sugar my problem

obedient670 · September 2017

I found cutting it out cold turkey was my only hope. I quit craving after about three weeks.
That's not to say I want something sweet now and then. When I do I take a little taste of organic honey. It's not ice cream and cookies but it does the trick!

emailmehere1122 · September 2017

Cutting sugar is tough...that's one addictive white powder

How long has it been...noticed any good changes?

xvolution · September 2017

They say that sugar is more addictive than cocaine, so congrats on cutting it cold turkey!

Riskay123 · September 2017

Good on you. I also gave it up a few months back and I did feel a lit better for it. No more brain fog. Sadly I have let it slip back into my diet a little bit.

psuLemon · September 2017

Ice cream and cookies are more than sugar.. they are also fat and very hyperpalatable. When I cut weight though, i increase fruit consumption and decrease consumption of deserts. For my deserts, I tend to do fruit with some coolwhip on it.

hale03071 · September 2017

That's great! Cutting out sugar for health/wellness reasons is smart (but also hard to do, everything has sugar in it now!). I am going to wait for for the posts on your thread from people who like to hear themselves talk and say cutting sugar isn't necessary for weight loss, its CICO etc. There is always someone who takes a thread the wrong way and uses it as an opportunity to preach.

I've cut out sugar from my diet for almost a year. I have lost nearly 60 lbs in the process. I've found that cutting out sugar it makes it easier to stay within my daily calorie limit, cuts cravings and the urge to binge so I have been able to stay on this new way of eating/lifestyle. It is a scientific fact that sugar causes physiological responses in our bodies that are counterproductive to feeling well. Yes you can lose weight while incorporating sugar into your diet, but many find it easier just to eliminate it all together. Sugar causes a spike in insulin, making you feel "starving" suddenly, it causes inflammation in your entire body too, feeds an imbalance of bacteria in our gut, etc, etc. Not saying cutting sugar is a MUST for everyone, I do feel you see many health benefits by cutting it out, which include helping cut calories and thus losing weight. Also, if you have adult acne, you will likely see that gone too when you cut out sugar, I did.

Riskay123 · September 2017

Hale, I 100% agree with you. I stopped feeling hungry and the temptation to snack disappeared when I was off sugar. My mood also significantly improved. I was a lot calmer and my thinking was so much clearer. Was it all in my head? Maybe, but I don't care. I felt awesome when I was off sugar. I also went cold turkey for 8 weeks. Even cut out fruit for 5 of those 8 weeks. It reset my pallet. Now most things with added sugar taste too sweet and are not enjoyable. Even bananas are very sweet now.

Jazzyjules71 · September 2017

Thanks for comments- I feel horrible right now, caught in a sugar/fatigue cycle and appreciate all your Input!

ladychris29 · September 2017

I went cold turkey, too, and cut sugar, wheat, and all meat except for fish completely out of my diet. It was super tough for a couple months, and the withdrawals were killer. But the health changes were soooo worth it. A friend suggested a certain book--which I don't think I can mention her due to MFP rules. But if you want to know about it, message me. Anyhoo, it went into specific issues for food addictions, especially for highly sensitive and intuitive people. It was like the author was writing my life.

Sugar acts like a drug for so many people, including me. So sometimes cold turkey is the only thing that really works.

rachelleahsmom · September 2017

Sugar is my problem, too. I did give it up for one month and not only felt better, but noticed body changes, too. Unfortunately, I have totally fallen off the wagon and CRAVE something sweet after every meal. You've inspired me. I'm going to try again!

faramelee · September 2017

I think it's each to their own so if it works for you then go for it, I am certainly not criticising, I am just wondering....

Are all of these health benefits due to cutting out sugar or can some be attributed to eating a more nutritious diet?

emailmehere1122 · September 2017

@hale03071
Ohhhhh you said the f word (fructose)...you're going to get it ....j/k

I posted a link to how the body metabolized fructose differently and got it good. Then I backed it up with a few links,all of them saying fruits and vegetables are good,and they went off. I'm also trying to eliminate foods with added sugars because they're just empty calories. Congratulations on your weight loss

@rachelleahsmom
I also crave a sweet treat after dinner. I use to have a little gelato or ice cream and I looked forward to it. I've been able to replace that with an apple. Now I look forward to that instead...you can do it.

Before the keyboard commandos come and tell me that I don't need to give up my ice cream I can just work it into my calories let me say I already know that. It's a change I want to make for myself

Disclaimer:
ALL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ARE GOOD!!!!

I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND CICO!!!

I DIDN'T SAY FRUCTOSE IS BAD JUST METABOLIZED DIFFERENTLY!!!

ALL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ARE GOOD!!!

nvmomketo · September 2017

Jazzyjules71 wrote: »

Thanks for comments- I feel horrible right now, caught in a sugar/fatigue cycle and appreciate all your Input!

