Sugar cravings after trying to quite refined sugar
Hausisse1
Posts: 165 Member
Hi! I don't think I eat too terribly much sugar but I definitly ate more than I needed to (as all of us do) and so I decided to quit it and see what happens. Well, after a day I'm having terrible sugar cravings for the first time in forever. It sucks and I'm actually really scared because when I was anorexic I used to get really bad sugar cravings and then binged. What should I do? Has anyone tried to quit sugar or experienced this before? Is this just a withdrawal symptom? I'm SO scared of binging again.
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I wouldn't quit it all at one time to risk any cravings or withdrawals especially if you are scared of binging as previously experienced. It is not worth it. The sugar is not killing you or hurting you unless you are diabetic and told medically that you need to remove it at all cost from your diet. In my personal opinion I would just make a concerted effort to make healthier choices or lower the quantity as you consume it and if felt compelled to remove it completely from your diet, then I would work on that slowly if that is your choice. Good luck,0
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Sugar is not an evil monster.
Over consumption is.
Check the BMI chart to make sure you are not underweight.
Focus on healthy eating.
Avocados (healthy fats for good brain function), salads, lean meats.0 -
Hey! Yeah, I'm no longer trying to lose weight, this was a totally innocent attempt to live a healthier lifestyle. I've been eating enough healthy calories but still eating sugar, and just thought I'd try out not eating refined sugar for size. I just ate a bunch of candy because I was craving it and wasn't sure what else to do to stave off the cravings. I don't feel good about myself, but I guess I'll just go back to eating healthy with the occasional treat and not try to swear off refined sugars. I'm so upset with myself because that's the first time I've felt inclined to do that since I was anorexic. Like I said, I wasn't trying to lose weight, just be healthier (three of my grandparents had diabetes) and ended up stressing myself out and eating more sugar this morning than I usually would over the course of three days.
I'd recently been reading a bunch of stuff about the benefits of cutting out refined sugars and wanted to try it. But I'm terrified of feeling like I don't have control over my cravings and my body again.0 -
Go to a store and buy yourself some healthier snacks.
That way when cravings hit, you've got food.
I like fiber one brownies or fiber one bars. Nuts or peanut butter. Apples. Mozza cheese stick.
A glass of skim milk really cuts down my cravings.
* I do not count sugars from fruits, veggies, or dairy products.0 -
I only count added sugars, as well. Thank you Janet. Now that I think about it, I missed a period this month and noticed I was really down in weight last week- I've been stressing over job prospects instead of eating- so that could account for my cravings too. I'll head to the store and buy some dried fruit mixes, maybe some granola bars made with honey- I'll be eating unhealthiky technically but at least I'd get the vitamins- and concentrate on eating regular, full healthy meals. So mad at myself for thinking cutting out sugar cold turkey was a good idea.0
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I think I really just wanted carbs. I ate a bunch of popcorn and found that equally as satisfying as the candy tbh.1
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Another one for moderation. If you're healthy, and it looks like you are, just cut back a bit on the sweets. Think better not perfect. It's much more sustainable.0
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sunnybeaches105 wrote: »Another one for moderation. If you're healthy, and it looks like you are, just cut back a bit on the sweets. Think better not perfect. It's much more sustainable.
You're right.0 -
Wow, I really wanted carbs. Hahaha1
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I'm kicking myself, I feel stupid. I should have gone for the crackers and hummus first. I lost fove pounds in one week, of course I was going to crave sugar. Ugh. I'm so scared of being anorexic again.0
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Eat something healthy like a banana when u crave sugar. Have plant sugars instead of processed.0
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It gets better. I went cold turkey a few weeks ago. No added sugar. Two days that really sucked. But now I don't crave it.0
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It could be more of a mental thing than physical. I think withdraw would be more like headaches, nausea, etc, which some people do get when they quit sugar. I did a program called "I Quit Sugar" before which I think is pretty good. They, and the World Health Organization, recommend 10 tsp of added sugar or less/day. The way you figure that out is you take the Grams of sugar divided by 4 and that's the tsp. So 8 grams of sugar is 2 tsp. This is over and above the sugars naturally found in food like fruit, milk, etc. In fact when I figure it out I try to subtract the lactose sugar grams before doing the calculation (I eat lots of plain yogurt so it's easy for me to separate it out). Anyway, in my opinion if you are eating around 10 tsp or less of sugar most days you are probably just fine. And you can always up your good fats, that helps get over sugar.0
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eringurl33 wrote: »It gets better. I went cold turkey a few weeks ago. No added sugar. Two days that really sucked. But now I don't crave it.
