Sugar detox = brain fog?

Bettyanne77
Bettyanne77 Posts: 42
in Food and Nutrition
In the past week I have really reduced the amount of sugar in my diet, I've not cut it out all together but by a huge amount. I used to have several cups of tea a day with milk and sugar along with a cookie or three, chocolate or cake. It was what kept me going and gave me a boost though out the day, sometimes used full fat coke for the sugar and caffine also as a pick me up.

I am doing ok and not craving sugar too much but I feel a bit fuzzy and light headed, and unfocused i can barely get anything done because I'm so unfocused. I have dyspraxia and reliance on sugar and caffine was part of my unhealthy coping stratagy.

Will this pass and will my mind clear up, also is there something I can eat to improve my focus now?

p.s. I am a vegetarian but I do eat dairy and eggs.

Replies

  • raleighgoodwins
    raleighgoodwins Posts: 68 Member
    A friend of mine is doing a 3 week sugar detox and she told me the same thing about being foggy. But she is at the end of the 3 week period and it seems to have passed so I'm guessing it will for you also. Good Luck! I'm strongly considering doing a sugar detox myself.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    maybe you should not restrict foods and you wont feel like crap...

    Honestly, you can lose weight and eat a moderate amount of sugar, just maintain a calorie deficit..

    but if you like self torture feel free to continue what you are doing...

    curious - have you eliminated all sugar, or just certain kind of sugar...?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,026 Member
    Carbs help to feed the brain.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    Yes, it's a classic sign. Back when I first started it happened to me. A week or 2 later I felt great, better than I did before.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    In the past week I have really reduced the amount of sugar in my diet, I've not cut it out all together but by a huge amount. I used to have several cups of tea a day with milk and sugar along with a cookie or three, chocolate or cake. It was what kept me going and gave me a boost though out the day, sometimes used full fat coke for the sugar and caffine also as a pick me up.

    I am doing ok and not craving sugar too much but I feel a bit fuzzy and light headed, and unfocused i can barely get anything done because I'm so unfocused. I have dyspraxia and reliance on sugar and caffine was part of my unhealthy coping stratagy.

    Will this pass and will my mind clear up, also is there something I can eat to improve my focus now?

    p.s. I am a vegetarian but I do eat dairy and eggs.

    when you are eliminating sugar, hopefully you are still eating some carbs. Your body uses that and eliminating both will create some "brain fog" for you. add a bit of sugar back in and see that that works. IT's not a good idea to just go from full-tilt to zero all at once, usually weaning is a better plan and easier on your body. YOu don't have to fully give up any food, just learn moderation.
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
    YOu don't have to fully give up any food, just learn moderation.

    This. This. This. This.

    Did I mention: THIS???!

    Sugar is not "da devil". MFP can help you lose weight without demonizing any food.
  • brazosrider
    brazosrider Posts: 20
    Sounds like you need more protein to balance you out. Not only are you going through sugar withdrawal but caffeine as well. Its a double whammy.
  • Bettyanne77
    Bettyanne77 Posts: 42
    Thanks all for the feedback. I am still eating carbs and getting caffeine just not as much. I am still eating bread and pasta and veggies. When I say sugar detox I mean I have stopped having 10 cups of strong tea a day with milk and 2 sugars along with various sweet treats like biscuits and cake to go with them. I'm also checking the added sugars in preprepared foods like soups and sauces. I am not worried about natural sugars.

    I still have 2 - 3 cups of tea a day with milk and 1 xylitol and I allow myself a treat in the evening such as a couple of small bit of dark chocolate and a much of cocoa with semi skimmed milk and 1 xylitol as well.

    I do think the protein thing is a good idea, I think I need to be more careful about getting enough into my diet.

    I am certianly not cuttting out any food groups at all and i am not cutting out carbs which would be kind of impossible for me. I am going from eating tons of sugar thoughout all day every day to eating it much more moderately. I carried on eating sugar as I was I would have used up all my daily calorie allowance on tea and cookies!

    Perhaps I was wrong to say "sugar detox" as some of you might have got the wrong idea of what I was doing i.e. no sugar and no carbs. Its just that going from running on sugar to much less has left me feeling a bit spacy.

    I will perhaps get some fruit, dried fruit and nuts in for next week to fill the gap a bit as well as getting my protein up.
  • Bettyanne77
    Bettyanne77 Posts: 42
    YOu don't have to fully give up any food, just learn moderation.

    This. This. This. This.

    Did I mention: THIS???!

    Sugar is not "da devil". MFP can help you lose weight without demonizing any food.

    I agree sugar isn't evil, I personally love it but I was eating way too much of it and it was affecting my weight. I feel a bit annoyed that I have given the wrong impresson in my post, but these things happen, I did use the buzz phrase of the moment "sugar detox".

