Tips for cutting out sugar

I have been eating waaaay too much junk food lately and I feel blah, so I want to stop with sugar, besides the Truvia I use in my coffee.
Anyone have any tips on how to curve/stop the sugar cravings? I started drinking lemon water, I heard that helps (it's tasty too)

Replies

  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Keep carbs below 100 grams/day.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    lemon water is great.. I did a 21 day sugar detox last year it really opened my eyes to nutrition and pushed me to educate myself on what the Gov allows companies to put in our food.. Its really eye opening The best part is the taste of certain foods especially fruit comes back to your taste buds- Now its just about moderation for me I keep my sugar under 50 grams most days.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    Look at your food diary and replace the higher sugar foods with foods high in protein and fats. Personally, I don't watch sugar but try to get the majority from fruits and non-additive sources. i also found my cravings went away when I incorporated a treat into my daily routine as opposed to restriction.
  • oocdc2
    oocdc2 Posts: 1,361 Member
    edited April 2016
    1. In my experience, when I reduced my sugar intake and replaced sweet foods with spicy or savory foods, I didn't miss it as much. Pickles and mustard (separately, not together) are your friends.
    2. Log honestly. This really is the key to cutting back on sugar.
    3. If you drink cow milk, replace it with unsweetened soymilk (Silk is my favorite). That reduced sugar intake for me substantially.
    4. Buy *quality* tea to drink instead of sugary drinks. Teas at the supermarket won't cut it for this purpose: go online to a seller such as Mighty Leaf Tea and splurge a little. I'm drinking their Organic Breakfast right now and wouldn't drink soda if you paid me.
    5. As @psulemon said, bulk up on proteins and fats, fiber, too. That really helps with cravings.

    Good luck!
  • Rebecca_evans309
    Rebecca_evans309 Posts: 5 Member
    oocdc2 wrote: »
    1. In my experience, when I reduced my sugar intake and replaced sweet foods with spicy or savory foods, I didn't miss it as much. Pickles and mustard (separately, not together) are your friends.
    2. Log honestly. This really is the key to cutting back on sugar.
    3. If you drink cow milk, replace it with unsweetened soymilk (Silk is my favorite). That reduced sugar intake for me substantially.
    4. Buy *quality* tea to drink instead of sugary drinks. Teas at the supermarket won't cut it for this purpose: go online to a seller such as Mighty Leaf Tea and splurge a little. I'm drinking their Organic Breakfast right now and wouldn't drink soda if you paid me.
    5. As @psulemon said, bulk up on proteins and fats, fiber, too. That really helps with cravings.

    Good luck!

    Thanks! I love almond milk and Coconut milk. I'll definitely look into that tea
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    Tracking it helped me a lot.
    I do not count sugar from fruits, veggies, or skim milk.
    I do limit my added sugars to 20 grams a day (weekends off).
    Just keeping an eye on it really does wonders.
    Ex: I did not know a Fiber One bar has 10 grams of sugar added.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    oocdc2 wrote: »
    1. In my experience, when I reduced my sugar intake and replaced sweet foods with spicy or savory foods, I didn't miss it as much. Pickles and mustard (separately, not together) are your friends.
    2. Log honestly. This really is the key to cutting back on sugar.
    3. If you drink cow milk, replace it with unsweetened soymilk (Silk is my favorite). That reduced sugar intake for me substantially.
    4. Buy *quality* tea to drink instead of sugary drinks. Teas at the supermarket won't cut it for this purpose: go online to a seller such as Mighty Leaf Tea and splurge a little. I'm drinking their Organic Breakfast right now and wouldn't drink soda if you paid me.
    5. As @psulemon said, bulk up on proteins and fats, fiber, too. That really helps with cravings.

    Good luck!

