Quiting sugar...

2

Replies

  • aperrillioux
    aperrillioux Posts: 115 Member
    I too am in! God, I hate the sugar! It's so addicting. =[. But I'm gonna start tomorrow because I want to get rid of all my Easter candy as well. Plus I've already had a chocolate bunny and Rice Krispie treat this morning. Yeah. This is going to be hell for me. But I'm glad we have this now! It's such a hard battle for me to do alone. I always end up getting super pi$$ed at myself. Yay for no more!

    But I will still be partaking in my alcohol...
  • JTS_go
    JTS_go Posts: 65 Member
    I've been off sugar for four weeks now. Don't assume it will be bad. I had one day of short-temperedness, but other than that, I've just felt better. I have an apple, orange, or pear if I crave something sweet. Sometimes at night before bed I'll have frozen cherries if my wife is having ice cream.

    If no one else has posted it already (and you haven't already seen it), this lecture was a HUGE motivator for me, and I think helped make quitting easier.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
  • Southern_Cross_Girl
    Southern_Cross_Girl Posts: 29 Member
    Thanks heaps, that's really encouraging!
  • Berki150
    Berki150 Posts: 1 Member
    For those of you who have already quit sugar, did it translate into weight loss?
  • skinnylynnie74
    skinnylynnie74 Posts: 154 Member
    I'm motivated to quit sugar for myself and my 10-year old for the SECOND time ( first time was fall of 2010, and it made a BIG difference in her behavior and my moods). It has been creeping back into our lives latly... I will tell you what is promoting me to cut it out completely (we don't keep cookies, candy, or cake in the house, but love to go out for ice cream now and then). I saw a video by Dr. Robert Lustig. He talks about how sugar is toxic. Not just fattening, but down right poisonous. I'm sticking with lean protein and lots of vegetables. And after seeing his talk, I am cutting WAY back on fruit. It seems like it stalls my weight loss and is a trigger food for me, in any form. Maybe someone else already mentioned Dr Lustig. If so, sorry for repeating it. I'm new on here and didn't read every post on this thread before I hit Reply.

    Okay...I hit edit to say that the person who just posted above me mentioned a link to the very video to which I was referring! Is that "irony?" Or a "sign?" I need to watch this video every day to stay on track! Good luck!
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    I've lost about 14/15lbs since Jan 1.. more like 19lbs but gained 5lbs of muscle.. I just don't put any processed sugar in my body and in turn, my body doesn't crave it. Stevia is natural, healthier than processed sugar and you only need a little bit of it to sweeten things (for those of you who really, REALLY struggle without sugar).
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    why? Is that how you want to live the rest of your life. If so, I hope you do it. But for me, I rather cut down, because I like sugar and just need to make sure I eat within my calories. It's keeping the weight off years after I lost it that is the battle, and I know I want to be able to eat what I want, just not as much as I want. That's what is going to keep me on the path of a healthy weight.
  • Can be really difficult. Am not quitting sugar but trying am cutting down. Already starting to feel withdrawal symptoms, mainly headaches! You forget how much it is like a drug!


    same withdrawal symptoms... migraine like headaches and crankiness ... but im trying to cut down drastically :)
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    That worst part about it is when you decide you want that bit of Dark Chocolate after all..... the sugar hits you. I get it so bad now off a tiny bit that I actually pass out....as if I'm drunk. Then wake up the next day with a hangover that lasts all day & wont go away no matter how hard I try.

    Be careful going sugar free.... it's not all fun.

    Sounds legit.

    OP unless our diabetic there's really no reason to cut sugar out of your diet. It won't make you lose weight any faster.

    Just stay within a calorie deficit and enjoy life. There is nothing wrong with eating sugar in moderation.

    I couldn't imagine a world without oatmeal raisin cookies. :cry:
  • toomuchbootyindapants
    toomuchbootyindapants Posts: 811 Member
    I did the Whole30 challenge...(no sugar and other stuffs for 30 days). The first day off was Easter and well, my sugar monster is not dead yet. Dammit. I am not craving the same kinds of sugars I was before (sour candy) but I want ALLLLL your chocolate right now. :P Good luck!
  • Southern_Cross_Girl
    Southern_Cross_Girl Posts: 29 Member
    Just for those who wonder why I'm doing this...

