Give up the sugar!

1235

Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Good luck :) I find that I'm also very sensitive to sugar and feel like my appetite is sooooooo much easier to control without added sugar, cravings seem to go away too ^_^

    Keep it up. you'll likely find maintenance much easier without added sugars (and tons of refined carbs for that matter).
  • HildieMe
    HildieMe Posts: 41 Member
    I wonder how much of that addiction might be gluten more than sugar... I gave up both, gluten first - before that term was widely known I was diagnosed with a sensitivity to wheat. All the things I was craving and binging on had both (cookies, cake, pie, bread...). So much later I put a stop to refined sugar, too, but still can eat eight servings of fruit a day, easily - apples are my favorite. Not good for weight loss or maintenance (I gained an average of 2 pounds a year for ten years = 20 lbs, just now lost 17 of those mostly thanks to under 1100 cal/day with MFP). Eternal vigilance, people...

    I'm so grateful for all these discussions here. Your input is VERY valuable, thank you all for contributing (even the stupid ones, makes me laugh). :D
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Out of curiosity: are your hormonal cravings sugar, fat, salt? Mine tended to be sugar. Now that I don't eat added sugars they are salt.

    My cravings have always been salt oriented. Hmm.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Out of curiosity: are your hormonal cravings sugar, fat, salt? Mine tended to be sugar. Now that I don't eat added sugars they are salt.

    My cravings have always been salt oriented. Hmm.

    yum.
  • diaowl wrote: »
    Sorry, guys... I don't mean to be rude, but you're all so far off this topic. This is a PERSONAL decision, so why are you all up my business with so many theories and so on?

    I'm limiting sugar, not giving it up. By sugar I mean added sugar. I don't think it's good for me, so I'm gonna try to eat less of it. ADDED SUGAR, WHICH IS REFINED SUGAR NOT FRUCTOSE FOUND IN FRUITS.

    That is ALL I am doing and it's really tough for someone like me. This topic was created for MYSELF, NOT TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE BUT TO KEEP MYSELF ON TRACK WITH MY DECISION.

    If you want to eat sugar, go ahead and eat sugar.
    If you don't want to eat sugar, then don't eat sugar.
    If you want to join in my quest to limit sugar, you're welcomed to do it.
    If you think this decision is trash and you don't want to join me, then simply DON'T.

    I will join u!
  • shadesofidaho
    shadesofidaho Posts: 485 Member
    No time to read through this whole thread. My one little thought is many times the cookie,with sugar in it, and the cakes etc. also have wheat in them which is also a carbohydrates which is a sugar and addicting. I am close to the same as OP If I have one sweet thing like a cookie or bite of cake I have to have more and more and more. Fruit does not do this. So maybe some of the problem is the wheat and sugar combination.

    I also noticed several commenting on the milk in OP's coffee. She stated FULL FAT. She is NOT in USA I would bet in Denmark FULL FAT MILK is the same as our whipping cream here which does not have the same carbohydrates in it as our milk.

    I am also going reduced carbohydrates. It works for me where the low calorie does not. PERIOD LOL Just had to do it.

    Chris
  • fearlessleader104
    fearlessleader104 Posts: 723 Member
    I had panettone and a chocolate truffle today! Yum!
  • mtruitt01
    mtruitt01 Posts: 370 Member
    I don't keep food in the house that might call to me. Hard to binge on green beans, turkey, eggs, whole grain bread, oranges, apples, cabbage, romaine, slices of cheese, string mozzarella, white beans, feta, radishes, mustard and low cal dressing. Some day a whole pint of gelato will sit in my fridge for days... but not now. Maybe pints, and pints...OK it's late-time for bed!
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    diaowl wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    OP--your diary entry for coffee leaves me questioning your entries. No calories for carbs or protein but you have milk listed with coffee. You have 12 grams of sugar but nothing for carbohydrates. Maybe some time reviewing your diary entries and their accuracy can lend assistance to your goals. Best of luck.

    I'm l i m i t i n g sugar, not avoiding it or cutting it out completely. Why is it so hard to understand? :neutral_face:
    I drink coffee with or without stevia or agave syrup. I choose full fat rather than skim or low fat because it has less sugar, but I don't have a large pint of full fat milk or yogurt, just a small cup.

    Last few days have been bad for me in terms of sugar intake because of Christmas parties and the likes. I can't change the past, but I will change the future.

    (we have christmas parties before christmas here in denmark)

    I was simply explaining if you list 12 grams under sugar it would be logged under carbohydrates. If this isn't making sense I am not sure how to explain it. And milk, also provides other MACRO nutrients. Your entry is wrong across the MACRO board. Whether your sugar intake is good or bad, as you stated it is above, not sure what to recommend other then reduce it. Where or what is producing the 12 grams of sugar in your entry for coffee?