Really? You experienced cravings for the first few days as well?0 -
I just want to point something out - as you are a former anorexic I'm guessing you have to fight the instinct to put foods into 'good' or 'bad' categories. A lot of the comments here seem to be leaning that way. I would suggest reframing. "Most of the time I will choose whole grain carbs, but when I don't, that's okay too.'0
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Your body can't tell the difference where the sugar came from, whether it is "added" or "natural" it breaks it all down and uses it in the same way. If you don't have a medical reason to avoid it, don't stress about it.1
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I read your brain can't tell the difference between artificial sweeteners and regular sweeteners. They say it still causes cravings. When I cheat and have sugar or even stevia I find myself wanting something with added sweetener for days. It is really hard to break the cycle again. I think I will try some whole grain carbs when the cravings hit. Thanks guys good suggestions.1
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Hi! I don't think I eat too terribly much sugar but I definitly ate more than I needed to (as all of us do) and so I decided to quit it and see what happens. Well, after a day I'm having terrible sugar cravings for the first time in forever. It sucks and I'm actually really scared because when I was anorexic I used to get really bad sugar cravings and then binged. What should I do? Has anyone tried to quit sugar or experienced this before? Is this just a withdrawal symptom? I'm SO scared of binging again.
Have you tried fruit? That has sugar.0 -
@Hausisse1 yep. It was not pleasant. But I feel much better for not giving in now. And if I eat a piece of fruit it tastes so sweet. Also we have had 85% dark chocolate in the house recently and it was nice, not bitter like it would be if I was having sugar all the time.0
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I buy chocolate and mini fudge bars called 'Well Naturally' - http://www.wellnaturally.com.au. I keep a few of the mini fudge bars in my desk at work for when the afternoon low crashes in....
My evening treat is two pieces of the dark chocolate mint crisp. Bliss
These bars use stevia as a sweetener and to me it tastes like the real deal.
Don't deprive yourself of a treat otherwise it can end in a binge - I know from past experience!0 -
I'm kicking myself, I feel stupid. I should have gone for the crackers and hummus first. I lost fove pounds in one week, of course I was going to crave sugar. Ugh. I'm so scared of being anorexic again.
Clearly the bigger risk to your health is slipping back into anorexia. Would suggest stop randomly eliminating foods based on very poor science or current fashions.
If the sugar warning on here causes you stress suggest you remove it from your diary - replace it with fibre perhaps or just track the three macros.
When I eliminate any food I enjoy I get cravings for it - it's an emotional response not a physical response.2 -
I'm kicking myself, I feel stupid. I should have gone for the crackers and hummus first. I lost fove pounds in one week, of course I was going to crave sugar. Ugh. I'm so scared of being anorexic again.
Clearly the bigger risk to your health is slipping back into anorexia. Would suggest stop randomly eliminating foods based on very poor science or current fashions.
If the sugar warning on here causes you stress suggest you remove it from your diary - replace it with fibre perhaps or just track the three macros.
When I eliminate any food I enjoy I get cravings for it - it's an emotional response not a physical response.
This. Seems like eliminating certain foods because you're convinced they're somehow 'bad' is probably feeding into your history with EDs. Sugar isn't bad. No foods are bad. You have to get past the point where you're labeling foods/cutting them out because of the labels you're attaching to them. Do you receive counseling for your ED issues? If so, I'd talk to them about this and have them help you navigate through it.1 -
It took some doing for me to wrap my brain around eating more fat , but I've been thoroughly investigating the science relating to the High-Fat/Low-Carb "rage", for lack of a better term, such as Paleo and Adkins promote. Even though I am vegan (allergic to animal products), it is working to reduce the carbohydrate cravings which had me enslaved until now. I'm not kidding. I loved noodles and crackers, and don't even mention cookies, etc--but since April 4th, I've begun adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to my morning brew, and 1/4 cup of nuts or seeds to my breakfast bowl of fruit, and as many olives as I want and/or avocado to my lunch salad, along with some vegan protein, and my usual dinner fare (what everyone else is having minus the meat). The changes are not as extreme as I'd worried they'd be, and so far, I've lost 4 pounds--that's in two weeks--which is a good rate of steady loss. I'm not in a hurry, and just glad to be heading in the right direction for a change!
