katiemerrell24
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@jesse1354 I personally don't eat any white or cane sugar- but I do eat maple syrup and fruit!
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Quitting sugar --- healthy or too restrictive?
- Thread starter jesse1354
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- female fitness
@jesse1354 I try to save my sugar for when it's worth it. Shitty grocery store cake or cheap donuts at work? Not worth it. Extra delicious homemade cheesecake? Worth it.
I try to cut out all incidental sugar - no sugar in my coffee, no jam, none of this kind of little bits of sugar that it's easy to have and add up but you don't actually enjoy as sugar.
When I have it, it's on purpose, and because it's going to be fucking delicious.
In terms of your 5 PM issue, it sounds like you're having a blood sugar crash around that time. I am prone to these as well, so I plan snacks into my day: light lunch, 2 PM snack, 4 PM snack (as per my nutritionist). Something with some protein and complex carbs and a little fat. My blood sugar is much more even and it really really keeps those kinds of cravings down. I often have a half an apple and some nuts for a snack, or a plain yogurt, or bring a shake (pea protein, oat bran for fiber, spinach, a banana) and have half at 2 and half at 4.
I try to cut out all incidental sugar - no sugar in my coffee, no jam, none of this kind of little bits of sugar that it's easy to have and add up but you don't actually enjoy as sugar.
When I have it, it's on purpose, and because it's going to be fucking delicious.
In terms of your 5 PM issue, it sounds like you're having a blood sugar crash around that time. I am prone to these as well, so I plan snacks into my day: light lunch, 2 PM snack, 4 PM snack (as per my nutritionist). Something with some protein and complex carbs and a little fat. My blood sugar is much more even and it really really keeps those kinds of cravings down. I often have a half an apple and some nuts for a snack, or a plain yogurt, or bring a shake (pea protein, oat bran for fiber, spinach, a banana) and have half at 2 and half at 4.
@jesse1354 I think it’s best to just limit the amount of sugar you have. If you restrict completely you may have the issue of binging on sugar
@jesse1354 I read the book Never Binge Again and it really changed how I think. It's not for everyone, but it's (no joke) free for Kindle. It talks about creating food rules to distinguish between your insatiable lizard brain and your rational brain. My main rule is no dessert unless it's Saturday. Setting a rule was surprisingly freeing for me. If it's not Saturday and I'm going crazy for sweets, I realize it's just my lizard brain and ignore the noise. Honestly, I find myself not even wanting dessert most Saturdays. Your rule can be anything, like one piece of chocolate everyday or something. Also, herbal tea helps me so much when I'm having a sugar craving.
defoehorses
New member
@jesse1354 I've given up added sugar twice now for over a month each time. It's very effective for me, I stop craving sweet things and actually have trouble meeting my calorie goals because I'm not as interested in snacking on healthy foods. Both times I got bored with the limited variety of food and I found special events really hard to navigate. And once I had a little sugar again, it was hard to stop having it. But I find it effective for my goals and plan to start again when I get home from travelling.
Full disclaimer: I have a friend who is a psychologist who works with people with eating disorders. She does not support this type of restriction and advises moderation.
Full disclaimer: I have a friend who is a psychologist who works with people with eating disorders. She does not support this type of restriction and advises moderation.
@jesse1354 What do you mean by sugar ?
Honey, maple syrup, fruits coconut sugar etc too
Or just processed foods/snacks ??
For the process foods I just don’t buy it for the house but eat it outside during social events.
I sweet my food with the options I just gave you. It went fine.i think I stopped first with the soda . I had a new challenge every week or so. That was fun . 0 regret
Honey, maple syrup, fruits coconut sugar etc too
Or just processed foods/snacks ??
For the process foods I just don’t buy it for the house but eat it outside during social events.
I sweet my food with the options I just gave you. It went fine.i think I stopped first with the soda . I had a new challenge every week or so. That was fun . 0 regret
the_shire11
New member
@jesse1354 My husband's done this. He quit anything with "added sugar" in it. It's extreme, but it works for him because it's not a primary craving for him (it's just carbs in general). He'll make sugar-free muffins that are half-bran and sweetened with dates (the first few batches were a bit cardboardy), and started experimenting with alternative sweeteners (erythritol, xylitol, etc) a few years ago.
