Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

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Singlemoi
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Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Singlemoi »

I want to preface this post by saying that except for my apparent sugar addiction I eat very healthy.

I cook from scratch 95% of my food, nothing comes from boxes , most of it is organic/free-range/grass-fed, etc.
Majority of my food is composed of the reasonable amounts of protein (baked, sauteed) and fresh or sauteed green veggies.
I quit most dairy with the exception of asplash of H&H in coffee and I do not eat grains save for (again, occasional) sushi.
I don't drink alcohol or sodas or juices - water, lemon water, coffee and green tea.

However, I find myself unable to resist sugar (candy that is), and, frankly, this lack of will power pisses me off.
Roar!!!
Sorry, I could not put it in a nicer way. I am tremendously annoyed at myself for giving in to this addiction.
I suspect I have a bit of a hypoglycemia going, but I don't want this topic to be closed, so let's leave that out.

Moderation will not work because I noticed that eating "a little bit" sweets wakes up a super sugar monster. I notice that sweet potatoes make me sleepy, a bottle of beer will knock me out and most fruits make me want to eat more. I am limiting myself to blueberries for high ORAC content, but I can't stop at eating one cup when I do.

I don't want to be a slave to sugar, even if it comes in a "natural" package like fruit.

Have you made the sugar monster submit to your will?
What helped you get over the hump (say, the 3pm craving or that time of the month craving (if you are a woman) or just a "i've got to have it now or I'll die feeling")?
(For those who will suggest keto, I can't do it due to hashimotos.)
What worked for you and how long have you been sugar -free? Thank you.
Shamb3
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Shamb3 »

Complete a round of the whole 30 diet. If you already cook 95% of your food it shouldn't be much more work.

Things that really help with cravings are
no-snacking. Just 3 big meals.
no artificial sweetener.
very limited fruit
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Sage16
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Sage16 »

I sometimes crave sugar after a meal. If we have it in the house I tend to get into it. However, lately I have found that if I have something small, one or two gummy bears or a couple tic tacs that seems to satisfy it. Two other things I found is if I brush my teeth immediately after a meal the cravings stop and I also found taking a small handful of pistachio nuts in the shell after a meal also take away the sugar craving. Best of luck.
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Alexa9
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Alexa9 »

Go shopping after you've eaten a full meal. Make a list of good things to buy, okay things to buy occasionally, and things to never buy. Obviously you should have a cheat day, say the first of the month or Saturdays. It's definitely good to cut back on sugar but I wouldn't give it up completely but maybe you should like anything you crave to give it up completely for a month and see how you feel.
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stemikger
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by stemikger »

I agree about the moderation part. Sugar is not an issue for me, but Pizza is. I can't just eat two slices and walk away, it turns me into this eating machine. No other food does that to me.

Having said that I'm currently reading the Starch Solution by Dr. McDougal and he claims that sugar is not the evil substance that the industry wants you to believe. Having said that I am following his diet and lost 20 lbs so far and feel great and still use sugar.

Good Luck!
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Lieutenant.Columbo
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Lieutenant.Columbo »

stemikger wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:32 pmcurrently reading the Starch Solution by Dr. McDougal and he claims that sugar is not the evil substance that the industry wants you to believe. Having said that I am following his diet and lost 20 lbs so far and feel great and still use sugar.
lost weight, yes, but do you feel satiated? do you have to go hungry for that plan to work? if so, do you think it will sustainable?
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Runner01
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Runner01 »

Why limit your intake of whole fruit? Ever meet a fat person that blames it on too many bananas? I guess if eating fruit leads you to eating candy then I can see why you would want to limit your intake.
Cycle
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Cycle »

Singlemoi wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:15 pm What helped you get over the hump (say, the 3pm craving or that time of the month craving
Black coffee, like Dale Cooper (twin peaks). 5 days a week I first eat at 5pm (20hr fast). We don't have any sugar at home, so the closest I can get to cheating is eating a bunch of berries or nuts, which I obviously do from time to time.

I keep plenty of pre-made chicken thighs or other meats in the fridge so it's easy to quickly eat something stiating when I get home and dont go overboard on the nuts.

DW and I biked home together today and got ramen from a Japanese restaurant and split a large blizzard from DQ. I don't sweat occasional cheat days.

We don't eat artificial sweeteners, bad for the gut... Allegedly.