I suggest you try adding healthy fats to your usual meals and see if that helps with your sugar cravings. Also, since eating this way, I no longer need to snack between meals! Now that's a real switch for this "grazer", to be able to go four to five hours without eating SOMETHING in between! Good luck to you! 0 -
ReaderGirl3 wrote: »I'm kicking myself, I feel stupid. I should have gone for the crackers and hummus first. I lost fove pounds in one week, of course I was going to crave sugar. Ugh. I'm so scared of being anorexic again.
Clearly the bigger risk to your health is slipping back into anorexia. Would suggest stop randomly eliminating foods based on very poor science or current fashions.
If the sugar warning on here causes you stress suggest you remove it from your diary - replace it with fibre perhaps or just track the three macros.
When I eliminate any food I enjoy I get cravings for it - it's an emotional response not a physical response.
This. Seems like eliminating certain foods because you're convinced they're somehow 'bad' is probably feeding into your history with EDs. Sugar isn't bad. No foods are bad. You have to get past the point where you're labeling foods/cutting them out because of the labels you're attaching to them. Do you receive counseling for your ED issues? If so, I'd talk to them about this and have them help you navigate through it.
All of this. OP labeling foods as good/bad is a slippery slope for those with ED issues, as is trying to restrict too stringently. There is nothing wrong with added sugars absent of any medical condition to reduce them. You can eat them in moderation as part of your overall healthy diet.
I second the recommendation to check in with your ED therapist if you are concerned about backsliding.
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You may want to get the book, Trim Healthy Mama. I know different people who love this approach and it has helped them with binge eating, sugar cravings, etc. I don't do it but I do incooperate many of their ideas as far as making high fat, low carb desserts for a treat. Using coconut or almond flour instead of white flour and using swerve sweetner instead of sugar. The desserts are very satisfying and do not cause me to crave more sugar compared to if I were to eat a slice of full sugared pie or a donut
Of course there will be more calories but you're not needing to lose weight anyway so this can be your treat. As you said though, maybe you had not been eating enough carbs and that could be the reason you had those cravings. Saying a prayer for you right now that you will have victory over anorexia and that God will heal you from this for good. We can do all things with his help. I wouldn't be where I am today without him. God bless you.0 -
Terrible sugarholic here.
It took me a month just to cut sugar out of my coffee. I am currently working on removing refined sugar from my diet entirely. For me this process is ongoing, I'm on my third month of reducing my refined sugar intake.
I know from experience that if I quit cold turkey, I will have terrible migraines and just end up binge eating an entire bag of candy due to the overwhelming cravings.
This method of slowly weening myself off has been working so far.
During a sugar craving day, I will allow myself a piece of sugar free candy and one extra serving of fruit.
Good thing about the sugar free candy, if you binge eat that stuff you know you will be visiting the porcelain throne, so you tend to avoid over indulging.
My ultimate goal is working my way to a healthy diet less carbohydrate higher fiber and protein.0 -
Step 1: forget what you have read in blogs and realize that refined sugar is not bad.0
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NatiaGonitellie wrote: »Terrible sugarholic here.
It took me a month just to cut sugar out of my coffee. I am currently working on removing refined sugar from my diet entirely. For me this process is ongoing, I'm on my third month of reducing my refined sugar intake.
I know from experience that if I quit cold turkey, I will have terrible migraines and just end up binge eating an entire bag of candy due to the overwhelming cravings.
This method of slowly weening myself off has been working so far.
During a sugar craving day, I will allow myself a piece of sugar free candy and one extra serving of fruit.
Good thing about the sugar free candy, if you binge eat that stuff you know you will be visiting the porcelain throne, so you tend to avoid over indulging.
My ultimate goal is working my way to a healthy diet less carbohydrate higher fiber and protein.
Do you also have a history with EDs, like the OP does? It's dangerous for people to be giving her advice on how to cut things out of her diet when she's admitted that she has a history of anorexia/eating disorders. She needs to seek professional help on how to deal with her unhealthy mindset towards food.1 -
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