Easiest Way to reduce sugar intake
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I would not use swaps too much as then you are just getting addicted to something else - my two cents. Maybe reduce I am sure others have said this. Make coffee at home for a week and use a measured amount of creamer and sugar to know what you have and log it. Anything at home seems better than getting stuff out. Then the coke. If you are drinking 3 a day then say 2 a day for 1 week then go to 1 a day the next and then every other day the next week. Etc. LOG everything. You may feel a little bad but it is mostly habit and giving your brain something else as a reward. I had a sugar problem too. I have quit cold turkey and felt like I was going to die and I have upped my fat and protein and slowly reduced the sugar and have been perfectly ok. You have to give your brain something else to burn and it seems that exercise to get the toxins out combined with fat and protein tend to make your brain more ok with the process of reducing the excess sugar. Give yourself a month to get it out of your system and keep eating fruits in its place to give yourself healthy carbs. Reducing will result in a calorie deficit and you will lose weight most likely. Good luck! I sure understand your pain!0
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I meant not swaps for other unhealthy things. That doesn't include the fruits, whole grains, fats etc that others have said. Just wanted to clarify my position.0
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overin2015 wrote: »I would not use swaps too much as then you are just getting addicted to something else - my two cents. Maybe reduce I am sure others have said this. Make coffee at home for a week and use a measured amount of creamer and sugar to know what you have and log it. Anything at home seems better than getting stuff out. Then the coke. If you are drinking 3 a day then say 2 a day for 1 week then go to 1 a day the next and then every other day the next week. Etc. LOG everything. You may feel a little bad but it is mostly habit and giving your brain something else as a reward. I had a sugar problem too. I have quit cold turkey and felt like I was going to die and I have upped my fat and protein and slowly reduced the sugar and have been perfectly ok. You have to give your brain something else to burn and it seems that exercise to get the toxins out combined with fat and protein tend to make your brain more ok with the process of reducing the excess sugar. Give yourself a month to get it out of your system and keep eating fruits in its place to give yourself healthy carbs. Reducing will result in a calorie deficit and you will lose weight most likely. Good luck! I sure understand your pain!
Your brain doesn't know the difference between sugar from fruit or sugar in coke.
You had toxins in your brain?
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Look at labels of stuff and buy the stuff with less. And limit snacks.0
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The easiest way to do it and make it stick is to wean yourself off sugar. It doesn't have to be a fast wean [like maybe reduce the amount of sugar you're consuming by 5g every few days] as long as the overall sugar consumption is down in the end.
I've done this myself, and nowadays most sugary treats are way too sweet and rich for my tastes.0 -
Runaround - my point exactly. The added sugars aren't good for you but natural sugars are. Your brain craves quick energy and it can get energy from fat and natural sugars too but it just has to work a little harder. I was talking about switching to things that are better for you and that your brain (which does cause the majority of the physical symptoms from sugar withdrawal) will find appealing. No I didn't say toxins in my brain. Cleaning up your diet causes toxin release a lot of times and is part of what makes you so sick. The exercise gets it out of your body quicker through sweat and oxygen. Your brain sees any huge change as stressful and wants you to quit it. Make it easier for it to make the transition is my point. Thats the end of my posts about it. I feel I am stating what I was talking about clearly. Good luck OP and congrats xvolution on limiting your sugars! That is such a struggle!0
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overin2015 wrote: »Runaround - my point exactly. The added sugars aren't good for you but natural sugars are. Your brain craves quick energy and it can get energy from fat and natural sugars too but it just has to work a little harder. I was talking about switching to things that are better for you and that your brain (which does cause the majority of the physical symptoms from sugar withdrawal) will find appealing. No I didn't say toxins in my brain. Cleaning up your diet causes toxin release a lot of times and is part of what makes you so sick. The exercise gets it out of your body quicker through sweat and oxygen. Your brain sees any huge change as stressful and wants you to quit it. Make it easier for it to make the transition is my point. Thats the end of my posts about it. I feel I am stating what I was talking about clearly. Good luck OP and congrats xvolution on limiting your sugars! That is such a struggle!
