Sugar Detox - Exercising through the Withdrawals
Replies
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I should add to my post about giving up added sugar that I did not feel the least bit better doing than than when I've eaten sugar in moderation and within the context of a healthy, calorie appropriate diet. And to be clear, I felt really good in both cases. But there was no magical effect of giving up sugar (or, for that matter, grains, and I feel better when I have dairy than when I don't--although this last might be entirely psychological).
I also don't feel better or worse when eating or not eating meat.
None of this surprises me, as humans are basically adapted to be able to eat what's available and thrive, and I am not lactose intolerant, celiac, and do not eat any foods I am allergic to.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »nvsmomketo wrote: »My sugar garams are between 2g and 8g of sugar per day and my total carbs are usually under 50g. I've had days where my only sugars come from the cream in my coffee. Usually the rest come from spinach, celery, eggs, and such.
What I think is amazing is that so often people propose these "no sugar" diets as if they were good for health, but you seem to be eating exceptionally few veggies and almost no variety. I normally wouldn't say anything, as it's your business and I think adults should decide for themselves what they consider healthy, but if we are going to talk about what is a healthy diet, I think prioritizing veggies and, yes, even fruits is much more important than trying to cut out sugar.
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peachyfuzzle wrote: »peachyfuzzle wrote: »Alluminati wrote: »Alluminati wrote: »OP, I think you're tired from eating so little.
Possibly very true, I'm not used to this but that is the direction myfitnesspal gave me.
Here are my "goals"
Nutritional Goals
Goals
Net Calories Consumed* / Day 1,200 cal/day
Carbs / Day 150.0 g
Fat / Day 40.0 g
Protein / Day 60.0 g
Fitness Goals
Goals
Calories Burned / Week 830 cal/week
Workouts / Week 5 Workouts
Minutes / Workout 30 mins
Your Diet Profile Target
Calories Burned
From Normal Daily Activity 2,060 cal/day
Net Calories Consumed*
Your Daily Goal 1,200 cal/day
Daily Calorie Deficit 860 calories
Projected Weight Loss 1.7 lbs/week
How are you measuring your activity burns? MFP already has the deficit built in so you should be netting 1200 a day. MFP also tends to exaggerate exercise burns, so perhaps eat half of your exercise calories back and see how you feel. Like Hornsby said, you cannot be eating zero sugars unless you're just eating meat.
Unless you have a medical issue with sugar, there really is no reason to "detox". If you wish to cut back on sugar as a personal choice, then have at it. But I don't think your withdrawals are coming from the lack of sugar itself. More like you might be burning yourself out from not eating enough to fuel your workouts.
Fair enough, yeah, it's a personal choice. Huge sweet tooth to the point that I gained 20 lbs from lack of self-control.
There you go. You said it. It's lack of self control, not an addiction, and not the fault of the sugar.
Also, not allowing myths to continue to propagate is not the same as being unsupportive. In fact, correcting false views based on junk science is more supportive than just blindly allowing a person to believe in the woo.
How is that not an addiction? Genuinely curious
Because addiction has very little, if anything, to do with self control. Addiction is a physical change in the body that causes the addict to become dependent upon the substance which will cause withdrawal symptoms up to, and including death, if that substance is not ingested. An addicted person does not lack self control. An addicted person lacks the physical capability of staying away from their addiction until they are weaned off.
Sugar does not have this affect on the body. Any "withdrawal" symptoms you experience happen because you've been told by people you trust that these symptoms are real, i.e. the placebo effect.
A craving for something is not an addiction. You can control yourself, but you stated that you are lacking that self control which means you are consciously choosing not to control yourself.
Quoting this for emphasis.
OP, please read this, and Lemurcat's comments on her results with a short term "no added sugar" experiment.
Also, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of people on MFP who at some point in their life have struggled with moderation and found it challenging to limit a particular trigger food. Many of these people learned how to fit in the foods they love, without demonizing them, without detoxing, without going cold turkey forever, because they understand that they aren't addicted to the particular food, it is a behavioral habit/response, not a physical addiction. It can be difficult at times, but some of the most successful people here at MFP have learned how to do this and now enjoy the foods they love, whether it be ice cream, or cookies, or wine, in moderation by adjusting their habits.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »nvsmomketo wrote: »My sugar garams are between 2g and 8g of sugar per day and my total carbs are usually under 50g. I've had days where my only sugars come from the cream in my coffee. Usually the rest come from spinach, celery, eggs, and such.
