If you gave up sugar…

[Hyacinth]

(or cut waaaaayyyy back), please tell me your story. 

What was your motivation?

Did you go cold turkey or slowly give it up?

Can you share some hacks/tips?

Anything else that might help a sugar addict break free? 
 

[Laura Corin]

Cut way back. Motivation?  Making space in my diet for all the positively healthy things I wanted to eat without then putting on weight. I cut way back on alcohol too - I'd rather eat than drink.

It's fairly easy to stick to, some years later, because sugary things mostly don't taste good any more I eat stevia-flavoured dark chocolate most days, but that's about it for dessert-style things.

Eta - I just stopped buying that stuff. And I tended to get things for the family that don't appeal.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Laura Corin

[happi duck]

Listening in...

[KatieJ]

I am mostly sugar free. A1c headed upwards was my challenge. 

At first I just didn’t eat sweet things, (cold turkey) which changed my taste. Later I started using alternative sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, monk fruit and xylitol.

The goal being  to not spike my blood sugar, so I rarely use honey either.
 I am not great at short and sweet answers, but I highly recommend the Trim Healthy Mama plan to explain this way of eating. There really are two goals to their plan, fuel separation (fats and carbs in separate meals) and low glycemic foods. 

They have many cookbooks and recipes are very good once you adapt to the different sweeteners. You will find you prefer some sweeteners over others. I find I prefer the THM sweeteners to similiar sweeteners available in stores. 

[Ethel Mertz]

Cold turkey. Because of type 2 diabetes. Also, struggling to get yeast infections under control. Sugar was addictive for me. Now sugar doesn’t taste as good as it once did. Also, substituted raw veggies for sugar when I got the munchies.

[Laura Corin]

2 minutes ago, Ethel Mertz said:

Cold turkey. Because of type 2 diabetes. Also, struggling to get yeast infections under control. Sugar was addictive for me. Now sugar doesn’t taste as good as it once did. Also, substituted raw veggies for sugar when I got the munchies.

Yes. I find texture is key. I used to eat biscuits - UK crunchy cookies - so I moved to apples, carrots and savoury crackers. 

Spotting rituals helped me too - at a time when I  used to eat sweet things, could I eat something different or do something different?

[Selkie]

I did it cold turkey as part of a major life and health overhaul several years ago. My motivation was wanting to avoid the obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia that plague my relatives.

Best decision ever. Getting rid of sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other junk (I went whole food plant based at the same time) has totally transformed my relationship with food. My taste buds changed and I stopped craving addictive foods that are void of nutrients - those foods are totally unappealing now.

[Indigo Blue]

I guess my motivation is knowing how bad it is for you. I still use very small amounts of maple syrup, though. I have gotten used to drinking things unsweetened. 

I wanted to have just one tiny chocolate square a day, but…..

I also have a crazy chocolate/caffeine sensitivity. I can have ONE tiny amount once. If I have tiny amounts for several days, I get a terrible headache, and my face looks sunken in and I feel really bad for several days. So making myself stop having those little chocolate squares here and there was so hard. To make myself stop eating it, I had to literally imagine the pain of the headache. Gluten was easy, chocolate is hard.

[happi duck]

26 minutes ago, Selkie said:

I did it cold turkey as part of a major life and health overhaul several years ago. My motivation was wanting to avoid the obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia that plague my relatives.

Best decision ever. Getting rid of sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other junk (I went whole food plant based at the same time) has totally transformed my relationship with food. My taste buds changed and I stopped craving addictive foods that are void of nutrients - those foods are totally unappealing now.

This is my hope (wfpb no sweeteners).  I'm thinking to use Lent as my starting point.  I'm feeling apprehensive that I'll not be able to do it and then feel worse about myself.

[Selkie]

2 minutes ago, happi duck said:

This is my hope (wfpb no sweeteners).  I'm thinking to use Lent as my starting point.  I'm feeling apprehensive that I'll not be able to do it and then feel worse about myself.