When you lower insulin levels, by cutting some carbs like sugar, you usually lose water weight and electrolytes along with it. Fatigue, headaches, nausea, brain fog and muscle aches are signs that your sodium is low. A cup or two of salty broth may help, or even a half teaspoon of salt with water. You may need 3000-5000 mg of sodium a day to replace lost electrolytes. There is 2300 mg of sodium in a teaspoon of salt.

Good luck.

FeelingAlive · September 2017

I used to be a major sweet tooth - so much so that I was diagnosed with insulin resistance at age 16. It took a very long time, but I reversed that status by going cold turkey on sugar for about three months, easing back into eating it, going cold turkey...the cycle repeated endlessly. But the thing is, each time I went into a phase of eating sugar treats, I ate fewer and fewer of it, and now I am at a point in my life where I can actually enjoy it in moderation (but keeping a close eye on it to make sure I don't start to overindulge again). I've learned that I can't maintain a cold turkey diet with candy. There are too many social events and memories build around enjoying food that I've decided that I don't want to be the only one not participating. I've stood in the background for far too long.

That being said, I don't eat treats daily. Perhaps once a month, when TOM arises and I need some comfort. Yes, there are days when I crave it, and I deliberately tell myself no, I don't NEED it. It's only for special occasions. And for me it works just fine like this.

Everyone is different, and for some leaving it all together works well. The benefits are great, but I don't want to say no to a milkshake for the rest of my life, and neither do I want to miss out on my own birthday cake. Eating healthy is a lifelong commitment, and you have to be realistic when designing your boundaries. Congrats if you succeed, but don't beat yourself up if you don't.

psuLemon · September 2017

hale03071 wrote: »

That's great! Cutting out sugar for health/wellness reasons is smart (but also hard to do, everything has sugar in it now!). I am going to wait for for the posts on your thread from people who like to hear themselves talk and say cutting sugar isn't necessary for weight loss, its CICO etc. There is always someone who takes a thread the wrong way and uses it as an opportunity to preach.

I've cut out sugar from my diet for almost a year. I have lost nearly 60 lbs in the process. I've found that cutting out sugar it makes it easier to stay within my daily calorie limit, cuts cravings and the urge to binge so I have been able to stay on this new way of eating/lifestyle. It is a scientific fact that sugar causes physiological responses in our bodies that are counterproductive to feeling well. Yes you can lose weight while incorporating sugar into your diet, but many find it easier just to eliminate it all together. Sugar causes a spike in insulin, making you feel "starving" suddenly, it causes inflammation in your entire body too, feeds an imbalance of bacteria in our gut, etc, etc. Not saying cutting sugar is a MUST for everyone, I do feel you see many health benefits by cutting it out, which include helping cut calories and thus losing weight. Also, if you have adult acne, you will likely see that gone too when you cut out sugar, I did.

To be fair, there is a difference between cutting sugar/fats/hyperpalatable foods as a strategy to help cut calories vs what is required for health and/or weight loss.

I believe that cutting highly caloric, low nutrient foods is beneficial, especially for who have binges from those foods. But i also recognize the benefits to sugar, in the context of a healthy diet. I often use sugar before a workout, along with protein, as it is anticatabolic and can support energy for exercise.

Personally, i also found to eliminating foods is not a useful strategy to my weight loss success. When i restrict, i binge. When i keep those foods to 10 to 20% of my calories, i was able to maintain a deficit and lose 50lbs +. But i have a greater focus on protein and fiber.

Also, insulin has been shown to suppress hunger as its goals is to shuttle nutrients into the cells, and suppress blood sugars. The bigger driver for satiety is proteins and fiber.

kokonani · September 2017

Thats fantastic. I quit sugar on keto for 5 months. Felt better overall, but couldn't do it for long. Now I incorporate sweets and sugar to my liking and enjoy it. It's almost impossible to quit sugar for me.

lemurcat12 · September 2017

emailmehere1122 wrote: »

@hale03071
Ohhhhh you said the f word (fructose)...you're going to get it ....j/k

I posted a link to how the body metabolized fructose differently and got it good. Then I backed it up with a few links,all of them saying fruits and vegetables are good,and they went off.

The problem is you cannot claim fructose is all bad and then that fruit is fine in that fruit has fructose. There's no real difference between the types of sugar in table sugar (sucrose breaks down to glucose and fructose) and fruit (mix of fructose, glucose, and sucrose, in various amounts depending on the fruit).