The four metrics I track in the Loop habit app are:
1: grain free
2: sugar/juice free
3: vegetable oil free

I've never had to lose weight, but if I did cutting out carbs (sugar included) is the easiest way. I do keto diets prior to ironmans, to get the muscles used to running on ketones, but have found the reduced carbs makes one lean. Eating carbs gives one carb face.
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mrsbetsy
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by mrsbetsy »

Egads...nothing like opening Pandora's box.

The only thing that eliminates food cravings for me is intermittent fasting. Fast 20 hours and eat in a 4 hour window. This will eventually get you into ketosis without doing a ketogenic diet. Eat what you like in your window and close it.

Mostly, I eat one meal a day and because it is only one meal, it will be incredibly nutrient dense.

Weight Watcher permits unlimited fruit. Frozen red grapes are a huge trigger and addiction for me. Yes, you can eat yourself fat on fruit.

I get it. I love chewy jolly ranchers and sour gummy worms.... Ha! Just don't have it in the house. Ever.

OMAD will help you get gain control.
DavidW
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by DavidW »

I used to eat a lot of sweets but have pretty much eliminated them. I am just not appealed by it...

I think going cold turkey is much more difficult (with any types of craving).

Perhaps you can find a way to step it down so that you can reduce the amount over time. So, maybe instead of having a couple of candies after lunch, maybe have one after lunch this week and have half next week....

Also, I eliminated soda altogether but I end up drinking carbonated mineral water. I like the taste of bubbles. There is no sugar but natural flavors.

I also drink a sweet and spicy tea. I don't believe there is sugar (see this link https://www.diabetesforums.com/forums/t ... ave-sugar/)

I hope this helps...
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stemikger
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by stemikger »

Lieutenant.Columbo wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:37 pm
stemikger wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:32 pmcurrently reading the Starch Solution by Dr. McDougal and he claims that sugar is not the evil substance that the industry wants you to believe. Having said that I am following his diet and lost 20 lbs so far and feel great and still use sugar.
lost weight, yes, but do you feel satiated? do you have to go hungry for that plan to work? if so, do you think it will sustainable?
No definitely not. I have been fighting this battle along with some her demons for quite some time and I was about to give up because every diet I try I'm always hungry. This is the first diet where I enjoy what I'm eating and I am never hungry because I can eat as much as I want of the starches and green veggies. Potatoes and White Rice and Beans are my favorites.

It took me a while to believe this could work because I always thought starches make you fat, but after reading his book and seeing it work on me, I now know that is not the truth. His book was definitely an eye opener for me.

It is basically a starch and plant based diet. No animal products at all and no oil but all the starches you care to eat.
Choose Simplicity ~ Stay the Course!! ~ Press on Regardless!!!
rgs92
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by rgs92 »

I eat a very big bowl of fresh berries (like blueberries + raspberries) mixed with plain yogurt and a cup of orange juice (maybe mixed with grapefruit juice) and a sliced banana every morning. I add cinnamon.

Sometimes I add fresh pineapple or fresh mango or some grapes.
It completely cures my craving for sugary treats like candy/cookies/cakes, etc.

Yep, the juice and banana has natural sugars, but I don't think a cup of orange juice and the banana and fresh fruit is unhealthy at all. I think it would be extreme to consider this bad for you. I've had no health problems and take no medications and have been doing this for decades.
My blood sugar and other readings are low too.

I basically think that I can eat all the fresh fruit I want without worrying about sugar. (Unsweetened Juice I feel is OK in very limited amounts, like a cup or 2 a day.)

tl;dr: cure your sugar cravings with lots of fresh fruit and a little juice.

More: cook cubed yellow squash or sweet potatoes in the microwave for 5-10 minutes and eat with a half cup of orange juice and cinnamon. It's a great dessert. Buy all this stuff pre-cut.
fposte
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by fposte »

I go back and forth on sugar intake depending on what my Crohn’s is up to. When it’s awakened, I have a very big sugar monster. What helps me whole fruits and dairy, which sounds like it’s not what you’re looking for; a couple days and my tastebuds start to reset and find the sweetness in them. I also think it’s helpful to be aware of textures as well as tastes—if candy is a crunchy thing for you, for instance, you might try nuts instead.
rgs92
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by rgs92 »

If you really want candy, many Kind Bars have 4 or 5 grams of sugar. You can eat a couple.
(It's kind of hard to believe they have so little sugar, but that's what the label says. No pun intended.)
gotester2000
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by gotester2000 »

Eat fresh whole fruits and nuts. Avoid sugary ones like bananas and mangoes - eat them in small quantity if need be.
mega317
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by mega317 »