Good luck! I felt so much better when I started eating this way that keeping it up was pretty easy. I also did a lot of reading about the harmful effects of sugar and the other foods I had given up, and that was a huge incentive. I just made up my mind to refuse to treat my body poorly anymore.

There are several wfpb groups on Facebook that are excellent resources for beginners- lots of supportive people to cheer you on and share recipes and food prep ideas and things like that. That might be something you would be interested in checking out.

[Soror]

17 minutes ago, happi duck said:

This is my hope (wfpb no sweeteners).  I'm thinking to use Lent as my starting point.  I'm feeling apprehensive that I'll not be able to do it and then feel worse about myself.

Don't let the fear of failure stop you from going forward and any positive change is good, even if you don't always meet your goals. Selkie is a great resource on WFPB-- best wishes!

[Lawyer&Mom]

I had to give up so many different foods with LongCovid, so sugar was almost an afterthought.  Your tastebuds do change.  Apples and grapes are like candy now.  The only sugar foods currently in the house are things that I can’t eat for other reasons, so self control isn’t much of an issue.  Last week at my mom’s house I had sugar for the first time in over a year (candied ginger) and despite never having sugar cravings I totally binged.  Won’t be bringing that home!  

[Arcadia]

My dad cut way back because of high blood pressure. He was able to go on a lower dose after cutting back. My parents don’t cook so its hard to eliminate sugar in takeout meals.

My brother’s wife also started cutting back because of high blood pressure. She was confirmed as having diabetes months ago so she is even more cautious with diet now. She also had her blood pressure medication dosage lowered after cutting back on sugar. She cooks.

My husband and I cut out sugar in our coffee a few years ago when I had my cancer treatment. We still drink honey for winter cold. I am used to drinking coffee black from childhood and college days so it wasn’t hard to go back to coffee black. We have all along avoid artificial sweeteners.

[Frances]

Cold turkey for me. It was rough for about 10-14 days and then I lost all cravings. My motivation was better health (not so great family health history on either side) and a bit of weight loss. I also eliminated processed carbs at the same time. The only downside for me, and I don’t know if it’s related to the sugar and/or carbs, is when I eat really clean and healthy I end up with bad insomnia.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Frances

[Soror]

1 minute ago, Frances said:

Cold turkey for me. It was rough for about 10-14 days and then I lost all cravings. My motivation was better health (not so great family health history on either side) and a bit of weight loss. I also eliminated processed carbs at the same time. The only downside for me, and I don’t know if it’s related to the sugar and/or carbs, is when I eat really clean and healthy I end up with bad insomnia.

Yes, if I go too low carb (or just don't eat enough in general) I end up with insomnia. I have to make sure I eat plenty of "good" carbs or don't sleep well.

[Ali in OR]

I cut out sweets every Lent. Full disclosure: I still have my morning mocha in which I have 1 Tbs Hershey's sugar-free chocolate syrup but also 1 Tbs Torani dark chocolate syrup. But I drop all other sugar. It takes a couple of weeks to adjust, but by the end of Lent, I have lost any craving for sweets. I try to get excited about Easter dessert, but then find I only want a small amount and what am I supposed to do with the rest of that cake? Lent starts March 2--perfect time to jump in.

I have genetically high cholesterol and my triglycerides can run high too. My nurse practitioner informed me a few years ago that sugar drives the triglycerides up (I had been thinking it was just fat). More motivation.

[Soror]

I've been various levels of low and no sugar for maybe 20 yrs. I've gone through periods of no sweetener, even natural. Just using natural sweeteners- maple syrup and honey. Just using honey (homegrown and minimally processed) and fruit. Currently I'm just low sugar. I eat dark chocolate, usually every day. Some condiments have sugar/sweeteners in them although I don't use them often. I have "regular" treats with the family on special occasions. I use honey in my hot tea but only a cup a day if I have any. I might have kombucha a couple times a month. I don't drink sodas or cold teas. I rarely drink any alcohol (like @Laura Corin I'd rather eat food!). 

[GailV]

Stopped using corn syrup decades ago because it made my joints hurt.

DH stopped using any sugar other than honey years ago in pursuit of low inflammatory diet for Lyme.