I eat very little added sugar currently, and have cut it out at times (I found it not that hard, perhaps because when I initially did it I didn't also cut carbs overall quite low, or perhaps because I already mostly cooked for myself with whole foods). So anyway, point is I am not saying there's no value to cutting way down on added sugar if you eat a lot or even cutting it out (or cutting out sweets) entirely. What I AM saying is that it's not accurate to say a cookie is different from an apple because of fructose (or anything to do with sugar). The apple, instead, has a little more fiber, different/more nutrients, and the cookie has more calories because of a lot of fat and might be hard not to overeat for many. (Some say they have just as much trouble not overeating the apple, but I bet that's less common).

I'm also trying to eliminate foods with added sugars because they're just empty calories.

This is another thing that's just not true (although as I said I've done it, so I don't think it's a bad thing to do). If I add a little sugar to a rhubarb sauce or some brown sugar and apples to steel cut oats, do they cease having nutrients? And there are foods without any sugar at all that add as many calories with no more nutrients (some of which I happily eat, like olive oil, cheese).

But all this aside, if cutting out added sugar works for you, I think that's great. I just will disagree if you make claims that aren't accurate.

Paschen81 · September 2017

I've a question for all of you who have "cut sugar out" obviously that's not technically correct as you do still eat sugar may in a restricted manner.

When you plan your sugar consumption do you count total grams per day or instead only eat foods with no more than "x" grams of sugar?

I started cutting sugar by only eating foods with less than 3 grams of sugar but during the process I was utterly shocked at how much sugar so many of my favorite foods had. Like balsamic vinegar! And bananas! I became disheartened and gradually stopped following it

So which do you do and what amounts do you limit yourself to?

psuLemon · September 2017

Paschen81 wrote: »

I've a question for all of you who have "cut sugar out" obviously that's not technically correct as you do still eat sugar may in a restricted manner.

When you plan your sugar consumption do you count total grams per day or instead only eat foods with no more than "x" grams of sugar?

I started cutting sugar by only eating foods with less than 3 grams of sugar but during the process I was utterly shocked at how much sugar so many of my favorite foods had. Like balsamic vinegar! And bananas! I became disheartened and gradually stopped following it

So which do you do and what amounts do you limit yourself to?

So you were trying to cut all sugar... not just added? Because anything that is fruit/veggie based will contain sugar.. but it's natural and comes with a lot of other beneficial nutrients. And if those foods, like banana's/balsamic vinegar are some of your favorites, why would you restrict them, especially if they keep you on track.

Heck, the whole reason I would never low carb is because I love fruit way too much and fat doesn't satiate me.

nvmomketo · September 2017

Paschen81 wrote: »

I've a question for all of you who have "cut sugar out" obviously that's not technically correct as you do still eat sugar may in a restricted manner.

When you plan your sugar consumption do you count total grams per day or instead only eat foods with no more than "x" grams of sugar?

I started cutting sugar by only eating foods with less than 3 grams of sugar but during the process I was utterly shocked at how much sugar so many of my favorite foods had. Like balsamic vinegar! And bananas! I became disheartened and gradually stopped following it

So which do you do and what amounts do you limit yourself to?

I am pretty low in sugar. Under 10 g with some days approaching zero. I cut out all sugar meaning granulated sugar. I don't own any. If I bake I use stevia, and if it needs bulk I may use a powdered stevia but will more often use a protein powder.

As a general rule, my sugars come from some sweeter veggies like peppers, some dairy, and some processed meats. I rarely eat fruit but will have some once in a while.

Paschen81 · September 2017

psuLemon wrote: »

Paschen81 wrote: »

I've a question for all of you who have "cut sugar out" obviously that's not technically correct as you do still eat sugar may in a restricted manner.

When you plan your sugar consumption do you count total grams per day or instead only eat foods with no more than "x" grams of sugar?

I started cutting sugar by only eating foods with less than 3 grams of sugar but during the process I was utterly shocked at how much sugar so many of my favorite foods had. Like balsamic vinegar! And bananas! I became disheartened and gradually stopped following it

So which do you do and what amounts do you limit yourself to?

So you were trying to cut all sugar... not just added? Because anything that is fruit/veggie based will contain sugar.. but it's natural and comes with a lot of other beneficial nutrients. And if those foods, like banana's/balsamic vinegar are some of your favorites, why would you restrict them, especially if they keep you on track.

Heck, the whole reason I would never low carb is because I love fruit way too much and fat doesn't satiate me.

No I wasn't trying to cut all sugar because that would mean you could only eat protein (and the fat it contained) just reduce the amount of sugar intake. Which is why I was asking what limits others who are cutting sugar out use. An old program I was on did the 3gram foods restriction which I realize is quite restricted... But I read somewhere that I can't find again about limiting total daily intake to... (I don't remember exactly) around 20 grams per day total intake which again doesn't take very long to get up to when a serving of banana is 16 grams alone and balsamic vinegar is over 20 per tbs!

sugar my problem

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