How did he do it? He just quit. Just said he's not having any, and stopped eating it. No cookies, pastries, cakes, desserts, ice cream. He stopped mainly because he know if he had one he'd eat the whole box... and the feeling of having eaten the whole box is worse than the craving for the sweet.
He does eat a ton of fruit.
I personally strike a balance by not eating a lot of food, and if I have a sugary snack it replaces something else. Calorie-balance. I like sweets, but I don't indulge everyday.
How did he do it? He just quit. Just said he's not having any, and stopped eating it. No cookies, pastries, cakes, desserts, ice cream. He stopped mainly because he know if he had one he'd eat the whole box... and the feeling of having eaten the whole box is worse than the craving for the sweet.
He does eat a ton of fruit.
I personally strike a balance by not eating a lot of food, and if I have a sugary snack it replaces something else. Calorie-balance. I like sweets, but I don't indulge everyday.
@jesse1354 Sugar makes me feel like shit and gives me acne. Sometimes I think it's worth it but vast majority of the time I dont lol. I restrict myself from alcohol for the same reason (it makes me feel bad). Every body is different so every answer to this question is different.
@jesse1354 For me I find that eating refined sugar leads to craving more and more sweets over time. I've been known to demolish a box of oreos in an evening. If I can stop cold turkey and get over the hump of the first few weeks I stop craving it. So I'll indulge at holidays (like xmas, my birthday, halloween) but after the holiday is over I'll get rid of or hide all the sweets and white knuckle through the cravings for a few weeks until they subside.
@jesse1354 Break up with your long term SO of 3 years. Then, you won't wanna eat anything!
stylessteelo956
New member
@jesse1354 I know that if I said, NO sugar or NO carbs or NO pasta or NO bread, I'd make it my life's work to go get that stuff and wind up binging.
So I do eat all of that, but I track it. I do CICO and so if I want to eat a damned cookie I do. And track it.
My friends who wanted to lose weight and made grand plans to never eat pasta/bread/chocolate/wine/sugar again, are usually able to do it for a few weeks, and then fall hard. And then tell everyone that it's impossible to lose weight.
And obviously some people can cut all of that out and be fine. But i was morbidly obese, and I acknowledge that I will always have that lurking in me, along with food addictions. So I don't harp on not eating X or Y, but I do eat those things, but don't binge. I suspect that if at my heaviest, I was only say 20 or 30 pounds more than I should be, maybe I could ban some things, but I think the way my brain is wired, I'd just make things worse for me, if that makes sense.
As far as what I eat, I figure if I'm going to eat something with lots of calories, I eat a really good whatever it is. I bake, and I'll eat the stuff I bake, but I will not eat crap from say Cosco or BJ's if someone buys cookies from a place like that. And if I am going to eat chocolate, it's going to be good stuff, not some awful barely chocolate.
So I do eat all of that, but I track it. I do CICO and so if I want to eat a damned cookie I do. And track it.
My friends who wanted to lose weight and made grand plans to never eat pasta/bread/chocolate/wine/sugar again, are usually able to do it for a few weeks, and then fall hard. And then tell everyone that it's impossible to lose weight.
And obviously some people can cut all of that out and be fine. But i was morbidly obese, and I acknowledge that I will always have that lurking in me, along with food addictions. So I don't harp on not eating X or Y, but I do eat those things, but don't binge. I suspect that if at my heaviest, I was only say 20 or 30 pounds more than I should be, maybe I could ban some things, but I think the way my brain is wired, I'd just make things worse for me, if that makes sense.
As far as what I eat, I figure if I'm going to eat something with lots of calories, I eat a really good whatever it is. I bake, and I'll eat the stuff I bake, but I will not eat crap from say Cosco or BJ's if someone buys cookies from a place like that. And if I am going to eat chocolate, it's going to be good stuff, not some awful barely chocolate.
origamimaster81
New member
@jesse1354 Gymnema Sylvestre really helped me kick the singer habit. I drink it as a tea and helps reduce cravings and even regulates blood sugar. When taken more potently in the form of a spray directly in the mouth it blocks your sugar receptors and you for real cannot taste anything sweet, the effect lasts somewhere between a half hour and two hours. Truly amazing stuff.
