Questions about decreasing Sugar

kerrid72

I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

Thanks for the input!

Kanuenue

So are you eliminating all sugars or just added sugars? Once I increased my fruit intake (natural sugars+vitamins+fiber) I haven't had issues skipping desserts.

kgeyser

Define sugar.

Kita328

I over consume sugar but its not processed sugar. I didnt really realize it before I started tracking- but I dont worry about sugar unless its processed.

That being said- I realized the less I ate the processed and refined foods...the less I wanted them. So IMO slowly cutting back would do the trick

**To add**

I have also read that anything we consume that is more than 13 g in one serving generally sends most peoples Blood Sugar Spiking

kerrid72

After some reading, I guess I'm referring to refined sugars. Maybe get to where the only sugars I get are from natural sources like fruits. Would honey then be considered a natural source?

bcattoes

After some reading, I guess I'm referring to refined sugars. Maybe get to where the only sugars I get are from natural sources like fruits. Would honey then be considered a natural source?

Though all commercial honey is processed to some degree, it is a natural sugar. Your body is unlikely to know the difference between it and table sugar though.

I believe the easiest way to decrease sugar is to set a 'rule' that you must eat added sugar with protein and/or fiber. Since protein and fiber are very filling, you will probably end up eating less of the sugar.

This wouldn't work everyone, as nothing works for everyone, but for example many people are likely to eat more Nutella if they eat it straight from the jar, than if they eat it on a piece of high fiber bread.

kgeyser

If you are talking all refined sugars, good luck to you. That eliminates salad dressing, many condiments, breads, baked goods, some dairy products, bacon (yep, added sugar, believe it or not), and pretty much every prepackaged food or restaurant meal. If that's your goal, I would say cut things out slowly and figure out where you feel comfortable stopping. You may end up curbing your cravings and still having refined sugars in your diet, just at a lower level.

kerrid72

Thanks for your thoughts! That helps. I know it isn't realistic to cut it out entirely but maybe just being more aware of the amount will decrease that craving. I like the idea of adding the protein or fiber.

rmdaly

I tried to cut out added sugar last year for a few months. I found that dried fruit helped with the sweet cravings, but you have to watch those too. Raisins, apricots and whole dates were about the only dried fruits I found that didn't have added sugar. It's very easy to overeat them. I ended up making my own bread and tortillas because it was very difficult to find without sugar.

I "discovered" that a lot of salty foods didn't have sugar, like peanuts or potato/tortilla chips. I ate too many of them when I craved junky food and was trying to stay sugar free. So I ended up just eating more fat.

I am still sugar-conscious, but I do enjoy my deserts and try not to feel guilty about it. I'm within the recommended limits for added sugar.

Confuzzled4ever

My suggestion is this:

Go all in and cold turkey.

Cut out anything with added sugar - this includes breads- premade foods- a lot of yogurts- a lot of types of cheese, pre-flavored flavored oats, desserts, most pancake recipes milk, etc...

limit fruit to 2 low sugar fruit servings per day. Low sugar fruits are oranges, grapefruits, grapes, apples, pears, berries (i'm sure i'm missing a few)

increase your protein intake and I mean by a lot. I'm currently eating between 200 and 250g a day. Helps with the headaches and the craving (even if you get them you will be too full to stuff it in. LOL)

Eat a lot of vegetables. I mean a lot. Put them with every meal and in anything you can.

Protein powder. Body Fortress and Java pro are two of the lowest sugar ones out there. If you use them, switch to these while cutting out sugar. Protein bars are generally a no go. It's up to you how much you want to commit to this.

If you aren't already, you will have to cook and prepare foods at home. Otherwise you won't know if you are really cutting out the added sugar or not. Oh and pack a LOT. You will need a lot of food to reach your calorie goals if you cut it all out. I am full all day long, and sometimes struggle to eat my snack (like today! I don't' want my naughty nibbles!)

A tip - when shopping salt free often also means no added sugar - but not always.

I'm currently on day 4 of no added sugar and my headache went away. I usually don't get a headache until day 3, but it graced me with it's presence early this time. Generally i find it's about day 3 when you will get a headache, but it will go away in a few days. If you cave in and eat the sugar it will go away and then come back later even worse. Hey maybe you will be lucky on and avoid the headache all together! Some people are!

