Questions about decreasing Sugar

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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    I agree that quitting sugar altogether doesn't seem all that reasonable because you'd also have to cut fruits, and I'd never be willing to do that.

    I wouldn't cut out fruit either. It's the added sugars i'd recommend cutting out. You need sugar for health, just not in the quantity a typical American eats it in.

    yes, because we all know that added sugar is satan, but fruit sugar is the nectar of the gods…..rollz eyez...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    I have never made a real effort to cut out sugar completely or even to strictly limit it. However, when I first started logging on MFP last March, sugar was my #1 shocker...almost every single day at first, I was over on my suggested grams by like 100 or more!!

    Over time that has lessened dramatically. I try to stay "in the black" for sugar and succeed most days. I don't freak if I go over, especially if it's from fruit But I find myself "saving" my sugar for things like fruit or admittedly, chocolate & other treats, and eat a lot less sugar-added stuff like breads and condiments and pasta sauces.

    Sometimes I am shocked that I've eaten a couple pieces of Easter candy AND fruit and still stay within the MFP guideline for me.

    MFP sugar recommendation is extremely low..you are better off not even tracking it...

    Actually MFP sugar recommendation [for me anyway] goes along with the guidelines posted by the American Heart Association for what the calculated recommended DV should be. The FDA in the USA hasn't gotten around to coming with a proper DV yet since the sugar industry pretty much pays them out to ignore them haha.

    Also I've seen a lot of posts saying that one can loose weight while eating tons of sugar. This is partially true but ask yourself, is the point of this to simply loose pounds or to have a healthier body? If healthier body is the answer then lets stop ignoring the common abuses like sugar and sodium. Ok rant done ;-)

    calore deficit + sugar consumption = weight loss ….

    I eat 50+ grams of sugar a day and maintain 12% body fat….
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I don't cut sugar completely but I do limit it some due to my pre-diabetes. I just deploy a few strategies to only eat it with certain rules:
    1. It has to be after a filling meal or at a time when I'm too tired/lazy to get more. If I'm not full sugar would be too risky
    2. It has to be when I kinda sorta want something sweet, but not when I'm craving it because that would spiral me out of control.
    3. It has to be when my blood sugar is not above normal
    4. I often just tuck my sweet treat right before bead when I'm sleepy so I'm too tired to get up and eat more.

    Those are my strategies. If you are not cutting all sugar then figure out what strategies work for you. The reason for controlling or limiting added sugar is to replace those calories with more nutrient rich ones since you are eating at a deficit making it harder to get optimal nutrients. Other than nutrients, fiber and antioxidants, the body does not distinguish much between the sugar in a mars bar or a mango.

    Sadly, MFP is just like your body, it does not distinguish between natural sugar and added sugar, so the tracker may not be the most accurate thing to watch. You may want to calculate it yourself. It is set to the ADDED sugar limit, but it counts in ALL sugar including fruits, vegetables and dairy.
  • Ivana_KillerBody
    Ivana_KillerBody Posts: 56
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    I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

    Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

    What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

    Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

    Thanks for the input!
    I would go cold turkey, plan it all out first and have all your foods ready for the week.
    I'm doing the 4 Hr Body book by Timothy Ferriss and basically no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar (unless from veggies), no dairy (that means no milk, cheese, yogurt) I do use butter though. Nothing w/ flour. Any type of sauce (that includes ketchup and BBQ sauce) or store salad dressing usually all have sugar added. I had to learn to use spices instead of sauces. Pop or anything with artificial sweetener is not allowed. Eggs are allowed as are lots of meats, beans or lentils and veggies. Sour/pickled foods are ok. Think "mexican food" minus the tortillas, tacos & chips. Couple of glasses of dry red wine are allowed per day, such as Pinot Noir.
    Calories are unimportant in this diet. In the book he disagrees with caloric formulas cause a calorie was orig. measured by a 19th century chemist (Atwater) by incinerating food - which obviously your body is not doing. The focus here is on carbs/sugar and somewhat fat. I would not recommend this if you have to be on low sodium. I am ok with the sodium, salt is a trade off for me: I used to be a choco-holic.

    You will prob. crave sugar first 2 weeks, but these meals will keep you full and satisfied. What keeps you going is 1 cheat day per week, which is actually encouraged - to boost your metabolism and keep it from going into hybernation mode. You can have anything you want for a full 24 hrs. Then back on track.

