Sugar Free

morethanthis0

I don't do completely sugar free but I've tried to lower my sugar intake. I got low sugar oatmeal and no sugar pudding which those are delicious. sugar free boysenberry jelly was disgusting tho! so dont get that lol

People also need to be careful, because when sugar is removed, it is replaced with either artificial sweeteners, salt, or other flavorings to replace the taste (in some products). It's very important to read labels and research ingredient names so you know what you are getting isn't more harmful than the basically harmless sugar you are cutting out,

Don't get me wrong here, I keep my sugar intake to a sensible level (I have cancer and sugar can be inflammatory to cancer), but I try to be very careful about what sugar is replaced with that might be worse.

Yea too much refined sugars and what not cause some issues for my body which is why I've been trying to lower it, I loooove sweets (and still eat them in moderation).

I've heard that about "fat free" or "sugar free" stuff has chemicals and things put back in them, but what do you watch out for in the labels?

First off, read the nutrition and look at the amounts under "Sugars" and "carbs".

Nutrasweet, splenda, etc.. those would be "chemicals" by most people's judgement.

Agave nectar, honey.. those are just sugar with a prettier name, and some misbegotten belief that the same amount of calories in agave nectar is somehow "better' than the equivalent in sugar.

stevia is something else entirely, as it's not actually a sugar, it's a flavor. It has no glycemic response, and is 30 to 400 times sweeter tasting than sugar.

Thanks for the info!

tigersword

Should have clarified - I mean to refined or added sugar. Fruit, veggies, etc are still a main component.

I've hear such positive things from friends who have taken it on as a lifestyle now - more energy, weight loss, better skin. Seems as though as long as I can hold out for the first 21 days, the addiction and reliance should be broken!

The sugar in fruit is exactly the same as refined sugar. What exactly do you expect to accomplish? It's like saying "I'm going to give up alcohol, so I'm only going to drink wine instead of rum." It makes no sense.

acpgranberg

I did about 17 days on the 21Day Sugar Detox before a head cold derailed me. However, in those 17 days, I lost 7lbs, upped my vegetable intake and ate some really great food. I gave myself a week to get off the cold and am now back on the 21 DSD and feeling great. You food does not have to be boring, just unprocessed. Tastes sooo much better. Google some 21DSD recipes.

BTW there are treats on the 21DSD and they are delicious!

mccindy72

I did about 17 days on the 21Day Sugar Detox before a head cold derailed me. However, in those 17 days, I lost 7lbs pounds, upped my vegetable intake and ate some really great food. I gave myself a week to get off the cold and am now back on the 21 DSD and feeling great. You food does not have to be boring, just unprocessed. Tastes sooo much better. Google some 21DSD recipes.

BTW there are treats on the 21DSD and they are delicious!

I'm curious as to what having a head cold has to do with whether you were eating sugar or not?

mccindy72

Should have clarified - I mean to refined or added sugar. Fruit, veggies, etc are still a main component.

I've hear such positive things from friends who have taken it on as a lifestyle now - more energy, weight loss, better skin. Seems as though as long as I can hold out for the first 21 days, the addiction and reliance should be broken!

The sugar in fruit is exactly the same as refined sugar. What exactly do you expect to accomplish? It's like saying "I'm going to give up alcohol, so I'm only going to drink wine instead of rum." It makes no sense.

+1

Ctrum69

Should have clarified - I mean to refined or added sugar. Fruit, veggies, etc are still a main component.

I've hear such positive things from friends who have taken it on as a lifestyle now - more energy, weight loss, better skin. Seems as though as long as I can hold out for the first 21 days, the addiction and reliance should be broken!

The sugar in fruit is exactly the same as refined sugar. What exactly do you expect to accomplish? It's like saying "I'm going to give up alcohol, so I'm only going to drink wine instead of rum." It makes no sense.

Volume? Total intake? Aiming for better macro and micronutrition within your daily calorie intake?

There's plenty of reasons.

There's zero dietary need for coke. If you enjoy it, great, go nuts. I thought I did, till I stopped it for a while. Now I realize it tastes like carbonated battery acid, and gives me an upset stomach.

Sure the "Exact same" (sorta) sugar may be in a glass of grape juice.. but that has micronutrition the coke doesn't, and doesn't taste like boiled azz.

mccindy72

Should have clarified - I mean to refined or added sugar. Fruit, veggies, etc are still a main component.