@jesse1354 I cut down on sugar. I didn’t totally restricted it but I stopped having it when unnecessary. Stopped having Starbucks frapps and just had unflavored lattes without sugar. Or swapped cookies for yogurt. It made a huge difference!! When I went out with friends or had a special occasion, I didn’t restrict. I had pretty significant results this way. So I’d say to just lower your consumption but don’t totally restrict yourself.
@jesse1354 Ever new year I cut out sugar until my birthday mid-Feb. It's a great "reset" Then, after I've knicked the "addiction", I allow myself sweets if they are "worth it." What's worth it? Carrot cake from the Upper Crust Bakery. A homemade chocolate chip cookie from my best gal-pal, Becky, a warm, fresh gingerbread maranito from my favorite Mexican bakery. What's not worth it? Oreos, toast and jam with breakfast, pancakes, cereal, store bought cupcakes, candy bars, etc.
@jesse1354 I have a long history with Whole30 and sugar-free diets. I was the biggest promoter at first. It was hard and made me realize how prevalent sugar is. The sugar-hangover during the first few days was a major eye opener. By the end of the 30 days, I felt great and had no cravings whatsoever.
Sounds great, right? I wanted it to last so I kept repeating the Whole30 and avoiding EVERYTHING with sugar. I would go out with friends and not eat because I didn't know the ingredients. I didn't participate in work lunches. I didn't go on dates that weren't about black coffee.
I only recently realized how restrictive it had become and started working toward a more intuitive eating pattern since I realized it was NOT sustainable. The shift to being able to eat whatever I want is absolutely mindblowing. I feel like a kid discovering food for the first time. Craving a quesadilla? I can actually have one instead of white knuckling against my cravings! Crazy!
I can honestly say I am SO much happier.
Sounds great, right? I wanted it to last so I kept repeating the Whole30 and avoiding EVERYTHING with sugar. I would go out with friends and not eat because I didn't know the ingredients. I didn't participate in work lunches. I didn't go on dates that weren't about black coffee.
I only recently realized how restrictive it had become and started working toward a more intuitive eating pattern since I realized it was NOT sustainable. The shift to being able to eat whatever I want is absolutely mindblowing. I feel like a kid discovering food for the first time. Craving a quesadilla? I can actually have one instead of white knuckling against my cravings! Crazy!
I can honestly say I am SO much happier.
@jesse1354 Refined sugar triggers the same parts of your brain as drugs and can be quite addictive. If you eat unrefined sweet things (fruit, really) the fiber helps your body deal with the sugar in a better way that does not trigger the parts of your brain that trigger cravings.
The problem is (like with any drug) that your brain is overloaded by the refined sugar, so the receptors kind of shut off, they don't work as well. So you need more and more to get the same feeling. Your brain tells you to eat more of that.
Back off of refined sugars, switch over to fruit for a week and see if you don't feel better and have fewer cravings. FWIW artificial sweeteners also trigger cravings for me. When I switched to seltzer I was amazed that my cravings disappeared.
For me it helps to understand the physiology of it. I can enjoy a dessert when out at a nice dinner, or, for example I had a mocha latte last night which is really out of the norm for me. It was delicious but I know that I need to keep that a rare treat (maybe once a week, if that). It's not about what I am allowing myself or not, it's about working with my body to achieve my goals.
The problem is (like with any drug) that your brain is overloaded by the refined sugar, so the receptors kind of shut off, they don't work as well. So you need more and more to get the same feeling. Your brain tells you to eat more of that.
Back off of refined sugars, switch over to fruit for a week and see if you don't feel better and have fewer cravings. FWIW artificial sweeteners also trigger cravings for me. When I switched to seltzer I was amazed that my cravings disappeared.
For me it helps to understand the physiology of it. I can enjoy a dessert when out at a nice dinner, or, for example I had a mocha latte last night which is really out of the norm for me. It was delicious but I know that I need to keep that a rare treat (maybe once a week, if that). It's not about what I am allowing myself or not, it's about working with my body to achieve my goals.
@jesse1354 I quit sugar (and almost all carbs, yeah I went keto) 13 months ago. The first 2 weeks is the hardest. You can try artificial sweetners but if you don't eat anything sweet your tastebuds adapt faster and you can really taste the natural sweetners of things again.
I now have artificial sweetners or stevia when i want a sweet treat. But things like carrot and corn taste sweet to me these days.