The first week does suck, esp the first time you do it. but once you get through it it's awesome. I sleep better, I feel better, I have more energy and I like the taste of my (non-sugared up) foods a lot more!

The cravings should go away after a week or two, then you can add in other stuff as you see fit. I find i have trigger foods and if I eat one piece I ea the entire thing without a second thought. Then I feel like crap and end up full speed ahead on the wrong track.

My diary is open and I cut out all added sugars as of last Monday. (except I had 1 protein bar, because I was starving after my workout, oh well)

I also limit fat and salt, so if you want to do that as well I can point you to good way to do that, but it's not necessary if you're just trying to cut out sugar. (it's also sort of a bonus to cutting out sugar, you eat a lot less salt and a lot less unhealthy fats)

Oh and if you go all in and really watch it, you'll drop weight quick for a week or so. I always do and it always stays off.

seltzermint555

I have never made a real effort to cut out sugar completely or even to strictly limit it. However, when I first started logging on MFP last March, sugar was my #1 shocker...almost every single day at first, I was over on my suggested grams by like 100 or more!!

Over time that has lessened dramatically. I try to stay "in the black" for sugar and succeed most days. I don't freak if I go over, especially if it's from fruit But I find myself "saving" my sugar for things like fruit or admittedly, chocolate & other treats, and eat a lot less sugar-added stuff like breads and condiments and pasta sauces.

Sometimes I am shocked that I've eaten a couple pieces of Easter candy AND fruit and still stay within the MFP guideline for me.

kerrid72

Thanks a TON for ALL the info! This all really helps. I just now set up my MFP to track my sugar and...wow... yeah.. it was bad. I'm sure now that is why I seem stuck.
Thanks again!

Confuzzled4ever

Thanks a TON for ALL the info! This all really helps. I just now set up my MFP to track my sugar and...wow... yeah.. it was bad. I'm sure now that is why I seem stuck.
Thanks again!

Good luck! Feel free to message me if you want. I cut out sugar for long period of time and it slowly creeps back into my diet (usuallty around holidays!) and then I have to go cold turkey all in again. :drinker:

jbaerbock

I've never tried to quit sugar 100% because for me it's just to difficult. That being said I limit it as much as possible and most of my sugar comes from natural sources like fruit [fructose] or milk [lactose]. My only real source of un-natural sugar is in the yogurt I eat everyday. But I'm thinking about buying the plain stuff and flavoring it myself naturaly to cut that down too.I also use low-sugar jelly on my morning toast and eggs for example. It's hard to find but there are some brands out there of jellies and jams that just have less sugar and not less sugar but added artificial junk.

Good Luck!

ndj1979

OP - sugar is not the devil and if you are consuming sugar and are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. I eat sugar, eat in a deficit, and in my most recent cut I am down about 8.5 pounds, and that is with eating ice cream almost every night. My diary is open ...

ndj1979

I have never made a real effort to cut out sugar completely or even to strictly limit it. However, when I first started logging on MFP last March, sugar was my #1 shocker...almost every single day at first, I was over on my suggested grams by like 100 or more!!

Over time that has lessened dramatically. I try to stay "in the black" for sugar and succeed most days. I don't freak if I go over, especially if it's from fruit But I find myself "saving" my sugar for things like fruit or admittedly, chocolate & other treats, and eat a lot less sugar-added stuff like breads and condiments and pasta sauces.

Sometimes I am shocked that I've eaten a couple pieces of Easter candy AND fruit and still stay within the MFP guideline for me.

MFP sugar recommendation is extremely low..you are better off not even tracking it...

cpdiminish

I agree that quitting sugar altogether doesn't seem all that reasonable because you'd also have to cut fruits, and I'd never be willing to do that.

But if you were to try, I hear that it takes two weeks to completely get though a sugar addiction to the point where you no longer crave sweets.

If you wanted to just dial it back a little at a time, I'd start by cutting all high-fructose corn syrup - cancer's favorite food, not to mention that I don't like my tax dollars paying for corn subsidies that make it less expensive to sell soda than most food products. Presuming artificial sweeteners are already out, I'd cut white refined sugar next. Just figure out which ones you think are the worst in your diet and eliminate or replace them until you hit a point where you feel comfortable with what you are doing from the health perspective.

jbaerbock

I have never made a real effort to cut out sugar completely or even to strictly limit it. However, when I first started logging on MFP last March, sugar was my #1 shocker...almost every single day at first, I was over on my suggested grams by like 100 or more!!