I've hear such positive things from friends who have taken it on as a lifestyle now - more energy, weight loss, better skin. Seems as though as long as I can hold out for the first 21 days, the addiction and reliance should be broken!

The sugar in fruit is exactly the same as refined sugar. What exactly do you expect to accomplish? It's like saying "I'm going to give up alcohol, so I'm only going to drink wine instead of rum." It makes no sense.

Volume? Total intake? Aiming for better macro and micronutrition within your daily calorie intake?

There's plenty of reasons.

There's zero dietary need for coke. If you enjoy it, great, go nuts. I thought I did, till I stopped it for a while. Now I realize it tastes like carbonated battery acid, and gives me an upset stomach.

Sure the "Exact same" (sorta) sugar may be in a glass of grape juice.. but that has micronutrition the coke doesn't, and doesn't taste like boiled azz.

There many reasons to eat, and some superlative need to meet some predefined nutrtional list doesn't have to be one of them. As long as you are well-rounded, and have met other nutrtitional needs (and like Coke), it's perfectly fine to still have Coke and the sugar contained therein. Or wine (my preference, personally).

Jacwhite22

Yes. Here's my thread on what I learned about it. I don't eat any sugar now......except sugar alcohols.......which give me explosive diarrhea...but at least they don't have any calories.

www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1190193-guest-speaker-today-at-my-work-what-i-learned?

Kiwi94544

From January 2nd - January 31st, I did my own 'take' on going 'sugar-free.' For me, that basically meant avoiding all processed "sweet" things - no cookies, cakes, jams, cereals, peanut butter, ice cream, yogurt, etc.... Basically trying to avoid all "refined" sugars. I still ate fruit occasionally, and complex carbs - like sprouted bread and on occasion, brown rice - but basically anything sweet other than a piece of fruit, I avoided. I did this with the goal of sticking to it for 30 days. Which I did.

I will say, the first few days were the hardest - I was a sugar ADDICT so it was massive headaches and cravings the first few days... After that though, it was much easier. My advice is to just keep anything you don't want to eat OUT of your home. If it's in your house, you WILL eat it - if it's not, you probably won't. So just make your home sugar-free friendly, if possible. I found that going without sugar helped with my energy levels (no more mid-afternoon tiredness, or sugar-coma sleepiness) and overall just made me feel better. Again, the first week or so I felt worse (craving sugar badly) but after that week, it was mostly smooth sailing.

During that 30-day period, I lost 17 lbs. Mind you, at the same time, I incorporated calorie counting and exercise as well for January, so that loss probably isn't all sugar-related, but I honestly don't know if I would've been as committed to the calorie counting and exercise if I wasn't doing the no-sugar thing too.

Anyway... planning to keep sugar out of my diet from now on, but less stringently - figure 1 sweet "treat" on the weekend, and that's my thing. I tried that this weekend though - had a piece of cheesecake. But my tastes have changed, apparently. I normally LOVE the cheesecakes from the Cheesecake Factory, but this weekend, I could only finish half my piece and then felt sick after. A piece of cheesecake may have been the wrong choice for a treat though, after going 30 days without that kind of desserty stuff.

acpgranberg

Absolutely nothing. They are unrelated. I just happen to have tonnes of juice in the fridge from a cocktail party the night before so I broke my sugar fast to down juice like a MoFo. I'm not blaming the cold on being sugar-free.

Ctrum69

Yes. Here's my thread on what I learned about it. I don't eat any sugar now......except sugar alcohols.......which give me explosive diarrhea...but at least they don't have any calories.

www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1190193-guest-speaker-today-at-my-work-what-i-learned?

When you troll, you troll HARD!

PaveGurl

I do the 21-day sugar detox periodically, and I both love and hate it.

But I do a pretty strict version - it helps make me more conscious of the sheer volume of sugar I put into my body on the whole, and for that reason, I think it's really helpful. When I do it, I'm pulling all refined and "pretend" sugars, as well as things that convert to sugar rapidly (dairy, fruit, and high starch veggies, for an example), so my biggest frustrations are that a) I miss fruit , cheese, and potatoes and b) I get really tired of water, coffee, and plain tea.