Sage16 wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:28 pm I brush my teeth immediately after a meal
+1 I thought I was the only person who did this to fight a sweet tooth.
heyyou
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by heyyou »

CNN was touting a sugar detox diet in December and January.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/09/health/s ... index.html
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Quantum
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Quantum »

I have been on Keto for a year. Under 20 net carbs per day, but good veggies, fat, protein etc. I have dropped 56 lb.
First week sucked so bad due to keto flu and sugar withdrawal. 2nd week sucked 80% as bad. Third week I felt awesome. About a month in my sugar craving disappeared. It only comes back if I eat too many carbs (above 50) or something that spikes my blood sugar.

You just have to throw out all the crap with carbs in it, and commit to 20 g net carbs a day for a month, come hell or high water, and keep your sodium and potassium up as you will flush a lot of water as you burn through your glycogen stores.

Half measures will not cut it, and “low carb” is not low enough to remove the cravings and set your metabolism to burn ketones rather than sugar.
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cheesepep
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by cheesepep »

I eat fairly healthy despite 50% of my meals being eaten outside. I eat plenty of carbs (rice and noodles, but no bread usually, and if bread, it is steamed buns). I don't add any sugar to my foods (ok, I do sometimes, but I add less than the recommended amount), but some of my foods contain sugar (sauces, etc). I eat ice cream maybe once a month and I rarely eat fruit (no natural sugar here). No real reason why I don't eat fruit other than I prefer veggies, but I do enjoy my melons and grapes at times.
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cfs
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by cfs »

Good conversation! I remain mentally and physically active but I need to cut those nice coconut cookies out of my diet. Good luck y gracias por leer / cfs
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nativenewenglander
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by nativenewenglander »

Quantum wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 2:54 am I have been on Keto for a year. Under 20 net carbs per day, but good veggies, fat, protein etc. I have dropped 56 lb.
First week sucked so bad due to keto flu and sugar withdrawal. 2nd week sucked 80% as bad. Third week I felt awesome. About a month in my sugar craving disappeared. It only comes back if I eat too many carbs (above 50) or something that spikes my blood sugar.

You just have to throw out all the crap with carbs in it, and commit to 20 g net carbs a day for a month, come hell or high water, and keep your sodium and potassium up as you will flush a lot of water as you burn through your glycogen stores.

Half measures will not cut it, and “low carb” is not low enough to remove the cravings and set your metabolism to burn ketones rather than sugar.
This is basically me since Christmas. I'm down 25 lbs as of now. I did have ice cream one night at my birthday and then we traveled a few weeks ago. We had Mexican food with lots of carbs, the next two days I was a zombie, couldn't think straight, low energy. That was a huge wake up call this was the right diet for me as I haven't felt this good in years. My wife is struggling with cutting out sugar and carbs, she sees what's happened to me, but doesn't have my willpower. She can do it and so can you it's hard. Look towards your goal of being healthier and don't let anything in your way. Get all the junk out of your house that's the only way I think. Good luck we're rooting for you.
Kristen
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Kristen »

Commit to 1 month of no added sweetener (no sugar, maple syrup, honey, or any of those weird sweet chemicals) and tell people you are doing it. Get the sweet stuff out of your house. I find this to work best for me, and I do it a couple of times a year. Ramping down and just eating "less" or calling it moderation do not work for me personally. I do eat fruit in its whole form, but I also try to snack on veggies more frequently. I tried a week with no sugar at all (i.e. no fruit) and really just experienced fury (I think because I had not planned snacks to replace when I normally eat fruit so I was hangry all week). If you cut out fruit, plan to have snacks like veggies and hummus (read the label!), roasted chickpeas, nuts, etc. Agree with brushing your teeth after every meal. If I'm craving something sweet, hot tea seems to be a good distraction - decaf green or an herbal tea if at night (I like yogi detox tea). A brief walk or a spoonful of peanut butter sometimes helps too (ingredients should be peanuts and salt). Lots of label reading required. I do not stay sugar free, just try to reset occasionally. Good luck!!
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bottlecap
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by bottlecap »

Don't shop hungry and don’t buy it. It’s far easier to resist something in the store than in the cupboard.

Anyway, I am more likely to eat something like than if it’s in the house.

