Quitting sugar --- healthy or too restrictive?

[matyr4christ]

@jesse1354 I found focusing on limiting net carbs in general was the best way to cut sugar. If you’re only allowing 25% carbs, any refined sugar at all basically takes away any other carb you might be allowed. It’s like having a tight budget you have to work with because you’ve got no more money. You’re not going to blow your 50g budget on a 43g candy bar and have nothing left for yogurt or a banana. So, you get creative to stay within your budget and forget the cookies etc. because they’re too “expensive”. Even after you up your carb intake to a more normal level, you’ll find you’re still budgeting like this.

 

[retghu]

@jesse1354 What I did to curb my cravings was buy a bag of mini dark chocolate peppermint patties. I have one after dinner when I’m craving chocolate, it’s pretty healthy and once I restricted the amount of sweet things I ate I craved sugar a lot less

 

[dawn16]

@jesse1354 I was the same as you. One little piece of chocolate would send me on a binge (that’s caused by the insulin response).

About 7 years ago I decided to cut sugars completely from my diet: no sweet treats but also no fruits, no artificial sweeteners, milk, nothing with added sugar. I quit cold turkey and it demanded all of my willpower and the help of my family (we didn’t have anything with sugar in the house; just fruits for the kids and my wife).

I kept it like that for almost 2 years. Then I introduced one (low sugar) fruit a day and I would allow myself to eat some dessert every once in a while (during festivities and things that are truly good).

I treat sugar like it is a drug or alcohol. It’s an addiction. I’ll be a recovered sugar-addict for life. I accepted it and moved on.

 

[insarations]

@jesse1354 I cut cold Turkey for about 3 months, then realized i could live with limited amounts. I sometimes have way too much in one go still, but it is a lot less often than it had been.

To cut cold Turkey I just wouldn't buy it. I threw out everything dessertwise in my home (minus baking supplies that were incomplete). And at the grocery I'd ask myself, "how does this food benefit me". If it didn't, it didn't make it in the basket. I never go down the candy aisle.

You have to think about what you are doing, and make decisions, even in the moment. Use logic with yourself. And then have to have good snacks on hand to replace the things you are craving. Sweet? Fruit. Crunchy? Peppers or cucumber. Unsure, just feels snacky? Jalapeno cashews, yogurt, jerky, etc.

 

[bobitty]

@jesse1354 Check out r/sugarfree. Added sugar is highly addictive which I can see and I also struggle with.

 

[belov3dd]

@jesse1354 I haven’t cut sugar out altogether but I have stopped keeping sugary foods around the house. I do buy little Ocho chocolate bars for a treat but only one at a time (they are about 200 calories each) and I was also really into candy canes around the holidays.

 

[elissanjuice]

@jesse1354 Can you do sugar substitutes? If so I highly recommend baking your own treats with swerve/investing in Walden Farms 0 cal syrup

 

[hoshea]

@jesse1354 Sweets? Sure, but don’t avoid sugar. I tried, and it made my binges much worse. But eating some non FODMAP fruits daily has helped a lot with avoiding sugar cravings.

 

[dawn16]

@jesse1354 I have the same problem! Currently trying out keto and eating fewer carbs overall has curbed my cravings significantly but I still get a hankering for something sweet at the end of the day! So I buy blueberries every week and eat a handful after dinner every evening. This actually works pretty well for me! I might have a hot toddy (tea, lemon, whiskey) as a nightcap also if I really need something to take the edge off. There is a mindfulness aspect to it- I have to insist to myself that this handful of blueberries is my dessert and treat for the night. I think it’s cheaper than chasing down ice cream or baking late night batches of cookies also, so that helps. Saturday brunch - Sunday brunch I usually allow myself some freedom with what I’m eating. I don’t think you need to cut out all sugar. Cutting out fruit would be a mistake. Berries are REALLY important to a healthy diet as they are packed with antioxidants. But cutting down your NET carbs is a great idea and will force you to eat more Whole Foods and less things that come in a package.

 

[dawn16]

@jesse1354 I'm not huge on sugar by itself but I love chocolate. Cocoa powder is 10 cal per tbsp (5g) and is really good in smoothies, oatmeal, and even sprinkled over sliced fruit. That gives me my chocolate fix in a much healthier way. I'm eating some right now!

I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to reduce processed sugar, although I do think there has to be a cut off, if something has a few grams of sugar that's hugely different from eating a sugary cereal or some candy. It might not be worth going the extra mile to get every single gram of sugar out of your diet since it is unfortunately added to everything. As far as temptation goes, if it's not in my house I'm much less likely to eat it. I also tell myself that if I can't eat something today I can just eat it tomorrow or make/buy some later. By tomorrow I may not even want it anymore.

 

[thehindubrahmin]

@dawn16 So good on ricotta as well!

 

[my01lightning]

@dawn16 I love putting cocoa powder in oatmeal!

Cocoa itself is super healthy. It's the sugar that makes chocolate more of a treat.

 

[sinfulme]

@jesse1354 Take a look at r/whole30 and you’ll find a tone of people who have been successful in cutting sweets and more. They’ve got some good recipe recommendations too.

 

[collectsbooks]

@sinfulme Yup! I support this comment!! Whole30 to quit sugar! Check check check it out!

 

[jonathandavidgoddard]

@jesse1354 I guess it's about finding what works for you. Personally when I tell myself I can never have something again I rebel and eat all the things, then feel bad about myself etc etc. As for sweets I don't keep any in the house because I do get passing cravings that go away after a few minutes. If I find myself really craving something for a while then I'll go out and buy something that's high quality. I've noticed a high quality brownie from the local bakery is much more satisfying then say a package of cheap-o brand brownies.

 

[ryanchamp]

@jesse1354 The all or nothing mentality is quite detrimental for most people. You don’t need to quit sugar, you need to moderate your intake.

If you can’t handle even a bite, don’t have a bite. If I have a sweet craving I eat fruit. At least fruit has nutrients and fibre. If I’m “addicted” to sugar, 4 servings of fruit is better than the equivalent in chocolate.

 

[dawn16]

@jesse1354 What worked for me was reading the science. Sorry I don’t have links right now to share but reading the effects that sugar has on the body helped me so much. I view it as a toxin now. That’s helps a ton if I’m tempted.

 

[tonwhite]

@jesse1354 I've cut out all my sugar-dumps in the last two weeks. No more iced coffees, no more "just a couple cookies", etc. I've got a lot more energy, I feel more "awake", and best of all- my acne has dropped dramatically. I've had some cravings the last few days and I've done my best to power through them. I won't drive myself nuts by looking for no-sugar alternatives to everything, but just cutting out the OBVIOUS sweets has made such a huge impact.

 

[joyfulspirit68]

@jesse1354 I don't eat anything that has "added sugar" - and "sugar" comes in many forms with many names. Something more than 20 names for sugar in various forms. I also eat no "sugar substitutes."

I do eat fruits and carefully look at ingredients for whatever I'm buying - like crackers - to see if there is added sugar. (There always is....) If the sugar listed is next to "salt" then I know it's probably a small amount and it's OK.

I use stevia or honey.

You don't have to "give up" all sweet treats. Just make different sweet treats that don't use sugar. Yes, it's possible. And I find that after not eating sugar for quite a while (about a year), if I do take a bite of something that has sugar in it, WOW it is TOTALLY SWEET and almost unpleasant.

Everyone's body is different. So how you deal with not eating sugar is up to you. It depends on many things: your diet, your activities, your social life, your living situation.

And yes, not eating sugar is a good thing. In fact, it's a great thing.

 

[thehindubrahmin]

@joyfulspirit68 Isn't stevia a sugar substitute?