Added sugar is literally the exact same chemical as "natural sugars".5 -
overin2015 wrote: »Runaround - my point exactly. The added sugars aren't good for you but natural sugars are. Your brain craves quick energy and it can get energy from fat and natural sugars too but it just has to work a little harder. I was talking about switching to things that are better for you and that your brain (which does cause the majority of the physical symptoms from sugar withdrawal) will find appealing. No I didn't say toxins in my brain. Cleaning up your diet causes toxin release a lot of times and is part of what makes you so sick. The exercise gets it out of your body quicker through sweat and oxygen. Your brain sees any huge change as stressful and wants you to quit it. Make it easier for it to make the transition is my point. Thats the end of my posts about it. I feel I am stating what I was talking about clearly. Good luck OP and congrats xvolution on limiting your sugars! That is such a struggle!
And what sort of "toxins" do you think get released?1 -
stevencloser wrote: »overin2015 wrote: »Runaround - my point exactly. The added sugars aren't good for you but natural sugars are. Your brain craves quick energy and it can get energy from fat and natural sugars too but it just has to work a little harder. I was talking about switching to things that are better for you and that your brain (which does cause the majority of the physical symptoms from sugar withdrawal) will find appealing. No I didn't say toxins in my brain. Cleaning up your diet causes toxin release a lot of times and is part of what makes you so sick. The exercise gets it out of your body quicker through sweat and oxygen. Your brain sees any huge change as stressful and wants you to quit it. Make it easier for it to make the transition is my point. Thats the end of my posts about it. I feel I am stating what I was talking about clearly. Good luck OP and congrats xvolution on limiting your sugars! That is such a struggle!
Added sugar is literally the exact same chemical as "natural sugars".
So what's your point? Eating doughnuts is the same as eating blueberries?0 -
I totally understand how to reduce it, my concern is with the impacts I have when I reduce it. The headaches are unbearable to the point that I get sick to my stomach. Is that normal after removing that much bad crap from your system?
The headaches could be from the lack of caffeine, so a painkiller can help with that as you are cutting back. It does go away after a few days. As for feeling crappy when reducing sugar, sugar is a carb, so if in the process of reducing your sugar intake you also end up reducing your carb intake (not replacing those sugary foods with something else), that could also account for why you feel like crap.
Low carb users on the site report a "carb flu" when they reduce carbs. It's usually for a much lower carb intake, but some people are more sensitive to carbs and experience symptoms (tired, feeling crappy) when they dip below a certain threshold. I know people who need at least 150-200g carbs to feel normal, so that could account for some of the adverse reactions you experience.
When you reduce carbs/sugar you will lose water weight. Losing a few pounds of water will throw your electrolytes out of balance. That is mostly what the "low carb flu" is. An electrolyte imbalance.
People who eat low carb, less than 100-150g of carbs per day, will need to increase their sodium intake up to 3000-5000 mg to replace the lost sodium. If not they will experience wicked headaches, fatigue, brain fog, nausea, muscle aches and eventually spasms (at which point Na has been low for so long that Mg and K is now low too).
If you drink a couple of cups of broth per day, take salt tablets, or just add 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt to a glass of water every day, you will avoid the low carb flu.
If you reduce carbs to ketosis levels (below 50g carbs, and much lower sugar) you may still experience some fatigue as your body gets used to using fat instead of sugar for fuel. The "low carb flu" low electrolytes is completely avoidable if you increase your sodium.2 -
Food addictions are hard to break. It will hurt to give up/drastically reduce sugar. There's no way to sugar-coat it, pardon the pun. Start your purge on a Friday and take Monday off work. Physical withdrawal symptoms are worst during the first three days. Concentrate on giving up this ONE thing - sugar - don't worry about trying to give up caffeine, perfecting your water intake, or starting an exercise regime simultaneously. Baby steps. Go ahead and put cream in your coffee, but none of those fancy Starbucks syrups. Switch over to diet soda, invest in bottled water. Once you've kicked sugar, you can take down another addiction.0
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Your brain doesn't get energy from fat unless it's broken down to ketones. For that to happen, sugars would have to be low enough to go into ketosis. If not, then what fat one has DOESN'T fuel the brain. It's still going to be sugar.overin2015 wrote: »Runaround - my point exactly. The added sugars aren't good for you but natural sugars are. Your brain craves quick energy and it can get energy from fat and natural sugars too but it just has to work a little harder.
