Sugar Detox

I think it's important to moderate. I mean, I cut out sweet tea and soda, but I still eat fruit and I make my own juice for a glass a day. Carbohydrates are the only food your brain eats.

Actually no, your brain needs fats more than carbohydrates. Ever wonder why they call peanut butter-brain food? and they highly recommend Omega 3s for brain function. Omegas 3s come from healthy fats, not carbohydrates. Recent studies have shown that people who follow high carbohydrate diets have an increased risk of developing Alzheimers.

I think it's important to moderate. I mean, I cut out sweet tea and soda, but I still eat fruit and I make my own juice for a glass a day. Carbohydrates are the only food your brain eats.

Actually no, your brain needs fats more than carbohydrates. Ever wonder why they call peanut butter-brain food? and they highly recommend Omega 3s for brain function. Omegas 3s come from healthy fats, not carbohydrates. Recent studies have shown that people who follow high carbohydrate diets have an increased risk of developing Alzheimers.

Ever wonder why studies have repeatedly shown ingestion of simple carbs improves performance on cognitive tasks? Weird

Ritalin causes the same results. Or Cocaine. Or any stimulant.

To all the people who mocked my earlier post. It must be so nice to be able to eat things in 'moderation' and mock others for not being able to control their diets. As someone else earlier said, I can't just have a piece of cake, I have to eat the whole thing. I can't just eat one penguin biscuit, I have to have the entire pack. In one day, I ate an entire packet of maryland cookies, an entire packet of cadbury's fingers, and an entire family sized profiterole gateau.

The only way I can stop binging on sugar, is to just cut it out. As soon as I have a tiny piece of chocolate, or a boiled sweet, then I just want to eat the entire thing. I've tried moderation, and in the past 2 months I've put on 16lbs. Thank you for your mockery.

I am the same way. I have found the only thing that really works for me (to lose weight and lose the cravings) is a low carb (also a low sugar) diet. Even fruits can send me spiraling into a full out binge.

I'm an "all or nothing" kind of person/body type. We are all different and what works for one may not work for another. I'm kind of shocked to see all the bashers on this particular thread. Some of us just can't have certain things - period. For me, sugar is definately one of them too.

Right now, I'm trying to have a fruit here and there to just see how it goes, but if I continue to have cravings, I will cut them off.

Sorry you felt mocked for your comments - I did find alot of the comments pretty disrespectful to not only the original poster, but those of us who truly have to stay away from sugar (carbs, fruit, processed).

To all the people who mocked my earlier post. It must be so nice to be able to eat things in 'moderation' and mock others for not being able to control their diets. As someone else earlier said, I can't just have a piece of cake, I have to eat the whole thing. I can't just eat one penguin biscuit, I have to have the entire pack. In one day, I ate an entire packet of maryland cookies, an entire packet of cadbury's fingers, and an entire family sized profiterole gateau.

The only way I can stop binging on sugar, is to just cut it out. As soon as I have a tiny piece of chocolate, or a boiled sweet, then I just want to eat the entire thing. I've tried moderation, and in the past 2 months I've put on 16lbs. Thank you for your mockery.

I am the same way. I have found the only thing that really works for me (to lose weight and lose the cravings) is a low carb (also a low sugar) diet. Even fruits can send me spiraling into a full out binge.

I'm an "all or nothing" kind of person/body type. We are all different and what works for one may not work for another. I'm kind of shocked to see all the bashers on this particular thread. Some of us just can't have certain things - period. For me, sugar is definately one of them too.

Right now, I'm trying to have a fruit here and there to just see how it goes, but if I continue to have cravings, I will cut them off.

Sorry you felt mocked for your comments - I did find alot of the comments pretty disrespectful to not only the original poster, but those of us who truly have to stay away from sugar (carbs, fruit, processed).

So you eat zero carb? If you have anything with sugar, you binge on it, like eggs for example?

I eat a high protein/low carb diet. 25-50 carbs max and I try to get that from veggies, excluding starchy veggies. When I follow this plan, the weight consistently comes off and will stay off. I don't eat potatoes, rice, peas, or anything that has over a few carbs each serving. I can't allow myself to have a "cheat" day -- this leads to several months of binging. This is why I stay away from most fruits. I have tried to eat fruits - but it does send me veering off course and the cravings become overwhelming - like a druggie needs a drug or an alcholic needs a beer. I am trying to incorporate some fruit - like berries - here and there, but in the past have not been successful when doing that.

I eat eggs almost every day (but don't eat too much of the yolk because they dont digest well) and most fish/seafood and meats. I am not a big dairy person either so occassionally I will eat a cheese stick but even cheese is a trigger food. After the initial 'detox' period, I completely lose cravings and urges to binge when cutting most carbs/sugar out of my diet.

Honestly, to most people, they probaby can't understand this and will argue that anyone can eat anything in moderation - but to a true food addict, I disagree. My mother was an alcoholic and died from that at 49; my father was a compulsive overeater and morbidly obese - he too died at the age of 49. Research has shown over and over that there is a genetic component to alcoholism and just like an alcoholic, I have the same struggles with foods - particularlly carbs/sugars. I don't think this is a coincidence - I think this is a metabolic disorder. When I'm following a low carb diet, I don't crave chips or breads or starchy things. I also don't binge on meats or veggies nor are there any cravings to like eat 3 pieces of steak or chicken! But the moment I start eating more carbs (sugar), all those urges and cravings come back and derail my progress/health.

Not sure if I agree with some of the posts about sugar being essential. I recently gave up all sugar and all carbs except low glycemic veggies and I feel fine...but I also increased my saturated fat AND sodium. I'm doing a ketogenic program because the low carb/low fat/high protein thing used to give me crazy headaches.

I allow myself 1/2 cup of coconut water in the morning which has tons of potassium and other electrolytes. I think this might be another reason why I haven't had the 'low carb flu' with the headaches and all that. Sodium is essential when cutting out carbs to maintain electrolyte balance.

Good luck on your journey.

Sugar is 100% essential to live. Glucose is literally a fuel your body runs on. It's not essential in your diet though. The human body is rather good at manufacturing glucose out of just about anything.

The human body is so astonishingly good at handling sugar (in terms of making it and making use of it) that it generally takes decades of abuse in the form of sedentary lifestyle and obesity before it starts having metabolic problems.