    I'm not into cooking and I don't have much time on making elaborate food - so my easy low carb go to's are:
    1. sugar free sausage & sauerkraut + beans (salad optional)
    2. canned lentils mixed w/ re-fried beans -mix in juice of 1 lime; sauteed onions + choice of ham, pork or sausage (hot dog can do)
    3. veggie stir fry in sesame oil and fish + salad
    4. roasted seasoned chicken with salad (dressing is balsamic vinegar & olive oil) or stir fry veggies
    5. mashed cabbage w butter and meat balls or meatloaf
    6. fajitas - no tortilla, refied beans and guacamole on the side

    Breakfast: scrambled eggs, choice of meat, beans and spinach + sugar free salsa
    I do coffee with stevia and 2 tsp of cream ( I guess it has a lower glycemic index than milk)

    Favourite snack: pcs of smoked salmon w/ guacamole dip or pepperettes (preferrably sugar free)
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

    Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

    What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

    Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

    Thanks for the input!

    A lot will depend on how much added sugar you have been used to having on a daily basis. You could always taper it down instead of going cold turkey to make it easier on yourself. Unless you eat a lot of sugar, the tapering method likely is the easiest. There are natural sweeteners that will give you the sweet without being refined sugar if it is just the refined sugars you are targeting. Good luck.
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
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    I've never tried to quit sugar 100% because for me it's just to difficult. That being said I limit it as much as possible and most of my sugar comes from natural sources like fruit [fructose] or milk [lactose]. My only real source of un-natural sugar is in the yogurt I eat everyday. But I'm thinking about buying the plain stuff and flavoring it myself naturaly to cut that down too.I also use low-sugar jelly on my morning toast and eggs for example. It's hard to find but there are some brands out there of jellies and jams that just have less sugar and not less sugar but added artificial junk.

    Good Luck!

    I make my own low and no sugar added jams and jellies. The work-around for you and others who are buying their jams and jellies is to look for the gourmet versions, preferably organic. They have low sugar or are made with other natural sweeteners and they don't have the added artificial junk. Specialty and health food stores carry them.
  • kuolo
    kuolo Posts: 251 Member
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    I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

    Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

    What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

    Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

    Thanks for the input!

    I think you have to find a balance that works for you. I do think that reducing sugar can help you with sugar cravings, but it's unlikely to work if you just replace refined sugar with other sugar such as honey. Sugar is sugar and unrefined sugars can still trigger cravings, in fact fructose more so for some people.

    There are ways to moderate the effect of dietary sugar on your blood sugar, which have already been mentioned, including protein, fat, fibre with your sugar item. So not eating fruit on its own as a snack, but only as part of a balanced meal, for example.

    But you need to find your own balance. Some people find lactose triggers cravings, or apples (high fructose), or carrots, so do some experimentation to see if you're affected more by one thing than another. Some people find substituting fruit can work, or that some fruit is better than others. One thing I would say is dried fruit is very concentrated and thus high sugar so if you're reducing sugar it might not be a good option.

    Sorry if that doesn't seem very helpful! But everyone's different so just try it and see what makes you feel better. And if you really eat a lot of sugar now it might be that simply reducing it will help your cravings. But if you choose the cold turkey route it's normally recommended to avoid fruit sugars also for the first week or so, then gradually reintroduce things one at a time to see how you react. Then you can see what you can tolerate without hopefully having to restrict your diet too much.
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
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    Sugar hides in weird places like bread, yogurt, ketchup.

    Read labels. If you think there should be no sugar in it, chances are your'e right.

    Buy bread with 0 grams of sugar.
    Buy peanut butter without sugar and top you bread with sliced bananas.
    Buy plain oatmeal and add fruit.
    Buy plain yogurt and add fruit. Yogurt has naturally occurring sugar too, but that's ok, we're talking about the added sugars.
    I also add half a tsp of agave, because I still need a touch of sweetness in oatmeal and yogurt. But the prepackaged ones have too much sugar, and I like to be in charge of how much I add (about 3 grams vs 12-19 grams).

