Cutting Sugar Out! Help Please
Replies
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my body seems to know the difference. this is a huge struggle for me as well. i have tried to cut out refined sugar and replacing with fruits and grains just to change the habit, but my body seemed to know. i got massive neck spasms and headaches. could not seem to do it!0
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Depends on how much sugary stuff you were eating. When I was a kid and got addicted to Hawaiian Punch, my mom took it away cold turkey and I was extremely crabby and had a headache for a day or two, but then was fine. As others have said, try eating fruits to get some sugar. I wouldn't recommend going from a high sugar diet to no sugar. Back off of it slowly.0
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Increase your fat intake to ease the transition. Every time I cut out sugar and grains it helps to reduce the "withdraw" symptoms.0
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Same problem here.. I got very sick so I had to eat something with sugar and I ended up over indulging. I can't give it up I am an addict. I just made my breakfast entry and I can't believe how much calories I put in my coffee by adding sugar. My plan is to slowly put less in my coffee each day. I don't want to give up anything on my diet, if I want it I will eat it, but I am trying to eat less so I don't end up cheating and giving up, like I always do. Try things slowly like I am and track everything you put in your mouth
As a suggestion, you might try a fast from fructose (no fruit either) for a couple of weeks to lower your levels of fructokinase (the enzyme our bodies use to assimilate fructose). New research is bringing understanding on how sugar damages the body. One of the problems of taking in a lot of table sugar (sucrose is the other name for it) is that it is 50% fructose and fructose in large amounts causes a derangement in metabolic processes. The relatively small amounts of fructose in a serving or two of fruit per day will not challenge the ability of the body to handle it but sugar consumption is a major challenge. A small orange has a little over 2 grams of fructose--a twelve ounce can of soda has about 27 grams of fructose (44 grams of sugar in total). Once your fructokinase levels drop, your cravings for sugar will disappear and you can go back to eating a serving or two of fruit every day. But if you go back to eating any kind of sugar in amounts over 25 grams of fructose per day, you risk getting the Sugar Monster on your back again.
I am currently on a two week fast from fructose and I cannot believe how much more energy I have! (It has to do with the production of ATP---adenosine triphosphate--for those of you who are into the bio-chemistry of sugar metabolism.) I look forward to eating a serving or two of fruit next week but I will NEVER eat sugar again (and I used to be a sugar/simple carb addict).
thanks for this post! very informative.0 -
Depends on how much sugary stuff you were eating. When I was a kid and got addicted to Hawaiian Punch, my mom took it away cold turkey and I was extremely crabby and had a headache for a day or two, but then was fine. As others have said, try eating fruits to get some sugar. I wouldn't recommend going from a high sugar diet to no sugar. Back off of it slowly.
Yes--you can start by just eliminating foods with "added sugar" and cut back in the amount of sugar you add to food. Most processed food has added sugar because it is a cheap filler and it makes the consumer want more of that particular food. I trained myself into drinking my coffee with just cream only and now, if I inadvertently pick up my husband's sugar-sweetened coffee and take a swig, I am immediately inclined to spit it out because it is unpleasantly sweet. Once you have been off of added sugar for a few months, then you can go hard-core and correct the fructose metabolic pathway by eliminating fructose for a couple of weeks to "reset" your fructokinase levels.0 -
Same problem here.. I got very sick so I had to eat something with sugar and I ended up over indulging. I can't give it up I am an addict. I just made my breakfast entry and I can't believe how much calories I put in my coffee by adding sugar. My plan is to slowly put less in my coffee each day. I don't want to give up anything on my diet, if I want it I will eat it, but I am trying to eat less so I don't end up cheating and giving up, like I always do. Try things slowly like I am and track everything you put in your mouth
As a suggestion, you might try a fast from fructose (no fruit either) for a couple of weeks to lower your levels of fructokinase (the enzyme our bodies use to assimilate fructose). New research is bringing understanding on how sugar damages the body. One of the problems of taking in a lot of table sugar (sucrose is the other name for it) is that it is 50% fructose and fructose in large amounts causes a derangement in metabolic processes. The relatively small amounts of fructose in a serving or two of fruit per day will not challenge the ability of the body to handle it but sugar consumption is a major challenge. A small orange has a little over 2 grams of fructose--a twelve ounce can of soda has about 27 grams of fructose (44 grams of sugar in total). Once your fructokinase levels drop, your cravings for sugar will disappear and you can go back to eating a serving or two of fruit every day. But if you go back to eating any kind of sugar in amounts over 25 grams of fructose per day, you risk getting the Sugar Monster on your back again.