Over time that has lessened dramatically. I try to stay "in the black" for sugar and succeed most days. I don't freak if I go over, especially if it's from fruit But I find myself "saving" my sugar for things like fruit or admittedly, chocolate & other treats, and eat a lot less sugar-added stuff like breads and condiments and pasta sauces.

Sometimes I am shocked that I've eaten a couple pieces of Easter candy AND fruit and still stay within the MFP guideline for me.

MFP sugar recommendation is extremely low..you are better off not even tracking it...

Actually MFP sugar recommendation [for me anyway] goes along with the guidelines posted by the American Heart Association for what the calculated recommended DV should be. The FDA in the USA hasn't gotten around to coming with a proper DV yet since the sugar industry pretty much pays them out to ignore them haha.

Also I've seen a lot of posts saying that one can loose weight while eating tons of sugar. This is partially true but ask yourself, is the point of this to simply loose pounds or to have a healthier body? If healthier body is the answer then lets stop ignoring the common abuses like sugar and sodium. Ok rant done ;-)

tennisdude2004

As mentioned earlier sugar is not the devil and it's not un-heathy in moderation.

That being said in moderation it's not healthy either.

Sugar costs calories and apart from being a quick source of fuel for the body (which you can get from other sources) gives nothing much back nutritionally.

So whilst you can include it in larger quantities into your diet if you are eating in a deficit - the question is 'do you want to'?

Your diet - your choice!

jbaerbock

As mentioned earlier sugar is not the devil and it's not un-heathy in moderation.

That being said in moderation it's not healthy either.

Sugar costs calories and apart from being a quick source of fuel for the body (which you can get from other sources) gives nothing much back nutritionally.

So whilst you can include it in larger quantities into your diet if you are eating in a deficit - the question is 'do you want to'?

Your diet - your choice!

Well said sir!

Confuzzled4ever

I agree that quitting sugar altogether doesn't seem all that reasonable because you'd also have to cut fruits, and I'd never be willing to do that.

I wouldn't cut out fruit either. It's the added sugars i'd recommend cutting out. You need sugar for health, just not in the quantity a typical American eats it in.

ndj1979

I agree that quitting sugar altogether doesn't seem all that reasonable because you'd also have to cut fruits, and I'd never be willing to do that.

I wouldn't cut out fruit either. It's the added sugars i'd recommend cutting out. You need sugar for health, just not in the quantity a typical American eats it in.

yes, because we all know that added sugar is satan, but fruit sugar is the nectar of the gods…..rollz eyez...

ndj1979

I have never made a real effort to cut out sugar completely or even to strictly limit it. However, when I first started logging on MFP last March, sugar was my #1 shocker...almost every single day at first, I was over on my suggested grams by like 100 or more!!

Over time that has lessened dramatically. I try to stay "in the black" for sugar and succeed most days. I don't freak if I go over, especially if it's from fruit But I find myself "saving" my sugar for things like fruit or admittedly, chocolate & other treats, and eat a lot less sugar-added stuff like breads and condiments and pasta sauces.

Sometimes I am shocked that I've eaten a couple pieces of Easter candy AND fruit and still stay within the MFP guideline for me.

MFP sugar recommendation is extremely low..you are better off not even tracking it...

Actually MFP sugar recommendation [for me anyway] goes along with the guidelines posted by the American Heart Association for what the calculated recommended DV should be. The FDA in the USA hasn't gotten around to coming with a proper DV yet since the sugar industry pretty much pays them out to ignore them haha.

Also I've seen a lot of posts saying that one can loose weight while eating tons of sugar. This is partially true but ask yourself, is the point of this to simply loose pounds or to have a healthier body? If healthier body is the answer then lets stop ignoring the common abuses like sugar and sodium. Ok rant done ;-)

calore deficit + sugar consumption = weight loss ….

I eat 50+ grams of sugar a day and maintain 12% body fat….

amusedmonkey

I don't cut sugar completely but I do limit it some due to my pre-diabetes. I just deploy a few strategies to only eat it with certain rules:
1. It has to be after a filling meal or at a time when I'm too tired/lazy to get more. If I'm not full sugar would be too risky
2. It has to be when I kinda sorta want something sweet, but not when I'm craving it because that would spiral me out of control.
3. It has to be when my blood sugar is not above normal
4. I often just tuck my sweet treat right before bead when I'm sleepy so I'm too tired to get up and eat more.