Neither of us have used alcohol for years.

HERE'S WHERE I START COMPETING FOR WEIRDEST REASON TO STOP SUGAR:

Last fall I was reading Tom Campbell's Big Theory of Everything and he commented that he totally gave up all sugars including honey because sugar interferes with his (and anyone's) ability to enter ... an altered state of consciousness is probably the best way to put it. Which seems a little inconsistent given that his premise is that we're living in a virtual reality and our physical bodies are simply avatars, so, like, why couldn't we decide "screw it, I'm saying sugar is okay and has no effect in this reality," but, anyway, I decided, what the heck, let's give it a whirl. The kids are out of the house, who cares what I eat?

I drastically cut back, as in "I'm not throwing away this bottle of ketchup just because it lists sugar" but all the cookies, brownies, ginger ale (I really really like ginger ale), salad dressings, etc, stopped. 

I started drinking Teeccino teas sweetened with a touch of stevia, and started eating dates with cacao nibs as my treat food.

And, now that I'm thinking about it because of this thread, I can drop into a theta state so easily these days. It's like flipping a switch. 

The handful of times I have decided to eat a single cookie or brownie have resulted in: Feeling like running around the house screaming like a manic toddler on a Halloween sugar rush(I didn't, but, man, I really felt it); feeling like I was quasi-drunk on several glasses of wine; and, most recently, feeling like I had a raging UTI for several hours. That last one was the most convincing insofar as my body saying DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN.

 

[AnneGG]

I started out super slow. I had a lot of smoothies sweetened with honey. I switched my coffee creamer to vanilla almond milk. I switched to dark chocolate. I ate a lot of honey crisp apples. Once a week I would treat myself to a Chobani Flip peanut butter cup yogurt and a chocolate chip granola bar. 
 

Honestly, it is still hard for me to walk away from sugar. I am better about it because of My Fitness Pal. MFP also makes me feel like I am obsessing about everything I eat so I go back and forth with it. I hate feeling like I can’t do anything else but think about my food. 

[AnneGG]

49 minutes ago, GailV said:

 

I drastically cut back, as in "I'm not throwing away this bottle of ketchup just because it lists sugar" but all the cookies, brownies, ginger ale (I really really like ginger ale), salad dressings, etc, stopped. 

 

 

 

If you like peach, Target carries a ginger peach sparkling water that helps me when I am craving Ginger Ale. It is my favorite soda too. 

[HomeAgain]

I cut way back.

I started eating only sugar with fat, so lollies, jam, etc. were out because they wasn't satisfying. 

Next I removed anything from my cabinet that wasn't "honest" food: crackers with HFCS, sunflower seeds with corn syrup, pasta sauce, anything that pretended to be healthy and wasn't.  The Pop-Tarts could stay, because they were at least honest in being terrible for me.  I could make a conscious decision to eat them or not.

Then it was that I would be sated with fat without the sugar: cheese, avocado, peanut butter, nuts. I could balance myself more.

And it got easier.  Now my sugar content is mostly dark chocolate (a Justin's peanut butter cup is about a twice a month dessert) and I plan out when I eat sweets.  I tend to eat dried fruit in my oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, or yogurt with spices and a little bit of honey and nuts. I spend more on my coffee to make it good and robust and dh and I aim to have a wine night once a week with cheese and a variety of sugar/corn syrup free crackers. I drink a wide variety of teas that don't need flavor.

It's paid off, I think.  I tend not to eat dessert much and am conscious about it/how much when I do.  I still like sugar - but I am more in control of when I eat it.  Dh likes to make desserts and I do like to make candy - just not eat it, lol.  I find more happiness in fatty foods, which is probably not a great trade off, but I try to go for healthy fats and oils. 😄 One day the great They will decide those are bad and I will be so old I will give up caring about what I eat entirely.

[Spryte]

I went cold turkey in 2016, when I went LCHF, at a doc’s suggestion. So it was part of an overall change. Recognizing when/why I had certain food habits and finding substitutes was key. I find that if I’m exercising it helps as well.