What I think is amazing is that so often people propose these "no sugar" diets as if they were good for health, but you seem to be eating exceptionally few veggies and almost no variety. I normally wouldn't say anything, as it's your business and I think adults should decide for themselves what they consider healthy, but if we are going to talk about what is a healthy diet, I think prioritizing veggies and, yes, even fruits is much more important than trying to cut out sugar.
I think it is good for my health. I was getting into prediabetic fasting blood glucose ranges, plus I have some autoimmune problems for which sugar can cause inflammation and issues. Reducing my sugar intake is something that appears to help me.
Just yesterday I ate too many carbs (for me), about 60g of carbs. My carbs came from eggs, cream, macadamia nuts, avacado, celery, spinach, onion and some chocolate chips sweetened with xylitol. It was too much (for me) and my morning blood glucose was back up to 5.6 (prediabetic levels) again.
Plus today my immune system is acting up again - too much (for me)
I appear to need to keep sugars low. Adding fruits and more carbs doesn't help a pre-diabetic like me.
I agree that veggies can be very good for people. I also think that meat, eggs, and fats are good for people... my xylitol sweetened chocolate chips are probably not too good for people.
I do get variety, it's and just in meats. Yesterday I ate pork, beef/veal, fish, nuts and eggs, plus veggies. I could argue that saying one who eats just veggies is not getting much variety - it's just veggies just like others could argue that eating meats is not much variety... It's definitely not as colourful, I'll grant you that.0 -
martyqueen52 wrote: »Hello!
I have started a sugar detox that I expect to last 30 days (if not more if I am happy at the end!) I am on day 3 and I am so exhausted I feel like I could fall over. I also am trying to lose 20 lbs by eating 1200 calories a day and doing at least 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week. You know, that whole shebang.
Today though, I feel too beat to exercise. My question is - do I push through the fatigue and get 30 in? Has anyone else experienced withdrawal symptoms from sugar? Thanks!
1200 calories, 5 days a week exercise..... what are you? An 80lb. teenage girl? You need to eat more.
Like previous posters said, unless you're eating ALL meat, you're consuming sugar. Your body doesn't need to detox at all. It does that on it's own.
It's interesting that both of you who posted this are guys. Any sense in justifying that women need to eat less than men in general? I agree that 1200 is pretty low but I have done a ton of research on calorie deficits to lose weight and 1200 seems to be the range recommended, albeit nothing lower than that.
I'm wondering if the 1200 number recommended is after exercise. Meaning, if I burn 300 calories in a day, I should really be eating 1500. But I wish myfitnesspal "goals" would just say that haha.
I'm not a guy and I don't think you should be eating this low. You're an inch taller than me and I can eat around 1700 a day to lose weight. Of course, that means slower weight loss, but trust me, slower is better. Slower, is most likely more fat, rather than overall weight (water, muscle, bone).0 -
OP, I totally understand where you're coming from. I have a huge sweet tooth and have often overindulged in candy, cakes, cookies, pastries and other foods that are full of added sugar. They make me feel awful, but they also make me crave more and more of them so that it is like a never ending cycle. What I discovered (after trying sugar "detoxing") is that "detoxing" from sugar isn't necessary. Trying to rid your diet of ALL sugar is very, very difficult because so many healthy foods have naturally occurring sugars. Instead, I banished the candy, cakes, cookies, pastries and other sweet treats loaded with added sugar from my house and my diet. I focused on getting the majority of my carbs from vegetables, fruits, beans, etc. i reduced -- but did not eliminate -- grain based carbs for a while because they seemed to help with this process. After a couple of weeks I felt so much better and the sugar cravings completely disappeared. I have since added some of these sugary treats back into my diet as occasional TREATS, and I eat grain based carbs when I want them (which is actually not all that often). I hated almond milk in my morning coffee. The small amount of natural sugar in cow's milk is fine. Plus almond milk (even the plain unsweetened kind) has a lot more calories than cow's milk.
Bottom line is, you don't need to try to rid your body of ALL sugars. It is really hard and not needed at all to start feeling better and losing weight.0 -
martyqueen52 wrote: »Hello!
I have started a sugar detox that I expect to last 30 days (if not more if I am happy at the end!) I am on day 3 and I am so exhausted I feel like I could fall over. I also am trying to lose 20 lbs by eating 1200 calories a day and doing at least 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week. You know, that whole shebang.