    Replacing cows milk for almond or soy milk is pretty much replacing one carb for another. At least with cows milk, you get protein. Personally, only drink calories during maintenance or bulking.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    almond milk has zero sugar, skim milk 12 grams- although I used almond milk for my sugar detox I went back to cows milk soon after.
  • lucys1225
    lucys1225 Posts: 597 Member
    I found that staying away from it completely for a couple of weeks made the cravings subside. I no longer want sugary things at all and haven't had any food with added sugar for years. Contrary to popular demand on this site, it did has not made be binge.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    edited April 2016
    I cut out foods that were high in sugar, and added more fat, and more vegetables, to my diet to meet my calorie goal, since I'm not trying to lose weight. I have full fat, unsweetened yogurt; I eat fermented dairy and some fermented veggies, which have less sugar than their unfermented counterparts; I eat my minimum number of servings of fruit, which is one or two, not five; I don't drink sodas or eat candy regularly; I don't sweeten oatmeal if I have it; and I use cream instead of milk in my coffee (it takes less cream to taste good to me and ends up NOT being more caloric).
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You can't cut out sugar.

    Cravings for "junk food" subsides automatically when you eat less of it. Some people need to reduce sweet taste altoghter, others need to incorporate some sweet stuff every day. Find out which one you are.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    edited April 2016
    psulemon wrote: »
    oocdc2 wrote: »
    1. In my experience, when I reduced my sugar intake and replaced sweet foods with spicy or savory foods, I didn't miss it as much. Pickles and mustard (separately, not together) are your friends.
    2. Log honestly. This really is the key to cutting back on sugar.
    3. If you drink cow milk, replace it with unsweetened soymilk (Silk is my favorite). That reduced sugar intake for me substantially.
    4. Buy *quality* tea to drink instead of sugary drinks. Teas at the supermarket won't cut it for this purpose: go online to a seller such as Mighty Leaf Tea and splurge a little. I'm drinking their Organic Breakfast right now and wouldn't drink soda if you paid me.
    5. As @psulemon said, bulk up on proteins and fats, fiber, too. That really helps with cravings.

    Good luck!

    Replacing cows milk for almond or soy milk is pretty much replacing one carb for another. At least with cows milk, you get protein. Personally, only drink calories during maintenance or bulking.

    I don't know what I was thinking but soy and almond are fats (I was thinking sweetened probably). But the same amount calories.
  • coalz
    coalz Posts: 308 Member
    Fresh fruits are the best sugars you can get! Also consider playing with spices & extracts. I find that by adding vanilla &cinnamon to certain meals my sweet craving is satisfied.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    oocdc2 wrote: »
    1. In my experience, when I reduced my sugar intake and replaced sweet foods with spicy or savory foods, I didn't miss it as much. Pickles and mustard (separately, not together) are your friends.
    2. Log honestly. This really is the key to cutting back on sugar.
    3. If you drink cow milk, replace it with unsweetened soymilk (Silk is my favorite). That reduced sugar intake for me substantially.
    4. Buy *quality* tea to drink instead of sugary drinks. Teas at the supermarket won't cut it for this purpose: go online to a seller such as Mighty Leaf Tea and splurge a little. I'm drinking their Organic Breakfast right now and wouldn't drink soda if you paid me.
    5. As @psulemon said, bulk up on proteins and fats, fiber, too. That really helps with cravings.

    Good luck!

    Replacing cows milk for almond or soy milk is pretty much replacing one carb for another. At least with cows milk, you get protein. Personally, only drink calories during maintenance or bulking.

    I don't know what I was thinking but soy and almond are fats (I was thinking sweetened probably). But the same amount calories.

    You have to read the label. Some soy and almond milks are high in carbs and some aren't. I use an unsweetened almond milk that is very low in carbs, 1g per 8 oz serving and it's fiber, 3g fat, and 35 calories. It's less nutritious than milk, in terms of protein and micronutrients, and I don't use a lot of it, but soaking my raw oatmeal in it tastes better than using water.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    Look at your food diary and replace the higher sugar foods with foods high in protein and fats. Personally, I don't watch sugar but try to get the majority from fruits and non-additive sources. i also found my cravings went away when I incorporated a treat into my daily routine as opposed to restriction.