Over the years, I’ve tried to add some back, try a treat now and then, go on and off. I just can’t. It sets me back for weeks. I can’t do “cheat days” or be satisfied with tiny portions here and there, staying away completely is best for me. 

[mommyto4]

My motivation was hearing that I have high triglyceride levels after a blood test in October.  This was a complete shock to me and helped me to cut out sugar and most fats (and lose 30 pounds and reduce my BMI from 25 to 21!).  I do not want to be on medications at 46 years old.  I get retested in two months and am hoping that these changes have paid off.

I do still miss my home-baked goodies and pies, and chocolate.  I do allow myself to have a little sugar once in a while.  Sometimes it is a square of dark chocolate, although lately, it is a thin cookie with my morning tea.  I do miss chewy things so I have added whole wheat and rice crackers sometimes to control that craving.  I also eat walnuts for snacks.

I find that I think that if I just have a little sweet thing that I will not crave sugar -- the opposite often happens and I just want a bit more.  I have been doing this for four months, very successfully, but I do fear that I won't be able to continue these habits long-term.

However, I love how much energy I have and how much better I look.  I am working with a physiotherapist to strengthen my back so I can get back to exercise too.  I am getting closer to being able to work out like I used to.

Go for it!  If you have a bad day, try again the next day.  Every day that you make good choices about your food is a wonderful step in the right direction!

Edited February 21, 2022 by mommyto4

[amyx4]

Do you mean foods that are obviously sugar, like candy, cake, cookies? The first step was never to eat those items on an empty stomach. They had to be eaten directly after a balanced meal. So, no eating those items in late afternoon or just before bedtime.

It seems easiest to start with breakfast. That's a meal where the sugar is obvious. I wasn't eating cookies, cake etc. directly after breakfast. That felt like the first meal that I could successfully eliminate sugar.

Small steps. You can do it!

[AngelaR]

This is so weird, but I have lupus, so I blame it:  I get terrible sores on my tongue from eating sugar. When I finally figured out the culprit, it wasn’t hard to quit. I didn’t want my mouth to hurt so much!  I went to stevia/erythritol and that was lovely for a while. I found a “high” protein ice cream that I used to eat every night with peanut butter on top. It was my nightly treat after the kids went down.  Well, I loved it so much and adhered so faithfully to my nightly cocktail that after 3 years, my body developed a sensitivity to stevia and I pyucked all that ice cream and peanut butter back up. I’ve now had to go to agave.  I don’t love it, but I simply can’t do sugar or stevia.  ☹️ And yes, after you get used to not having sugar, eating something super sugary is just. so.gross.

Edited February 21, 2022 by AngelaR
Spelling. I still don’t know if my word for throw up is spelled correctly!

[ScoutTN]

I went low carb 21 years ago because my metabolism was slowing down and I was putting on weight. I dropped sugar cold turkey and eliminated nutritionally low carbs very quickly. (though I was never big on poor quality food and have always cooked from scratch, eaten lots of veggies etc.) .

Really not that hard for me. I am happy with all the other foods. If I have enough good fats, I am not hungry.

I dropped sugar entirely two years ago because of type 2 diabetes. I eat very low carb most of the time because I do not take insulin and do not want to take more of my other meds. 

The challenge issue for me is time and budget. I need to cook for my family and stay within a budget. Carbs are easy and cheap. I do not always have time, energy, or money to make two different dinners. We eat fairly clean, buying most of our meat, milk, and eggs, plus loads of veggies from local farmers. We eat less meat because we choose higher quality, but I cannot make up the difference with starches, as my family can. 
 

I do have some Lily’s stevia sweetened chocolate at times and do use a monkfruit blend in lieu of sugar in main dish recipes  that need the sweetness, like many Asian dishes. I agree with others that tastebuds adjust and I can sub other things when carb craving hit. Good cheese, fermented dill pickles or kraut, and exercise are my best go-tos.

[Hyacinth]

Thanks, everyone. Y’all are inspiring!

I went all day today without added sugar and I’m making a plan for tomorrow. This is a change that needs to happen and I appreciate your encouragement. 

