How do you deal with sugar withdraw??
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lemurcat12 wrote: »sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
Sugar withdrawal isn't a thing, so don't worry about that. You certainly could get the low carb flu if you go low carb, but that passes (and isn't that bad, from what I've heard)...
You've heard wrong. It's pretty bad. Maybe you don't experience sugar withdrawal or perhaps you have never given it up? There are symptoms for some people.
I'm just going by the reports from low carbers here, but I thought that if you dealt with the electrolyte thing it wasn't bad at all. (It's also not properly withdrawal, of course.)
I've never lowered my carbs below 80-100, so yeah, haven't experienced it personally. I have gone without added sugar for a month, but obviously that wouldn't cause "withdrawal" or any other symptoms if you still had enough carbs to avoid ketosis, as your body is going to break down the starches and non added sugars in the same way--it physically doesn't make sense to claim "withdrawal" from cutting out added sugar.2 -
It is partially an electrolyte imbalance thing but for some, that's not all of it.0
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Mumu190672 wrote: »It depends what you mean by avoiding sugar.
I eat fruits, bread and other things that contain sugar.
Personally I avoid to put sugar in my coffee, I dont eat cakes, chocolates or candies because they are high in calories and don't have much nutritional value.
There was a time I was eating chocolates and candies but I always ended up eating everything.
I find it easier not eating this kind of food at all even if it is in the house.
As long as I don't touch it I am fine.
This is pretty much me now.
I started MFP this my 2nd time, for health reasons. So I was intentional on little sugar and sodium.
The hardest part was my morning coffee, always cream and sugar, ALWAYS, since like forever. Now I can drink my coffee black. Never thought I would see the day. It took me about a month to wean myself to this point. Also because I ate less sugar in other things so that I could keep my grams to 25 and under, my tastebuds have changed. I really cannot tolerate even a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee. Fruit tastes waaaay too sweet. It's like a miracle. I want to keep it this way because it helps with the calories.
So OP, I would say don't go cold turkey, just gradually wean yourself off, however long it takes. I really enjoy it, and I think you will too.
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I avoid refined sugar almost entirely. I still eat fruit, honey, and maple syrup though. Does that help you?1
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Eat more protein and veggies. There is sugar in vegetables and fruits, and there are plenty of sites online that state which ones contain low/high levels.0
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mysteps2beauty wrote: »Mumu190672 wrote: »It depends what you mean by avoiding sugar.
I eat fruits, bread and other things that contain sugar.
Personally I avoid to put sugar in my coffee, I dont eat cakes, chocolates or candies because they are high in calories and don't have much nutritional value.
There was a time I was eating chocolates and candies but I always ended up eating everything.
I find it easier not eating this kind of food at all even if it is in the house.
As long as I don't touch it I am fine.
This is pretty much me now.
I started MFP this my 2nd time, for health reasons. So I was intentional on little sugar and sodium.
The hardest part was my morning coffee, always cream and sugar, ALWAYS, since like forever. Now I can drink my coffee black. Never thought I would see the day. It took me about a month to wean myself to this point. Also because I ate less sugar in other things so that I could keep my grams to 25 and under, my tastebuds have changed. I really cannot tolerate even a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee. Fruit tastes waaaay too sweet. It's like a miracle. I want to keep it this way because it helps with the calories.
I always find it odd when people say that their tastebuds changed, since most naturally enjoy both sweet and other flavors (sour, salty, bitter, spicy, whatever), especially when they claim not to have thought fruit was sweet before (or carrots or whatever). I've always hated (like I think it's disgusting and can't drink it) coffee or tea with sugar in it, but I love fruit and don't think it's too sweet for me, and I enjoy a variety of sweet dessert items (while some I do think are too sweet). I'd be sad if fruit stopped tasting good to me.
I went without added sugar for a month, twice, and none of this changed.
I do have somewhat different tastes than I did as a kid, mostly from being exposed to more things and liking a much broader range of flavors (more bitter, more spicy, so on). Hmm, I love vegetables now and only thought they were okay as a kid, but I also cook them much better than my mom did. Disliked coffee as a kid and had to learn to like it by making it half milk, initially (years ago).0 -
There's no easy way to do it. I assume you mean processed sugar withdrawals, which in the past have made me plot ways sneak in chocolate. Fruit is definitely a good option, and I keep liquid stevia (for sweetening plain yogurt or other oatmeal) & sugar-free maple-imitation syrup on hand. The syrup is good because if I make "banana pancakes" (one egg and one banana mixed together and cooked on a griddle), the banana and sugar-free syrup are sweet enough that it feels like dessert - but it's clean!
Water is also great - I love flavoring my water with cucumber, lime, and mint! It's like a mojito Keep on pushing through, the first two weeks are the hardest. Hope you find some stuff that works for you! 0 -
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Sugar withdraw will go away, just after 21 days if u will stick to very low carbs for that time. The body has ability to switch from consuming sugar in your guts for energy to the Krep cycle, which uses fats or proteins in your own body. At that type of energy generation (neoglycolysis) u will have plenty of energy any time, clear mind and no nusty feeling of being hungry2
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Whenever I get sweet cravings (not sugar, just sweet things in general), I go get a muesli bar made with chocolate and honey. Yes it's 113 calories, but it's much better than eating a chocolate cake worth 500 calories. Plus, it's fills me up too.