Today though, I feel too beat to exercise. My question is - do I push through the fatigue and get 30 in? Has anyone else experienced withdrawal symptoms from sugar? Thanks!
1200 calories, 5 days a week exercise..... what are you? An 80lb. teenage girl? You need to eat more.
Like previous posters said, unless you're eating ALL meat, you're consuming sugar. Your body doesn't need to detox at all. It does that on it's own.
It's interesting that both of you who posted this are guys. Any sense in justifying that women need to eat less than men in general? I agree that 1200 is pretty low but I have done a ton of research on calorie deficits to lose weight and 1200 seems to be the range recommended, albeit nothing lower than that.
I'm wondering if the 1200 number recommended is after exercise. Meaning, if I burn 300 calories in a day, I should really be eating 1500. But I wish myfitnesspal "goals" would just say that haha.
That IS how MFP works. That's why it doesn't change your goal when you tell it how much you plan to exercise (it doesn't believe it until you do it), and it gives you more calories when you log exercise. You shouldn't be doing 1200 plus intense exercise but should add some additional exercise calories.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »UltimateRBF wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »nvsmomketo wrote: »It appears to me that this board has a few people who don't believe that sugar affects some people more than others, or that withdrawal like symptoms are real for some when sugar is removed from their diets. I think those people do not have an issue with sugar, and have never experienced it, so they don't accept it as possible... Just my opinion.
I too have issues with sugar. If I am offered 1 cookie, I have more. Pop is my favourite "food". I'm to the pint where if I fry up too many carbs with my eggs in the morning (like a pepper) then I am craving carbs later in the day and hungry within a couple of hours rather than four.
I went low carb high fat (LCHF) to get into ketogenisis, and I felt pretty poorly for about 2weeks - on and off. I was very tired, had migraines most of the time and was a bit cranky. Just weak. I'm not working out but now that I am past that withdrawal, I feel the urge to work out and od something, which is more than I ever felt before.
My advice is to consider cutting back on exercise if you feel like you need to. Maybe tone it down to an easy jog or walk for a few days.
On the otherhand, a hard workout of HIIT will help clear the sugars out of your body faster.
Just don't cheat. I had a couple of cheats and I think it made "withdrawal" last longer for me. Just a theory.
My other advice would be to try the LCD board. Other low carbers may understand what you are going through more than others who are not in the same boat. Good luck!
Especially agreeing with the bolded. I wonder if those people have ever given up sugar and if so if they were symptom-free.
@mardetox Here's the link to the Low Carb Daily group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
Oh please. More assumptions. Ridiculous.
"I wonder" indicates a question, not an assumption.
Not necessarily. And certainly not in your post. You've been here long enough to know the answer to that "question", and you've been here long enough for us to know your intentions.
I don't recall ever seeing a post from the "I eat ice cream every day" people that discussed ever previously giving up sugar and how that made them feel and am genuinely curious about this.
because giving up sugar is totally unnecessary...0 -
I once did.kshama2001 wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »UltimateRBF wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »nvsmomketo wrote: »It appears to me that this board has a few people who don't believe that sugar affects some people more than others, or that withdrawal like symptoms are real for some when sugar is removed from their diets. I think those people do not have an issue with sugar, and have never experienced it, so they don't accept it as possible... Just my opinion.
I too have issues with sugar. If I am offered 1 cookie, I have more. Pop is my favourite "food". I'm to the pint where if I fry up too many carbs with my eggs in the morning (like a pepper) then I am craving carbs later in the day and hungry within a couple of hours rather than four.
I went low carb high fat (LCHF) to get into ketogenisis, and I felt pretty poorly for about 2weeks - on and off. I was very tired, had migraines most of the time and was a bit cranky. Just weak. I'm not working out but now that I am past that withdrawal, I feel the urge to work out and od something, which is more than I ever felt before.
My advice is to consider cutting back on exercise if you feel like you need to. Maybe tone it down to an easy jog or walk for a few days.
On the otherhand, a hard workout of HIIT will help clear the sugars out of your body faster.
Just don't cheat. I had a couple of cheats and I think it made "withdrawal" last longer for me. Just a theory.
My other advice would be to try the LCD board. Other low carbers may understand what you are going through more than others who are not in the same boat. Good luck!
