Giving up sugar - help?

You do not have to give up sugar or anything else, unless you have a medical reason for doing so. Set reasonable goals. Eat at a deficit to lose weight and exercise for fitness.

And congrats on getting married.

I have had the best luck when I give up refined sugars. This means you will really have to check out labels, but it really helped my weight loss, and yes, my skin too. Plus, I just had more energy.

Since I only gave up refined sugars, I didn't feel like I was missing out on things. I could still have pure maple syrup and honey. I used those quite a bit in baking.

The other bit of advice I would give you is to not give yourself off days, or cheat times. Go in either all or nothing. It is too hard to keep going back and forth, and most people can't do that. Decide you will give up refined sugar, and then do it.

Good luck!

Hi all,
I'm getting married in December and would like to lose a bit more weight. I'm happy calorie counting and love my exercise but I think I'll make better progress giving up sugar....I hear its also beneficial for the skin giving up sugar!
So I'd really like some helpful advice....
What is the best way to give up? Cold turkey or wean myself off (if so, over what period)?
Do I give up fruit and natural sugars? (I only found out the other week cucumber is high in sugar - according to MFP)
What snacks do you reccomend for a sugar craving?

Thank you :-) x

If you want to "give it up", then COLD TURKEY. Rip off that band-aid! If you eat a lot of it, you will crave it for a little while. Then the craving goes away and you'll do fine. Maybe get a couple of sugar free treats to keep on hand.

Please don't give up cucumbers and fruit!

I am seriously into sweets and gave them up for Lent one year. By "sweets" I only mean foods with significant amounts of added sugar like candy, cookies, desserts, sugary drinks like cocoa, etc. I did it cold turkey. When I had a sweets craving, I ate some fruit.

It was hard at first, but after about a week or so I realized my intense cravings for sugar had disappeared. After that, it was smooth sailing till Easter. I wasn't trying to lose weight, but in those few weeks, I dropped about five pounds without restricting any other foods or changing my exercise routine. I didn't notice any difference in my skin.

When I did start to eat sweets again, they tasted "too sweet" and I could only tolerate a little bit at a time.

Congrats on your engagement!

Calories in/calories out. There is no food or macro you need to give up to lose weight. It's all smoke and mirrors. Keep your calories in budget and you will lose weight without all the drama.

If you feel that giving up unnecessary sugar is most beneficial to you at this time I suggest going at it cold turkey, and only the refined treat type things. Keep your fruits and veggies. If you want to try and eat lower sugar fruits (ie grannysmith apple over some of the sweeter, and lots of berries) that can help keep it down. But ultimately a happy life includes dessert