No. The body DOESN'T produce toxins. Things in your body can become TOXIC if the dose/amount is high enough in the body. Water can do this. If anything becomes toxic in the body, that's when you head to the ER. Eating food and exercising won't reduce it.I was talking about switching to things that are better for you and that your brain (which does cause the majority of the physical symptoms from sugar withdrawal) will find appealing. No I didn't say toxins in my brain. Cleaning up your diet causes toxin release a lot of times and is part of what makes you so sick.
You're making things up now. Refer more to Journals of Medicine, than relying on the broscience from supplement companies and the like.The exercise gets it out of your body quicker through sweat and oxygen.
People are creatures of habit. Anytime you change a habit, it seems hard, but if consistent it can become simple. Wake up 5 minutes earlier each day. Many people will moan about that 5 minutes of extra rest, but in 21 days of doing it, they won't end up missing it.Your brain sees any huge change as stressful and wants you to quit it. Make it easier for it to make the transition is my point. Thats the end of my posts about it. I feel I am stating what I was talking about clearly. Good luck OP and congrats xvolution on limiting your sugars! That is such a struggle!
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If you ate enough blueberries to equal the sugar in a doughnut, then the sugar is the same. Granted blueberries are more nutrient dense than a doughnut, but if we're referring to sugar, basically it's the same whether natural or refined.gonetothedogs19 wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »overin2015 wrote: »Runaround - my point exactly. The added sugars aren't good for you but natural sugars are. Your brain craves quick energy and it can get energy from fat and natural sugars too but it just has to work a little harder. I was talking about switching to things that are better for you and that your brain (which does cause the majority of the physical symptoms from sugar withdrawal) will find appealing. No I didn't say toxins in my brain. Cleaning up your diet causes toxin release a lot of times and is part of what makes you so sick. The exercise gets it out of your body quicker through sweat and oxygen. Your brain sees any huge change as stressful and wants you to quit it. Make it easier for it to make the transition is my point. Thats the end of my posts about it. I feel I am stating what I was talking about clearly. Good luck OP and congrats xvolution on limiting your sugars! That is such a struggle!
Added sugar is literally the exact same chemical as "natural sugars".
So what's your point? Eating doughnuts is the same as eating blueberries?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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A note on added sugars: the chemical composition may be the same as natural sugars, but that's not the problem. Added sugars are DUMPED into processed foods at exponentially higher doses than natural sugars appear in foods. Excessive amounts of almost any chemical is toxic to the body.0
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While true, it still comes down to how much one eats. Eating 5 Hershey's kisses (where sugar is the dominant and only carb) won't really offset too many people. Eating a whole bag, yes.KhadijahSmith wrote: »A note on added sugars: the chemical composition may be the same as natural sugars, but that's not the problem. Added sugars are DUMPED into processed foods at exponentially higher doses than natural sugars appear in foods.
So the key is make sure it's not excessive but in amounts the body can handle.Excessive amounts of almost any chemical is toxic to the body.
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Sugar is not the issue. Total calories is. Eat in moderation, under your calorie goal.0
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KhadijahSmith wrote: »A note on added sugars: the chemical composition may be the same as natural sugars, but that's not the problem. Added sugars are DUMPED into processed foods at exponentially higher doses than natural sugars appear in foods. Excessive amounts of almost any chemical is toxic to the body.
Really @KhadijahSmith ...dumped are they ...in all processed food?
Really?
I think we might be exaggerating a touch, don't you?
And yes excessive amount of almost anything is toxic to the body including water, sunlight, oxygen ...and everything has a chemical make up...so let's not make up boogeymen2 -
I advise against trying to "cut out" sugar altogether, you would just make things harder than they need to be.
However, I agree that reducing sugar can be a great way to cut calories without really missing them. I also find too much sugar makes me a bit nibbly, so it's easier to eat less overall if I reduce it a bit. I mainly do this by reducing sugary drinks to maybe one a day.
As others have said, consider switching to Diet Coke or Coke Zero at least some of the time. I believe Coke Zero is closer to the taste of original Coke - Diet Coke is quite a different recipe and tastes more similar to Pepsi (that's why the two alternatives exist).