  • Paul_Collyer
    Paul_Collyer Posts: 160 Member
    This is an interesting one. Since I restarted MFP in September I have lost at double the rate of last year which IMHO is down to me reducing my sugar target and generally spending that target on fruit and milk ie natural sugars. The rate of loss since I did this ( 83kg down to 77kg so far ) is almost the same as when I first started MFP at 100kg back in 2012!

    I am also keeping carbs below 40% and protein at minimum of 25% where possible. That probably also helps.
  • 111grace
    111grace Posts: 382 Member
    edited December 2014
    "It takes 9 months of NO sugar to clean the sugar from your body.. been there done that.." Thank you I did not know this. Before I loved fruits and was eating a lot of it, I thought it was natural and healthy, then I did not eat it for about 3 weeks and I lost a kg. Then I went on a keto kind of diet, I say kind of because my carbs are still on the high side. With this diet I had to increase protein, because my protein was too low, not meeting my % allocated, chicken gave me constipation!!, so to solve this problem I started to include a lot of fruit, helped, but put on 1 kg!! Stalemate!! Keto guys say increase more fat coconut oil and butter, but I cannot do that until I decrease the carbs!! I hope this is not checkmate!! and there is a still a move I can make!!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I had panettone and a chocolate truffle today! Yum!
    I've never understood the point of replies like this. So odd.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    I had panettone and a chocolate truffle today! Yum!
    I've never understood the point of replies like this. So odd.

    I think perhaps people mistake these threads for Facebook status updates?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    edited December 2014
    111grace wrote: »
    "It takes 9 months of NO sugar to clean the sugar from your body.. been there done that.." Thank you I did not know this. Before I loved fruits and was eating a lot of it, I thought it was natural and healthy, then I did not eat it for about 3 weeks and I lost a kg. Then I went on a keto kind of diet, I say kind of because my carbs are still on the high side. With this diet I had to increase protein, because my protein was too low, not meeting my % allocated, chicken gave me constipation!!, so to solve this problem I started to include a lot of fruit, helped, but put on 1 kg!! Stalemate!! Keto guys say increase more fat coconut oil and butter, but I cannot do that until I decrease the carbs!! I hope this is not checkmate!! and there is a still a move I can make!!

    You did not know that because it isn't true. Your body runs on glucose, you can never completely eliminate sugar from your body. Your body will just convert protein and fat into sugar instead.

    As for your keto and fruit gain/loss story,that's simple water weight manipulation, which is what explains the quick weight loss people see on a keto diet,and why they seem to quickly regain when adding carbs back in. Carbs store as glycogen, which requires a large amount of water to store. So when you cut out all the fruit, glycogen stores dropped and water weight dropped. When you added fruit back in, glycogen stores increased and water weight came back on. No difference in fat loss either way.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited December 2014
    No time to read through this whole thread. My one little thought is many times the cookie,with sugar in it, and the cakes etc. also have wheat in them which is also a carbohydrates which is a sugar and addicting. I am close to the same as OP If I have one sweet thing like a cookie or bite of cake I have to have more and more and more. Fruit does not do this. So maybe some of the problem is the wheat and sugar combination.

    I analyzed a basic cookie recipe I have, and sugar is nowhere near the main source of calories. Butter is. Flour is second. So maybe it's the butter/flour (or fat/carb) combination. This would also explain why mashed potatoes with butter are so tasty, although I don't personally believe they are "addictive," of course. No more so than cookies, etc.

    Oh, and I looked up some info on the EU milk regs, and their full fat milk is on average 4%, which is what it is in the US too.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    mmerry5 wrote: »
    I look at it like this, if you put an apple in front of me and my favorite cookie, I’d prefer to eat my cookie (though I may not choose to do so) because I LOVE the taste of them and because I love the taste of them, I’d want more than one. Some call that a craving. Maybe it is. If I have a batch of my favorite cookies sitting around I’ll want to eat them. Not because I’m addicted to sugar, but because I love the taste of those cookies. If it were a batch of coconut cookies I wouldn’t even take a second look at them. I don’t like coconut no matter how much added sugar they have. On the same note, I like apples and I eat them, but because I don’t LOVE them (unless they are crispy, juicy and sweet!), one is enough. To me it’s no difference than if you put a plate full of liver in front of me and plate full of seasoned roasted chicken breast. I could pig out on the chicken breast because I love it and would leave the liver untouched. I’m not a liver fan. I could munch on the leftover chicken all day. Does that mean that chicken causes cravings for me? No, I just like the taste. Unfortunately cookies aren’t as good for me as the fruit and don’t have the satiety of fruit, so I don’t keep them around as much.

    This is my experience too. I overeat on certain foods because they are yummy.