I never realised how much I look forward to a piece of gum! Ha!

Ang108

Has anyone made the switch to a sugar free diet? I'm going to attempt it for a week (key word - attempt) but I'm worried about getting sick of the same repetitious meals! So many of my usual meals have sugar whether it be a salad dressing, or frozen chicken.

While it is impossible to eat a sugar free diet, it is easy to eat foods with no " added sugar ". Both my parents and one grandparent on each side were diabetics and I grew up with no added sugar. I have not developed diabetes so far ( and at 66 it is highly unlikely that I will ) and am not sure why, because sugar does not directly cause diabetes. In my family we ate 100s of recipes that were natural with no added sugar and the menu never was boring.
I also would like to point out that there are billions of people on this planet, who as a rule eat no-sugar-added diets and lots of them eat very interesting ( and often easy to prepare dishes ). There is no reason why you should think that you can only eat the same handful of meals if you go low sugar. I would opt for home made salad dressing ( takes five minutes to prepare for a whole week ) and buy chicken without sugar....is that an American thing ? I also would surf the internet a bit to find maybe a dozen interesting no-sugar-added recipes and start there.
Good Luck !

csmccord

Why do people assume others cannot "enjoy" a diet that doesn't have refined sugar, cookies, cakes, pies, etc in it?

Why do people assume that refined sugar, cookies, cakes, pies, etc, should be avoided entirely?

Because they are crap? Because they have absolutely no nutritional value at all? The human body doesn't need them.

From my perspective, you look like somebody that has never truly struggled with food or sugar additions. There have been multiple studies done which show that refined carbs have much the same effect on the brain as cocaine. At best, they spike your blood sugar, then cause an insulin reaction which crashes your blood sugar leaving you feeling hungry for more. This speaks volumes for those of us that do struggle with obesity and addition. Most of those refined carb options are my trigger foods.

I have cut out refined carbs completely. I don't eat bread, pasta, or rice. I will occasionally eat potatoes but that's it. I don't miss any of these items. Yes, I do take a bit of Stevia in my morning tea, but that's it. I've found that fruits and veggies taste much sweeter now than they used to.

So, for those like you who I suspect, have not had these struggles, consider yourself lucky. But please, don't assume that just because you can walk by and take a single cookie that others can too. It's not all about willpower, or lack of motivation. Consider that many of us might actually be addicted to the stuff.

Ctrum69

and bring forth the broscience that "Disproves" Food addiction, because people are all exactly the same.

mccindy72

Why do people assume others cannot "enjoy" a diet that doesn't have refined sugar, cookies, cakes, pies, etc in it?

Why do people assume that refined sugar, cookies, cakes, pies, etc, should be avoided entirely?

Because they are crap? Because they have absolutely no nutritional value at all? The human body doesn't need them.

From my perspective, you look like somebody that has never truly struggled with food or sugar additions. There have been multiple studies done which show that refined carbs have much the same effect on the brain as cocaine. At best, they spike your blood sugar, then cause an insulin reaction which crashes your blood sugar leaving you feeling hungry for more. This speaks volumes for those of us that do struggle with obesity and addition. Most of those refined carb options are my trigger foods.

I have cut out refined carbs completely. I don't eat bread, pasta, or rice. I will occasionally eat potatoes but that's it. I don't miss any of these items. Yes, I do take a bit of Stevia in my morning tea, but that's it. I've found that fruits and veggies taste much sweeter now than they used to.

So, for those like you who I suspect, have not had these struggles, consider yourself lucky. But please, don't assume that just because you can walk by and take a single cookie that others can too. It's not all about willpower, or lack of motivation. Consider that many of us might actually be addicted to the stuff.

Since they are made with things like flour, butter, eggs, milk, fruit (in the case of pies), there is nutritional value in them. They are not crap. I find it interesting that you can look at a photo of me and make assumptions about whether I do or do not know anything about addiction. There are many kinds of addiction. I may not have been addicted to food, but I've been addicted to cigarettes and to prescription painkillers, and managed to kick both. It is about willpower and motivation. Everyone has a trigger and needs to find what will work for him or her. Using addiction as an excuse to continue self-abuse is just that; an excuse. There's a way out. You may need help to find it, but there is. And it doesn't mean that you can never touch the food again. I have found mysefl able to use painkillers sensibly since I kicked my addiction.