I am currently on a two week fast from fructose and I cannot believe how much more energy I have! (It has to do with the production of ATP---adenosine triphosphate--for those of you who are into the bio-chemistry of sugar metabolism.) I look forward to eating a serving or two of fruit next week but I will NEVER eat sugar again (and I used to be a sugar/simple carb addict).
thanks for this post! very informative.
You're welcome! :flowerforyou:0 -
Just curious, why are you cutting out sugar? Unless it's for health reasons, then maybe you should just try to cut down instead of totally cut it out.
I think I am just going to cut it down, nothing to do with health reasons, just want to lose those extra inches....0 -
Thanks for all the advice it is really interesting to know how other people feel about cutting out sugar.
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Bump. I cannot really help you, unless you find it as a relief to know that there a re other people with the same problem.
Still I want to thank YOU and all the peopple who replied, for bringing up the question and gathering all this information in one place. I'm here since last March and I still keep on learning new things that may and that do affect my understanding about nutrition. A lot of what I read just now is so helpful.
For example, until now I was following the phylosophy of "cut down instead of cut out" and yes, it works in periods. Still I crave so much sugar, sweets and chocolate, that I eventually end up binging on either of those, or all of them. My best success has been 2 weeks with no chocolate, during a personal challenge with one of my pals here. I managed to do it and I felt ok. Yes, ok, but I was waiting for it to end...
I hear now, JUST NOW, that it is POSSIBLE to quit sugar. I really start thinking about that idea, since I'm so frustrated about the amount fo sweet things I am capable of eating in a blink of an eye. Luckily I have no medical conditions sugar-wise, but maybe that's a miracle. I've eaten tons of chocolate since my early childhood. It explains why I am used to it I guess and why it's hard to live without it. But I'm going to read now the suggested articles and see what happens...
Recently I've had the common Christmas-NY-time syndrome of eating "unloggable" types and ammounts of food and I'm trying to get back on track now both with eating better & logging it and new series of working out. Working out really helps with any cravings, I don't know why but it does. Besides, it gets me more calories to eat
Keep up the good work everybody and have a great year!!0 -
Bump. I cannot really help you, unless you find it as a relief to know that there a re other people with the same problem.
Still I want to thank YOU and all the peopple who replied, for bringing up the question and gathering all this information in one place. I'm here since last March and I still keep on learning new things that may and that do affect my understanding about nutrition. A lot of what I read just now is so helpful.
For example, until now I was following the phylosophy of "cut down instead of cut out" and yes, it works in periods. Still I crave so much sugar, sweets and chocolate, that I eventually end up binging on either of those, or all of them. My best success has been 2 weeks with no chocolate, during a personal challenge with one of my pals here. I managed to do it and I felt ok. Yes, ok, but I was waiting for it to end...
I hear now, JUST NOW, that it is POSSIBLE to quit sugar. I really start thinking about that idea, since I'm so frustrated about the amount fo sweet things I am capable of eating in a blink of an eye. Luckily I have no medical conditions sugar-wise, but maybe that's a miracle. I've eaten tons of chocolate since my early childhood. It explains why I am used to it I guess and why it's hard to live without it. But I'm going to read now the suggested articles and see what happens...
Recently I've had the common Christmas-NY-time syndrome of eating "unloggable" types and ammounts of food and I'm trying to get back on track now both with eating better & logging it and new series of working out. Working out really helps with any cravings, I don't know why but it does. Besides, it gets me more calories to eat
Keep up the good work everybody and have a great year!!