JT
hightower
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by hightower »

My wife has someone managed to give up added sugar. She claims it isn't that hard. She does still crave simple carbs like that found in white bread/pasta,etc. But, she doesn't touch anything with added sugar. My goal is to do the same, but I haven't been able to pull it off yet.
We eat out too often so that's our biggest problem right now.
rgs92
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by rgs92 »

I brush (and usually floss too) after meals and snacks. I'm kind of OCD about this, but it makes me feel good. It has the side affect of reducing cravings and hunger. Someone (2 posters) mentioned this earlier in this thread.
It's a real cure for bad breath too, with flossing being a major factor here, along with some mouthwash (alcohol-free).
rec7
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by rec7 »

I think the best way to quit is to reduce it slowly then quit. Start with one less piece a day. That is how I did it.
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grok87
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by grok87 »

nativenewenglander wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 5:45 am
Quantum wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 2:54 am I have been on Keto for a year. Under 20 net carbs per day, but good veggies, fat, protein etc. I have dropped 56 lb.
First week sucked so bad due to keto flu and sugar withdrawal. 2nd week sucked 80% as bad. Third week I felt awesome. About a month in my sugar craving disappeared. It only comes back if I eat too many carbs (above 50) or something that spikes my blood sugar.

You just have to throw out all the crap with carbs in it, and commit to 20 g net carbs a day for a month, come hell or high water, and keep your sodium and potassium up as you will flush a lot of water as you burn through your glycogen stores.

Half measures will not cut it, and “low carb” is not low enough to remove the cravings and set your metabolism to burn ketones rather than sugar.
This is basically me since Christmas. I'm down 25 lbs as of now. I did have ice cream one night at my birthday and then we traveled a few weeks ago. We had Mexican food with lots of carbs, the next two days I was a zombie, couldn't think straight, low energy. That was a huge wake up call this was the right diet for me as I haven't felt this good in years. My wife is struggling with cutting out sugar and carbs, she sees what's happened to me, but doesn't have my willpower. She can do it and so can you it's hard. Look towards your goal of being healthier and don't let anything in your way. Get all the junk out of your house that's the only way I think. Good luck we're rooting for you.
So i’m In a similar place now to nativenewenglander and quantum. Down about 45 lbs over The past 9 months or so. Basically carb free but I cheat wiTh whole grains, quinoa/barley about once a week. I also cheat with some fruit once in a while- mostly pineapple.

To the op, you have to find what works for you. My advice based on what worked for me

1) I dropped the fruit- fruit is sugar.

2) the first week is the hardest. It’s not just about willpower. You need to give your body time to adjust to lack of sugar. Your gut bacteria will change. You won’t crave sugar anymore.

3) when I was hungry for sugar I would eat hard boiled eggs with butter. It helped.

4) drink lots and lots of water.

5) blackstrap molasses and lemon juice.

Hope this helps

Cheers,
Grok
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Tamarind
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Tamarind »

Moderation in all things, including moderation. :twisted:
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climber2020
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by climber2020 »

Singlemoi wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:15 pm
What worked for you and how long have you been sugar -free? Thank you.
What's your end goal? Are you overweight due to the excess sugar intake?
david99
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by david99 »

stemikger wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:32 pm I agree about the moderation part. Sugar is not an issue for me, but Pizza is. I can't just eat two slices and walk away, it turns me into this eating machine. No other food does that to me.

Having said that I'm currently reading the Starch Solution by Dr. McDougal and he claims that sugar is not the evil substance that the industry wants you to believe. Having said that I am following his diet and lost 20 lbs so far and feel great and still use sugar.

Good Luck!
I also recommend the Starch Solution by Dr McDougaL. Once you start eating a whole food, plant based diet you won't crave sugar so much. Also if you cut out sugar for thirty days you will start to taste the sweetness in fruits and other foods more.
harrington
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by harrington »

I lost 75 pounds since last year by eliminating as much sugar as I could. I also eat mostly a plant based diet and no processed food. I feel absolutely amazing.
FeesR-BullNotBullish
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by FeesR-BullNotBullish »

Shamb3 wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:24 pm Complete a round of the whole 30 diet. If you already cook 95% of your food it shouldn't be much more work.
I second this. As luck would have it, today is day 29 of my second Whole 30. It's tough, but my sugar cravings finally went away a few days ago! My hope in doing this Whole 30 was to only take one cookie when there are dozens available. Prior to this Whole 30 I would graze and graze, and It was very difficult to detach myself from the sweets. I don't know how I'll handle myself when the Whole 30 is over, but I'm optimistic that I'll have better self control.