    I stopped eating chocolate nearly a year ago because I didn't really have an off switch when it came to eating it & didn't really like being a slave to something.

    I've found that over the past 4 months it's been creeping in in other ways, like cheesecake (yum!) etc. Whilst in moderation these things are fine, when i really monitored my thinking & feeling, the craving for sweet things really affected my life. I'd be cranky with my child, or not present when they were in the room. We'd make cakes but it'd be more for me, or go out for ice-cream but again for my fix.

    So I want some control back around this so that it doesn't affect my family life. I think it's a small price to pay really for a better, more present, homelife.

    Day 2 and can't say it's easy though. Already mixed honey with marscapone last night! Sneaky sweet tooth :) But I'm in like Flynn for this, so no more cheeky substitutes.
  • JTS_go
    JTS_go Posts: 65 Member
    I've lost 13 pounds in less than 5 weeks from cutting sugar out of my diet. That was mostly sugar in my coffee and fruit juice with a cocktail. Sugar is different because unlike carbs, fats, and other parts of your diet that are metabolized for use by your body, sugar can only be metabolized by the liver, and most of it is converted into fat. Watch the Lustig lecture, as previously posted.
  • Bobbyjr72
    Bobbyjr72 Posts: 28 Member
    Sugar is like a drug. Once you have it and your blood sugar spikes and drops you need more to even yourself out. When I look back at my food log, my worst eating binges have been preceded by wine, or a piece of chocolate or something with pure sugar and little nutritional value. I started the no sugar thing today. Kicking the daily glass or two of red wine will be the tough part. That and all of the Easter candy accumulated by my kids. But I am up 8 pounds off my low of last summer so I want to kick it back into gear now so I am not regretting it when I'm walking around the beach with my kids sucking my gut in like David Hasselhoff on Baywatch. Good luck to all of you with the same goal of kicking the sugar habit.
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    I'm also trying to quit, I get into a bad sugar cycle and eventually binge like no tomorrow which is why I'm now back up to 62kg from 56kg. It's been hard today while my daughter has been scoffing easter eggs but I stayed strong, only fruit and a little reduced sugar jam on a pb+j today :)
  • goalss4nika
    goalss4nika Posts: 529 Member
    I am cutting out refined sugar (includes bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits), processed foods and alcohol. Essentially, my diet is lean meats, fruits and veggies. Lots of water and minimal caffiene. I did it dilligently for 4 months, then slipped. Now I am back at it. I noticed within a couple of weeks people complimented me on glossy hair, sparkly eyes and really clear skin. I have also lost 41lbs. Another 80 to go, hence my recommitment!
    [/quote



    Is this the atkins diet?]
  • Southern_Cross_Girl
    Southern_Cross_Girl Posts: 29 Member
    :smile:
  • Southern_Cross_Girl
    Southern_Cross_Girl Posts: 29 Member
    I've lost 13 pounds in less than 5 weeks from cutting sugar out of my diet. That was mostly sugar in my coffee and fruit juice with a cocktail. Sugar is different because unlike carbs, fats, and other parts of your diet that are metabolized for use by your body, sugar can only be metabolized by the liver, and most of it is converted into fat. Watch the Lustig lecture, as previously posted.

    Cheers, I did watch the lecture, although skipped a few bits (an hour and a half's worth of lecture!) and found it soo helpful. I was giving my child fruit juice all the time b/c I thought it was healthier. We're cutting that down now to only with meals!
  • shred_me_up
    shred_me_up Posts: 267 Member
    quit all sugar? all forms? or just refined? theres nothing wrong with a little non-refined sugar or agave nectar...or sugar in fruits...or stevia...
  • Fairlieboy
    Fairlieboy Posts: 84 Member
    I read the book from David Gillespie Sweet Poison. After 4 weeks ago. I did biochemistry 30 years ago & he nailed it for me. Cold turkey on all sucrose & fructose. That includes honey. Even gave up my dried fruit muesli. Had one micro Easter egg, but that book did it for me. 180,000 deaths a year due to sugar. See Facebook sweet poison. Wasn't difficult to cut out sugar but most bought foods have truckloads so food has to be fresh / home prepared.
  • Southern_Cross_Girl
    Southern_Cross_Girl Posts: 29 Member
    I read the book from David Gillespie Sweet Poison. After 4 weeks ago. I did biochemistry 30 years ago & he nailed it for me. Cold turkey on all sucrose & fructose. That includes honey. Even gave up my dried fruit muesli. Had one micro Easter egg, but that book did it for me. 180,000 deaths a year due to sugar. See Facebook sweet poison. Wasn't difficult to cut out sugar but most bought foods have truckloads so food has to be fresh / home prepared.