    I don't have a problem with people limiting sweets (or whatever their "trigger" food is). It makes sense if you really don't have the self control to stop yourself from binging. It's when people start saying "sugar is addictive" that I have issues. There is no proof that sugar is physically addictive.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    edited December 2014
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    No time to read through this whole thread. My one little thought is many times the cookie,with sugar in it, and the cakes etc. also have wheat in them which is also a carbohydrates which is a sugar and addicting. I am close to the same as OP If I have one sweet thing like a cookie or bite of cake I have to have more and more and more. Fruit does not do this. So maybe some of the problem is the wheat and sugar combination.

    I analyzed a basic cookie recipe I have, and sugar is nowhere near the main source of calories. Butter is. Flour is second. So maybe it's the butter/flour (or fat/carb) combination. This would also explain why mashed potatoes with butter are so tasty, although I don't personally believe they are "addictive," of course. No more so than cookies, etc.

    Oh, and I looked up some info on the EU milk regs, and their full fat milk is on average 4%, which is what it is in the US too.

    OMG I love butter!!!! And cheese. And chocolate. (apparently I have a dairy problem) But butter will always be my first love!!

    questions-about-cooking-with-butter-1.jpg
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    No time to read through this whole thread. My one little thought is many times the cookie,with sugar in it, and the cakes etc. also have wheat in them which is also a carbohydrates which is a sugar and addicting. I am close to the same as OP If I have one sweet thing like a cookie or bite of cake I have to have more and more and more. Fruit does not do this. So maybe some of the problem is the wheat and sugar combination.

    I analyzed a basic cookie recipe I have, and sugar is nowhere near the main source of calories. Butter is. Flour is second. So maybe it's the butter/flour (or fat/carb) combination. This would also explain why mashed potatoes with butter are so tasty, although I don't personally believe they are "addictive," of course. No more so than cookies, etc.

    Oh, and I looked up some info on the EU milk regs, and their full fat milk is on average 4%, which is what it is in the US too.

    OMG I love butter!!!! And cheese. And chocolate. (apparently I have a dairy problem) But butter will always be my first love!!

    questions-about-cooking-with-butter-1.jpg

    you are addicted to butter, seek immediate help.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
    mmerry5 wrote: »
    I look at it like this, if you put an apple in front of me and my favorite cookie, I’d prefer to eat my cookie (though I may not choose to do so) because I LOVE the taste of them and because I love the taste of them, I’d want more than one. Some call that a craving. Maybe it is. If I have a batch of my favorite cookies sitting around I’ll want to eat them. Not because I’m addicted to sugar, but because I love the taste of those cookies. If it were a batch of coconut cookies I wouldn’t even take a second look at them. I don’t like coconut no matter how much added sugar they have. On the same note, I like apples and I eat them, but because I don’t LOVE them (unless they are crispy, juicy and sweet!), one is enough. To me it’s no difference than if you put a plate full of liver in front of me and plate full of seasoned roasted chicken breast. I could pig out on the chicken breast because I love it and would leave the liver untouched. I’m not a liver fan. I could munch on the leftover chicken all day. Does that mean that chicken causes cravings for me? No, I just like the taste. Unfortunately cookies aren’t as good for me as the fruit and don’t have the satiety of fruit, so I don’t keep them around as much.

    I so much agree with every word of this… (except I like coconut! :smile: ) That is the extent of the problem for me! I'm not a binger-- I'm not an emotional eater. I just like food. And if it's there, I want to eat it. It doesn't mean food is bad or dangerous or even addicting for me… it's just something I like. And that is what I have to work through as I lose weight is figuring out that I don't have to eat just because it's there. Because it'll still be there tomorrow.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I had panettone and a chocolate truffle today! Yum!
    I've never understood the point of replies like this. So odd.

    I think perhaps people mistake these threads for Facebook status updates?
    oh! Makes perfect sense now. Thanks.

  • Unknown
    edited December 2014
    This content has been removed.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I could definitely OD on cheese.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    I could definitely OD on cheese.

    Addict!
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
    I had panettone and a chocolate truffle today! Yum!

    Well paint my door red and slap me , I'm just totaly impressed.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    edited December 2014
    Same here and just recently got off sugar as part of my arthritis pain management. The first of Aug learned about coconut oil and adapting to it took about a month and I was limiting sugar. By the end of September I said heck with sugar in total. Well I am not talking about like sugar in almonds but at this time I am doing NO fruit or food with added sugar.

    I am two months into NO sugar for real. Thankful with the combo of cutting the carbs to <50 grams a day and daily use of coconut oil my pain is down from 7-8 to 2-3 on a 1-10 scale. Staying away from all meds is important to me at my age and I do not plan to go back to sugar ever since it is toxic to me.