For those who aren't familiar - the Whole30 is a very strict program in which you eat whole foods and eliminate sugars, bread, beans, and dairy. You won't be hungry because the meals you do eat are filling with plenty of proteins, vegetables, and fats. It's difficult but at 30 days you can see the light at the end of the tunnel from day 1.
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fizxman
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by fizxman »

grok87 wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 7:05 am
nativenewenglander wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 5:45 am
Quantum wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 2:54 am I have been on Keto for a year. Under 20 net carbs per day, but good veggies, fat, protein etc. I have dropped 56 lb.
First week sucked so bad due to keto flu and sugar withdrawal. 2nd week sucked 80% as bad. Third week I felt awesome. About a month in my sugar craving disappeared. It only comes back if I eat too many carbs (above 50) or something that spikes my blood sugar.

You just have to throw out all the crap with carbs in it, and commit to 20 g net carbs a day for a month, come hell or high water, and keep your sodium and potassium up as you will flush a lot of water as you burn through your glycogen stores.

Half measures will not cut it, and “low carb” is not low enough to remove the cravings and set your metabolism to burn ketones rather than sugar.
This is basically me since Christmas. I'm down 25 lbs as of now. I did have ice cream one night at my birthday and then we traveled a few weeks ago. We had Mexican food with lots of carbs, the next two days I was a zombie, couldn't think straight, low energy. That was a huge wake up call this was the right diet for me as I haven't felt this good in years. My wife is struggling with cutting out sugar and carbs, she sees what's happened to me, but doesn't have my willpower. She can do it and so can you it's hard. Look towards your goal of being healthier and don't let anything in your way. Get all the junk out of your house that's the only way I think. Good luck we're rooting for you.
So i’m In a similar place now to nativenewenglander and quantum. Down about 45 lbs over The past 9 months or so. Basically carb free but I cheat wiTh whole grains, quinoa/barley about once a week. I also cheat with some fruit once in a while- mostly pineapple.

To the op, you have to find what works for you. My advice based on what worked for me

1) I dropped the fruit- fruit is sugar.

2) the first week is the hardest. It’s not just about willpower. You need to give your body time to adjust to lack of sugar. Your gut bacteria will change. You won’t crave sugar anymore.

3) when I was hungry for sugar I would eat hard boiled eggs with butter. It helped.

4) drink lots and lots of water.

5) blackstrap molasses and lemon juice.

Hope this helps

Cheers,
Grok
Was this weight loss achieved through diet alone or was exercise involved too? If you exercised, how much? In my opinion, these are impressive numbers, even with exercise!
keystone
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by keystone »

I developed a habit where I needed something sweet daily, usually ice cream or chocolate. This wasn't a noticeable problem when I was younger and running a significant amount of miles, but as I got older and my activity level declined somewhat, my weight started to creep up a bit. A few years ago I made the decision to cut out sweets and foods with refined sugar. I quit cold turkey and surprisingly it was only difficult for maybe 2-3 days. I found that once I eliminated the sweets, my body no longer craved them.

Now I still eat fruit regularly because I don't see any negative health consequences of that and I allow myself to cheat a bit on the weekends, but even then I'm not really tempted.

My co-workers are always amazed at how I'm able to pass up on the latest round of treats at the office, but they have no idea how easy this is for me now.
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topper1296
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by topper1296 »

I'm all about moderation. I've cut back on "unhealthy" foods over the years, however life it too short to completely deprive yourself all guilty pleasures. I understand having a good quality of life, however one can eat nothing buy the healthiest foods your entire life and get the perfect amount of exercise your entire life and we all still up 6 feet under in the end.
grok87
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by grok87 »

fizxman wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 7:48 am
grok87 wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 7:05 am
nativenewenglander wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 5:45 am
Quantum wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 2:54 am I have been on Keto for a year. Under 20 net carbs per day, but good veggies, fat, protein etc. I have dropped 56 lb.
First week sucked so bad due to keto flu and sugar withdrawal. 2nd week sucked 80% as bad. Third week I felt awesome. About a month in my sugar craving disappeared. It only comes back if I eat too many carbs (above 50) or something that spikes my blood sugar.

You just have to throw out all the crap with carbs in it, and commit to 20 g net carbs a day for a month, come hell or high water, and keep your sodium and potassium up as you will flush a lot of water as you burn through your glycogen stores.