    I still have chocolate every day but I seriously needed to cut the amount of caloiries I was getting from sugar to make room for the healthy whole foods that will fill me up and provide me with lots of quality nutrition.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    Thanks all for the feedback. I am still eating carbs and getting caffeine just not as much. I am still eating bread and pasta and veggies. When I say sugar detox I mean I have stopped having 10 cups of strong tea a day with milk and 2 sugars along with various sweet treats like biscuits and cake to go with them. I'm also checking the added sugars in preprepared foods like soups and sauces. I am not worried about natural sugars.

    I still have 2 - 3 cups of tea a day with milk and 1 xylitol and I allow myself a treat in the evening such as a couple of small bit of dark chocolate and a much of cocoa with semi skimmed milk and 1 xylitol as well.

    I do think the protein thing is a good idea, I think I need to be more careful about getting enough into my diet.

    I am certianly not cuttting out any food groups at all and i am not cutting out carbs which would be kind of impossible for me. I am going from eating tons of sugar thoughout all day every day to eating it much more moderately. I carried on eating sugar as I was I would have used up all my daily calorie allowance on tea and cookies!

    Perhaps I was wrong to say "sugar detox" as some of you might have got the wrong idea of what I was doing i.e. no sugar and no carbs. Its just that going from running on sugar to much less has left me feeling a bit spacy.

    I will perhaps get some fruit, dried fruit and nuts in for next week to fill the gap a bit as well as getting my protein up.

    also please realize that dried fruit has high concentrations of sugar in it as well, and fruit has natural sugar, so you may be replacing sugar with sugar if you aren't careful. Not that that is a bad thing, but it might not be what you intended to do.
  • Shriffee
    Shriffee Posts: 250 Member
    I cut out a ton of sugar and soda too. I felt foggy for the first week, but now I feel just fine! Hopefully it will pass quickly for you. :)
  • Kickinkim418
    Kickinkim418 Posts: 257 Member
    Just try and make sure you are getting your sugars from natural foods like fruit....
  • kickassketo
    kickassketo Posts: 42 Member
    I completely eliminated sugar 7 months ago and I was a bit foggy for the first two weeks or so. It cleared up on its own though, and now I'm sharper than I've ever been. Hang in there.
  • kickassketo
    kickassketo Posts: 42 Member
    Oh, and all this about how your body NEEDS sugar is bull.
  • Bettyanne77
    Bettyanne77 Posts: 42
    Thanks all for the feedback. I am still eating carbs and getting caffeine just not as much. I am still eating bread and pasta and veggies. When I say sugar detox I mean I have stopped having 10 cups of strong tea a day with milk and 2 sugars along with various sweet treats like biscuits and cake to go with them. I'm also checking the added sugars in preprepared foods like soups and sauces. I am not worried about natural sugars.

    I still have 2 - 3 cups of tea a day with milk and 1 xylitol and I allow myself a treat in the evening such as a couple of small bit of dark chocolate and a much of cocoa with semi skimmed milk and 1 xylitol as well.

    I do think the protein thing is a good idea, I think I need to be more careful about getting enough into my diet.

    I am certianly not cuttting out any food groups at all and i am not cutting out carbs which would be kind of impossible for me. I am going from eating tons of sugar thoughout all day every day to eating it much more moderately. I carried on eating sugar as I was I would have used up all my daily calorie allowance on tea and cookies!

    Perhaps I was wrong to say "sugar detox" as some of you might have got the wrong idea of what I was doing i.e. no sugar and no carbs. Its just that going from running on sugar to much less has left me feeling a bit spacy.

    I will perhaps get some fruit, dried fruit and nuts in for next week to fill the gap a bit as well as getting my protein up.

    also please realize that dried fruit has high concentrations of sugar in it as well, and fruit has natural sugar, so you may be replacing sugar with sugar if you aren't careful. Not that that is a bad thing, but it might not be what you intended to do.

    I am not so worried about the naturally occuring sugar in fruit (which I do know about) when eaten as part of a balanced diet. I am aware that a lot of dried has sugar added but you can by some without added sugar which I will do.

    My issue is that I tended to run of sweet carbs, white toast, cookies and scones washed down with sweet milky tea. I feel I am transitioning to a better way of eating but I am feeling a bit off at the momet. Mind you nothing as compared to how I used to feel when I did a hardcare detox years ago which I had to give up due to it giving me awful migraines. My body is complaining a bit about the change but I am hoping it will pass.
  • Bettyanne77
    Bettyanne77 Posts: 42
    I cut out a ton of sugar and soda too. I felt foggy for the first week, but now I feel just fine! Hopefully it will pass quickly for you. :)

    Thanks it is helpful to know it should pass!
  • Bettyanne77
    Bettyanne77 Posts: 42
    I completely eliminated sugar 7 months ago and I was a bit foggy for the first two weeks or so. It cleared up on its own though, and now I'm sharper than I've ever been. Hang in there.