    This. I think just being mindful about it and reducing or eliminating foods that you seem to be overdoing can be helpful. I don't have generic "sweet" cravings, though, and find that I don't really crave things (other than a special item once in a while) so long as I am eating an overall balanced diet with a sensible amount of calories.

    I did have to break a habit of snacking, and I found replacing it with coffee (black) or tea (same) or at first some raw veg helped get over the desire to eat.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    lithezebra wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    oocdc2 wrote: »
    1. In my experience, when I reduced my sugar intake and replaced sweet foods with spicy or savory foods, I didn't miss it as much. Pickles and mustard (separately, not together) are your friends.
    2. Log honestly. This really is the key to cutting back on sugar.
    3. If you drink cow milk, replace it with unsweetened soymilk (Silk is my favorite). That reduced sugar intake for me substantially.
    4. Buy *quality* tea to drink instead of sugary drinks. Teas at the supermarket won't cut it for this purpose: go online to a seller such as Mighty Leaf Tea and splurge a little. I'm drinking their Organic Breakfast right now and wouldn't drink soda if you paid me.
    5. As @psulemon said, bulk up on proteins and fats, fiber, too. That really helps with cravings.

    Good luck!

    Replacing cows milk for almond or soy milk is pretty much replacing one carb for another. At least with cows milk, you get protein. Personally, only drink calories during maintenance or bulking.

    I don't know what I was thinking but soy and almond are fats (I was thinking sweetened probably). But the same amount calories.

    You have to read the label. Some soy and almond milks are high in carbs and some aren't. I use an unsweetened almond milk that is very low in carbs, 1g per 8 oz serving and it's fiber, 3g fat, and 35 calories. It's less nutritious than milk, in terms of protein and micronutrients, and I don't use a lot of it, but soaking my raw oatmeal in it tastes better than using water.

    The only almond, soy and coconut milks I can stand are sweetened which completely defeat the purpose. So I still prefer milk. I don't know which brand has 12g of sugar, but mine has 8g and that isn't a lot.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

    1. Get sufficient sleep
    2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
    3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
    4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit
    5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
    6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
  • alysmilne
    alysmilne Posts: 5 Member
    If you are a chocolate person, instead of eating a few chunks grate them over your fruit. It goes much much further this way. And then after a while it's not a big deal to skip it anymore.
  • oocdc2
    oocdc2 Posts: 1,361 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    oocdc2 wrote: »
    1. In my experience, when I reduced my sugar intake and replaced sweet foods with spicy or savory foods, I didn't miss it as much. Pickles and mustard (separately, not together) are your friends.
    2. Log honestly. This really is the key to cutting back on sugar.
    3. If you drink cow milk, replace it with unsweetened soymilk (Silk is my favorite). That reduced sugar intake for me substantially.
    4. Buy *quality* tea to drink instead of sugary drinks. Teas at the supermarket won't cut it for this purpose: go online to a seller such as Mighty Leaf Tea and splurge a little. I'm drinking their Organic Breakfast right now and wouldn't drink soda if you paid me.
    5. As @psulemon said, bulk up on proteins and fats, fiber, too. That really helps with cravings.

    Good luck!

    Replacing cows milk for almond or soy milk is pretty much replacing one carb for another. At least with cows milk, you get protein. Personally, only drink calories during maintenance or bulking.

    I don't know what I was thinking but soy and almond are fats (I was thinking sweetened probably). But the same amount calories.

    I'm a big fan, @psulemon, (no, really, I am!) but the OP was asking about reducing sugar, which switching to unsweetened soymilk will do if you're looking for something milk-y. Also, Silk unsweetened soymilk has 7g of protein to cow milk's 8g. (Unless you use Fairlife, but that's another thread.)