Giving up sugar and white flour forever.

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Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,026 Member
    I couldn't do it unless forced to. I like cake, ice cream, candy and milk chocolate too much.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • cookeylady
    cookeylady Posts: 147 Member
    I gave up anything white. pasta, bread, flour, sugar. I only eat whole wheat or quinoa pasta, almond or coconut flour, coconut sugar, and sprouted grain, seed, and nuts breads. My cravings have diminished incredibly and I have lost 30 lbs in 3 months. Not saying it works for everyone just sharing my experience. Of course I made other changes as well.
  • augustremulous
    augustremulous Posts: 378 Member
    I generally think that if you're addicted to something, you should try to ease off of it your life whether it's healthy or not. For example, I spent years addicted to coffee. Once I weaned off, I awoke each morning thinking about my tasks for the day instead of my morning cup, and life got a little better. I also drink coffee every once in awhile, and enjoy it without feeling like I have to have it.

    So if you feel like something is an essential part of your life, I think you should try to go without it, until you can have it once in a rare while and not feel like it's something you need. I think it's better for emotional and physical health.

    That said, I barely eat either and it hasn't lead to any weight loss whatsoever on its own, when not combined with a corresponding weight loss effort. BUT I don't have any of the problems other people as fat as me have - I'm not pre diabetic and my resting blood sugar is great, my blood pressure and LDL is low, I sleep like a log, generally have good energy throughout the day, etc. When I do occasionally have something with white sugar, I immediately feel the effects - I feel like I need to sleep a little longer that night, and I generally feel sort of ****ty for 24 hours after.

    So that's my anecdotal response. ;)
  • srmchan
    srmchan Posts: 206 Member
    Forever. That's a mighty long time. But I'm here to tell you there's something else... :smokin:
  • WW_Jude_V2
    WW_Jude_V2 Posts: 209 Member
    I can't eat white flour (or any other wheat or gluten containing food).

    Eat it: feel agonizing pain

    Don't eat it: feel like a normal person

    Wasn't a difficult "forever" choice.

    Now if we're talking sugar? You'd have a battle on your hands if you tried to take away my fruits and vegetables. OR my now-and-then treat of dark chocolate. Loooove sugar. :love:
  • Michelle_Padgett13
    Michelle_Padgett13 Posts: 417 Member
    Forever. That's a mighty long time. But I'm here to tell you there's something else... :smokin:

    The Afterworld.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    Well there's quite a few companies and people that have made a lot of money marketing such a concept. Personally I'm making braised rabbit with home made parpadelle and focaccia.........really like the time spent making this bread......the double rise and using tomatoes and herbs from my garden and roasting some garlic from a neighbour........can't for the life of me see where this will shorten my time on this planet.

    I'm coming over for dinner...
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    Forever is an awfully long time.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 853 Member
    It is not extreme, it is just white sugar and white flour are so readily available today. Giving up those two is not much different than the diet in America and Europe around 1800. Back then, it was unusual to have white sugar and bleached flour.
  • danelutza19
    danelutza19 Posts: 2,025 Member
    Go ahead and give them up if you wish too.
    Neither sugar( as in granulated sugar, sweets and refined processes foods) nor white flour are vital or even necessary for survival.
    The only organ that uses glucose is the brain and it's need is averaged at 20g of glucose per day. Since you will still eat other carbs and veggies and fruit you will be well supplied for.
    Nothing bad will happen to you once you pas the first week of adjustment.
    There are lots of people who gave them up for various reasons and they are thriving.
    Since your body will switch from burning sugar for energy to burning fat for energy you will need to seriously up your fat intake.
    Like others have said you don't have to give them up completely, and something like eating 100% right 80% of the time is good enough.
    Best of luck!
    For more info please check out marksdailyapple.com
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    Well there's quite a few companies and people that have made a lot of money marketing such a concept. Personally I'm making braised rabbit with home made parpadelle and focaccia.........really like the time spent making this bread......the double rise and using tomatoes and herbs from my garden and roasting some garlic from a neighbour........can't for the life of me see where this will shorten my time on this planet.