[Harriet Vane]

I've had two journeys with it.

Many years ago, I had a massive candida infection that was throughout my body. I had to take multiple rounds of Diflucan. In desperation I went on a no-sugar, low-carb diet. Dropped 40 pounds without even trying. Kept with it for a year to make sure that infection was well and truly DONE. I wish I'd kept with it forever.

When I gave it up for that health crisis, I did cold turkey. The combination of that and the infection and Diflucan meant that the first several weeks were a nightmare. Exhausted and achy and barely able to cope. Stuck with it because I was so sick I was desperate to end the misery of being so sick. Once the infection subsided and I was no longer on meds, I felt much better. Then once my taste buds adjusted it was not just easy, it was nirvana. Food has literally never tasted so good before or since--everything tasted brighter and deeper and far more flavorful with no sugar. I remember eating beef stew with peas and carrots, and those peas and carrots were tiny sweet explosions of flavor in my mouth. I was practically in tears, it was so yummy. I could hardly believe how decadent sweet potatoes tasted when I added back in potatoes to my overall diet.

Now, many years later I am trying to be low sugar, but I wonder if no sugar is the way to go. Right now my two Achilles' heels are sugar in certain favorite flavors of black tea, and dark chocolate. I compensate by trying to concentrate on super-dark chocolate (like 90%). I have oatmeal once or twice a week with a little maple syrup (which is low fructose, so healthier). Over the holidays I baked up some gluten free breakfast rolls (some cinnamon, some bostock) and I felt those undermined me for too long in January and early February. I wonder if the little bit of sugar I allow myself now keeps me from the flavor explosion and health I enjoyed all those years ago? Yet I also feel mostly okay about eating simply low sugar--it's still much, much healthier than how I ate when I was much younger.

Hope that helps.

[73349]

I'm planning to reduce my sugar intake for a 10-day challenge March 1-10, and see what sticks. I'm going to try to do without coffee, and failing that, only drink half as much, because that's a significant part of my sugar intake. I hate stevia and don't plan to use any other alternative sweeteners. I hope to emphasize other flavors besides sweetness--sour, salty, etc.--and when I do want sweetness, to eat a piece of fruit. I've already set up the challenge on FB and will copy it into Habitica next weekend. If we do a thread on it here, I would probably join that as well.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

[Shoeless]

9 hours ago, GailV said:

Stopped using corn syrup decades ago because it made my joints hurt.

DH stopped using any sugar other than honey years ago in pursuit of low inflammatory diet for Lyme.

Neither of us have used alcohol for years.

HERE'S WHERE I START COMPETING FOR WEIRDEST REASON TO STOP SUGAR:

Last fall I was reading Tom Campbell's Big Theory of Everything and he commented that he totally gave up all sugars including honey because sugar interferes with his (and anyone's) ability to enter ... an altered state of consciousness is probably the best way to put it. Which seems a little inconsistent given that his premise is that we're living in a virtual reality and our physical bodies are simply avatars, so, like, why couldn't we decide "screw it, I'm saying sugar is okay and has no effect in this reality," but, anyway, I decided, what the heck, let's give it a whirl. The kids are out of the house, who cares what I eat?

I drastically cut back, as in "I'm not throwing away this bottle of ketchup just because it lists sugar" but all the cookies, brownies, ginger ale (I really really like ginger ale), salad dressings, etc, stopped. 

I started drinking Teeccino teas sweetened with a touch of stevia, and started eating dates with cacao nibs as my treat food.

And, now that I'm thinking about it because of this thread, I can drop into a theta state so easily these days. It's like flipping a switch. 

The handful of times I have decided to eat a single cookie or brownie have resulted in: Feeling like running around the house screaming like a manic toddler on a Halloween sugar rush(I didn't, but, man, I really felt it); feeling like I was quasi-drunk on several glasses of wine; and, most recently, feeling like I had a raging UTI for several hours. That last one was the most convincing insofar as my body saying DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN.

 

Huh, interesting. I've been feeling super cranky lately and also allowed a little more sugar to slip into my diet. I'll have to dial it back and see if I notice a difference. 

