Sugar withdrawals

jessienz2010
jessienz2010 Posts: 3 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Has anyone ever cut sugar out of their diet? I've just done 3 days without it and I'm doing well. I am still eating a bit of fruit but that's natural
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Replies

  • leviclampitt
    leviclampitt Posts: 67
    No, not completely at least.

    For a lot of people, too much stress = too much sugar cravings.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    bump
  • fittestpal
    fittestpal Posts: 94 Member
    Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that is hard to avoid in our society. It seems to be hard wired into our brains. The first 72 hours are the hardest part but if you can get past that you will be okay with some will power. Remember to eat frequently to help keep full and eat fruit every now and then to satisfy the craving. Artificial sweeteners make it worse because it makes you crave more real sugar.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I didn't cut out sugar but significantly reduced it by not drinking soda (which was a huge portion of my sugar intake). It really sucked the first few weeks. I was constantly craving it... but I don't recall anything other than that. It's nice now though because things that I used to enjoy I don't anymore because they're too sweet. I think in our society, everyone's tastes have been trained to want things that are super sweet and I've overcome that, somewhat.
  • rowlandsw
    rowlandsw Posts: 1,166 Member
    I didn't cut it totally but considering i was drinking at least 4 liters of pepsi a day down to none a day or 8oz it's a big cut. I had headaches for a while but i'm doing okay so far.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
    I can say i've never counted my suger/carb intake. I will say that when I cut soda I had killer headaches which is why I picked up drinking coffee.
  • rowlandsw
    rowlandsw Posts: 1,166 Member
    I've replaced soda with sugar free zero calorie monster drinks but the come down is rough.
  • klove724
    klove724 Posts: 1 Member
    I have. ..and it's no easy task. Sometimes things you t hink would NEVER have sugar in them do. ..but once you steer clear of processed. . .it becomes a little easier to control it. I focus on finding alternatives to sugary things i like.. . .frozen bananas with peanut butter.. .very similar to candy. . .freeze a banana blend it until it's creamy and put back in the freezer and it has the consistency of ice cream and not a very strong banana taste. . .

    I did have withdrawals my first few days though .. .strong cravings, headache. . .i felt like i was about to get sick and then it just subsided after a couple of days. . .
  • leahkathleen13
    leahkathleen13 Posts: 272 Member
    I did cut out sugar before and I'm trying again now. I find I get very crabby now when my blood sugar drops too low after being used to eating sugar. Eating fruit when this happens helps. Hopefully my body will adapt soon. If you really like sweet stuff maybe try stevia. It's great for making kool aid with! Best Wishes:)
  • roy7lorraine
    roy7lorraine Posts: 21 Member
    good for you...that is awesome...I did once and it cut alot of fat from my stomach...I am having a hard time cutting down on sugar. How did you cut down?
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    I've read that taking glutamine can help keep sugar cravings at bay. I haven't tried it myself, but it's worth doing some research if you're struggling.
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
    No I have never done that and never will. I love sugar and anything sweet and know if I personally would ever do this is could never be a life style change but only last a short amount of time. I say good for you for doing it and best of luck to you!
  • YoshiZelda
    YoshiZelda Posts: 340 Member
    No but I'm not a huge sugar fan unless it's fruit or chocolate. But even if I was I would have processed sugars in moderation. Though natural sugars from things like fruit when ever I want really. I don't see a point in cutting it out completely. Good luck.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Nope.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Yes, best thing I did. To get through just really crank up the fat content the first couple of days.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    No, and I see no reason to do so
  • Rainboots80
    Rainboots80 Posts: 218 Member
    I have cut it out since I started a low carb diet on Jan 31st
  • jgkoutr
    jgkoutr Posts: 8,105 Member
    other than fruit I have cut out sugar and by day 3 my body was ached and I had headaches (and was very cranky) rough days at work and no chocolate was soooo hard. However I cut out coffee too.
  • Dressdrive10
    Dressdrive10 Posts: 8 Member
    I do think it is a good idea to cut out sugar as much as possible and trying to do this really makes you focus on eating healthily.

    It means that you really do have to cook your own food and meals from scratch, since so many companies tend to shove sugar in most processed food and ready made meals.

    But sugar is like a drug isn't? And giving it up is almost like giving up smoking. Such a difficult thing to do.

    Good on you for going for it!

