The 100 lb Club Sugar-Free Thread!!
 

Hi y'all! This thread is in support of those of us at the 100 lb Club trying to avoid sugar in all forms.

Today is Day 2 for me being sugar free. So far it's not been bad. I am hoping I won't have any bad headache withdrawls like in the past. BUT--if I do, I just take some OTC pain meds and push on! I know my body feels better when it is detoxed from sugar.

Feel free to join in!!

I'm so glad to see people getting away from sugar. I swear it's the key to weight loss or at least it has been for me. Cutting out processed foods and bread has also helped me to feel so much better. I used to get migraines twice a week and now I only rarely get one during my TOM. Good luck! It gets easier day by day.:hug:

Just popped in to send some:dust:

You get used to it! Don't give up.

I can tell now when there's sugar the second it goes in my mouth. This is particularly true with some sauces that are in different food. I will get one taste and say, this has sugar in it, and I pass it around for opinions.

This year, I shopped for valentine's treats for my students and looking at all the candy, I realized, I don't want any of it. There are treats you can still have, that aren't full of sugar or carbs!

Sugar, Diet Soda and Caffeine are the WORST! If I touch the stuff, I can't control my appetite.

Thank you Jen415 for starting this....
 

I am with you 100% of the way. Ironically, I started South Beach on January 1st and as I began reading labels and looking for lower sugar (as the plan suggests) it just evolved naturally into no sugar. I am not saying that South Beach is no sugar! However, it seemed like the more that I removed sugar and, of course, its other "pals" like white flour and processed, packaged foods, the less I needed it and actually the less I wanted it. If someone would have told me that I would be saying this six months ago, I would have told them are you sure you are talking about me???

I realized that if you make it from scratch, when you can, you do have a choice about whether to add sugar or not. And, I chose not to!

The more I do this, the more I swear I am finding products "out there" to support my choice. It is amazing!

I agree with blue, after you have been away from the taste of sugar a couple of things happen 1) you can almost immediately taste sugar in whatever you take the first bite of 2) without it, almost all of my cravings for extra food disappear---pouf, gone!!

I think, this is a great idea, and I hope we can keep this going strong.

Thanks, again, Jen415!! You rock!!:carrot:

So cool to see you folks here!

I am utterly amazed at how much hidden sugar in all forms is in processed stuff! I definitely want to avoid it as much as possible, so I am reading every label!

For those of you that are sugar free, what salad dressing do you eat? I know there's lots in some of them!

If you have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's by you, they have a ton of yummy sugar free salad dressings. Also try making your own (they usually taste better). I like making either: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt/pepper, garlic, and whatever herbs if you want or fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, olive oil

I am also sugar free! I can taste sugar in things immediately also! So weird.

I make my own dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh garlic. Sometimes I add a little balsamic too. I also use Trader Joe's Goddess dressing and Tuscan Italian dressing. Both pretty good!

Being inspired by Laurie Dawn's thread to cut sugar out of my life, I'm starting my sugar detox today. Just a short time ago, after lunch, I was desiring something sweet. My coworker announced that there were cookies in the conference room. Instead of following her, I thought about how I had cookies in my cabinet. So I reached in and took 3 out. But then I remembered Laurie Dawn’s post so I got online and read everyone else’s responses and desperation for getting rid of sugar from our eating habits. I put the cookies away in their boxes and I haven’t touched them since. I do have a little feeling right now of “feeling empty”. I don’t know why I feel like this, they’re only cookies, but I sort of have a “deprived” feeling. How do I get past this first step of feeling deprived because I didn’t eat the cookies? I’m not worried about eating them right now, but I’m worried about later on today when I’m approached with other sweets. Will I have the same willpower?

One of my coworkers has lost a lot of weight. I don’t know the exact diet she went on, but I do know she doesn’t eat sugar. She told me if I’m going to do a “detox” from sugar that I should cut fruit out of my diet too. See, we have this offsite conference next week which means “lots and lots of processed foods” so I’m worried about temptations on that day. I was thinking about bringing fruit with me in case I crave something sugary. She basically said I should not.
I’d thought about taking a “one day break” from detoxing but another friend said I might as well forget it because if I stop, I have to start over again.
So, my question is how do you deal with these life situations (sometimes unexpected) where you may be encountered with many temptations but still stay on track and still feel satisfied (not deprived). And, I’ve noticed that sometimes when I do deprive myself, I end up binging on even more food later on in the day or week. How do I break this self-destroying habit?

I think your co-worker may have suggested you not bring fruit because it might be a trigger food for her. Some people get bad cravings after eating fruit and she may be one of them. I don't think you should cut fruit out all together, but then again, I am not just doing a detox. I don't eat sugar - period. Granted, I might eventually have one item every now and then...but haven't yet. I can't just give up fruit forever...I don't think it would be healthy. You might want to try fruit with a lower glycemic index and see how you feel. When I want something sweet...I make a sugar free treat. I sometimes eat greek yogurt with agave nectar and it satisfies my cravings. It WILL get easier! :)

I can't say I'm 100% sugar free, but I've cut back on it a lot, and the only kinds I do eat I try to keep to a minimum and keep natural. I do eat fruit, and I've started adding back in some 100% whole grain products, but I don't eat anything with HFCS.

I make my own salad dressings using Splenda as a sweetener. I am going to start experimenting with agave nectar, erythritol, and stevia in an effort to become less dependent on Splenda.

Sugar-free here too!

A while back I cut out sugar, white flour, fried foods and buffets (challenged myself to do it for a month and actually made it but didn't stick with it.)

I dropped 14.5 pounds in one month just doing this and really not watching anything else.

So, dh & I decided three days ago to do it again. I already feel so much better! And hope for a good loss again. I've been stuck at this weight for a while... because of sugar!

Yay! So good to see more folks working on the sugar demon!

I had a near miss today! I had stopped at a 7-11 to go to the bathroom and was THIS CLOSE to getting a candy bar. Instead I got an Atkins Advantage Bar that only has 1 g sugar in it according to the wrapper. I know there are sugar alcohols in it, but it is better than a sugar-laden candy bar!

I am not completely sugar free, but I have started with obvious sweets. I have pretty much cut them out completely. (They used to be OK as long as I counted the calories). But not anymore. I do notice that I crave so much less without them.

AT some point I will start looking at labels, but right now it's baby steps.