    Damn you, Neanderthin. My dinner suddenly looks pretty crappy. :drinker:
  • Kghaines
    Kghaines Posts: 35 Member
    Thank you all for your opinions and advice. White sugar = cane sugar. Forever = for the rest of my life, but it is true that I don't need to be legalistic. I feel like I have to be to grantee that I won't binge, but I can see how that could be way too strict. Would I refuse, for example, a cookie that my kid baked just for me? Or lasagna that is served while over someone's house merely because they used prego?
    But I definitely need to go on a detox and start with 90 days without cane sugar/processed flour.
    Special thanks to:
    SerendipitySk
    persistentsoul
    waterwing
    Galatea_Stone
    SunofaBeach14
    newmeadow
    cookeylady
    augustremulou
    ukaryote
    danelutza19
  • silvaxx
    silvaxx Posts: 4
    I have not given up sugar completely,i still enjoy honey on my porridge and my dark chocolate every day but i no longer eat cakes,bread,pasta,biscuits,sweets,crisps and try to limit gluten.I feel much better all round ,i dont feel bloated anymore.I eat alot of fruit and vegetables which contain natural sugars but these do not have the same effect on my body as artificial and added sugars.For years we have been lead to believe that fat is the culprit for weight gain,in my opinion healthy fats are essential for the body and its the added rubbish like sugar and white fllour that do the harm.I say good luck to you and perhaps dont elliminate all natural sugars as this will include fruits which are extremely good for you and packed full of essential vitamins but just foods which contain added sugars.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    Kinda ironic that vegans find this to be very extreme......I found that interesting. carry on. :happy:

    Yes but a lot of vegans give up meat through moral grounds - I also think they avoid Nike trainers!
  • fitcrt
    fitcrt Posts: 76 Member
    Maybe just save sugary foods for special days, like birthdays, holidays, cookie baking with the kids/grandkids etc... I use whole-wheat white flour in my home baking & buy whole grain products which is easy to do. Perhaps just lessen the amount of process foods you eat on "normal" days & then don't worry about it when it's not a normal day... I have drastically reduced the amount of processed foods I eat (due to a food allergy I was diagnosed with) and I feel so much healthier! But, life just wouldn't be as fun without a little sugar from time to time - and you can buy organic sugar =0)
  • bugaboo_sue
    bugaboo_sue Posts: 552 Member
    So what are you going to eat if you're giving up sugar and white flour?

    Sugar is in pretty much everything: fruits, vegetables, alcohol, lots of foods in the grocery store have sugar.

    So if you're giving up cane sugar then does that mean you're going to substitute with brown sugar, or honey, or fake sugar? :huh:
  • Kghaines
    Kghaines Posts: 35 Member
    So what are you going to eat if you're giving up sugar and white flour?

    Sugar is in pretty much everything: fruits, vegetables, alcohol, lots of foods in the grocery store have sugar.

    So if you're giving up cane sugar then does that mean you're going to substitute with brown sugar, or honey, or fake sugar? :huh:

    I only said cane sugar, and I will of course eat fruit and all. :) Brown sugar is white cane sugar before the molasses is taken out. I would use probably honey or 100% maple syrup. Fake sugars can be worse for you than the real stuff. ;)

    Organic sugar has the same calorie content, but many times it is completely worth it to purchase fair trade! Reading up on how big sugar companies gets their sugar makes me think going without it can also be for ethical reasons. http://equalitywalk2.blogspot.com/2014/05/where-does-your-sugar-come-from.html Just fuel for thought.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    So what are you going to eat if you're giving up sugar and white flour?

    Sugar is in pretty much everything: fruits, vegetables, alcohol, lots of foods in the grocery store have sugar.

    So if you're giving up cane sugar then does that mean you're going to substitute with brown sugar, or honey, or fake sugar? :huh:

    I only said cane sugar, and I will of course eat fruit and all. :) Brown sugar is white cane sugar before the molasses is taken out. I would use probably honey or 100% maple syrup. Fake sugars can be worse for you than the real stuff. ;)

    citation?
  • PeterSedesse
    PeterSedesse Posts: 124
    Personal opinion only here... but making ´never´ and ´none´ statements do not really belong in a health and nutrition forum. There just is no health benefit to completely eliminating normal food types.

    Health is not an extreme sport, you do not get healthier by making radical choices. All things in moderation.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Why not just work on the mental side of this journey and learn to fit any food (except for those that you do not like of course) into your daily calorie goals. I was mindlessly ate over 10,000 calories a day. I bought 21 in. Pizza's several times a week and had them delivered and would put them in tupperware and hide them in closets while my family was gone so I had snacks to eat once they all went to bed. and the same went for individually packaged snacks like swiss cake , etc... The very first thing I realized was there wasn't a chance in hell I could ever give those foods up for the rest of my life (for the simple fact that I like Pizza and cookies and whatnot) but at the same time I had to figure out a way to fit them within my day along with more nutrient dense foods to meet my daily goals... So that was the approach I took, was it easy?? Heck no, but now there is ice cream in the freezer and opened packages of Oreo on the counter that I can walk past daily if it doesn't fit my day and am perfectly fine with it... That is the approach I would suggest taking because in my opinion taking such extreme approaches (even though in a minority of people it may work for) will more times than not end terrible and is why people continue to lose weight and gain it all back and then some... If you do not get into the right mindset for this journey then you can almost guarantee that you will fail...... Just my 2 cents.... Best of Luck
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Is there anyone who has done it? It is not as extreme as going vegan, but I wonder if white flour and white sugar-free is a thing. Does anyone have tips on how to give it up? :)

