A Sugar free life?

Shenanagins85

Hey folks!
I get massive sweet tooth in the morning, some days I'm able to move on and be okay with it or have something small like a fiber one chocolate chip granola bar and there are those others where oops I just ate a whole pint of ice cream. Then I feel like I just ruined my whole day. But I don't log it because I'm embarrassed. I don't want to be embrassed by my food log.
I've been told to cut it out slowly, limits, I've been doing that okay. But I'm thinking about just going cold turkey. Any thoughts or suggestions?

melindenmark

i have tried the cut it out slowly and it doesnt work for me, if i taste it i want more. when i cut it out completely its hard for a week then i dont "need" it anymore. I now do 1 cheat day a week, this is working now but it is taking a lot of self control, it is easy for 1 cheat day to turn to a cheat week etc. Do what works for you, everyone is different

Lindseyelizabeth87

I'd go cold turkey.

One thing that I do sometimes is get a mini-chocolate square from a local shop. They're only 25 cents each, so I could stock up and have them in my desk.. But I know myself and I know I will eat it. Buying them single makes me eat them single! I also try to limit what's in my cupboards.. There's nights when I'm grateful there's no junk around because I know hands down I would have eaten it all!

As far as logging goes, you can always just quick add the calories only. You don't have to say what it is, but if you're calorie counting then you should at the very least log that you had those calories so you're being realistic.

One thing I ask myself too when it comes to junk.. Is does it taste as good as reaching your goal will feel?

Hope this helps.

SocWkrBee

It's not the sugar. People state oh here that sugar is a carb. Stick to your macros and keep going,

You need to figure out what triggers you to binge and work on that. Is it emotions, boredom, etc. Also, maybe avoid having the items you typically binge on in the home?

Farburnfred

Cold turkey is hard but gets you through it quicker.. Is the massive sweet tooth first thing though because you are hungry - what about having a much bigger breakfast? as a rule we turn to sugar when we have not had enough food (or emotional eating which is another matter) and also habit. If you feel you need to cut it out completely to ditch the habit then do but you have to plan quite carefully what you will replace it with

good luck

Tracy_03311981

There is no such thing as a completely sugar free diet, there are natural sugars in most foods we eat.
Our cells are made of glucose......which is sugar......therefore we have to have sugar in our diet.
It's the crazy refined sugars that we do not need, like white bread etc.
A lot of it is self control, I know it's hard, I give myself one day where I can just eat what I want and I have lost 27 lbs. doing so. I actually look forward to my cheat days.
I find if I log my embarassing days it makes me think harder about what I am eating because I can see what I have done instead of talking myself out of logging.

erinnstreeter

I relate.

I've tried to switch to all 'sourced' sugars. For example, sugar in an apple is ok. Added sugar in a store-bought pasta sauce, not so ok. (That one's a challenge. Difficult to find pasta sauce without added sugar.)

The sugar macro on MFP won't differentiate between these two, so it's up to me to be conscientious. It starts when I shop; I have to read labels, and I have to buy only the foods which are best for me.

Good luck!

NeverGivesUp

Bread is my weakness and gluten. Cut it out 2 years ago and am so happy that I did. Best decision I have ever made aside from marrying my hubby

sunsnstatheart

Hey folks!
I get massive sweet tooth in the morning, some days I'm able to move on and be okay with it or have something small like a fiber one chocolate chip granola bar and there are those others where oops I just ate a whole pint of ice cream. Then I feel like I just ruined my whole day. But I don't log it because I'm embarrassed. I don't want to be embrassed by my food log.
I've been told to cut it out slowly, limits, I've been doing that okay. But I'm thinking about just going cold turkey. Any thoughts or suggestions?

If you can quit cold turkey great but then again, why do that to yourself. Try fruit and protein in the morning. Protein helps keep you full and fruit helps with the sweet craving. I mix the fruit in with yogurt or oatmeal. This has worked pretty well for me but I still allow myself a coupe of squares of dark chocolate a few nights a week and ice cream right after a hard workout. The key there is moderation and not beating yourself up.

AZKristi

If you are embarrassed to log your food, I highly recommend making your diary private. I do this from time to time, if I am struggling to make good choices. This is a tool for you and its not helpful if you are lying to yourself. I usually have my diary open for friends, so they can get ideas from what I eat or offer helpful suggestions. But, they can't take ideas from you or really help you if your diary isn't accurate.