Also, what's a theta state? 

[Shoeless]

1 minute ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

My definition is cutting out added sugars. So, I don't fret about naturally occurring sugars in fruits, dairy, etc. The fiber and fats in those foods blunt the impact of the sugar on the blood stream and microbiome. 

I try to eat as little processed foods as possible because there's building evidence that processed foods contribute to obesity and myriad diseases. So, a little raw honey is fine, (imo), because it hasn't been mucked with. It goes from bee to bottle, more or less.  Cane sugar goes through a multi step process to make it into sugar.  It's not a natural product at all.  How sugar is processed

[Shoeless]

13 hours ago, Hyacinth said:

(or cut waaaaayyyy back), please tell me your story. 

What was your motivation?

Did you go cold turkey or slowly give it up?

Can you share some hacks/tips?

Anything else that might help a sugar addict break free? 
 

I didn't specifically intend to cut out sugar, but when I cut out processed foods, the sugar went with them. 

The motivation was weight loss, health, and concern for the environment. It has been a gradual process, not cold turkey. I have found that it's not enough to quit a bad habit; you have to replace the habit with a better choice that feels satisfying. Sometimes it takes time to feel ok with the new choice. I never thought I'd give up my flavored coffee creamer, but I managed and now I no longer miss it. 

My advice is pick one thing you think you can successfully give up and replace with a better option. Once you've conquered that one, pick something else.  Keep building on your successes. 

[Selkie]

10 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

For me, it means I don't use anything like cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, or agave - no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. I use dates if I'm making a recipe that calls for a bit of sweetness.

To answer your question about honey - honey elevates blood glucose in a similar fashion as cane sugar. Same with maple syrup.

I eat a high carb low fat whole food plant based diet. I eat a lot of whole fruit every day. The sugar in whole fruit isn't harmful because the fiber in fruit slows down the absorption of the sugar. Fiber minimizes the glycemic effect by regulating the entry of glucose into the bloodstream and fructose to the liver.

[Harriet Vane]

31 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

There are all kinds of different levels and reasons.

When I was sick the first time (see my earlier post), it was essential that I cut back on all sugars to stop feeding the infection I was fighting. I had to give up all fruit and all carbs in addition to sugars and dairy. No bacon or sausage. No vinegar. Etc. I ate meat and vegetables--lots of salads, green beans, etc. When the infection was tamped down, I was allowed to add Granny Smith apples (bc low sugar). After about three months I also added back in sweet potatoes. All along we knew that the restrictions of that diet were for the specific purpose of killing the candida (it was a massive, systemic overreaction to an antibiotic I took for a different infection). 

My current low-sugar lifestyle is based on two things. One is that a different, massive, life-threatening abdominal infection killed off my metabolism. I became lactose-intolerant and gluten-intolerant as a result, and lab tests also show that I do not process fructose well. For that reason, I was advised to cut back on processed sugar and stick to low-fructose sweeteners such as maple syrup or stevia. I hate stevia, so I stick with maple syrup and only small amounts of occasional sugar. I was told that fruits are okay because of the fiber to balance, but advised to lean towards veg to stay with a generally low-fructose approach.

Many choose natural sugars because those sugars have other health benefits, unlike processed white sugar which has no health benefits. Honey is packed with awesome nutrition, for example. Unfortunately it's also high-fructose. So for many people it's a fantastic solution. For me, it's something I choose to limit. If I am baking, I am more likely to use honey than white sugar because it is definitely healthier.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

46 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

I cut out high fructose corn syrup because I don’t see any benefits to it and a lot of harm. If I have to choose between a product with hfcs and granulated sugar (like pickles for instance) then I will choose the one with sugar. 
 

I cut out all traces of cane sugar for three years as part of an elimination diet. Sugar from sugar beets, honey or maple syrup was allowed. 
 

Now I mostly avoid added sugars but I am also aware of the effects that fruit and honey etc can have on my blood sugars. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Jean in Newcastle

[Laura Corin]

2 hours ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

I cut out added refined sugar. I also rarely use honey etc. I currently eat a little stevia chocolate and drink some artificially sweetened drinks, but I'm working to reduce that, based on research into the effect on the gut microbiome. 

