[mam1958]

Hey everyone,

I am new to the site and would like some ideas and help on cutting out sugars.

So far have not gotten sugar. But I am addicted to sugars. I have stopped drinking but since then have craved sugars and can't stop myself. It's like a drug to me.

I talked with my doc. and she says I replace one sugar for another. She suggested I not eat sugar for 2 weeks. She told me it stopped the cravings. She was right.

I felt wonderful not eating sugar or white products. (flour spaghetti). Then Christmas I had a small piece of cake and it has been all downhill since then. I just need to be stubborn and not have it again and not have it anymore.

Has anyone else had a similar problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mary

[fatmad]

Mary, I have the same problem with sweets and carbs, if I allow myself treats. I have to really plan it. That if I have a baked good etc the next day and the rest of the week has to be carefully planned to be low carb etc. otherwise I too lose it and can't eat right. Hope this helps.

[mam1958]

Thanks for your reply.

I said something to friend today and going to have to live by it.

I stopped smoking. I never have to have a cigarette again to live.

I stopped drinking. I never have to have another drink to live.

I have always said you have to eat to live.

But I do not need to eat sugar to survive...

[Pattience]

Hi Mam, i am the same as you.

Yes the cold turkey route is the way to go. I am on my second diet of cutting out sugar. Yes last time after five or six months i let go and all the weight came back again.

The thing is for people like us we always have to be vigilant about what goes in our mouths. It might be years before we could relax about it. I think we have to create new solid eating habits before we can stop being vigilant.

so yes anyway i quit sugar last time and didn't eat a single grain of it. This time i am a tiny bit less rigid, less scared.

Taking sugar out of the diet takes away your taste for it and as you've found pretty soon you don't miss it. HOwever on my last diet, after a few months when my weight was getting really low, i did start to have some cravings. I think that was mainly because my weight was getting too low. So this time i will try not to go so low. Often times i was able to deal with it by eating other foods. HOwever in the end it wasn't cravings that made me put on weight. It was coming home and a change of routine. That is often the cause of me putting on weight after a loss.

I am also losing more slowly this time. Or at least trying to.

I still drink wine, pasta, lots of fruit, bread, rice and even cheese though last time i quit cheese too because i didn't trust myself.

IN the beginning i think its good to be firm about avoiding our danger foods. But ultimately you will have to start eating pasta and wholegrain bread again. These foods are nutritious and not bad for you. Its what goes on them that is the problem and also how much you eat of them. These foods are not refined white flour. they have protein in them and other nutrients apart from carbs.

However do what you have to do to get going.

My plan with sugar now is that i can have it when in company and if offered but otherwise not. In those situations i imagine i can avoid getting carried away. But for you, maybe you need to go a bit longer without it first. I know christmas is a difficult time. Its difficult for me too. I haven't yet solved the christmas problem but right now its far away.


I hope one day to be able to eat sweets in moderation such as once a week.

But i think even then it may be good to ban all store bought sugar foods and stick to what has been made at home, preferably by someone else and in their home not yours.

I also quit smoking successfully about 17 years ago and like you the notion of never having another cigarette again has been the reason for my success there. Alcohol is not a problem so i don't have to go cold turkey.

Fruit is how i get my sweet sensation. I recommend it for you too. Not juices but whole fruits. In fruit salad or whatever way it comes. Just no additives. The sweetness of fruit is not so sweet as sugar and it doesn't seem to cause cravings.

[mam1958]

Pattience,

Thanks for your reply.

I did eat Whole bread, brown rice, and lots of beans. Doc said to just avoid white processed foods white rice, white bread, crackers,etc.

I did not have pasta that is a big trigger food for me. But I have found a new brand here Dreamfields that do not effect you like the others. It is made with more whole grains.

I ate a lot of nuts,black beans, grapes.

Grapes really help me from not eating sugar. They satisfy the sugar crave for me.

[GlamourGirl827]

Originally Posted by Pattience

But ultimately you will have to start eating pasta and wholegrain bread again. These foods are nutritious and not bad for you. Its what goes on them that is the problem and also how much you eat of them. These foods are not refined white flour. they have protein in them and other nutrients apart from carbs.