For me, I would never be able to eat something like a fiber one bar first thing in the morning. It would definitely set me up to crave sweet stuff all day. I'm definitely a protein person in the morning. Egg scrambles with lots of veggies and a bit of cheese work best for me. I prepare the veggies on the weekend so i just have to toss them in a pan and add 2 eggs and scramble in the morning. Takes less than 5 minutes and can be done as I pack my lunch.

lisst87

Im awful if I have it I dont seem to have an off button. I find it very difficult just to eat a cube of chocolate if there is a whole bar there or just one biscuit instead of 5. I also get embarrassed and dont like it when people see me eating junk so im more likely to eat quickly and dont actually enjoy it as I feel so guilty.

Im trying cold turkey with sugary treats, its been 2 weeks, had a little blip here and there with some chocolate raisons and some jaffa cakes but otherwise kept in control. Its a killer though, im having bad cravings today and I know I could demolish a whole bar of chocolate so really trying hard today and distracting myself with fruit as it gives me something to pick at.

Torgrills

Are you getting enough sleep? I had a lot of issues with craving sugar when I worked 3rd shift, because it was my body's way of trying to keep me focused and alert, and I find I crave sugars and carbohydrates more when I'm tired, bored, or stressed out. I had to quit cold turkey, though I still allow myself some treats here and there. I just have to log everything, good and bad, to be honest with myself. It's the ony way I can stay on track personally.

hkulbacki

I cut processed sugars cold turkey and was amazaed how fast the cravings went away. Completely gone in less than 2 weeks. I also cut out bananas - highest sugar content of fruit and red apples - higher sugar content than Granny Smiths.

Car0lynnM

If you're that hungry in the morning, try having some protein first. Maybe some eggs, or maybe oatmeal which could be sweet. Also, don't keep the sweets in the house if you're tempted to eat the whole thing. I can't keep potato chips and french onion dip in the house for that reason.

Jackielyn17

Protein!! I promise if you increase your protein intake, your cravings will diminish I'm a sugar feen and i have a high protein diet and i don't crave it anymore!! Except you know sometimes the TOM

cornlady

One tidbit of advice, if it isnt in the house, you are less likely to eat it.
I had to give up eating sugars in all forms for health reasons and the best way I found was not to buy it.
No cookies, ice cream, chocolate, you get the idea.
It isnt easy, but if you have a goal you want to achieve, not having the temptation in the house will make it a lot easier.
Besides sugar causes inflammation in the body and the small amount your body needs you can get from fruit or vegetables.
Good Luck with your weight loss and we all slip up from time to time so dont feel bad, just try to find out what is causing you to slip up...it might be more than a sweet tooth.

Koldnomore

I would suggest that you are having 'cravings' for one of 2 reasons or a combination of the 2..the first one is that you are not eating enough, the second is because you may be having too much sugar. Based on the limited information in your profile...

You are 27
your calories are 1350
you are SUPER ACTIVE AT WORK "50-60 hours a week and I am always traveling around Massachusetts. My life is crazy"
You don't have much to lose <35 lbs..

SO.. I'm going to go with #1. 1350 is WAY low.

Read here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/510406-tdee-is-everything
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/477666-eating-for-future-you-method

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

So change your Goals to be less aggressive. If you are constantly hungry, you're doing it wrong.

bionicrooster

I cut out the vast majority of sugar almost overnight. Only took a week or so before I didn't miss it at all.

katieuk

Hi,

I totally empathise with you on this!!

There are so many contradcitory messages out there.

What happens if you go cold turkey? Some people say that you will probably have headaches, cravings etc. for about a week but then because your body gets used to it, you will no longer need / want sugary foods. Other people say that by cutting it out of your life entirely you will crave it more and eventually cave and have a big fat binge!!

So what do you do?

I have tried both.

I found that for me cutting it out entirely just made me think about it all the more, I went 6 months avoiding sugary foods (so it wasn't only a week and then I was fine - I was never fine)!! I eventually caved and would have the biggest binges e.g. a 400g Galaxy Cookie bar and a full box of choc chip cookies - now this is a lot worse than if when I fancied something sweet I had something sweet surely.

So then I tried the having something sweet when I fancied it and in moderation option, and I found that again I was probably eating more of it (not a binge but still more often during the week) than I wanted to.

THEN - I developed my own individual way - I allow myself a snack bar in the evening after my dinner it is a EAT NATURAL cranberry, coconut and nuts bar with a thin layer of dark chocolate. The cranberries are a dried fruit and so I get natural sugars from that. The coconut offers a nice sweet taste and the dark chocolate (which is better than any other kind of chocolate and does have health benefits) also gives me that little bit of chocolate. At only 162kcal per bar I ensure my I allow this to fit in my 1410kcal daily calorie goal!!

