stopping sugar today!

I am beginning to think I need to do the same thing although I have no idea how. It is really the one thing I truly struggle with.

What kind of sugar? Ok to give up cake, pies, cookies and other processed foods. But don't give up foods that have sugar naturally such as fruit or milk.

If you can get through 5 days of no sugar and/or carbs you will feel soooo much better and the cravings go away. It's hard, but it's so worth it.

It's hard to stop sugar!! My body CRAVES it...and carbs...stick it out tho!! I dont know how long it takes for it to completely leave your system, but once it does, it wont taste right to ya anymore...a bite of something sweet will make ya feel ill. Good luck!!

I agree. I've realized that sugar has an addictive quality to it.

What kind of sugar? Ok to give up cake, pies, cookies and other processed foods. But don't give up foods that have sugar naturally such as fruit or milk.

Exactly.

Good luck to you! The first 3 days were difficult but once I made it to day 4 I was great. I truly felt better than I had in a long time. I hope you find that the carb cravings leave and like other posters have mentioned replacing sugar with fruit, milk, beans or grains is a great thing to do for yourself. Hang in there, it's completely worth it!

The first week is the hardest! Xylitol really helped me! It tastes just like sugar and is so good in tea. I drink a lot of sweet tea when I stop sugar. It really helps to have a replacement that tastes just like the real thing.

I get the Xyla brand because it is not made from corn like many of the cheaper products out there.
http://www.xylitolusa.com/

Good luck, I recently gave up the "extra sugar", from cakes, candy, etc. The first few days were horrible, I had a headache the whole time. Whenever I felt the craving for it, I drank lots of water. That really helped, and ate more fruit. It's really tough, but it is so worth it, I've never felt better and my body has toned up so much. Just keep in mind how you want to look and feel. Keep us posted.

there is a good book called Sugar Busters that may help you with the 'no' sugar thing. Hope this helps!!

There seems to be conflicting ideas all around these boards on sugar, natural sugar, and no sugar. One of the things I did when I started this new lifestyle was started eating a lot more fruit. I like fruit and I find much more portable than veggies by in large (doesn't require the fridge, don't need to cut it up before I leave the house or use special storage containers, etc). I make sure I incorporate veggies into lunch and dinner when home but when I work fruit is just easier. However eating an apple and an orange put me over my sugar for the entire day! This week has been bad for processed sugar b/c of Easter although I have been trying to be moderate in what I am eating. Should I really worry about the natural sugar I am getting from fruits? Most days if I subtract that sugar I am well within the range that MFP allots.

I was eating sugar like it was the last food on earth. I finally stopped indulging... and now I'm focused more on what foods and how much of those foods make sugar cravings kick in. I eat dark chocolate almost everyday... the good stuff... 70% and up. I eat Fage yogurt every morning (with cherries!) and I eat a Lara Bar every day. There's enough protein and good stuff in these foods that I don't feel like I need 2 Hershey's Bars 30 minutes later. If I eat white bread, rice, etc. for lunch, I want sweets as soon as I get back to my desk at work, though!

I am having the same issue! I have a jar and any day that I don't have anything but natural sugar, I put a dollar into it. This way I can motivate myself to stay away and save money for new outfits in a few months!

I also use Xylitol in my coffee it doesn't have any aftertaste like stevia and tastes the same as sugar but much milder. I use a little Stevia in my tea, because I don't notice the aftertaste as much and for some reason prefer it over the xylitol in my tea (with Stevia a little goes a long way, too much and the aftertaste is just way too strong). You can also substitute xylitol in baking. I try to avoid sugar or anything that contains sugar (except for fruits), but it seems very difficult to eliminate it all together (so I'm happy with minimizing it). Just remember you can do anything you set your mind to do, and good luck!