Half measures will not cut it, and “low carb” is not low enough to remove the cravings and set your metabolism to burn ketones rather than sugar.
This is basically me since Christmas. I'm down 25 lbs as of now. I did have ice cream one night at my birthday and then we traveled a few weeks ago. We had Mexican food with lots of carbs, the next two days I was a zombie, couldn't think straight, low energy. That was a huge wake up call this was the right diet for me as I haven't felt this good in years. My wife is struggling with cutting out sugar and carbs, she sees what's happened to me, but doesn't have my willpower. She can do it and so can you it's hard. Look towards your goal of being healthier and don't let anything in your way. Get all the junk out of your house that's the only way I think. Good luck we're rooting for you.
So i’m In a similar place now to nativenewenglander and quantum. Down about 45 lbs over The past 9 months or so. Basically carb free but I cheat wiTh whole grains, quinoa/barley about once a week. I also cheat with some fruit once in a while- mostly pineapple.

To the op, you have to find what works for you. My advice based on what worked for me

1) I dropped the fruit- fruit is sugar.

2) the first week is the hardest. It’s not just about willpower. You need to give your body time to adjust to lack of sugar. Your gut bacteria will change. You won’t crave sugar anymore.

3) when I was hungry for sugar I would eat hard boiled eggs with butter. It helped.

4) drink lots and lots of water.

5) blackstrap molasses and lemon juice.

Hope this helps

Cheers,
Grok
Was this weight loss achieved through diet alone or was exercise involved too? If you exercised, how much? In my opinion, these are impressive numbers, even with exercise!
Thanks.
:)
Moderate exercise. 3 miles of running a day and probably another 3 miles of walking.
I realize the op is not interested in keto. If one checks out the keto subreddit www.reddit.com/r/keto there is some debate about whether exercise helps. For me it does.

But I used to exercise a similar amount but my weight never really moved. Then I changed my diet and weight started dropping.
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by VictoriaF »

Quantum wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 2:54 am I have been on Keto for a year. Under 20 net carbs per day, but good veggies, fat, protein etc. I have dropped 56 lb.
First week sucked so bad due to keto flu and sugar withdrawal. 2nd week sucked 80% as bad. Third week I felt awesome. About a month in my sugar craving disappeared. It only comes back if I eat too many carbs (above 50) or something that spikes my blood sugar.

You just have to throw out all the crap with carbs in it, and commit to 20 g net carbs a day for a month, come hell or high water, and keep your sodium and potassium up as you will flush a lot of water as you burn through your glycogen stores.

Half measures will not cut it, and “low carb” is not low enough to remove the cravings and set your metabolism to burn ketones rather than sugar.
Excellent points!

Victoria
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by VictoriaF »

Additional suggestions to the OP:
- Experiment with spices and herbs such as cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, and others. I put them into my tea, along with a bit of cayenne, and it suppresses my appetite for hours.
- Experiment with drinking water or tea with apple cider vinegar.

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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by VictoriaF »

Cycle wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:57 pm
Singlemoi wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:15 pm What helped you get over the hump (say, the 3pm craving or that time of the month craving
Black coffee, like Dale Cooper (twin peaks). 5 days a week I first eat at 5pm (20hr fast). We don't have any sugar at home, so the closest I can get to cheating is eating a bunch of berries or nuts, which I obviously do from time to time.

I keep plenty of pre-made chicken thighs or other meats in the fridge so it's easy to quickly eat something stiating when I get home and dont go overboard on the nuts.
I am learning about making a bone broth. I have already made one using a whole chicken and keep several containers of the broth in the freezer. They can be used as "emergency meals" fairly quickly.
Cycle wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 9:57 pmDW and I biked home together today and got ramen from a Japanese restaurant and split a large blizzard from DQ. I don't sweat occasional cheat days.

We don't eat artificial sweeteners, bad for the gut... Allegedly.

The four metrics I track in the Loop habit app are:
1: grain free
2: sugar/juice free
3: vegetable oil free

I've never had to lose weight, but if I did cutting out carbs (sugar included) is the easiest way. I do keto diets prior to ironmans, to get the muscles used to running on ketones, but have found the reduced carbs makes one lean. Eating carbs gives one carb face.
What is your 4th metric?

To emphasize your points that most people miss:
1) Do NOT use sugar substitutes
2) Do NOT drink juices, smoothies, and other concentrated drinks that quickly deliver sugar into your blood stream and raise your insulin levels.