Other sweet things like gooey caramel cheesecake, chocolate fudge cakes etc etc. I will not and don't want to eat on a regular basis however, I do allow myself 1 cheat meal per week (I do prefer savoury foods so I prefer to save my cheat meal for things like a Chinese, or a nice cheesy homemade lasagne, or a bit of garlic bread with my dinner instead of sweet stuff - and note it is a cheat MEAL not cheat DAY) so if I do sometimes plan a nice dessert into my week ONCE after my dinner - but like I say that isn't often because I prefer to cheat with savoury things.

The point is I think it is all down to the individual and what suits you, your preferences and circumstances!!

MFP really helps though because no matter what you eat you can keep track of it all day throughout the day and really you shouldn't fail if you are making the better options.

Good luck :-)

Evachiquita

Seeing lots of great advice on here! Bottom line is that it's important to know WHY you crave certain things (emotions, lack of nutrients or calories, etc.). If you have a craving it is because you NEED something, but we are increasingly bad at determining what that something is. I read a book called Stop Your Cravings: A Balanced Approach to Burning Fat, Increasing Energy, and Reducing Stress. There is also a website http://www.thebalancedapproach.com/, although it does not have that much information on it. Anyway, the theory incorporates modern food science with ancient wisdom (Ayurveda) to help identify why you are craving certain things, why and when these cravings might change and then how to deal with them by combining different types of foods, flavors and textures. Try to find one of the books in a library and check it out!

SageGoddess320

If you're not logging the food you eat, you're only cheating yourself. You need to hold yourself accountable for the choices you make or you will never be able to change your habits. Start logging EVERYTHING.

Factory_Reset

Have you tried messing around with different protein shakes? I LOVE chocolate. My favorite shake to make taste just like a thin mint cookie. If I'm wanting something sweet, this one and many others I like, help a ton.

sprinkels29

I quit cold turkey. I was drinking an energy drink (sometimes two) everyday for nearly 4 years. I felt sluggish mid afternoon, FELT like I couldn't concentrate without etc. I was recently diagnosed with a bladder issue that prevents me from being able to have sugar (pain among other symptoms) but I was still cheating and drinking them! The first week was rough, extreme headaches, irritability, MASSIVE cravings. But now I realize how much of a sugar spike it was causing and how HORRIBLE it made me feel in the end. I needed to up my CLEAN eating and quit the sugar. I still get a cookie once in awhile, but I try to stay away from allll "added/refined" sugars, sodas, etc.

It was not easy though. I quit cold turkey 2-3 times through several months before it really stuck, and the longer I went without it that better I felt, the more I realized I didn't want to go back! I still walk by a Plaid Pantry/7-11 store and it pops into my head but then I grab my water bottle, and some protein (or fruit) and I'm good again! You can do this, it will be tough but you will feel SO MUCH BETTER!

bcattoes

I say go cold turkey for a while, at least a month and probably more. Then add it back slowly. You may find that you've lost much of your taste for it. At least that's what happened to me. I still like the occasional dessert or treat, but I don't crave them and it's easy to eat a reasonable amount. I go days without eating added sugar.

ashleydmassey

I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, which is what got me in the bind to need to lose weight. My defenses go down when I indulge and I tend to go overboard. When I started this journey, I told myself I wasn't going to have anything sweet. But, I honestly do find that filling in the void with fruit has helped me immensely! Sugar-free chocolate pudding has very few calories, and I even will add just a small dollop of lite cool whip. That's an occasional treat I allow myself. I also go with the Weight Watcher's chocolate fudge pops. The ones I'm referring to are only 45 calories per bar. The serving size is 2 bars, but nothing says you have to eat both. I typically don't unless I'm well under my budget for the day. I also will very rarely buy a bag of dark chocolate chips. Weigh them out into portion sizes and keep them in individual bags. Have a bag, only, per day. There are plenty of ways to still have a little sweet, and a little chocolate, without it harming your efforts. The main staples I used to purchase before starting this weight loss was sweets!! I used my kids as an excuse to have plenty around...but I ate more than they did. Now, I honestly do not buy them anymore other than the rare things mentioned above. I don't crave it the way I used to either. My kids don't crave the sweets all that much, and appreciate the more rare occasions we do have them now. Life's too short to do without, if only control and moderation are honored. Good luck!

jzammetti

Protein!! I promise if you increase your protein intake, your cravings will diminish I'm a sugar feen and i have a high protein diet and i don't crave it anymore!! Except you know sometimes the TOM

I agree with this ^^^^^

When I try to deprive myself completely of something I sometimes crave, and otherwise enjoy, I fail. I want to eat like a regular person so I try to reduce serving sizes and the frequency of eating processed sugars, but I do not intend to quit them altogether. Making sure I eat 1g of protein per day for every pound helps me stave off those darn cravings.