This is absolutely not true. You do not need to eat these foods. They do not offer anything nutritionally that you cannot get from other foods, ie. meats, veggies and fruits. Plenty of people on this board and on paleo sites will tell you they are grain free.

I am a sugar / carb addict as well. I have completely cut out sugar, 100%, I don't eat anything processed, so no hidden sugar. At this point I do not eat grains either. However, this is more to accelerate my weightloss, and keep my blood sugar under control and fight off cravings. I'm not a diabetic, but I was just coming into that prediabetic range. I also rarely eat fruit.

When I have fruit or grains my appetite and cravings hit full fource, sometimes lasting days. I try to reserve these things for special occasions. Parties etc, and don't keep them in the house, so once the special occasion is over I'm back home and trying to get back on track to stop the cravings. I do not think whole grains are bad, but for me they do trigger cravings, so I have to treat them as treats. It can take me up to a week to get back to normal and not be over eating a bit, so it really causes a problem with my weightloss, its not that I gain, but I get a stall.

Sugar is another issue. Some plain oatmeal might increase my appetite, but sugar I notice (I've been on and off it many times) actually effects my mood. Too much will leave me feeling depressed, and almost hung over blah..I cant believe that something so basic actually hase such a bad effect on me, probably more because on bite and I binge on it. So I try to avoid sugar at all cost.

When I do have sugar or carbs like bread, it takes me a few days to get back to normal. To keep myself from binging, I will increase my intake at home BUT it has to be on plan food...like extra meat, veggies....and I notice that I crave peanut butter (natural) when I'm "detoxing" from sugar...so I allow myelf to have that on celery...but its definitely a lot fo calories...so basically I'm mini binging but only on safe foods and after a few days my appetite decrease back to normal. Actually yesterday we went out to lunch. and I did good with my order but I know the sauce had sugar in it..mostly because most dressing do. And by mid day I was way more hungry than usual. I have been super hungry and over eating today, and I really not supposed to have ANY fruit while detoxing but I did eat a banana about an hour ago because it looked soooo good! But something that simple will drag out my detox...I hate calling it that, detox, sound so hoytee-toydee lol but I dont know what else to call it.

This time around I am treatin this like a disease not a diet. I have an addiction and there is literature supporting the addictive properties of sugar. And so I agree that in the company of others i will occasionally have some bread or pasta, like once a month, but at home and in the 95% of my life, its a no-no.


A friend of mine has an issue with alcohol, we never talked much about it, but its been years since he's been out of control, but a few months ago he was over and I offered him wine then promptly apologized and took back my offer..he said his probably is hard liquor. He still drinks beer and wine because he said he can have one adn stop, but hard liquor he does not stop and then he wants more, and days and days of drinking...so no hard liquor...after all these years, he still doesnt drink it. So I think of it like that. Sugar and grains are my hard liquor. I cannot stop and I can end up on days and week long binges because of it. Its just not worth it anymore.

EDITED: I edited this to say I do keep bread and fruit in the house, I dont know why I said I dont...I think I was thinking ahead to sugary stuff, treats etc and mistyped! It was late for me last night, makin it hard to form a conherent thought...

[caldawg89]

I have never really been big on sugar, however pasta.. well isnt that another story! As previously mentioned, cold turkey is the best way to go, and I have also seen there is literature available to support the theory that sugar is almost as addictive as hard drugs to some people. I am on my weightloss journey with my friend and she is a sugar junkie. She loves it. She spoke to her doctor, telling him she wanted to quit sugar and he said a good supplement for sugar is a small amount of good quality honey, as its a form of natural sugar, like in fruit? But maybe ask your doctor or find a dietitian, they will have some good tips on managing cravings and possibly swapping sugar for other better, less processed foods. Goodluck!

[mam1958]

Boy I so agree with most of what you say.

Sugar is definitely and addictive food for me. I know from not having it for those 3 months. I felt so much better. Plus (and this is a big one for me) I had crackers, cookies, ice cream in the house after my 2 weeks. I did not touch any of it. I was so proud of myself.