    If you want to give it up, then just don't eat it. I don't know what other tip you would need. Buy 100% wholemeal flour, bread, noodles, etc. Use alternative sweeteners like honey, molasses, maple syrup, juice, fruit, etc. when needed. Don't eat foods if you aren't sure of the ingredients.

    But, I think you will eventually find it unsustainable. I think these are good things to eat less of, but giving them up entirely can be very limiting to lifestyle.
  • abear007
    abear007 Posts: 84 Member
    Is there anyone who has done it? It is not as extreme as going vegan, but I wonder if white flour and white sugar-free is a thing. Does anyone have tips on how to give it up? :)
    I started my recent weight loss with the goal of getting healthy which included loosing a lot of weight. I started out sugar free /wheat free but have since progressed to just cutting those things way down while allowing a treat every now and then. It seems to be more sustainable - and enjoyable. I guess you could call it the "low sugar, low white flour" approach rather than the "zero sugar, zero white flour" approach.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I feel like I have to be to grantee that I won't binge, but I can see how that could be way too strict. Would I refuse, for example, a cookie that my kid baked just for me? Or lasagna that is served while over someone's house merely because they used prego?

    you don't need to cut stuff out and go to extreme's- you need to get some discipline.
  • MissyK222
    MissyK222 Posts: 204 Member
    Hell no! Because cake.



    HAH love the response
  • blukitten
    blukitten Posts: 922 Member
    Yes, and I know there are differing opinions on this but I have done this. I started eating whole wheat everything, still do, try to avoid white anything, breads, pasta, etc or simple carbs but I have a medical reason for doing so. I have PCOS which is related to diabetes and insulin resistance.

    I don't think these things are necessary to give up unless you have a medical reason for doing so

    I haven't ever gone cold turkey- balls to the wall type of give up thing, and still have a popsicle or other sugar when I want, but I do limit my intake severely from before I was changing my lifestyle ,, but again I have a medical reason to do so
  • ljmorgi
    ljmorgi Posts: 264 Member
    I think you should try and De-Tox your body of both for awhile to see if there are any health benefits.

    How can you de-tox from something that is not toxic in the first place?

    I like the cut of your jib.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    So what are you going to eat if you're giving up sugar and white flour?

    Sugar is in pretty much everything: fruits, vegetables, alcohol, lots of foods in the grocery store have sugar.

    So if you're giving up cane sugar then does that mean you're going to substitute with brown sugar, or honey, or fake sugar? :huh:

    I only said cane sugar, and I will of course eat fruit and all. :)Brown sugar is white cane sugar before the molasses is taken out. I would use probably honey or 100% maple syrup. Fake sugars can be worse for you than the real stuff. ;)
    Here's some food for thought. They're all basically the same thing. Glucose and fructose in pretty close ratios.
    I know because I ferment them all.
  • Kghaines
    Kghaines Posts: 35 Member
    @skullshank

    http://www.nutralegacy.com/blog/general-healthcare/top-10-dangers-of-artificial-sweeteners/

    http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/nutrition/artificial-sweeteners
    Personal opinion only here... but making ´never´ and ´none´ statements do not really belong in a health and nutrition forum. There just is no health benefit to completely eliminating normal food types.

    Health is not an extreme sport, you do not get healthier by making radical choices. All things in moderation.

    Since when did sugar become a normal food type? Starch is, and I am just limiting white wheat, not whole grains. No "normal" food types are eliminated.

    And thank you
    CyberEd312
    Need2Exerc1se
    abear007

    I know I lack self-control, and I know discipline is like a muscle...the more you use it the stronger it gets. Why must this be so difficult? I don't know what else to do.
  • WeepingAngel81
    WeepingAngel81 Posts: 2,232 Member
    Are you going to read every label on everything you purchase? Are you prepared to make homemade everything every day? Is there a medical reason why you need to give these up?

    I can see why someone would want to cut back on white flour and sugar, but to say forever seems a bit much.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    Cracks me up so many people get emotional over somebody's choice to do without something.

    if you don't want to eat or have something ever again then just don't eat it. build your lifestyle around it and carry on.

    It's your life, enjoy it as you see fit.

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