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MyFitnessPal Community

Giving up sugar

bisto1971

Where do I start! Crazy for sugary foods

Replies

livingleanlivingclean

What do you consider sugary foods?

kommodevaran

And crazy, how? Hard to moderate? People like sweet foods.

quiksylver296

There are usually two choices - eliminate or moderate. Some people can completely eliminate their trigger foods and be just fine. (I am NOT one of those people. After a week or two, I freak out and binge on it.) Some people can moderate their trigger foods, allow a little bit every day. This is me. I allow 200-300 calories for dessert every night. Sometimes it's chocolate, sometimes it's ice cream, sometimes candy.

Piperx222

quiksylver296 wrote: »

There are usually two choices - eliminate or moderate. Some people can completely eliminate their trigger foods and be just fine. (I am NOT one of those people. After a week or two, I freak out and binge on it.) Some people can moderate their trigger foods, allow a little bit every day. This is me. I allow 200-300 calories for dessert every night. Sometimes it's chocolate, sometimes it's ice cream, sometimes candy.

^^^ This is basically how I've survived over the last year LOL. I could never totally cut sugar and desserts out of my life completely, that's no way to live if you ask me. One thing I will key in on though is that for me it's ONLY at night. If I have candy or something sweet like that earlier in the day more often than not I want more and will be craving it. I play the mental game. I don't need _____ now, I'm going to have _____ later. Helps me get past the other temptations.

estherdragonbat

I've cut out SOME sugary foods, because they're calorie bombs or hard to moderate. But I keep a sweet-ish cereal around. I make desserts at 200 calories/serving or less (homemade strawberry sorbet in freezer right now), and eat fruit.

I don't buy 600-calorie cherry turnovers anymore, because a whole one won't fit my plan and 1/4 isn't worth it. I don't buy jellybeans apart from the occasional fun-size pack, because I WILL go through a larger bag in a very short time. But sweets are still part of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Lisa8823168

I crave great taste not just desserts. I take a couple of hours every weekend to bake my own low calorie-low carb desserts. Knowing exactly what is in my food is a priority to me. By investing just a few hours on the weekend, I am able to keep really tasty desserts easily in my daily calorie count and have quick grab meals that take the stress off hectic days. Yes, I have a family...and pre planning meals & desserts for days in advance make managing a healthy diet for the entire family so much easier.

cjsacto

Good for you, good luck!

My advice would be to do it gradually. It took a few months but now I've given it up 99%. For me, if I let myself have just a little regular sugar, it gets out of control. I can do it for a while, but eventually I binge. Giving it up means no white knuckling to allow myself a bitesize dessert only.

I had to give up coffee, which I only like quite sweet. I switched to tea and gradually stopped sweetening that. I found having a TBSP of molasses daily got rid of my sugar cravings. Now, I know molasses is a sugar, too (please don't yell at me, sugar purists), but it has nutrients, relatively low glycemic index, and such a strong flavor that regular sugar seems bland. Also, I take it for the iron content, I'm a bit anemic. No more than 1 T per day.

People have different definitions of giving up sugar. I have fruit juice still (in smoothie w/fiber and protein) and haven't given up fruit or carbs. I sometimes use dates to sweeten baked goods or other food, no more than two dates per day. Whole medjool dates only, with the fiber - not date syrup. No foods that contain added white or brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, etc., or any sugar substitutes (I'd eat stevia if I didn't think it tastes like feet).

Get lots of fiber and eat healthy fats. I experienced some headaches and dizziness, might have been sugar withdrawal, I'm not sure. I find normal food tastes sweeter now, and I'm not missing traditional desserts.

R_is_for_Rachel

i've just started a work related 28 days no added sugar diet because i'm a total sugar addict. I like the idea of no added sugar because whilst still harder than normal diet, it' not as difficult as no sugars which means fruit too-though i plan not to go over the top with them either

R_is_for_Rachel

thing is theres research showing that we crave sugary foods because sugary foods encouraged a type of bacteria in our intestines that love sugar which then send signals to the brain telling you to eat more sugar!

MostlyWater

It's pretty hard.

earlnabby

The taste for sweet things is learned behavior, just like the taste for salty foods. It takes about a month to retrain your palate. All you need to do is not buy sugary things and don't add sugar to things you make. Period. It is not rocket science, folks. If you don't buy the cake or cookie or candy bar, you won't eat cake, or cookies, or candy bars.

Things might not taste as good at first, but after a few weeks of not eating so many sweets, they will start tasting too sweet if you do eat something.

cjsacto

R_is_for_Rachel wrote: »

i've just started a work related 28 days no added sugar diet because i'm a total sugar addict. I like the idea of no added sugar because whilst still harder than normal diet, it' not as difficult as no sugars which means fruit too-though i plan not to go over the top with them either

Yes, fruit is good for us! I have 1-3 servings of fruit per day. The fiber in fruit means the sugar hits your system more slowly, you don't get the sugar rush and resulting cravings for more. I don't trust any diet plan that says you can't have an apple.

By saying I've given up sugar I don't mean I'll never, ever have another bite of pie, but my goal is for it to never be part of my daily or even weekly life again.