    One plus of living on Fats and Protein is one just does not get cravings and can go long periods without food since there are no sugar crashes and the IBS left after a month on the coconut oil.

    Good luck.
    It's quite incredible the difference in cutting back sugar and the pain level in joints. I'd read about it but couldn't believe the difference.... so whenever the pain is high I think about what I've been eating and can pin it on junk. Hate the joint pain, hate the emotional pain I use sugar to cover it with. Working on not covering any of it up. Exercise seems to be a great friend in exchange.

    Glad you shared the above for anyone that hasn't! :)

    Cutting way back on sugar keeps the inflammation down on my joints, that what's I've noticed on my knees. Fruit doesn't effect me in the same way as processed sugary junk food.

    To some it may react the same in their bodies, for whatever reason it doesn't mine. My body CAN tell the difference and responds quite differently between the two.

  • optionsgod
    optionsgod Posts: 144 Member
    I want to join this...seems so tough though.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    edited December 2014
    time410s wrote: »
    I can resist binging if eating fruit, but any processed, sugary goodies give me crazy cravings. I have given up refined sugars in the past and my cravings subsided. Each time, however, I thought I was cured, ate something refined and the cravings returned followed by binging. For me there is really no moderation -- I have to completely avoid refined sugar. Even if I stopped eating after one brownie, cookie, etc. I continued to think about it and obsess about it all day. I was preoccupied with getting my next fix. I am once again on the wagon (hopefully for good). It is not just about wanting to lose 10 pounds, it is about wanting to stop the obsessing. So, I guess you could say I am giving it up for two reasons: my vanity and my sanity!

    FYI your body can't tell the difference. You're hooked on the marketing.

    How exactly do YOU know time410s body can't tell the difference? Perhaps you meant to say YOUR body can't tell the difference for you?

    Because it seems it would be difficult to answer that for another.

    time410s ... congrats BTW for learning what your body can and can't tolerate... I can really relate to what you've shared in your post!!
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    edited December 2014
    time410s wrote: »
    I can resist binging if eating fruit, but any processed, sugary goodies give me crazy cravings. I have given up refined sugars in the past and my cravings subsided. Each time, however, I thought I was cured, ate something refined and the cravings returned followed by binging. For me there is really no moderation -- I have to completely avoid refined sugar. Even if I stopped eating after one brownie, cookie, etc. I continued to think about it and obsess about it all day. I was preoccupied with getting my next fix. I am once again on the wagon (hopefully for good). It is not just about wanting to lose 10 pounds, it is about wanting to stop the obsessing. So, I guess you could say I am giving it up for two reasons: my vanity and my sanity!

    FYI your body can't tell the difference. You're hooked on the marketing.

    How exactly do YOU know her body can't tell the difference? Perhaps you meant to say YOUR body can't tell the difference for you?

    Because it seems it would be difficult to answer that for her.

    Science says her body can't tell the difference. It reacts exactly the same to different types of sugar. The only difference is that fruit often comes with fiber which slows its digestion. But as far as "refined" sugar and "unrefined" or "natural" sugar like honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc. there literally is no difference at all. None.

    The only way a person will react differently is through a medical issue, such as diabetes...but even then, that person's reaction to refined and unrefined sugar will still match.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    edited December 2014
    diaowl wrote: »
    Sorry, guys... I don't mean to be rude, but you're all so far off this topic. This is a PERSONAL decision, so why are you all up my business with so many theories and so on?

    I'm limiting sugar, not giving it up. By sugar I mean added sugar. I don't think it's good for me, so I'm gonna try to eat less of it. ADDED SUGAR, WHICH IS REFINED SUGAR NOT FRUCTOSE FOUND IN FRUITS.

    That is ALL I am doing and it's really tough for someone like me. This topic was created for MYSELF, NOT TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE BUT TO KEEP MYSELF ON TRACK WITH MY DECISION.

    If you want to eat sugar, go ahead and eat sugar.
    If you don't want to eat sugar, then don't eat sugar.
    If you want to join in my quest to limit sugar, you're welcomed to do it.
    If you think this decision is trash and you don't want to join me, then simply DON'T.

    What you've chosen to do for yourself makes sense to me.. if it's what your body needs to be healthy and run better...so be it. :) More power to you...

    .... I didn't read through all the posts... after the train got derailed...didn't seem much point.



  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    How exactly do YOU know time410s body can't tell the difference? Perhaps you meant to say YOUR body can't tell the difference for you?

    So if I claimed to be "addicted" to naan, but no other kinds of bread, that would be a rational comment?

    It's basically the same, if we are talking actual physical response.

    People may well have trigger foods, but that's not about their body being able to tell the difference. An interesting test would be to disguise the taste and knowledge of what it was and see what happens.
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