Those are my strategies. If you are not cutting all sugar then figure out what strategies work for you. The reason for controlling or limiting added sugar is to replace those calories with more nutrient rich ones since you are eating at a deficit making it harder to get optimal nutrients. Other than nutrients, fiber and antioxidants, the body does not distinguish much between the sugar in a mars bar or a mango.

Sadly, MFP is just like your body, it does not distinguish between natural sugar and added sugar, so the tracker may not be the most accurate thing to watch. You may want to calculate it yourself. It is set to the ADDED sugar limit, but it counts in ALL sugar including fruits, vegetables and dairy.

Ivana_KillerBody

I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

Thanks for the input!

I would go cold turkey, plan it all out first and have all your foods ready for the week.
I'm doing the 4 Hr Body book by Timothy Ferriss and basically no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar (unless from veggies), no dairy (that means no milk, cheese, yogurt) I do use butter though. Nothing w/ flour. Any type of sauce (that includes ketchup and BBQ sauce) or store salad dressing usually all have sugar added. I had to learn to use spices instead of sauces. Pop or anything with artificial sweetener is not allowed. Eggs are allowed as are lots of meats, beans or lentils and veggies. Sour/pickled foods are ok. Think "mexican food" minus the tortillas, tacos & chips. Couple of glasses of dry red wine are allowed per day, such as Pinot Noir.
Calories are unimportant in this diet. In the book he disagrees with caloric formulas cause a calorie was orig. measured by a 19th century chemist (Atwater) by incinerating food - which obviously your body is not doing. The focus here is on carbs/sugar and somewhat fat. I would not recommend this if you have to be on low sodium. I am ok with the sodium, salt is a trade off for me: I used to be a choco-holic.

You will prob. crave sugar first 2 weeks, but these meals will keep you full and satisfied. What keeps you going is 1 cheat day per week, which is actually encouraged - to boost your metabolism and keep it from going into hybernation mode. You can have anything you want for a full 24 hrs. Then back on track.

I'm not into cooking and I don't have much time on making elaborate food - so my easy low carb go to's are:
1. sugar free sausage & sauerkraut + beans (salad optional)
2. canned lentils mixed w/ re-fried beans -mix in juice of 1 lime; sauteed onions + choice of ham, pork or sausage (hot dog can do)
3. veggie stir fry in sesame oil and fish + salad
4. roasted seasoned chicken with salad (dressing is balsamic vinegar & olive oil) or stir fry veggies
5. mashed cabbage w butter and meat balls or meatloaf
6. fajitas - no tortilla, refied beans and guacamole on the side

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, choice of meat, beans and spinach + sugar free salsa
I do coffee with stevia and 2 tsp of cream ( I guess it has a lower glycemic index than milk)

Favourite snack: pcs of smoked salmon w/ guacamole dip or pepperettes (preferrably sugar free)

jmv7117

I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

Thanks for the input!

A lot will depend on how much added sugar you have been used to having on a daily basis. You could always taper it down instead of going cold turkey to make it easier on yourself. Unless you eat a lot of sugar, the tapering method likely is the easiest. There are natural sweeteners that will give you the sweet without being refined sugar if it is just the refined sugars you are targeting. Good luck.

jmv7117

I've never tried to quit sugar 100% because for me it's just to difficult. That being said I limit it as much as possible and most of my sugar comes from natural sources like fruit [fructose] or milk [lactose]. My only real source of un-natural sugar is in the yogurt I eat everyday. But I'm thinking about buying the plain stuff and flavoring it myself naturaly to cut that down too.I also use low-sugar jelly on my morning toast and eggs for example. It's hard to find but there are some brands out there of jellies and jams that just have less sugar and not less sugar but added artificial junk.

Good Luck!

I make my own low and no sugar added jams and jellies. The work-around for you and others who are buying their jams and jellies is to look for the gourmet versions, preferably organic. They have low sugar or are made with other natural sweeteners and they don't have the added artificial junk. Specialty and health food stores carry them.

kuolo

I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

Thanks for the input!

I think you have to find a balance that works for you. I do think that reducing sugar can help you with sugar cravings, but it's unlikely to work if you just replace refined sugar with other sugar such as honey. Sugar is sugar and unrefined sugars can still trigger cravings, in fact fructose more so for some people.