If you crave chocolate, you are probably deficient in magnesium (most of us are, by the way. Experts have estimated that probably 80% of the people are). Some people (especially those who are heavily muscled and highly active) need a lot of magnesium. Unfortunately, because we eat practically NO vegetables that are high in magnesium (like spinach and kale for example) we are forced to rely on whole grain to get what meager supplies of magnesium we do get. Dairy products have magnesium but the calcium there competes for the magnesium receptor sites. Grain could be a source but we refine most of the magnesium away when we turn it into refined flour. In any case, the phytic acid in grain limits the amount of magnesium we absorb. We could take magnesium supplements but most people find that they create diarrhea (and that doesn't help the magnesium shortage and it also dumps other important nutrients from the gut).
That is where the old remedy of bathing in Epsom salts baths can help. The ancients understood that bathing in warm mineral springs was helpful for a variety of conditions but they didn't know why. Now we do know why, in part. When one is deficient in magnesium, bathing in hot magnesium salt solution (Epsom salts are pure magnesium sulphate) will cause one to absorb the needed magnesium through the skin. I take two Epsom salts baths per week (with the water as hot as I can stand it so that absorption will be maximized) and it has been great for increasing my energy levels (a plentitude of magnesium ions in the blood are an essential part of the ATP transport system---ATP is part of the energy cycle of cells). My muscles feel great and I have the muscular stamina I used to have as a teenager. Adequate magnesium levels are also essential for producing serotonin--one of the neurotransmitters responsible for elevating mood. It is doubtful that we have a Prozac deficiency :frown: but we could well be suffering an epidemic of depression in this country because of widespread magnesium deficiency!0 -
I totally understand your reasons for wanting to cut out added sugars. From reading the comments, it sounds as though you take in a lot of sugar by making fudge, baking, etc. Also you've mentioned that you don't like the taste of fruits (and vegetables?) and water.
As I'm reading the back and forth here, I'm reminded of some things I've found while researching topics for my own weight loss.
1) our stomachs actually create most of the Serotonin (the happy hormone.) That's why sugary and carb-laden foods is considered comfort food. That's also why sugar and carbs (which mimic Serotonin) is so incredibly hard to stop eating, for many people. It's not just about willpower, it's biology.
2) some people have different taste receptors, that make it very unpleasant for them to eat certain things, like veggies/fruit, and even water. I wish I could remember more about it, but some people's sensory system have a preference for the sugary things (that's where the whole sweet tooth idea probably came from.) Again, for some it's biology. To the extreme, some people eat like 10 year olds their whole lives (mac n cheese and cookies.)
For someone that likes to bake and make things, I know it's a much harder transition, because that is something you enjoy and I'm sure everyone around you enjoys what you make. Perhaps it's a good time to look into some "clean eating" recipes to try, that might satisfy your palette, but also your desire to make things.
When I gave up added sugar earlier this year to sort of reset things, I felt awful for a few days. I had a headache, and no energy. I've since gone back to eating added sugar in earnest over the holidays, and am cutting back again. It's normal to feel icky if you are withdrawing from it cold turkey. Many people say it should be a slower process, with substituting other foods and behaviors little by little. But I would not suggest substituting artificial sweeteners, as you're still going to have that taste for sweets, and they metabolize just as bad, if not worse, than processed sugar.
The fact that you're shaky, though, makes me wonder if you're not eating enough in general, or if the sugar you were consuming had a lot of caffeine. Make sure you eat all your calories every day. Make sure that the sugar you've cut out is being replaced by something else. At one point I had a few days where I worked out a lot, and did not eat enough of my calories, and I was shaky and dizzy. Just be sure to balance your foods. There is nothing wrong with a square of dark chocolate after lunch... or a weekly baked treat, once you feel that your sugar addiction is under control and you know that one square or one cookie is not going start a binge.
Hope that's helpful. You've gotten some great advice from the other members here!0 -
Remember that sugar from fruit and white sugar has the same effect on blood glucose (which is what you want to control). Your body doesn't know the difference.
A common misconception. If you took the sugar from fruit (fructose) and ate 50g of it, yes it would have the same effect on your blood glucose as 50g of white sugar does. But the amounts of sugars in fruit are so small per serving size that you would have to eat a massive amount of fruit to get that much sugar. I am diabetic, and a reasonable amount of fruit (a cup of sliced strawberries or cut pineapple, for instance) has very little impact on my readings.