    Eat fruit- it helps tremendously in fixing a sweet tooth. Your body needs sugar. But the refined, added stuff is too aggressive and causes you to want more and more. Fruit, on the other hand, talking from my personal experience, satisfied your sugar need and doesn't make you need more.
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
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    I have never made a real effort to cut out sugar completely or even to strictly limit it. However, when I first started logging on MFP last March, sugar was my #1 shocker...almost every single day at first, I was over on my suggested grams by like 100 or more!!

    Over time that has lessened dramatically. I try to stay "in the black" for sugar and succeed most days. I don't freak if I go over, especially if it's from fruit But I find myself "saving" my sugar for things like fruit or admittedly, chocolate & other treats, and eat a lot less sugar-added stuff like breads and condiments and pasta sauces.

    Sometimes I am shocked that I've eaten a couple pieces of Easter candy AND fruit and still stay within the MFP guideline for me.

    MFP sugar recommendation is extremely low..you are better off not even tracking it...

    Actually MFP sugar recommendation [for me anyway] goes along with the guidelines posted by the American Heart Association for what the calculated recommended DV should be. The FDA in the USA hasn't gotten around to coming with a proper DV yet since the sugar industry pretty much pays them out to ignore them haha.

    Also I've seen a lot of posts saying that one can loose weight while eating tons of sugar. This is partially true but ask yourself, is the point of this to simply loose pounds or to have a healthier body? If healthier body is the answer then lets stop ignoring the common abuses like sugar and sodium. Ok rant done ;-)

    calore deficit + sugar consumption = weight loss ….

    I eat 50+ grams of sugar a day and maintain 12% body fat….

    I don't think it's the OP's concern- it's about the effects of how too much sugar was causing cravings. For some people it's a hell to live in. I was an example. Getting my sugar levels to a healthy level was liberating. Not talking about weight loss but about living life free of constant cravings and debilitating migraines.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I'm wanting to work on decreasing my sugar intake which I hope will help with my sugar cravings.

    Besides the normal cutting out my daily Dr Pepper and other obvious sources do any of you have suggestions?

    What should I expect and how did you get through the initial week or so? I've been told that the first week or so can be miserable but after that you feel so much better. Is this true?

    Is it better to go "cold turkey" or ease off?

    Thanks for the input!
    If you're trying to limit sugars, I'd take more of a "cold turkey" approach. Look for hidden sugars in things like bread and dressings. Often sugar is used to replace fat, so look at the ingredient lists and skip the low fat foods
    I try to avoid things with more than 3 grams of added sugars (especially if they also lack fiber), as those are the ones more likely to cause spikes and dips in my bloods sugar, which lead me to crave sweets.
    If you wanted a more structured approach, you could do something like Phase 1 of the South Beach diet. Phase 1 isn't really about weight loss, it's about getting control of cravings. If you don't need that, then yes, just look for added sugars in really weird places. Also, look at all the different labels for sugar.
    http://www.fitsugar.com/Other-Names-Sugar-Appear-Labels-810571
    You'll find that many convenience foods have more than one.
  • maryann46106
    maryann46106 Posts: 13
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    I cut out all refined sugar. This includes white bread and white pasta. The first few weeks was hard. I fought cravings with fruit (gotta be careful because fruit can add calories but I found it worth the trade because it did ease the cravings).
    After a few weeks it gets better and you stop craving the unnatural sugary stuff. Not to say it's never a temptation but it does get easier.
    I disagree with those who say that you don't have to give up the sugar and 'all in moderation'. For me, that does not work because I binge on sugar and have somewhat of an addiction. If I start on it, I will be miserable trying to fight the cravings. I've been off of it for several months and it's the best thing I've ever done for my health. I feel so much more energy. Mind is clearer too.
    I don't know if you like the sparkling water but it was a great trade for me from soda. Wishing you luck.
  • chloematilds
    chloematilds Posts: 111 Member
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    id say replace them.instead.

    how about swapping some sweet.processed.sweets with sweet fruits? the fiber in fruits helps not.overeat since.you will.feel. more satiated. as a bonus, you get added.nutrients
  • jbaerbock
    jbaerbock Posts: 85 Member
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    I'm down to just below the MFP recommended sugar level for me per day [about 73 i think it was]. Some days I'm down to 40 other days im 2 over but I typicaly stay around the 70 mark. All the sugars are naturaly occuring in vegetables or fruits or dairy [yogurt].

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