There's no need to cut out the fizzy stuff completely or try to change all your habits at once. In particular I would not try to cut caffeine at the same time as starting a weight loss plan, or you will get overwhelmed. One habit change at a time.2 -
lisabridwell wrote: »Try taking chromium picolinate 3 times a day before meals. They say it helps with carb and sugar cravings. I read the book "Lose Weight without Dieting or Working Out" which recommends a 21 day jump start with no caffeine, sugar, white carbs, animal protein or alcohol. Instead, you replace those with healthy oils, vegetables and whole grains. I did it and it was surprisingly easy. I haven't eaten refined sugar for 4 weeks! Attended a dinner party tonight with pie, cake and ice cream at desert, and I didn't even want it!!!
That sounds very much like dieting to me. In fact, counting calories sounds way less restrictive and faffy!1 -
Hi OP. I had got some of the same habits as you, and they were part of my reason for now needing to lose over 100lbs. I had a busy job and didn't eat during the day too much, but I did reach for coke, milky coffee, sugary coffee and chocolate when I really needed a boost. Add this to then being starving when I ate at about 8pm and I had racked up calories before even starting a too large dinner.
I still have the caffeine habit, and I don't care about that. I just did swaps on my coffee and cola choices. It helped me and I didn't suffer the caffeine headaches I had before, and didn't seem to get any from the loss of sugar.
Coke was switched for Pepsi Max, which, along with Coke Zero, I find the most "Coke-like" and least "diet-tasting".
I weaned myself onto black coffee outside the house and soya milk inside the house. It took a while, but now that Starbucks Caramel Macchiato is a treat, and made "skinny" when I do have it.
I always drank lots of water anyway, but I Have to say I don't see switching your intake to water as a holy grail. Diet pops are not bad for you and keeping a caffeine habit is not going to harm your weight loss. If you decide you want to specifically lose that too then good for you, but it doesn't have to be all or nothing, despite what some might propose.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
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I got hooked on coke for nearly a year - went cold turkey for a few days then switched to coke zero. Soooo not the same but my body ends up being greatful for the caffeine (dont drink coffee).0
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »overin2015 wrote: »Runaround - my point exactly. The added sugars aren't good for you but natural sugars are. Your brain craves quick energy and it can get energy from fat and natural sugars too but it just has to work a little harder. I was talking about switching to things that are better for you and that your brain (which does cause the majority of the physical symptoms from sugar withdrawal) will find appealing. No I didn't say toxins in my brain. Cleaning up your diet causes toxin release a lot of times and is part of what makes you so sick. The exercise gets it out of your body quicker through sweat and oxygen. Your brain sees any huge change as stressful and wants you to quit it. Make it easier for it to make the transition is my point. Thats the end of my posts about it. I feel I am stating what I was talking about clearly. Good luck OP and congrats xvolution on limiting your sugars! That is such a struggle!
Added sugar is literally the exact same chemical as "natural sugars".
So what's your point? Eating doughnuts is the same as eating blueberries?
Yep, that's exactly what I said. Gold star for reading comprehension.2 -
KhadijahSmith wrote: »A note on added sugars: the chemical composition may be the same as natural sugars, but that's not the problem. Added sugars are DUMPED into processed foods at exponentially higher doses than natural sugars appear in foods. Excessive amounts of almost any chemical is toxic to the body.
Really @KhadijahSmith ...dumped are they ...in all processed food?
Really?
I think we might be exaggerating a touch, don't you?
And yes excessive amount of almost anything is toxic to the body including water, sunlight, oxygen ...and everything has a chemical make up...so let's not make up boogeymenReally @KhadijahSmith ...dumped are they ...in all processed food?
Really?
I think we might be exaggerating a touch, don't you?