Fruit has a high glycemic index (the number that compares the effect on blood glucose levels of a specified number of grams of carbohydrates in a food to the effect of the same number of grams of white sugar) but a low glycemic load (the number that compares the effect on blood glucose levels of a NORMAL SERVING SIZE of a food to the effect of a serving size of white sugar).
The difference is important. I bought the Low Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies and the Low Glycemic Cookbook for Dummies, and when I modified my eating around low glycemic choices, even though my actual calorie intake hadn't changed the weight started coming off again. I've lost 6.6 pounds this month in spite of Christmas indulgences. Best of all, after only three months of eating low glycemic, I've been able to discontinue one of my oral meds for diabetes, my blood sugar is in normal range (not diabetic range!) and I expect to discontinue the other med within the next month or so, and all my other lab results that were too high or low (including cholesterol, triglycerides, a kidney function indicator, and several other tests) are all well within normal range now.
A key part of this for me has been being able to enjoy fruit! I crave sweet things just like anyone else, and having healthy options that are sweet helps immensely. Another key moment was when I discovered to my surprise that lowfat frozen yogurt spiked my blood sugar way too high. Then I got to a part of the book that mentioned that regular, full-fat ice cream is low glycemic. Its higher protein and fat content slows down sugar absorption. I now enjoy a half cup or a cup of ice cream several times a week -- I just keep it within my calorie budget, for example by eating a lot of veggies earlier in the day so I'm full enough that the amount of ice cream I can have is satisfying.
Learning how to enjoy the things you enjoy in a way that doesn't derail your goals is how to make this a lifestyle change instead of a diet.
^^ THIS!0 -
Remember that sugar from fruit and white sugar has the same effect on blood glucose (which is what you want to control). Your body doesn't know the difference.
A common misconception. If you took the sugar from fruit (fructose) and ate 50g of it, yes it would have the same effect on your blood glucose as 50g of white sugar does. But the amounts of sugars in fruit are so small per serving size that you would have to eat a massive amount of fruit to get that much sugar. I am diabetic, and a reasonable amount of fruit (a cup of sliced strawberries or cut pineapple, for instance) has very little impact on my readings.
Fruit has a high glycemic index (the number that compares the effect on blood glucose levels of a specified number of grams of carbohydrates in a food to the effect of the same number of grams of white sugar) but a low glycemic load (the number that compares the effect on blood glucose levels of a NORMAL SERVING SIZE of a food to the effect of a serving size of white sugar).
The difference is important. I bought the Low Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies and the Low Glycemic Cookbook for Dummies, and when I modified my eating around low glycemic choices, even though my actual calorie intake hadn't changed the weight started coming off again. I've lost 6.6 pounds this month in spite of Christmas indulgences. Best of all, after only three months of eating low glycemic, I've been able to discontinue one of my oral meds for diabetes, my blood sugar is in normal range (not diabetic range!) and I expect to discontinue the other med within the next month or so, and all my other lab results that were too high or low (including cholesterol, triglycerides, a kidney function indicator, and several other tests) are all well within normal range now.
A key part of this for me has been being able to enjoy fruit! I crave sweet things just like anyone else, and having healthy options that are sweet helps immensely. Another key moment was when I discovered to my surprise that lowfat frozen yogurt spiked my blood sugar way too high. Then I got to a part of the book that mentioned that regular, full-fat ice cream is low glycemic. Its higher protein and fat content slows down sugar absorption. I now enjoy a half cup or a cup of ice cream several times a week -- I just keep it within my calorie budget, for example by eating a lot of veggies earlier in the day so I'm full enough that the amount of ice cream I can have is satisfying.
Learning how to enjoy the things you enjoy in a way that doesn't derail your goals is how to make this a lifestyle change instead of a diet.
^^ THIS!
Yep--I've lost 30 pounds pretty effortlessly since I cut out sugar and wheat. I still eat rye and I don't do that ketone stuff. I have a friend who got very sick in keeping her carbs to 20 grams per day for about six months. She lost a massive amount of weight but she got sick (she says liver problems) and eventually put all the weight back on. I do keep my carbs to between 100 and 200 grams per day with the higher amount on my workout days. But I eat absolutely NO sugar (sucrose) or any other kind of sweetener, natural or artificial--ever (and I don't miss it). I am currently on a fast from fructose for a couple of weeks to bring my fructokinase levels down (fructokinase is the enzyme your liver uses to assimilate fructose). Am looking forward to reintroducing fruit to my diet in a week.0 -
Bump.