Ctrum69

Umm.. they aren't using "addiction" as an excuse for self abuse.

Would you say the same to an alcoholic? "Oh, you are just using addiction as an excuse for self abuse. You don't need to cut out alcohol, that's stupid. Just moderate."?

THey are using addiction as a reason TO eliminate the self abuse.

Again, good for you. You managed to kick all your nasty habits. I know people who smoked 2 packs a day for years, and then just.. stopped. I know others who have struggled to get below five cigarettes a day for years, and simply cannot do it.

Your experiences, and abilities, are true for you. That does not mean they are true for anyone else.

mccindy72

Umm.. they aren't using "addiction" as an excuse for self abuse.

Would you say the same to an alcoholic? "Oh, you are just using addiction as an excuse for self abuse. You don't need to cut out alcohol, that's stupid. Just moderate."?

THey are using addiction as a reason TO eliminate the self abuse.

Again, good for you. You managed to kick all your nasty habits. I know people who smoked 2 packs a day for years, and then just.. stopped. I know others who have struggled to get below five cigarettes a day for years, and simply cannot do it.

Your experiences, and abilities, are true for you. That does not mean they are true for anyone else.

If someone is obese, and still overeating to stay obese, and addicted to food, and not getting help to treat that addiction, then yes, they are using it as an excuse. You cannot eliminate food addiction as you can alcohol and tobacco addiction, because people need to eat to live. People need to learn how to eat in a healthy way and not treat food as a drug. There is always help for any addict, and any addict can kick a habit, but not until he is ready to do it. That is how the mental game of addiction works. I've counseled many people on tobacco cessation, and none of them could quit until they were ready to do it. I'm married to a food addict. He knows what he is, and he's not ready to fix it yet, so we're working on it.

Ctrum69

If someone is here commenting on their weight loss progress, and how cutting out "crap" that is just a method to get refined sugar into them, then they aren't using it as "an excuse" to stay obese.

They have identified an addiction in their life (whether physical or mental, it's still an addiction to that person), and have figured out how to beat it.

That's what I was pointing out.

if you can "stop at just one", more power to you.

Lots of people can't, so avoiding whatever it is works better for them.

Plenty of folks can stop at just one drink. A number of folks cannot. Chiding those who cannot over a lack of self control, or claiming it's "not really addictive, it's all in your head" does not one whit of good to help them with their problem, and if abstaining entirely from alcohol is their solution, more power to them.

in_the_stars

Should have clarified - I mean to refined or added sugar. Fruit, veggies, etc are still a main component.

I've hear such positive things from friends who have taken it on as a lifestyle now - more energy, weight loss, better skin. Seems as though as long as I can hold out for the first 21 days, the addiction and reliance should be broken!

The sugar in fruit is exactly the same as refined sugar. What exactly do you expect to accomplish? It's like saying "I'm going to give up alcohol, so I'm only going to drink wine instead of rum." It makes no sense.

Exactly.

kbkeats

Holey man - who knew this topic would start such a heated debate.
Added processed sugars are in more foods than I would've originally thought, so this process is simply getting me to think harder about what I'm putting in my body.
Comparing healthy eating to alcoholism is a far stretch. I can only imagine the reactions when someone posts about going gluten free or vegetarian!

Kar3n84

For me personally, I have found that sticking to whole foods and not those chemically altered (sugar-free, fat-free, etc) have allowed me to curb my sweet tooth and retrain my taste buds. The sugar-free options would only make me crave sugar more often. I work in a hotel that gives away warm oatmeal chocolate chip cookies every day and the bulk of them are in my office before they hit the warmer. After being on this diet a little over a month, I no longer have any desire to have them anymore. That said I eat more fruit now, so that could also be why I don't crave sugar like I used to.

Everyone has to start somewhere, so if going sugar free helps you, go for it.

tigersword

Holey man - who knew this topic would start such a heated debate.
Added processed sugars are in more foods than I would've originally thought, so this process is simply getting me to think harder about what I'm putting in my body.
Comparing healthy eating to alcoholism is a far stretch. I can only imagine the reactions when someone posts about going gluten free or vegetarian!