After reading Dr. Jason Fung [Google him], I understood that the goal is not as much to reduce blood sugar as to reduce blood insulin. Protein-rich food does not raise sugar but raises insulin. Thus, the advantages of Low-Carb, High-Fat diets as opposed to protein diets. High-fat food is effective in suppressing appetite. Good fats include coconut oil, ghee butter, olive oil, and nuts. An effective "meal" is Bulletproof Coffee (BPC) [Google it].

Another important point:
Do NOT snack. The essence of intermittent fasting is to empty your body of food and start using the stored fat, the fat you want to get rid of. Snacking disrupts this process.

ADDED another important point:
Do NOT read cookbooks and recipes. If you need moderation, it's between the two extremes: (1) buying packaged food and snacks and (2) excessive cooking. Packaged food is obviously harmful. But by reading cookbooks you become biased towards trying various recipes. Book writers try to make their books interesting and most recipes contain unhealthy ingredients or unhealthy preparation. The simpler your food the healthier it is.

Victoria
Last edited by VictoriaF on Wed May 02, 2018 9:00 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by HomerJ »

topper1296 wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 7:52 am I'm all about moderation. I've cut back on "unhealthy" foods over the years, however life it too short to completely deprive yourself all guilty pleasures. I understand having a good quality of life, however one can eat nothing buy the healthiest foods your entire life and get the perfect amount of exercise your entire life and we all still up 6 feet under in the end.
This. I'm curious to the OP... If you eat 95% healthy, what's wrong with some sugar and some candy?
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Socal77 »

Don't buy trigger foods.
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by BogleMelon »

Sugar is hard to resist. But I started with eliminating soda, then reduce the sugar amount in my coffee and tea very slowly and over long time. Now I drink coffee with no sugar. I don't mind tons of fruit, the water in it will get you full before the sugar surges in your blood. Ice cream is a problem so i started to buy those small cups and mini sizes. You can buy mini candy as well.
It all start with the brain. My brain becomes trained to feel the dangers of every bite of junk food I eat.
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by stoptothink »

bottlecap wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 6:15 am Don't shop hungry and don’t buy it. It’s far easier to resist something in the store than in the cupboard.
I don't know why this has to be so complex, it really is this simple. There is nothing ever in my home which contains added sugar. We have plenty of fruit for my kids (wife and I both limit our own intake), but other than that, nada. We go to the store and my 3 and 6yr olds don't even glance at the candy, it doesn't really exist to them. Of course, we go to grandma's, she refuses to allow them to leave without cookies, candy, and juice, and they become blood glucose rollercoaster screaming zombies for 24+ hours.
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Ninnie »

Given how much you've cut out in other areas along with your hashimotos, the cravings could be your body's way of telling you that it needs more energy and you may have a nutritional deficiency/thyroid imbalance/autoimmune issue to address. I would not dismiss this as a simple sweet tooth.I'll pm you since this is veering into medical territory.
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by scone »

This is maybe not what you want to hear, but the only thing that has ever worked for me is the ketogenic diet. It controls my blood sugar and insulin swings very well, which means no cravings at all. I keep my protein under control, due to an issue with gluconeogenesis (google), and keep my net carbs around 20. This amounts to a diet of low carb vegetables, small amounts of protein including nuts, and "good fats" like avocado and olive oil. I don't eat a lot of fruit in one day, maybe a small handful of berries and some lemon in my tea. I don't use artificial sweeteners at all, since even these will give me insulin swings. For that matter, even coffee raises my insulin! YMMV.

It's not a particularly expensive diet, since I don't eat vast quantities of meat, starchy veggies, or any of the grain based foods. Shopping is simple, since I don't even go into many of the aisles. It does require some basic cooking skills. A typical dinner might be a broiled chicken thigh, some green beans, and a salad with home made dressing. You can get more elaborate than that, as there are a lot of keto cookbooks and cooking blogs out there.

It's not for everybody, certainly. But it does work for me, not just for weight control but other health issues.
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by BBBob »

In addition to substituting sparking water and seltzers for soda, try monkfruit as a sweetener where you actually need one. I use Pure Monk monkfruit powder (got it on Amazon); one gram is the same sweet taste as eight teaspoons of sugar. See https://julianbakery.com/product/pure-monk-monk-fruit for info.

Find prepared foods with no sugar...I use Yellow Barn spaghetti sauces and Field Day salsa for example. Snacks include celery with unsweetened peanut butter or HeidiHo ne chevre (a delicious nut-based cheese that is like a goat cheese) and dates smooshed with unsweetened cocoa into "date balls".

