to keep out of my diet. Honey, maple syrup and agave have the same combination or even more fructose.

My understanding on how bad fructose is comes from these different sources:

Robert Lustig - Sugar: the bitter truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&list=PL39F782316B425249

David Gillespies' book - Sweet Poison
http://www.180nutrition.com.au/2013/09/04/david-gillespie-sweet-poison/

Sarah Wilson's book - I Quit Sugar

I'm not saying quitting fructose(in the form of sugar) is a panacea, certainly the science isn't rock solid yet but I know for me it causes me to binge or feel hungry after eating. I feel like cutting it out entirely from my diet is the only way to stop the cycle.

_Zardoz_

The reason why I said I was cutting out "added" fructose is because I will still keep on eating vegetables and the odd fruit but anything with added sugar which is a molecule which is half glucose and half fructose I want to keep out of my diet. Honey, maple syrup and agave have the same combination or even more fructose.

My understanding on how bad fructose is comes from these different sources:

Robert Lustig - Sugar: the bitter truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&list=PL39F782316B425249

David Gillespies' book - Sweet Poison
http://www.180nutrition.com.au/2013/09/04/david-gillespie-sweet-poison/

Sarah Wilson's book - I Quit Sugar

I'm not saying quitting fructose(in the form of sugar) is a panacea, certainly the science isn't rock solid yet but I know for me it causes me to binge or feel hungry after eating. I feel like cutting it out entirely from my diet is the only way to stop the cycle.

I'm sorry to say all those sources you are quoting are providing some pretty dodgy science at best. I really wouldn't base your diet on such bad science and do some research from proper peer reviewed sources.

yarwell

I'm not saying quitting fructose(in the form of sugar) is a panacea, certainly the science isn't rock solid yet but I know for me it causes me to binge or feel hungry after eating. I feel like cutting it out entirely from my diet is the only way to stop the cycle.

The cycle may simply be down to carbohydrates, but fair enough to start with added sugars.

Obviously you can not add anything to foods and drinks and avoid sweetened drinks for starters. After that you probably have to reduce processed / packaged foods as sugar is used for stability, palatability, taste and mouthfeel in many of these.

What's the plan ?

Kitpurr

The cycle may simply be down to carbohydrates, but fair enough to start with added sugars.

Obviously you can not add anything to foods and drinks and avoid sweetened drinks for starters. After that you probably have to reduce processed / packaged foods as sugar is used for stability, palatability, taste and mouthfeel in many of these.

What's the plan ?

At the moment the plan is to cutback for the next two weeks and then to cut it out completely for 6 weeks and then see how I feel. I don't really drink any sweet foods, like juice or sugar in my tea but I do have barbeque sauce a bit and when I have junk food it is often sweet and I put the entire packet a way in one evening. I live with crappy eaters(I'm talking all junk) so junk food is usually two or three times a week at least. That has to stop.

When I started logging a week ago I thought I could handle a small amount of junk but once I get some I just want more. It is just like a drug hit and I've been using it as a crutch when I'm stressed or emotional. I have to learn how to deal with that stuff without masking it with food - specifically sugar. I'm also trying to up my protein intake as I've been very bad at being a vegetarian for quite some time and subsisted on way too many carbs(as you suggested).