Cutting out added sugars with no medical reason is not "healthy eating." Healthy eating is hitting all of your nutritional needs on a daily basis. If you are overeating foods that prevent you from hitting your macronutrient (and micronutrient) goals then cutting them out is certainly a good idea, but if you are already getting enough nutrition, then arbitrarily eliminating foods doesn't make you any healthier.

Also, false equivalency. I made the alcohol comparison because you said you were going sugar free, except for fruits and vegetables (so not sugar free at all.) You don't see someone with celiacs say, "I'm going gluten free, well, except for sourdough bread, I'll still eat that." You don't see vegetarians say, "I eat vegetarian, well except for the giant ribeye steak I eat every day."

Sadagopan84

Holey man - who knew this topic would start such a heated debate.
Added processed sugars are in more foods than I would've originally thought, so this process is simply getting me to think harder about what I'm putting in my body.
Comparing healthy eating to alcoholism is a far stretch. I can only imagine the reactions when someone posts about going gluten free or vegetarian!

Cutting out added sugars with no medical reason is not "healthy eating." Healthy eating is hitting all of your nutritional needs on a daily basis. If you are overeating foods that prevent you from hitting your macronutrient (and micronutrient) goals then cutting them out is certainly a good idea, but if you are already getting enough nutrition, then arbitrarily eliminating foods doesn't make you any healthier.

Also, false equivalency. I made the alcohol comparison because you said you were going sugar free, except for fruits and vegetables (so not sugar free at all.) You don't see someone with celiacs say, "I'm going gluten free, well, except for sourdough bread, I'll still eat that." You don't see vegetarians say, "I eat vegetarian, well except for the giant ribeye steak I eat every day."

Hi,
The sugar from fruit and vegetables is made of fructose and lot of fiber,minerals. This will help metabolize the sugar that you get from fruits/vegetables more easily and slowly. Just for information, we don't need sugar to survive body converts everything that we eat to glucose and store it as glycogen.
Sugar just adds taste and also it increases insulin level as blood sugar spikes. The are proof that increase in insulin will increase fat level in body. Also insulin will suppress leptin hormone which is the feedback system designed to tell brain that you stomach is full. If insulin suppress leptin then we will tend to eat more than what is required / feel hungry or worse increase carving for junk foods which intern has more sugar and produce more insulin.

Read the book 'Pure white and deadly' then you will understand more about how sugar is converted to LDL fat which causes various diseases like Type 2 , blood pressure, heart attack etc.

tigersword

Holey man - who knew this topic would start such a heated debate.
Added processed sugars are in more foods than I would've originally thought, so this process is simply getting me to think harder about what I'm putting in my body.
Comparing healthy eating to alcoholism is a far stretch. I can only imagine the reactions when someone posts about going gluten free or vegetarian!

Cutting out added sugars with no medical reason is not "healthy eating." Healthy eating is hitting all of your nutritional needs on a daily basis. If you are overeating foods that prevent you from hitting your macronutrient (and micronutrient) goals then cutting them out is certainly a good idea, but if you are already getting enough nutrition, then arbitrarily eliminating foods doesn't make you any healthier.

Also, false equivalency. I made the alcohol comparison because you said you were going sugar free, except for fruits and vegetables (so not sugar free at all.) You don't see someone with celiacs say, "I'm going gluten free, well, except for sourdough bread, I'll still eat that." You don't see vegetarians say, "I eat vegetarian, well except for the giant ribeye steak I eat every day."

Hi,
The sugar from fruit and vegetables is made of fructose and lot of fiber,minerals. This will help metabolize the sugar that you get from fruits/vegetables more easily and slowly. Just for information, we don't need sugar to survive body converts everything that we eat to glucose and store it as glycogen.
Sugar just adds taste and also it increases insulin level as blood sugar spikes. The are proof that increase in insulin will increase fat level in body. Also insulin will suppress leptin hormone which is the feedback system designed to tell brain that you stomach is full. If insulin suppress leptin then we will tend to eat more than what is required / feel hungry or worse increase carving for junk foods which intern has more sugar and produce more insulin.

Read the book 'Pure white and deadly' then you will understand more about how sugar is converted to LDL fat which causes various diseases like Type 2 , blood pressure, heart attack etc.