......
Still I crave so much sugar, sweets and chocolate, that I eventually end up binging on either of those, or all of them.
.....
If you crave chocolate, you are probably deficient in magnesium (most of us are, by the way. Experts have estimated that probably 80% of the people are). Some people (especially those who are heavily muscled and highly active) need a lot of magnesium. Unfortunately, because we eat practically NO vegetables that are high in magnesium (like spinach and kale for example) we are forced to rely on whole grain to get what meager supplies of magnesium we do get. Dairy products have magnesium but the calcium there competes for the magnesium receptor sites. Grain could be a source but we refine most of the magnesium away when we turn it into refined flour. In any case, the phytic acid in grain limits the amount of magnesium we absorb. We could take magnesium supplements but most people find that they create diarrhea (and that doesn't help the magnesium shortage and it also dumps other important nutrients from the gut).
That is where the old remedy of bathing in Epsom salts baths can help. The ancients understood that bathing in warm mineral springs was helpful for a variety of conditions but they didn't know why. Now we do know why, in part. When one is deficient in magnesium, bathing in hot magnesium salt solution (Epsom salts are pure magnesium sulphate) will cause one to absorb the needed magnesium through the skin. I take two Epsom salts baths per week (with the water as hot as I can stand it so that absorption will be maximized) and it has been great for increasing my energy levels (a plentitude of magnesium ions in the blood are an essential part of the ATP transport system---ATP is part of the energy cycle of cells). My muscles feel great and I have the muscular stamina I used to have as a teenager. Adequate magnesium levels are also essential for producing serotonin--one of the neurotransmitters responsible for elevating mood. It is doubtful that we have a Prozac deficiency :frown: but we could well be suffering an epidemic of depression in this country because of widespread magnesium deficiency!
Thank you for your explanation and advice!
I didn't know that about magnesium deficiency and the relation with sweet cravings. In the near future I may have a bath tube at home and I hope to remember that and start doing it
I may try with magnesium tablettes though. I'm usually not scared of diarrhea conditions, as they don't happen to me often (or at all). Besides, I am a little concerned of the opposite condition if I stop fruits and oats while making the "I quit sugar" program, so it might be a good balance.
Regarding the I-stop-sugar thing. I am about to do it, starting today but I am not totally happy with the meal plan, because the author suggests mainly things that I cannot find in my country. besides, she doesn't actually suggest too detailed the process of slowly cutting out sugar, and I have a hard time understanding at what point (week one and two) it is ok to still eat some things while cutting out others. All I know is that week 3 is "quit totally".
It may sound stupid, but here's how I see it:
Week one: I'll quit floury things like bread, cookies, cakes, etc., e.g. all types of dough. Also jams, honey, jelly, cremes, etc. and sweet yogurt too.
-> While the author says quit flour, she still suggests "toast with vegemite", "toast with egg"... What do I get wrong here?
-> I'll still allow myself fruits, as much as I want. I'll keep my oats breakfast, which consists of plain, old fashioned, dry oats, mixed with cottage cheese and/or unsweetened yogurt. I'll eat white rice today as a side dish.
-> I am confused and not sure about keeping (a little) dark chocolate for a week as well as pasta (like once for that period, not every day), and I may have some vermicelli in my soups too. Any suggestions if that is ok?
Week two: I'll stop the pasta and the chocolate (if I didn't stop them from the beginning).
I'll lower fruits to one fruit a day and I'll eat half of the amount of oats in my breakfast. I don't know what else, since I have this second week of lowering further but no-stopping sugar completely.
-> What about the toast?
Week three: it's clear from there on.
I'll be happy to receive some advice from "the veterans" here. Thank you in advance!