Especially agreeing with the bolded. I wonder if those people have ever given up sugar and if so if they were symptom-free.
@mardetox Here's the link to the Low Carb Daily group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
Oh please. More assumptions. Ridiculous.
"I wonder" indicates a question, not an assumption.
Not necessarily. And certainly not in your post. You've been here long enough to know the answer to that "question", and you've been here long enough for us to know your intentions.
I don't recall ever seeing a post from the "I eat ice cream every day" people that discussed ever previously giving up sugar and how that made them feel and am genuinely curious about this.
I felt tired, headachy, sluggish, and couldn't finish most 500 kcal meals because I was sick of it halfway through.
I guess that's also a way to lose weight.0 -
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/
I'm not an idiot and I realize there is sugar in natural, wholesome foods. This is obviously not what I am referring to when I am trying to cut the crap from my life.
This thread is really sad, and I'm honestly sorry I started it. I never said I was giving up sugar for life, I said 30 days. I am not attacking any of your choices to eat cookies and what have you while hitting your macro and calorie goals. If that works for you, then that is awesome, and I hope I will get there eventually. This is a kick off for me to change my habits that have resulted in weight gain, depression, anxiety, and demotivation. There is no harm in trying to cut something and slowly introduce it back into your diet when you feel like you have more control.
The one thing I have learned here is that my original goal of 1200 calories a day is too low, so I'll adjust that. Also that I should replace the word "sugar" with processed/added sugar, and should be more specific on this site when seeking advice (which I definitely will not do again).
Truly appreciate those of you who have responded without judgement or snarky comments. Thanks for existing, the world needs more of you. For those of you who think the former statement might not refer to you, just ask yourself if your comments are genuinely meant to help someone before posting in the future.0 -
I am so done with people thinking that they can live off of 1200 calories. This has nothing to do with sugar and everything to do with starving.0
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/
I'm not an idiot and I realize there is sugar in natural, wholesome foods. This is obviously not what I am referring to when I am trying to cut the crap from my life.
This thread is really sad, and I'm honestly sorry I started it. I never said I was giving up sugar for life, I said 30 days. I am not attacking any of your choices to eat cookies and what have you while hitting your macro and calorie goals. If that works for you, then that is awesome, and I hope I will get there eventually. This is a kick off for me to change my habits that have resulted in weight gain, depression, anxiety, and demotivation. There is no harm in trying to cut something and slowly introduce it back into your diet when you feel like you have more control.
The one thing I have learned here is that my original goal of 1200 calories a day is too low, so I'll adjust that. Also that I should replace the word "sugar" with processed/added sugar, and should be more specific on this site when seeking advice (which I definitely will not do again).
Truly appreciate those of you who have responded without judgement or snarky comments. Thanks for existing, the world needs more of you. For those of you who think the former statement might not refer to you, just ask yourself if your comments are genuinely meant to help someone before posting in the future.
Just think how different this thread could have been if you had only said what you meant to begin with.
The link you provided isn't a study. It is an article published in a pay to publish "journal".0 -
I have, but it last only a few days. Your calorie intake seems too low...0
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/
I'm not an idiot and I realize there is sugar in natural, wholesome foods. This is obviously not what I am referring to when I am trying to cut the crap from my life.
This thread is really sad, and I'm honestly sorry I started it. I never said I was giving up sugar for life, I said 30 days. I am not attacking any of your choices to eat cookies and what have you while hitting your macro and calorie goals. If that works for you, then that is awesome, and I hope I will get there eventually. This is a kick off for me to change my habits that have resulted in weight gain, depression, anxiety, and demotivation. There is no harm in trying to cut something and slowly introduce it back into your diet when you feel like you have more control.
The one thing I have learned here is that my original goal of 1200 calories a day is too low, so I'll adjust that. Also that I should replace the word "sugar" with processed/added sugar, and should be more specific on this site when seeking advice (which I definitely will not do again).
Truly appreciate those of you who have responded without judgement or snarky comments. Thanks for existing, the world needs more of you. For those of you who think the former statement might not refer to you, just ask yourself if your comments are genuinely meant to help someone before posting in the future.