I eat fruit and dried fruit.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Laura Corin

[lewelma]

I gave up sugar when I went on the FODMAP diet to help my IBS. Although this is a *very* restrictive diet, it worked a charm, and completely fixed my IBS in 48 hours. Slowly, over time, I reintroduced all the foods and found that it was wheat that was making me sick. But I never regained my interest in sugar or fruit. I am now at about 5g of sugar per day in the form of Lindt 85% dark chocolate. I do not eat honey, maple syrup, fruit, artificial sweeteners, or sugar of any kind. I eat no sweets of any kind except my 85% chocolate. And truly I have lost my taste for it. Fruit seems unbearably sweet. A sip of soda is horrific. So now I'm on a gluten free, dairy free, sugar free diet, and feel great. Absolutely the best thing for my body.

Edited February 22, 2022 by lewelma

[Hyacinth]

8 hours ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

Others here have way more information and experience than I do (though I do have one full day to my credit so far 🙂) but for me “cutting out sugar” means not eating like an undisciplined child let loose in a candy store/bakery. 

I haven’t delved into the honey vs stevia vs maple syrup vs fruit nor the blood sugar/metabolism//insulin science of this yet.

I’m focused solely on not eating cookies, candy, and other sweet treats. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Hyacinth

[Slache]

What was your motivation? An undiagnosed health problem I was trying to get handled.

Did you go cold turkey or slowly give it up? Cold turkey.

Can you share some hacks/tips? Nope. It sucks. Totally worth it. I do it 4 times a year now to keep me on track. I guess have headache meds on hand.

Anything else that might help a sugar addict break free? Prayer.

I do Whole30. Highly recommend.

[Eos]

I gain a lot of water weight, far more than just the normal amount of weight, if I eat sugary stuff.  And if I eat one bite of sugary stuff, I'll eat the whole thing.  So, not having it around is the key to being able to go cold turkey for me.

[HomeAgain]

9 hours ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

For me, it means less refined sugar.  But, when I cut down sugar I tend to cut down yeast, so breads become unleavened, corn-based, or cracker options.  I don't eat a high amount of dairy to begin with, but I do up my good fats as much as possible - especially in the winter.  I don't micro manage my food to decide if something "counts" as a carbohydrate or not.  I just consciously choose less sugar cane and corn syrup.

We have unfluoridated water here. One of the things I found fascinating about Pompeii was the state of the people's teeth when they were excavated.  There were very few cavities, which is remarkable.  The diet contained no sugar cane, though, and sweets were in the form of honey, fruit, and fermented goods.  Since I cut out quite a bit of sugar cane in my diet, I've gotten  kudos from my dentist on how nice my teeth are.  Dh, who is much more fond of ice cream, cookies, and candy, gets a lecture each time.  There is something to be said for just making a simple change and then reassessing one's diet. 

[KeriJ]

We are working on the PHFF concept:every meal or snack must start with, and be centered around, whole food combinations of Protein,  Healthy Fat, and Fiber. So any sugar must be tagged onto that. Which ends up resulting in less sugar overall if you are mindful to not go crazy with amounts. So no sugar on an empty stomach whatsoever.  This plan is about keeping blood sugar balanced which works better for me than cutting out altogether. Because meals and snacks are "bulky", it reduces cravings. 

[Indigo Blue]

I just believe that if we eat food in its original form 100 percent or very close to it, there are profound benefits of doing that.  I believe in the positives gained if we give ourselves what our bodies are designed to digest, just like animals in nature. That’s not complicated, but it’s hard to do when we live in a society where unhealthy food is the norm and giant corporations make gazillions off sucking us in with tasty convenience food and effective advertising. You really have to buy into the idea of eating WFPB. And be willing to have a thick skin when people look at you funny and say you eat like a rabbit, etc. That’s a common thing to say here in the South when someone doesn’t  eat biscuits, fried chicken, and gravy. 
 

Just my two cents for the day. 