What about all the glucose, maltose, galactose, sucrose, and the thousands of other sugar molecules in fruit? To say that sugar in fruit is just made of fructose shows complete ignorance to the entire topic.

Of course, protein spikes insulin as much as sugar does, and insulin has nothing to do with fat storage, either. Insulin also happens to be the main hormone that suppresses appetite. Insulin works with leptin, not against it.

Then again, you're recommending a fear mongering book for your source, so I guess I shouldn't expect unbiased, true facts.

psuLemon

Why do people assume others cannot "enjoy" a diet that doesn't have refined sugar, cookies, cakes, pies, etc in it?

Why do people assume that refined sugar, cookies, cakes, pies, etc, should be avoided entirely?

Because they are crap? Because they have absolutely no nutritional value at all? The human body doesn't need them.

From my perspective, you look like somebody that has never truly struggled with food or sugar additions. There have been multiple studies done which show that refined carbs have much the same effect on the brain as cocaine. At best, they spike your blood sugar, then cause an insulin reaction which crashes your blood sugar leaving you feeling hungry for more. This speaks volumes for those of us that do struggle with obesity and addition. Most of those refined carb options are my trigger foods.

I have cut out refined carbs completely. I don't eat bread, pasta, or rice. I will occasionally eat potatoes but that's it. I don't miss any of these items. Yes, I do take a bit of Stevia in my morning tea, but that's it. I've found that fruits and veggies taste much sweeter now than they used to.

So, for those like you who I suspect, have not had these struggles, consider yourself lucky. But please, don't assume that just because you can walk by and take a single cookie that others can too. It's not all about willpower, or lack of motivation. Consider that many of us might actually be addicted to the stuff.

Please likes not compare sugar to cocaine. They are no where near the same. You don't see people giving away their bodies and selling off possessions to get a cookie, like they would with coke addiction. Besides, we just had a 800+ post battle over that.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1184875-need-serious-help-with-sugar

psuLemon

Should have clarified - I mean to refined or added sugar. Fruit, veggies, etc are still a main component.

I've hear such positive things from friends who have taken it on as a lifestyle now - more energy, weight loss, better skin. Seems as though as long as I can hold out for the first 21 days, the addiction and reliance should be broken!

A lot of the "energy" is all placebo. Anytime someone starts something new, they always feel revived and excited. So it's easy to contribute that to your new found lifestyle. Weight loss is simple, it's from a calorie deficit. What is probably happening is they are reducing calories through reduced sugar. Essentially cutting out foods that are hyperpalatable (which can be high in calories). In the end, it's about diet adherence. I personally saw worst results when I cut out foods I loved (like ice cream or other carb foods). So I eat in moderation. I hit my macro and micronutrient goals daily and that includes a klondike bar. So just follow an 80/20 rule if possible and you will be good.

There are more important things to monitor than sugar (like protein intake or fat intake). Both are great for satiety and protein helps with muscle retention.

QuietBloom

I've hear such positive things from friends who have taken it on as a lifestyle now - more energy, weight loss, better skin. Seems as though as long as I can hold out for the first 21 days, the addiction and reliance should be broken!

Because all da toxinz...

Sugar is not a toxin. There is no addiction to be broken. Just your taste buds becoming adjusted to less savory foods.

QuietBloom

Hi,
The sugar from fruit and vegetables is made of fructose and lot of fiber,minerals. This will help metabolize the sugar that you get from fruits/vegetables more easily and slowly. Just for information, we don't need sugar to survive body converts everything that we eat to glucose and store it as glycogen.
Sugar just adds taste and also it increases insulin level as blood sugar spikes. The are proof that increase in insulin will increase fat level in body. Also insulin will suppress leptin hormone which is the feedback system designed to tell brain that you stomach is full. If insulin suppress leptin then we will tend to eat more than what is required / feel hungry or worse increase carving for junk foods which intern has more sugar and produce more insulin.

Read the book 'Pure white and deadly' then you will understand more about how sugar is converted to LDL fat which causes various diseases like Type 2 , blood pressure, heart attack etc.

This seems like a good place to put this.

minnie116

Yep - cut right down on refined sugars now for few months now. Never felt fitter...I'm a keen runner training for my second marathon. Running better, sleeping better, no mid-afternoon sugar slumps and less moody ( or so my other half says :-)) Recommend it!