For me it's been really healthy. I've hone ftom obese to just on the border of overweight and healthy (and still losing). Pretty sustainable and o feel amazing. I made low carb black forrest cake which is pretty much proof i can make a low catb version if whatever food I want I eat way more veggies than i usedd to as well. Sometimes I miss particular fruits but not enough to give up this way of eating.
Previously (before injury and having a kid made me fat) i simply quit added sugar but still ate fruits and other potato and stuff. Once you realise that oretty much all processed or pre-prepared food is loaded with added sugar and leatn joe to make things (eg pasta sauce) from scratch it's no big deal. Agsi the first 2 weeks are the hardest ss you go through sugar withdrawal but you can replace sugar with complex carbs (eg whole grains) and eat fruit for sweetness. It's sustainable for as long as you can find tge time to read lables and cook your own food.
I now have artificial sweetners or stevia when i want a sweet treat. But things like carrot and corn taste sweet to me these days.
For me it's been really healthy. I've hone ftom obese to just on the border of overweight and healthy (and still losing). Pretty sustainable and o feel amazing. I made low carb black forrest cake which is pretty much proof i can make a low catb version if whatever food I want I eat way more veggies than i usedd to as well. Sometimes I miss particular fruits but not enough to give up this way of eating.
Previously (before injury and having a kid made me fat) i simply quit added sugar but still ate fruits and other potato and stuff. Once you realise that oretty much all processed or pre-prepared food is loaded with added sugar and leatn joe to make things (eg pasta sauce) from scratch it's no big deal. Agsi the first 2 weeks are the hardest ss you go through sugar withdrawal but you can replace sugar with complex carbs (eg whole grains) and eat fruit for sweetness. It's sustainable for as long as you can find tge time to read lables and cook your own food.
@jesse1354 I wouldn't go cold turkey. Sugar is massively addictive, which is why it's so hard to give up and why those evening cravings are so powerful. Instead, try weaning yourself off sweets by having smaller portions every day.
As someone who has been through sugar rehab several times (and relapsed lol) it does get easier once you've managed to stay off sugar binges for a week or so. The cravings do go away. You just gotta ease that sweet sweet poison outta your veins.
Personally I wean myself off sugar using Kendall Mint Cake. It's extremely sweet - so much so that you can only really eat small portions at a time. Also, it's delicious.
As someone who has been through sugar rehab several times (and relapsed lol) it does get easier once you've managed to stay off sugar binges for a week or so. The cravings do go away. You just gotta ease that sweet sweet poison outta your veins.
Personally I wean myself off sugar using Kendall Mint Cake. It's extremely sweet - so much so that you can only really eat small portions at a time. Also, it's delicious.
@jesse1354 I don't eat any processed sugar at all (only raw honey or quality maple syrup at home along with fruit) and, after a while of doing it, I don't find it restrictive. I read my labels and keep junk out of my house. Also, I have health issues that required that I massively cut down on sugar so it wasn't a reach for PR that I stopped. Some folks can't ingest dopamine-enhancing substances without wanting them all of the time, every minute of the day, and one of those people is me.
@jesse1354 I had to quit sugar cold turkey. It was miserable, honestly, but once I got through the first week it became a lot more manageable. I just had to buckle down. I ate a LOT of cheese and eggs that first week (I'm doing keto), to keep myself full, and drank a ton of water and otherwise just white-knuckled it.
I've been off it for a month. It's so nice to not continually feel like I'm just looking for my next fix and have no control over how much I eat.
I found an alternative sweetener I don't hate (monkfruit extract) that I mix with PB (the kind without added sugar/corn syrup) and cocoa powder for a "treat" (one a day!) and it doesn't trigger my rabid sugar cravings.
I am one of those people for whom "moderation" is NOT an option when it comes to sugar. I have a dream that some day I'll be able to "just have one" but I honestly skeptical that it will ever come to pass.
I've been off it for a month. It's so nice to not continually feel like I'm just looking for my next fix and have no control over how much I eat.
I found an alternative sweetener I don't hate (monkfruit extract) that I mix with PB (the kind without added sugar/corn syrup) and cocoa powder for a "treat" (one a day!) and it doesn't trigger my rabid sugar cravings.
I am one of those people for whom "moderation" is NOT an option when it comes to sugar. I have a dream that some day I'll be able to "just have one" but I honestly skeptical that it will ever come to pass.
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