However, I do have cheat meals, at least once a week (or less than that if I can). It allows me to eat sweet stuff or something else that would be calorie dense. I do make up for it with a deficit over the week, but if I didn't have cheat meals and have to go cold turkey, I would be very, very miserable.1 -
I try not to buy any of it, out of sight out of mind. After a while, the cravings go away. I eat Oh Yeah ONE protein bars when I do have cravings. Some of them really do taste like cake or brownies and they only have 1g of sugar.1
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It depends.
I don't think you really have withdrawal from sugar. If you drastically cut carbohydrate consumption, you can experience some carb flu, and I have experienced that. Had I been supplementing properly at the time, I could have spared myself.
For example, I did a recent stint on a plan that was low cal/low carb and had no carb flu because I was supplementing properly. And I normally have pretty high carb consumption.
Anyway, what I do now when I want something sweet varies. Right now I'm going through a phase where I'm having trouble moderating, so I don't have treats around the house. I have certain things planned in my day, like regular snacks of fruit, a nice big bowl of kettle corn (with sugar), and lattes with artificial sweetener that feel like a real treat. I space them all out with some diet soda here and there. As you can tell, I'm a bit of a grazer. I also always have something to look forward to.
Every now and then, I do plan and go buy a box of cupcakes or a candy bar. I budget the calories for it, enjoy it, and go back to my normal pattern.0 -
Yep. Those are them. It generally starts with loss of sodium, then low magnesium and potassium if the sodium isn't addressed. By then the symptoms are uncomfortable (headaches, fatigue, nausea, moodiness, muscle aches and spasms) and people either use more sodium or drop the diet and say it wasn't for them.
Some symptoms of "withdrawal" may persist even if the electrolyte imbalance is addressed.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »It depends.
I don't think you really have withdrawal from sugar. If you drastically cut carbohydrate consumption, you can experience some carb flu, and I have experienced that. Had I been supplementing properly at the time, I could have spared myself.
For example, I did a recent stint on a plan that was low cal/low carb and had no carb flu because I was supplementing properly. And I normally have pretty high carb consumption.
Anyway, what I do now when I want something sweet varies. Right now I'm going through a phase where I'm having trouble moderating, so I don't have treats around the house. I have certain things planned in my day, like regular snacks of fruit, a nice big bowl of kettle corn (with sugar), and lattes with artificial sweetener that feel like a real treat. I space them all out with some diet soda here and there. As you can tell, I'm a bit of a grazer. I also always have something to look forward to.
Every now and then, I do plan and go buy a box of cupcakes or a candy bar. I budget the calories for it, enjoy it, and go back to my normal pattern.
I think we often forget that ability to moderate comes in phases and one must play to the tactic that works at that time
Good point @GottaBurnEmAll
I don't think that gives us leave to make up things like "sugar withdrawal" as though it's a biological thing though or say that anecdotal evidence trumps true data2 -
I follow a LCHF way of eating and keep my carb grams to a max of 15 a day. I eat few things with sugar and avoid artificial sugar. Eating this way changes the way the body is fuelled - from glycogen to ketone bodies. It does take a few weeks for the body to adjust, but after this the desire for sugar pretty well goes away and so do the afternoon crashes! This is the ketogenic way of eating.0
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I remember feeling certain that there was such a thing as sugar withdrawal because I got headaches, very similar to the headaches you get when you stop drinking coffee. I've long ago given up on the concept of giving up sugar entirely and my memory fades, but I was surprised to get a reminder just the other day. I used Splenda instead of sugar in my morning coffee and didn't have carbs at lunch (chicken and broccoli). I had leftover lentil soup for breakfast, so there were some carbs but not lots. Shortly after lunch I got a headache. I'm fortunate in that I don't generally get headaches, so this was a surprise. I had the intention of keeping carbs low that day but I wasn't THAT driven. I put sugar in my tea and it was gone almost instantly.
Based on the electrolyte comments here I googled just now and see that it has been suggested that carb flu headaches come from dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance and that drinking salted water should take it away. Given that I felt better after a tea, you could argue that it was dehydration that was the real problem, except that I have experienced dehydration many times and it feels different. When I'm dehydrated I guzzle water and the water tastes sweet.
I'm fine with saying that my headache was due to "carb flu" not sugar withdrawal. Seems like a less controversial term to describe the same symptom.0 -
Lentils have a significant amount of carbohydrates.3
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sandywaterbaby9 wrote: »I need inspiration for avoiding sugar!
Just keep it away from yourself! The best way to avoid it is to not have it around you. The cravings get easier to ignore over time, but in the beginning you just have to suffer through the desires.2 -
You got this! Willpower will get you through.
Try to avoid the empty calories with sugar (like cakes/donuts/candy/soda/etc) and eat the healthy natural sugars, such as fruit or small amounts of juice. When I start craving sugar I just eat a handful of red grapes or a small apple or small banana. If I am REALLY craving something sweet, I usually try to make a smoothie or overnight oats... as you can get them to taste like desserts!0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Lentils have a significant amount of carbohydrates.
But less than my normal breakfast. That's how I should have phrased it I guess.
ETA: in case it matters, I like to eat most of my calories earlier in the day. So the fast I break in the morning is longer than for most people. I'm very often done eating for the day by 4pm, with most of the calories by lunchtime. Meaning that if it's glycogen depletion that causes carb flu, my story might be less odd. I can't recall how active I was between breakfast and lunch but at a minimum I'd have done housework, so an opportunity to deplete glycogen further.
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