And yes excessive amount of almost anything is toxic to the body including water, sunlight, oxygen ...and everything has a chemical make up...so let's not make up boogeymen
Yes dear, dumped. In many different forms. And just as too much water can deplete electrolyte levels and too much sunlight can cause damage to your skin, ingestion of large amounts of sugar can lead to obesity, heart disease, and a host of co-morbidities.1 -
KhadijahSmith wrote: »Food addictions are hard to break. It will hurt to give up/drastically reduce sugar. There's no way to sugar-coat it, pardon the pun. Start your purge on a Friday and take Monday off work. Physical withdrawal symptoms are worst during the first three days. Concentrate on giving up this ONE thing - sugar - don't worry about trying to give up caffeine, perfecting your water intake, or starting an exercise regime simultaneously. Baby steps. Go ahead and put cream in your coffee, but none of those fancy Starbucks syrups. Switch over to diet soda, invest in bottled water. Once you've kicked sugar, you can take down another addiction.
Sugar is not addictive. There are no physical withdrawl symptoms. It's from low sodium as was said.2 -
Yes, the "sugar addiction" thing is overstated and not backed up by research. If course you can feel "addicted" to anything which sets off the pleasure centres - sugar, sex, exercise - but it's not the same as physical addiction to a drug, not at all. When I reduce sugar intake, I get sugar cravings for a few days, then it settles down. That's all. It's not "withdrawal", It's just a tasty thing that makes me feel good, and I want it.
Caffeine, on the other hand, is a drug with adaptation issues, and causes withdrawal (headaches, sleepiness). But there's not much evidence that it's particularly bad for you so I wouldn't sweat it. I have anxiety so I avoid caffeine as it makes the symptoms worse, but if you don't have that issue, or another condition where it's contraindicated, I wouldn't worry about it.
ETA even caffeine is only classed as causing "mild physical dependence" and does not come close to truly addictive drugs in its effects. When we're talking about "addiction" to everyday substances, we really need to get some perspective.1 -
I totally understand how to reduce it, my concern is with the impacts I have when I reduce it. The headaches are unbearable to the point that I get sick to my stomach. Is that normal after removing that much bad crap from your system?
Sounds like caffeine withdrawal, not sugar withdrawal. If you have cut out coffee and soda cold turkey before with no caffeine substitute, the headaches were from that. Use unsweetened versions and you will not experience that again.2 -
KhadijahSmith wrote: »A note on added sugars: the chemical composition may be the same as natural sugars, but that's not the problem. Added sugars are DUMPED into processed foods at exponentially higher doses than natural sugars appear in foods. Excessive amounts of almost any chemical is toxic to the body.
Are you talking about high fructose corn syrup as an "added sugar"? It seems as though that particular sweetener product is added to many foods. The body doesn't metabolize it right away like table sugar, supposedly, and it gets quickly stored in the liver and converted to fat. I hear a lot of conflicting messages about adding sugar. Sugar impacts me in a negative way, but some others seem to be able to deal with it. It is a problem food for me in that the more I eat it the greater my cravings are for more. The less I eat it the less I want it.
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All sweeteners are not alike:
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/0 -
KhadijahSmith wrote: »A note on added sugars: the chemical composition may be the same as natural sugars, but that's not the problem. Added sugars are DUMPED into processed foods at exponentially higher doses than natural sugars appear in foods. Excessive amounts of almost any chemical is toxic to the body.
Not at all true. I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe in my recipe box, and one cookie has 180 calories and 14 g of sugar. An average apple has about 16 g, and a banana even more. That the cookie is "processed" makes no difference. (And plenty of processed foods, like cottage cheese or dried pasta, have no sugar added at all. Just read a label and make sensible choices. It's not difficult.)
Am I saying there's no difference between the apple and the cookie? No, of course not. The apple has more micros and fiber and fewer calories. Nothing wrong with the cookie, but I include more fruit in my diet, personally (although this is partially because I love fruit and am too lazy to bake often). But the sugar isn't the difference.
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For OP, as others have said, you actually should have a pretty easy time reducing that sugar. Switch to non sugary drinks (diet if you enjoy it) and reduce the sweetener in the coffee. (I hate sweetened coffee but used to drink mine milky years ago, and that's how I transitioned to black -- gradual reduction.)
Or, if you can't stand the thought of the drinks without the sugar, taper back.
Cutting back on caffeine might not hurt (although has nothing to do with weight loss), and cutting out caffeine is likely the reason for the symptoms, as others have said. I personally think tapering off caffeine is the best approach.0
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