Eliminating sugar?

Monda
Monda Posts: 271 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Everytime I try to eliminate sugar, I start getting weak and shakey. Not sure if it is withdrawels or something else. Any ideas?

Replies

  • lunapetu0311
    lunapetu0311 Posts: 96
    It can certainly be your body's reaction to sugar withdrawals especially if your diet was high in sugar before. Does eating a piece of fruit or a spoonful of honey make you feel better? I would say your first 5-10 days are going to be hard and you aren't going to feel well but you should eventually not have anymore withdrawal symptoms.

    If you don't feel better after a week of eliminating sugar or feel worse - check with your doctor :)

    Good luck!
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    How come you want to eliminate sugar? Do you have a medical condition such as diabetes? If not, there is no reason why you can't incorporate some sugar into your nutrition. :smile:
  • Monda
    Monda Posts: 271 Member
    My diet has been high in sugar and so I am trying to eliminate it temporarily. I think I am addicted to it. I ate a banana and it did make me feel some better. But boy oh boy, the weak spells are unreal. I will add some back once I get control of it. :)
  • BlackrazorNZ
    BlackrazorNZ Posts: 2
    I've been trying to cut down sugar as much as possible simply because it's so calorie packed. And by sugar I mean all refined carbs, such as white breads, wraps, white sugar, etc etc etc.

    What has really helped me through it is drinking lots of lime-flavoured sparkling water. I find it helps replace the cravings for soft drink because you get that 'fizzy' sensation, minus all the calories - a 1.5L bottle of sparkling water with a twist of lime in it has... wait (weight?) for it... 5 calories.

    Beyond that, occasionally having a malto-dextrose based sweet like Werthers Originals Sugar Free helps satisfy the sugar crave without taking in the sugar, and Guylian make a very tasty sugar free chocolate.
  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
    My diet has been high in sugar and so I am trying to eliminate it temporarily. I think I am addicted to it. I ate a banana and it did make me feel some better. But boy oh boy, the weak spells are unreal. I will add some back once I get control of it. :)

    Bananas are high in sugar, so I'm not sure what you're really trying to accomplish here. Are you even sure?
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    here's my suggestion, if your diet traditionally is high sugar, but you're having some issues eliminating it.

    Just focus for now on eliminating "high fructose corn syrup." Just doing this will do wonders for your sugar addiction.
  • smc0170
    smc0170 Posts: 56 Member
    Some sugar is fine, and would probably help with your headaches or feeling shakey. Just try to avoid the refined sugars, and get your sugar from things like fruit or honey. A little bit of sugar isn't a bad thing.

    A blog was actually posted on just this issue which could help to identify added sugars: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/2014/03/nicknames-for-added-sugar/
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    My diet has been high in sugar and so I am trying to eliminate it temporarily. I think I am addicted to it. I ate a banana and it did make me feel some better. But boy oh boy, the weak spells are unreal. I will add some back once I get control of it. :)

    Are you just trying to eliminate added sugars? Eliminating any food group/macro/micronutrient will cause weak spells/low energy. It doesn't necessarily mean you're addicted.
  • fitformidlife
    fitformidlife Posts: 103
    I understand where you're coming from because I did this myself many years ago and had good results. I stuck with it for about a year, but I had a specific intent. I used it as a way to cut empty calories out of my diet, so I didn't eliminate items that contained sugar naturally, like fruit etc. I cut out candy, desserts, and things like that and added no sugar to coffee, iced tea, etc. I did lose weight and had the nice side effect of losing the taste for sweet coffee and tea. To this day I drink both without sugar and don't miss it.

    But there are other ways to potentially accomplish what you want to do. Sugar is not the enemy, although the ways in which we use it can be unhealthy. It can be even worse if you cut it out and start to feel deprived. Think this through, think about why you want to do it and what you want to accomplish. Then make a plan that will work for YOU, whether it's cutting it out or making some other adjustments that make more sense.
  • MDChesler
    MDChesler Posts: 48 Member
    do you mean refined sugars such granulated sugar, soft drinks artificial sweeteners or are you cutting out fruit as well? Keeping fruit IMO is important. Fruits provide some great nutrition and can be quite refreshing.
  • TitanGM
    TitanGM Posts: 1,161 Member
    Sugar withdrawal can be the case. Especially if you were a sugar addict. The best thing you can do is not to eliminate sugar all at once, rather gradually so the effects can be minimized. I had the same problem, because of my sweet tooth my daily diet included way too much sugar on it. Gradually I decreased the amount of sugar intake. I still would feel very weak, and nauseous. But soon my body adapted to it.
  • sue_stef
    sue_stef Posts: 194 Member
    Are you trying to eliminate refined sugar or all sugar?

    the only reason sugar is "bad" is if you have a metabolic disorder like diabetes
    but even then you cannot get away from it completely
    I severely limit sugar because of being type 2 diabetic
    but I would never cut it completely out
    that would eliminate
    many things that make life nice
    and there really is no point to that

    I do not eat the artificial sweeteners because some can badly affect some diabetics

    cutting out refined sugar should be enough for the average person

    I personally do not believe in the whole "addicted" to sugar thing
  • margaretturk
    margaretturk Posts: 5,253 Member
    I have cut down on the processed sugar I am eating. The health benefit it had for me was the recent cold I had only lasted a few days. In the past I would have a cold for a least a week. I eat more fruits,vegetables, and nuts now too. I like the taste of my food better. I also do not have so many cravings and overeat less often. To satisfy my sweet tooth I eat dates and fruit. I eat these within my calorie goals. Whether you decide to cut down on eating processed sugar is a personal decision. Only you can decide if it is right for you.
  • Monda
    Monda Posts: 271 Member
    Thanks everyone so much for your input. Yes, I am only cutting refined sugars. I am still eating fruit. But I know I need to get away from the other. I have lost total control. My mind tells me I need sweets but my body tells me I do not. LOL! I am trying to get back on track. It is so easy to grab a candy bar. I want to conquer that feeling. Anyone who loves sweets, knows exactly what I mean. :) Thank you so very much again! I really appreciate it. :)

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