    Hooly Dooly! That's hardcore mate! How did you find it? I'm definitely keen to know more of how it was for you.

    I'm only cutting out refined for now, still have honey/fruit/stevia, but all in moderation. Might have to have a look at that book but for now I'm happy with my second goal (the first was chocolate).
  • rowanwood
    rowanwood Posts: 509 Member
    why? Is that how you want to live the rest of your life. If so, I hope you do it. But for me, I rather cut down, because I like sugar and just need to make sure I eat within my calories. It's keeping the weight off years after I lost it that is the battle, and I know I want to be able to eat what I want, just not as much as I want. That's what is going to keep me on the path of a healthy weight.

    I wish there was a like button for this comment. I totally agree with this.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Don't send me a friend request. I eat it every day as part of my carbohydrate allotment. :flowerforyou:
  • aperrillioux
    aperrillioux Posts: 115 Member
    So, I just had a weak moment. I crashed at 2:00 (at work) and started craving a Rice Krispie treat (my go-to bad food here). Fought with myself about it. Decided to go have my peach instead. Why waste a healthy snack, right? But the peach was weird and brown and not tasty. So I threw it away and got the Rice Krispie treat. Sigh. I'm so over having no will power.

    I really do want to be able to moderate my sugar intake, because like a lot of people here were saying, it's very unrealistic, for me at least, to give up sugar forever. So here's my question: What is a moderate intake of sugar. Because I can do a Rice Krispie treat a day easy. And a Hershey's bar. Etc, etc. So what would you recommend as a regulated amount of sugar intake? Once a week?
  • Fairlieboy
    Fairlieboy Posts: 84 Member
    Hooly Dooly! That's hardcore mate! How did you find it? I'm definitely keen to know more of how it was for you.

    I'm only cutting out refined for now, still have honey/fruit/stevia, but all in moderation. Might have to have a look at that book but for now I'm happy with my second goal (the first was chocolate).
    Took a few days. My fasting blood sugar is pretty high so that's why I am doing the 5:2 diet to see if i can reduce it. That's one of the measured effects of fasting type diets. And at the same time, based on Sweet Poison, I avoid all products that contains fructose. I.e. sucrose, honey, stevia, juice. Fresh fruit fine. Cravings for sugar (bag of sweets, whole blocks of chocolates) have gone. And losing about a kg (2.2lb) per week.
    I'll get measured after another 4 weeks to check on blood sugar.
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    I've been on a baaad sugar craze lately! It is time to give it up (again). Last time I did (for about 2 weeks), even the slightest sweetness was too sweet, but then I got used to it again. Looking forward to supporting and motivating anyone else trying to achieve this goal of lessening sugar.
  • TheArmadillo
    TheArmadillo Posts: 299 Member
    My diet has got worse and worse recently where I have been stressed, then ill, then more stressed and the amount of sugar I have been eating has gone from pretty much all from fruit to triple the total amount mostly from crap. And I definitely notice the more I have the more I want and the harder it is to say no to it. And I am noticing the tiredness, which makes me crave more sugar, which causes more tiredness and I'm into the vicious circle.

    I think cutting out processed sugar is what I need to do to get my diet back on track and help with my tiredness and mood swings.

    Thanks for the inspiration
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    you know.....your brain needs that to live....
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Cut out sugar? Why would you want to do that?
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    Today I did really well. I only had some honey in my tea, and the rest was sugar-free!
  • Fairlieboy
    Fairlieboy Posts: 84 Member
    Cut out sugar? Why would you want to do that?
    Same reason you would stop smoking if you were a smoker. 180,000 people die each year from sugar is the currently accepted number.