I got sugar cravings for the first 4-5 days but worked through it with the foregoing celery/"cheese" and tortilla/celery/"cheese"/salsa and date/cocoa combos. Lost 10 lbs in a few weeks.

YOU CAN DO IT!!
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Toons »

Self Discipline.
Just Stop.

:happy
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by investor4life »

A small square of really dark chocolate (very low in sugar) twice a day helps keep my sugar craving at bay. Weirdly, eating a few baby carrots at various times of the day helps me, too. :happy
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by Morse Code »

grok87 wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 7:05 am
nativenewenglander wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 5:45 am
Quantum wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 2:54 am I have been on Keto for a year. Under 20 net carbs per day, but good veggies, fat, protein etc. I have dropped 56 lb.
First week sucked so bad due to keto flu and sugar withdrawal. 2nd week sucked 80% as bad. Third week I felt awesome. About a month in my sugar craving disappeared. It only comes back if I eat too many carbs (above 50) or something that spikes my blood sugar.

You just have to throw out all the crap with carbs in it, and commit to 20 g net carbs a day for a month, come hell or high water, and keep your sodium and potassium up as you will flush a lot of water as you burn through your glycogen stores.

Half measures will not cut it, and “low carb” is not low enough to remove the cravings and set your metabolism to burn ketones rather than sugar.
This is basically me since Christmas. I'm down 25 lbs as of now. I did have ice cream one night at my birthday and then we traveled a few weeks ago. We had Mexican food with lots of carbs, the next two days I was a zombie, couldn't think straight, low energy. That was a huge wake up call this was the right diet for me as I haven't felt this good in years. My wife is struggling with cutting out sugar and carbs, she sees what's happened to me, but doesn't have my willpower. She can do it and so can you it's hard. Look towards your goal of being healthier and don't let anything in your way. Get all the junk out of your house that's the only way I think. Good luck we're rooting for you.
So i’m In a similar place now to nativenewenglander and quantum. Down about 45 lbs over The past 9 months or so. Basically carb free but I cheat wiTh whole grains, quinoa/barley about once a week. I also cheat with some fruit once in a while- mostly pineapple.

To the op, you have to find what works for you. My advice based on what worked for me

1) I dropped the fruit- fruit is sugar.

2) the first week is the hardest. It’s not just about willpower. You need to give your body time to adjust to lack of sugar. Your gut bacteria will change. You won’t crave sugar anymore.

3) when I was hungry for sugar I would eat hard boiled eggs with butter. It helped.

4) drink lots and lots of water.

5) blackstrap molasses and lemon juice.

Hope this helps

Cheers,
Grok
+1 Lost 25 pounds this way. Back to my high school weight. You are addicted to carbs, not just sugar. If you just eliminate sugar, but not other high carbs from your diet, you won't beat it. It's like replacing tobacco cigarettes with vaping and getting frustrated because you still crave nicotine.
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Re: Have you quit eating sugar? Tell me how!

Post by TomatoTomahto »

After reading Dr. Jason Fung [Google him], I understood that the goal is not as much to reduce blood sugar as to reduce blood insulin. Protein-rich food does not raise sugar but raises insulin. Thus, the advantages of Low-Carb, High-Fat diets as opposed to protein diets. High-fat food is effective in suppressing appetite. Good fats include coconut oil, ghee butter, olive oil, and nuts.
3 cheers for Dr. Fung. I have not watched it yet, but “The Magic Pill” on Netflix is highly recommended, and includes Dr. Fung.

My journey was to give up added sugar, sugar substitutes, and flour. Flour was the difficult one. People differ, but I find moderating intake doesn’t work for me. It’s easier to just tell myself: “I don’t eat that.” YMMV.

After a time of that new eating style, I added intermittent fasting, one meal a day. I eat mounds of healthy food in my one meal, in part to avoid a metabolism slowdown from calorie restriction.

I feel a lot happier and healthier. I have lost some weight, but that wasn’t the primary driver. I was using 90-110 units of insulin daily, and the dosage was increasing. I currently am using 5-15 units of insulin daily, and I think I’ll be completely off insulin later this year. At that point, I will probably do longer fasts.

While I haven’t lost that much weight, I have lost many inches off my belly. I celebrate Non Scale Victories (NSV), like taking a long energetic walk without being winded, fitting into pants I thought were in my past (4” smaller), feeling comfortable in my skin, discovering one morning that my skin tags are gone, etc.
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