Would quitting sugar be the same as quitting smoking? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

KrazyKatie · 07-04-2008, 06:07 AM

Quitting smoking was HARD!! But I did it! I've been smoke free for I don't know how long, now!

Well over 3 years.

Now, to quit refined sugar or cut WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY down. I'm going to be trying Fat Smash, which I understand allows fruits. So, I guess that would take care of my rabid sweet tooth, for the most part. Anyone else had difficulty cutting down or quitting refined sugar?

snapless · 07-04-2008, 06:13 AM

None at all, but sugar wasn't my huge addiction. I was a salty carb queen (french fries, garlic bread, potato chips, seeded salty crackers, etc.). For me, giving up crackers, ruffles and pasta was probably the hardest part.

Maybe someone with a sweet tooth would know better, but for me, quitting the salty carbs wasn't near as hard as trying to quit smoking (I still smoke).

KrazyKatie · 07-04-2008, 06:23 AM

Salt is no problem for me. I can take it or leave it. Even this bag of Cheetos sitting (unopened) on my desk. I just looked at them and thought "meh..." and went about my business. I have a jar of dark chocolate Hershey's Bliss on my desk, too. I can only eat one, maybe two of them before the taste of the dark chocolate gets too intense. Most of the time, I'm not interested in the dark chocolate at all.

But then, there's ice cream, cake, sodas, M&M's, PayDay.. The list goes on and on and on...

What I HAVE managed to do is decrease my dependency on caffine. I noticed it was making me VERY hungry later in the day if I tanked up on coffee before work. So hungry, it was distracting, so I would shovel food into my mouth. It was HARD.. The headaches have been terrible. I DO still take in caffine, but not nearly as much as I had been. I tried cold turkey, which only gave me headaches and made me into a raving mad

...

I guess I have to ease myself in to a diet...

Ruthxxx · 07-04-2008, 06:35 AM

I quit sugar and it was hard. I still have to be very careful as one cookie or chocolate can lead to a binge.

I think it's an addiction like cigarettes or alcohol and you just can't go back. Maybe that's just me.

KrazyKatie · 07-04-2008, 06:43 AM

OMG! I used to have a JAR of peanut M&M's on my desk. I would just eat one handful after another without even thinking about it!!

snapless · 07-04-2008, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KrazyKatie

OMG! I used to have a JAR of peanut M&M's on my desk. I would just eat one handful after another without even thinking about it!!

That's me and a bag of sour cream and onion Ruffles.

KLK · 07-04-2008, 08:28 AM

I have also cut FAR down on my sugar in-take (though of course, I haven't eliminated it) and I've never had to quitt smoking (congrats on that, btw!), but I sense that quitting sugar is easier than quitting cigarettes. That's not to say it isn't hard, but it is easier. I've read a number of sources that suggest that a person has only two-days worth of sugar in their system; if you cut it out, you may experience withdrawal-ish symptoms for the first day or two, but if you stick it out, by about day 3 or 4, those feelings should abate and your "interest" in carbs and sweets should feel a bit diminished.

Everyone is different of course, but this is what I've read and it is also my personal experience. good luck! It won't be as hard as quitting smoking was! My suggestion would be to start this when you will be able to control your enviornment for at least two days -- i.e. start Friday night, stay home Saturday and Sunday, and make sure everything in your house is safe, so you won't be tempted to give in when you start to feel intense sugar cravings. If you can make it through the first few days like this, you will be fine by Monday, probably.