[lmrich]

 

Motivation - allergies and weight

Cold turkey 

Not sure what will work for you. Fasting for 24 hours  helps me contain cravings and not having it in the house. I drink a lot of sparkling water and teas.

I have and am trying to do it again. I did the AIP diet last summer - tough but really good for my allergies. I can't eat any gluten or dairy  or rice so most normal desserts are out anyways. I am now doing a motified version of Keto so no sugar at all. I have a lot of energy and feel really good. 

[GailV]

20 hours ago, MissLemon said:

Huh, interesting. I've been feeling super cranky lately and also allowed a little more sugar to slip into my diet. I'll have to dial it back and see if I notice a difference. 

Also, what's a theta state? 

It's meditation, hypnosis, deep relaxation.  I was using somewhat obscure lingo from another group of people, so I apologize. It's a shorthand reference to the predominant brainwaves in a meditative state.

[lewelma]

On 2/22/2022 at 5:07 PM, chocolate-chip chooky said:

This is a topic that interests me. It's quite common to hear people say they are cutting out sugar. But I don't really understand.

What exactly do you mean by sugar? Do you still eat complex carbs, fruit, dairy etc? These all have components that get broken down into simple sugars.

And why is a sweetener like honey any better than raw cane sugar? 

Educate me 🙂

For me, it means no refined sugar, sugar substitutes, honey, maple syrup, fruit, milk sugar (lactose), or white carbs, and I restrict whole grain carbs to 1 serving per day (typically corn and wild rice). This was not planned, but a side effect of feeling so great after going on the FODMAP diet, that I simply kept them out of my diet after reintroducing many foods. It also means that I don't over indulge. When I go to a party, there is literally nothing for me to eat unless I plan to put my fingers in the guacamole bowl. So I don't eat. This has allowed me to keep at a healthy weight even as I enter menopause and clearly need fewer calories. So for me the benefits are great, and the negatives are very small. I have definitely lost my appetite for these types of foods. But I'm not a purist, and eat 85% chocolate every single day and love it. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by lewelma

[lulubelle]

What I have found works for me, as a carboholic is having 1 day a week that I can cheat with sugar. I found it best to limit those cheat days, so I wasn’t desperately eating sugar all day. So, maybe 3 small things or 1 bigger thing on that day. Also, I allow a bready carb in the morning all week and then stay away from them the rest of the day. I might have a bagel in the morning, tuna with corn chips for lunch, and meat and veggies for dinner. For dinner I might have very light pasta or rice. It may help to keep a daily food diary as well. Creating new habits is hard. Good luck!

[Wheres Toto]

I'm following because I plan to eliminate added sugar and sugary treats when we get back home on Friday.   Our diet has deteriorated pretty badly the past few weeks, dh has been away and he does most of the cooking. 

I will continue honey in my tea and plan to start with just getting rid of obvious treats (baked goods, ice cream, candy) and HFCS.  I can't do any alternative sweeteners.   Artificial sweeteners and the alternative natural sweeteners except honey and maple syrup all give me headaches.  

[Miss Tick]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:21 AM, HomeAgain said:

One of the things I found fascinating about Pompeii was the state of the people's teeth when they were excavated.  There were very few cavities, which is remarkable.  The diet contained no sugar cane, though, and sweets were in the form of honey, fruit, and fermented goods. 

Interesting! I read something similar about Kennewick Man.

I feel like once my dc have moved on I will regain the ability to exert more control over my diet. I try, but there are other people with other priorities and different metabolisms. I am in the camp of "if it is in the house I will eat it." I do all the grocery shopping, which helps. I've made breakfast sugar-free but sometimes I drift from that with dried fruit or the occasional baked good.

On 2/22/2022 at 7:47 AM, Eos said:

I gain a lot of water weight, far more than just the normal amount of weight, if I eat sugary stuff.  And if I eat one bite of sugary stuff, I'll eat the whole thing.  So, not having it around is the key to being able to go cold turkey for me.

I've started to notice something similar for myself with a combination of salt and fat - or so I thought. I'll have to watch more closely.