    I'm trying to do the same.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Has anyone ever cut sugar out of their diet? I've just done 3 days without it and I'm doing well. I am still eating a bit of fruit but that's natural
    So you're still eating sugar, but claiming you've gone 3 days without sugar? Seems legit.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    I did cut out sugar before and I'm trying again now. I find I get very crabby now when my blood sugar drops too low after being used to eating sugar. Eating fruit when this happens helps. Hopefully my body will adapt soon. If you really like sweet stuff maybe try stevia. It's great for making kool aid with! Best Wishes:)
    Of course eating fruit helps. When your blood sugar drops, eating sugar always helps...
  • Michelle2W
    Michelle2W Posts: 163 Member
    When I reduce unhealthy carbs, my midsection decreases within days. When I take in too much unhealthy carbs my midsection increases within days.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Has anyone ever cut sugar out of their diet? I've just done 3 days without it and I'm doing well. I am still eating a bit of fruit but that's natural
    So you're still eating sugar, but claiming you've gone 3 days without sugar? Seems legit.
    This.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    :huh:
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    A distinction needs to be made between added table sugar or high fructose syrup and the sugars that are naturally found in plants and dairy. I think the OP is referring to added sugar, and I think it's a great idea to give it up if you find it hard to control cravings for sweets.

    Not everyone has a problem with self control around sweets, and for them, eating sweets in moderation is an option, if that's what they choose. However, if you're someone who has thoughts about sweets throughout the day, it's a good idea to try a diet that's free from added sugars to see if your thought patterns change.

    I'm much happier on a diet that's free from added sugar. Yes, I miss the treats, but I don't miss what sugar in my blood stream does to my self control. A limited amount of fruit and dairy sugars don't mess with my mind, so I eat them. I think it's a mistake to avoid fruit because there are so many vital nutrients found in fruit that are hard to find elsewhere.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    When I reduce unhealthy carbs, my midsection decreases within days. When I take in too much unhealthy carbs my midsection increases within days.

    thats called water retention/water release….carbs make you hold onto more water….
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    A distinction needs to be made between added table sugar or high fructose syrup and the sugars that are naturally found in plants and dairy. I think the OP is referring to added sugar, and I think it's a great idea to give it up if you find it hard to control cravings for sweets.

    Not everyone has a problem with self control around sweets, and for them, eating sweets in moderation is an option, if that's what they choose. However, if you're someone who has thoughts about sweets throughout the day, it's a good idea to try a diet that's free from added sugars to see if your thought patterns change.

    I'm much happier on a diet that's free from added sugar. Yes, I miss the treats, but I don't miss what sugar in my blood stream does to my self control. A limited amount of fruit and dairy sugars don't mess with my mind, so I eat them. I think it's a mistake to avoid fruit because there are so many vital nutrients found in fruit that are hard to find elsewhere.

    ummm no…

    sugar is sugar..it does not matter if you have unicorns deliver it to your doorstop, or devils add it to your food…at the end of the day you body recognizes sugar, as sugar….
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
    I avoid artificial crap like high fructose corn syrup. I eat veggies and fruits, though I watch my sugars and carbs over all.
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    There is indeed a difference in how our bodies react to fruit and dairy sugars versus table sugar. Yes, at the END of the day, the person who has eaten X grams of fruit sugar may match a person who has eaten X grams of table sugar. It shows as equal on your diary.

    However, if one consumes an apple with X grams of sugar, the subsequent rise and fall of blood sugar will be milder/slower than if one consumes the same X grams of table sugar. This is an important issue to those whose bodies are sensitive to a rapid rise and fall of blood sugar, or if they have some degree of insulin resistance.

    For some people who experience difficulty resisting sweets, practicing moderation can be more stressful than following a table sugar-free diet.
  • MichelleMinus100
    MichelleMinus100 Posts: 101
    I started changing my lifestyle about two years ago. One of the first things I did was begin to reduce my refined sugar intake. When going off sugar, it usually takes me about four days to feel better, but for four days I have sugar withdrawal including headaches and irritability. This has been a process to reduce refined sugars in my diet over time!

    After awhile, I realized that the more refined sugar I eat, the more I seem to want. I don't like the spike in blood sugar I get when I eat refined sugar, so I've been trying to reduce even more. The less refined sugar I eat, the less cravings I seem to have.

    I don't tell myself "I can never eat sugar again"...I save those super sweet refined sugars for special occasions-if I want it. I am keeping my eye on sugars from dairy, too. But I don't worry about complex carbs in veggies, I don't limit those, but I do watch the sweeter veggies like tomatoes and red peppers.

    To curb my daily chocolate lust, I eat very dark chocolate (85%+) in moderation because I get the taste of chocolate without the blood sugar spike. For now, this seems to be a sustainable solution and I'm able to keep refined sugar out of my diet as much as possible.

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