I quit sugar/ being sugar smart

nutritionenthusiast

Hi everyone,

So i have recently decided that I want to 'Quit Sugar'. However it is proving hard with a lack of support. If there is anyone out there in the MFP universe who is currently 'quitting' sugar... or has successfully done so... I would appreciate a friend request to follow and keep eachother motivated and inspired. And to remind me of the major health benefits og foing through with it and eliminating emotional consumption of sugar when stressed or upset.

Thank you!!!

Hope you're all having a positive journey so far!

cookeylady

I quit sugar, it is not so bad. I use coconut sugar in place, i know a calorie is a calorie, but I just changed my whole eating style and my cravings have all but ceased. It hasn't been so bad.

KombuchaCat

I'm trying to get a quitting sugar group going, "Fructose Free People." Join and add me as a friend if you want.

lemurcat12

KombuchaCat wrote: »

I'm trying to get a quitting sugar group going, "Fructose Free People." Join and add me as a friend if you want.

So your main thing is being anti-fruit?

lemurcat12

Full disclosure: I have not "quit sugar" and have no plans to. However, I do limit added sugar (mainly by filling up my diet with other foods and leaving limited room for it), and from time to time, including this month, I drop added sugar (including honey and syrup and artificial sweeteners, although I don't worry if I get small amounts of those), plus sweet dessert foods. My intention there is just to do a check to make sure I'm not getting too focused on them and to be a bit more varied or creative in my use of extra calories.

I did this initially when I first started because at the time I was using sugary foods too much as my emotional eating go-to. I wanted to stop using food for emotional comfort like that, and giving up my crutches, the foods I would generally turn to, was part of breaking that link. The impulse actually mostly went away reasonably quickly, when my body learned that it wasn't getting the food, although on occasion I still struggle with self-control and not just going crazy with the M&Ms or whatever (as they are always sitting out in my office) when I'm stressed and at work late with no good plan for food. Being more conscious of what's going on helps a lot. And again (full-disclosure), my intention was to teach myself moderation and that remains my goal.

All that said, I think if this is feeling really hard some things that can help are: (1) making sure you are clear about why you are doing this and what your goals are; and (2) not just taking foods away, but adding them--positive changes are easier than negative ones, IME.

What I mean by the first is that if your goal is, say, not using sugar for emotional purposes, try to be self-aware of when and why you tend to do that and what circumstances enable it. Are you doing it at home or somewhere else? (For me it was always at work.) What foods are on hand and can you make them less accessible or less likely to be overeaten (individual portions)? Is the issue eating certain things or eating outside of planned times in general (for example, I learned that for me the issue was more eating outside of planned times so I just don't anymore). If your issue is more the particular food than when you are eating, maybe have an alternative snack available (I used carrots and celery because at first I just wanted to be eating something at those times). Can you take a moment to write down what you are feeling and why you want to eat and what you will get out of it before giving in? That generally prevents it, for me. Stuff like that.

What I mean by the second is if you want to focus less of your diet on sugar (giving it up may not be necessary--it's not something I would want to do, like I said, although you know you), one good way to start is by figuring out what foods you do want to focus on. I know I feel better if I get protein and veggies at each meal and generally a balance of protein, carbs, and fat, so I focus on doing that, and on eating nutrient dense foods in general. Even when I am eating added sugar (at times I have ice cream most nights), this serves to make sure that it's in moderate quantities and most of my diet is made up of other things, with no cravings for more sugar.

Kind of long, so I hope at least some of this is helpful! ;-)

aplcr0331

Never thought about "quitting" sugar? Does it help lose weight? and most importantly for my fat *kitten*...is it sustainable?