    Thanks, I don't think I want to eliminate all sugar from my diet but I did need to cut right back. Low carb, ketogentic dieting isn't right for me as I am vegetarian but I do think that added sugars are too high in the western diet for example I don't need added sugar in my humous or tomato soup but they put it right in there!
  • kickassketo
    kickassketo Posts: 42 Member
    Oh, I wasn't trying to say that you should eliminate all sugars. Finding out what works for us as individuals is the key and it wont be the same thing for everyone. I just meant that I've experienced that brain fog also and went away fairly quickly! Good luck with this!
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
    It will pass once your body adjusts.
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
    Switch to caffeine! :drinker:
  • Bettyanne77
    Bettyanne77 Posts: 42
    Oh, I wasn't trying to say that you should eliminate all sugars. Finding out what works for us as individuals is the key and it wont be the same thing for everyone. I just meant that I've experienced that brain fog also and went away fairly quickly! Good luck with this!

    Thank you :)

    You know reading these forums its clear that lots of people have some strong opinions about what the right diet is and it varies from paleo to raw vegan and I think that different people do better on some diets than others it really is all about finding something to suit you as an individual!
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    I think what people are alluding to, but haven't outright said is that 'natural' sugars and added sugars of similar types aren't metabolized any differently. So, if you give up 100 g of added sugars and replace that with fruit that contains 100g of 'natural' sugars, you haven't actually changed anything as far as sugar goes. If you want to reduce your overall sugar intake, you need to keep track of both ...

    Also, I just wanted to add that you might want to keep an eye on your dietary fats level and make sure that doesn't inadvertently drop too low while you're changing other things. Going low fat can make you feel seedy as well - and fats ARE necessary.
  • Bettyanne77
    Bettyanne77 Posts: 42
    I think what people are alluding to, but haven't outright said is that 'natural' sugars and added sugars of similar types aren't metabolized any differently. So, if you give up 100 g of added sugars and replace that with fruit that contains 100g of 'natural' sugars, you haven't actually changed anything as far as sugar goes. If you want to reduce your overall sugar intake, you need to keep track of both ...

    Also, I just wanted to add that you might want to keep an eye on your dietary fats level and make sure that doesn't inadvertently drop too low while you're changing other things. Going low fat can make you feel seedy as well - and fats ARE necessary.

    I think I am taking in fat but I will check it is where it should be.

    I do understand about "fruit sugars" but I have decided that I'm not going to worry about them so much if at all. I am a vegetarian and there is so much sugar in fruit and veg that I am always going to be taking in more than if I ate meat, that just how it is. At least if that sugar is from fruit and veg it will be getting consumed along with other good nutrients, antioxidents and health fats rather than in the form of a cookie or plain white sugar. I know some people are for reducing all sugar consumption from any source but it is just not realistic for me to for example try and eat the sugar levels deemed ok by someone who follows a paleo diet. Of course I'll keep an eye on my over all sugar intake but I'm not going to restrict fruit and veg.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Gotcha - it just seemed like everyone kind of danced around the issue without just being clear.

    I don't advocate cutting out sugars, but do try to hit balanced macros so they are under indirect control through carbs. That said, if someone did want to cut out all sugars, that's their business.
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
    This happened to me when I eliminated grains (90 % of the time) from my diet in May 2014. I was groggy for two weeks. It went away and now I feel great. The only time I feel groggy now is if I eat a heavy bread meal, like pizza.

    As far as carbs feeding the brain, I get mine now from vegetables and fruit. I'm an engineer by trade. My brain is fine without bread or pasta or sugar.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    This is quite interesting, I never would have realized cutting out 'junk' sugar would cause brain fog.


    Sounds like you are doing great.
  • phillyb2013
    phillyb2013 Posts: 271 Member
    I just read this old post, but it really helped me, so I am also going to add....coconut oil, coconut milk is also helpful with brainfog.
  • judiness101
    judiness101 Posts: 119 Member
    I eat less than 20 grams of carbs 6 days out of 7. The first weeks gave me flu like symptoms, but after you feel so much better and much less hungry.

    Hang in there.

    Edit: I just see this is an old post, but it applies for new people experiencing the same problem.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,026 Member
    Oh, and all this about how your body NEEDS sugar is bull.
    Untrue. Body needs glycogen for energy. Glycogen in it's simplest form is sugar.

    gly·co·gen
    noun \ˈglī-kə-jən\
    : a white amorphous tasteless polysaccharide (C6H10O5)x that constitutes the principal form in which glucose is stored in animal tissues, occurs especially in the liver and in muscle and also in fungi and yeasts, and resembles starch in molecular structure and in the formation of only glucose on complete hydrolysis—called also animal starch

    poly·sac·cha·ride
    noun \-ˈsak-ə-ˌrīd\
    Definition of POLYSACCHARIDE
    : a carbohydrate that can be decomposed by hydrolysis into two or more molecules of monosaccharides; especially : one (as cellulose, starch, or glycogen) containing many monosaccharide units and marked by complexity—called also glycan

    mono·sac·cha·ride
    noun \ˌmän-ə-ˈsak-ə-ˌrīd\
    Definition of MONOSACCHARIDE
    : a sugar not decomposable to simpler sugars by hydrolysis—called also simple sugar

    Science don't lie.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
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