I have a niece who comes over often so I need a few things for her. Not everything at once though.

But before I would have eaten everything I mean everything. I have eaten whole boxes of crackers and cookies in one sitting I keep going back for more until it is done. (Like a drug addict).

So it was a real big accomplishment for me.

I understand everyone is different. It must be very hard not to have bread and potato. I can have Wheat bread and sweet potato.

I say do WHATEVER works for you.

Caldawg89 I do use honey once in a while but not very often. I like stevia and it does not effect me like sweet and low or other sweeteners.

I found with other sweeteners I really got very hungry after. So I went to stevia and have no problem now.

I too am a pasta addict just love it. But have learned as Glamourgirl said only on special occasions.

I fell for your friend.

Thanks for you replys.

[Mad Donnelly]

I have no sugar, no grains, and no starchy veg.

[tabuchheister]

Wow. You all have good advice. All go the next two weeks with serious modifications and get back to y'all.

[backinflight]

I'm a huge sugar addict and am in the process of eliminating it. I was able to stay off white sugar and all grains for the better part of a year, and the best advice I can give is to gradually replace sugar/white products with healthy fats. My faves are coconut and avocado because they still have some sweetness to them. I found that the hardest part about getting off these foods is just their ubiquity and how everyone else is eating them. Fortunately, your body will adjust and eventually stop craving them, as long as you're keeping it full of filling, nutritious things.

[mam1958]

Backinflight what do you use coconut and avocado oils? And how. Any advice greatly appreciated. You are so right when you stop eating them you do not crave them and you fell so liberated.

Tabuchheister go for it you won't be sorry.

Mad Donnelly you must have incredible strength to not eat any grains and startchy veggies.

I am following what my doctor has advised me to do. Because I KNOW I am a sugar addict. As the day nears an end at work I am thinking about where I am gonna stop and what I am gonna buy.

Now that my DH has retired I eat it all myself plus I buy more he's not there to remind me 1 is enough.

Plus after having it feels like a hang over.

YUK!!!!!

Thank you everyone for your wisdom.

[Mad Donnelly]

I've just finally internalized that those things are no good for me. I have had some but I can tell you specifically when, where, and how much. I haven't eaten them out of control ... at least not yet. If I want something, I have it; but I also have the mindset that I've eaten enough cookies already to last a lifetime.

And I have had a couple days that were overly carby, but I tried to make doubly sure I drank plenty of water and then was just sure to get back on plan the next day.

[backinflight]

I use coconut in a lot of things. Coconut flakes are good for treats (you can toast them and add cinnamon too - omg, so good!) I also love coconut milk (the canned kind) in food. I like to make Thai curries/stir fries because they're so filling and satisfying because of the fat. Coconut milk is also good in smoothies. Add some to frozen fruit and it's ice-cream ish. I cook with coconut oil as well. It's a good way to add good fats to dishes.

Note that my used of good/bad fat is not consistent with unsaturated/saturated - coconut is naturally high in saturated fat, but it's not the kind you need to worry about (it's the partially hydrogenated stuff that's scary.)

As for avocado, its great for sandwiches. I like to combine it with turkey burgers or use it in a lot of mexican-inspired foods. It can also be a snack in itself.

For general tips, I found smoothies to be a good helper for me when I need a sugar fix. You have to be cautious with them, though, because fruit is still sugar. My go-tos are a spinach, banana, and coconut water breakfast smoothie, or a coconut milk and frozen blueberry dessert smoothie.

[mam1958]

Thanks for your reply. I'll have to try some of those things you suggest.

For sure I know when I eat sugar or white processed (bread, pasta) I know afterwards. I fell sluggish, bloated and miserable. Even when it is portioned out right.

I know when I do no have these things I feel sooo what better am able to move and sleep better and I lost 18 pds without even trying that hard. ( of course I am very heavy but still that is a plus for me).

I did eat a lot of nuts and grapes. But this is what I need until my sugar is under control.


I DO NOT NEED SUGAR TO SURVIvE.......