Have an amazing week! 0 -
I have tried and tried to cut sugar out, but I seem to find that when I try to reduce I start shaking as though I need the sugar asap, and that is after 1 day, I am not sure that because I am trying to change my diet so quickly from eating rubbish to, eating as healthy as I can for me, as I don't eat much fruit or veg, I am not really sure what to do.
Any advice would be great. Thanks
What are you replacing the calories and carbs you are cutting out with?0 -
I have tried and tried to cut sugar out, but I seem to find that when I try to reduce I start shaking as though I need the sugar asap, and that is after 1 day, I am not sure that because I am trying to change my diet so quickly from eating rubbish to, eating as healthy as I can for me, as I don't eat much fruit or veg, I am not really sure what to do.
Any advice would be great. Thanks
Your body needs energy on which to operate--if your blood sugar goes too low, you will shake. Now, the next thing to determine is why your blood sugar level might be low. If you are used to eating a lot of sugar and other simple carbohydrates (and thus, running habitually high blood sugar levels) your insulin levels will also rise over time. If you suddenly pull that sugar away, your insulin levels will still stay high for as much as two weeks (typical) or even more, and your blood sugar levels will plummet--especially between meals (and the effect is exacerbated after taking in caffeine and nicotine).
If you are following a lower carb--no sugar plan, you cannot, at the same time, go on a low-fat plan. You must eat a bit more fat than is called for in the typical macros here if you are going with a lower-carb plan (and I'm only talking about reducing your carbs to around 100 grams per day--or 200 on heavy workout days). You must eat more fat than is called for in your macros (but stay within your calorie allotment---not hard to do). Just make sure that the fat increase is not all animal fat (although organic butter is a good fat because of the many benefits that it provides--things like vitamins A and K2 and substances like buytyric acid). You should plan to get some increased "good" fat from things like avocados, nuts and olives. I regularly go over in my fat allotment (but I stay under my calorie allotment because I am consistently at only about 1/3 to 1/2 of my carbohydrate allowance) and I'm still losing body fat. (It should be noted at this point that if you go too far under your carbohydrate allowance---60 grams or less---you will ultimately lose muscle mass over time because you need some carbohydrates to "spare" your muscles). That is why I like the term "lower carbohydrate" rather than "low carbohydrate".
Despite what you have been told, we have not suddenly (over the last few decades) become a nation of obese people because we eat much more fat than our slender ancestors (who ate a lot of fat). We have only increased our fat intake by about 1%. However, our total calorie consumption has increased a lot, and carbohydrates---particularly sugar--has been responsible for almost all of the increase. When one combines this type of diet with our generally more sedentary habits (our ancestors typically walked five miles a day) is it any wonder that obesity (and consequent Type II diabetes) is a major health problem in this nation? And the "low-fat" craze has only made the problem worse because the fat was replaced with sugar and other simple carbs in the "fat-free" versions of foods. Because of the metabolic derangement caused by eating sugar and other simple carbs (and a great deal of research has been done on the metabolic problems set off by sugar/simple carb diets---especially in the absence of vigorous exercise), we cannot control our appetites. That is why you see ridiculous amounts of food practically pushed on restaurant customers. Our national appetite and waistband has been expanded because of sugar and simple carbs. Sorry for the rant, I've probably given you much more information than you wanted to know. :blushing:
So REFRESHING to see someone on here who GETS this!!!!!! I was just about to give up on these forums lol!!!!0 -
The Atkins diet is AMAZING for curing the Sugar addiction.The REAL Atkins diet in its proper stages..not the one that people think is Atkins...read the book.
In the mean time...when you lower your sugar add in more protein and fat.0 -
Regarding the I-stop-sugar thing. I am about to do it, starting today but I am not totally happy with the meal plan, because the author suggests mainly things that I cannot find in my country. besides, she doesn't actually suggest too detailed the process of slowly cutting out sugar, and I have a hard time understanding at what point (week one and two) it is ok to still eat some things while cutting out others. All I know is that week 3 is "quit totally".
The idea is that during the first two weeks you slowly start giving up all sugary things, fruit included (you will introduce it back into the diet later). They don't all need to be cut out immediately (only from week 3 onwards).
by the way, I just bought Sarah Wilson's 'I quit sugar' cookbook. Absolutely loving the recipes and can't wait to try them all!0
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