There are ways to moderate the effect of dietary sugar on your blood sugar, which have already been mentioned, including protein, fat, fibre with your sugar item. So not eating fruit on its own as a snack, but only as part of a balanced meal, for example.

But you need to find your own balance. Some people find lactose triggers cravings, or apples (high fructose), or carrots, so do some experimentation to see if you're affected more by one thing than another. Some people find substituting fruit can work, or that some fruit is better than others. One thing I would say is dried fruit is very concentrated and thus high sugar so if you're reducing sugar it might not be a good option.

Sorry if that doesn't seem very helpful! But everyone's different so just try it and see what makes you feel better. And if you really eat a lot of sugar now it might be that simply reducing it will help your cravings. But if you choose the cold turkey route it's normally recommended to avoid fruit sugars also for the first week or so, then gradually reintroduce things one at a time to see how you react. Then you can see what you can tolerate without hopefully having to restrict your diet too much.

lavendy17

Sugar hides in weird places like bread, yogurt, ketchup.

Read labels. If you think there should be no sugar in it, chances are your'e right.

Buy bread with 0 grams of sugar.
Buy peanut butter without sugar and top you bread with sliced bananas.
Buy plain oatmeal and add fruit.
Buy plain yogurt and add fruit. Yogurt has naturally occurring sugar too, but that's ok, we're talking about the added sugars.
I also add half a tsp of agave, because I still need a touch of sweetness in oatmeal and yogurt. But the prepackaged ones have too much sugar, and I like to be in charge of how much I add (about 3 grams vs 12-19 grams).

Eat fruit- it helps tremendously in fixing a sweet tooth. Your body needs sugar. But the refined, added stuff is too aggressive and causes you to want more and more. Fruit, on the other hand, talking from my personal experience, satisfied your sugar need and doesn't make you need more.

lavendy17

I have never made a real effort to cut out sugar completely or even to strictly limit it. However, when I first started logging on MFP last March, sugar was my #1 shocker...almost every single day at first, I was over on my suggested grams by like 100 or more!!

Over time that has lessened dramatically. I try to stay "in the black" for sugar and succeed most days. I don't freak if I go over, especially if it's from fruit But I find myself "saving" my sugar for things like fruit or admittedly, chocolate & other treats, and eat a lot less sugar-added stuff like breads and condiments and pasta sauces.

Sometimes I am shocked that I've eaten a couple pieces of Easter candy AND fruit and still stay within the MFP guideline for me.

MFP sugar recommendation is extremely low..you are better off not even tracking it...

Actually MFP sugar recommendation [for me anyway] goes along with the guidelines posted by the American Heart Association for what the calculated recommended DV should be. The FDA in the USA hasn't gotten around to coming with a proper DV yet since the sugar industry pretty much pays them out to ignore them haha.

Also I've seen a lot of posts saying that one can loose weight while eating tons of sugar. This is partially true but ask yourself, is the point of this to simply loose pounds or to have a healthier body? If healthier body is the answer then lets stop ignoring the common abuses like sugar and sodium. Ok rant done ;-)

calore deficit + sugar consumption = weight loss ….

I eat 50+ grams of sugar a day and maintain 12% body fat….

I don't think it's the OP's concern- it's about the effects of how too much sugar was causing cravings. For some people it's a hell to live in. I was an example. Getting my sugar levels to a healthy level was liberating. Not talking about weight loss but about living life free of constant cravings and debilitating migraines.

Sabine_Stroehm

I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

Thanks for the input!

If you're trying to limit sugars, I'd take more of a "cold turkey" approach. Look for hidden sugars in things like bread and dressings. Often sugar is used to replace fat, so look at the ingredient lists and skip the low fat foods
I try to avoid things with more than 3 grams of added sugars (especially if they also lack fiber), as those are the ones more likely to cause spikes and dips in my bloods sugar, which lead me to crave sweets.
If you wanted a more structured approach, you could do something like Phase 1 of the South Beach diet. Phase 1 isn't really about weight loss, it's about getting control of cravings. If you don't need that, then yes, just look for added sugars in really weird places. Also, look at all the different labels for sugar.
http://www.fitsugar.com/Other-Names-Sugar-Appear-Labels-810571
You'll find that many convenience foods have more than one.