Debate, even when heated, is often beneficial. Often times lurkers gain knowledge and value through reading these threads, even if the OP didn't. Keep an open mind, and identify the premise behind what people are saying, and adapt as you see fit. Ultimately though, stop with the "judgement/snark/mean people" comments. You learned something through all this (calorie target too low). So it was beneficial. Even if you disapprove of the tone of how some people write, you took away some valuable information. And if some of the meanies said something to cause you to think just a little bit differently, then good. Others reading this might learn better by being given a verbal kick in the *kitten*. If you want long term success, sometimes you gotta toughen up, because you can learn a lot from the more blunt people around here.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »nvsmomketo wrote: »It appears to me that this board has a few people who don't believe that sugar affects some people more than others, or that withdrawal like symptoms are real for some when sugar is removed from their diets. I think those people do not have an issue with sugar, and have never experienced it, so they don't accept it as possible... Just my opinion.
I too have issues with sugar. If I am offered 1 cookie, I have more. Pop is my favourite "food". I'm to the pint where if I fry up too many carbs with my eggs in the morning (like a pepper) then I am craving carbs later in the day and hungry within a couple of hours rather than four.
I went low carb high fat (LCHF) to get into ketogenisis, and I felt pretty poorly for about 2weeks - on and off. I was very tired, had migraines most of the time and was a bit cranky. Just weak. I'm not working out but now that I am past that withdrawal, I feel the urge to work out and od something, which is more than I ever felt before.
My advice is to consider cutting back on exercise if you feel like you need to. Maybe tone it down to an easy jog or walk for a few days.
On the otherhand, a hard workout of HIIT will help clear the sugars out of your body faster.
Just don't cheat. I had a couple of cheats and I think it made "withdrawal" last longer for me. Just a theory.
My other advice would be to try the LCD board. Other low carbers may understand what you are going through more than others who are not in the same boat. Good luck!
Especially agreeing with the bolded. I wonder if those people have ever given up sugar and if so if they were symptom-free.
@mardetox Here's the link to the Low Carb Daily group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
Oh, I've just been reading this not posting, but I'll post to this one.
I not only thought I had issues with sugar and believed myself to be sensitive to it, I was convinced I was addicted to it, gave it up (in the form of added sugars and fruit, I still ate non-starchy veggies), and then was convinced I felt all better.
Yeah, um, no. I waved away days I felt bad as something else being wrong, even!
Since reintroducing it into my life in moderation now that I've worked through my REAL issues with food and accepted personal responsibility for them?
It's amazing how I can eat sugar, issue-free, with no symptoms that I was sure it used to give me.
One small caveat: Were I to eat an entire box of cookies, I'd get a migraine. I'd get the same from gorging myself on a huge quantity of fruit. I do have a real medical issue with a HUGE quantity of sugar. But in normal amounts modestly consumed? Nothing happens. I eat normal servings of fruit, ice cream, candy, or cookies, and walk away feeling fine.
So yes, people who have no issue with sugar and argue against theories of sugar being a "toxin" and people being sensitive to it know that it's, well, something that needs further examination.
I'm all for people giving sugar up for a while if they have developed bad habits around it. Time away from something is a good way to break those habits. After a time out, it's safe to bring yourself back to sugar with a more rational approach to things, but you have to believe that you're bigger than it. If you still tell yourself that the food is in control, you're not at the bottom of things yet.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »I should add to my post about giving up added sugar that I did not feel the least bit better doing than than when I've eaten sugar in moderation and within the context of a healthy, calorie appropriate diet. And to be clear, I felt really good in both cases. But there was no magical effect of giving up sugar (or, for that matter, grains, and I feel better when I have dairy than when I don't--although this last might be entirely psychological).
I also don't feel better or worse when eating or not eating meat.
None of this surprises me, as humans are basically adapted to be able to eat what's available and thrive, and I am not lactose intolerant, celiac, and do not eat any foods I am allergic to.
To this point, me either! I chose to do the plant based thing because it agrees with my personal beliefs on the matter but I never once thought that I'd gain super powers and lo, and behold! I didn't.
The mind desperately wants your reality to be real, so much so that, in some instances, it will actually create symptoms you expect to be feeling because it wants them to be real for you.
Doesn't mean they are, though.
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About a year ago, I used to drink juice with breakfast, soft drink all day, and alcohol with dinner.
Then I heavily reduced the juice and alcohol, and swapped soft drink for sparkling mineral or plain water.
I did not have any headaches or nausea.
Nor did I hold up any convenience stores or sell my mother's jewellery.
And I certainly didn't give that lying scam artist Dr Oz any credit.
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