Sugar withdrawals

  • OMG!!!! I have decided to quit added sugar and I must say I underestimated how difficult it would be.

    I'm not craving sugar so much, as I am just having difficulties dealing with the withdrawal symptoms. So Far I've got:
    -Massive headache on one side of my head (which means that I also have a really bad sensitivity to light and sound)
    -nausea
    -lightheadedness
    -I am absolutely exhausted.

    I really underestimated how much of my food actually contained sugar. So now when I pick food I am not just looking at the calories, but also the sugar content per serve.

    I am still aiming to eat two pieces of fruit per day and keep my sugar consumption to under 10grams perday.

    I can't wait untill all the ill side effects wear off and I can get back to normal.

  • It took me a week and a half to get over my sugar withdrawal headache. It seriously was awful.
  • it IS crazy!!!! - and painful! - those headaches are no joke!! it happens with caffeine as well. Ugh!

    I believe that "sugar is da'debil!!!"

    But you can do this! KEEP ON!!! push thru the pain! before you know it, it'll be done - and you may discover, as I have, that anytime you have something with added sugar (in the future!) - it will taste WAY TOO SWEET to you. And this is a good thing! It can help you stay off sugar.Banish that devil, girl!!
  • Oh lord, do I understand this! I eat most of my sugar at work (jelly beans, m&m's, etc) so what I did was take 3 days plus a weekend off from work to detox. I knew it was going to be horrible. And it was. But I had to remove myself from the environment in which I binge on sugar and have time to heal from the symptoms. All you can do is white knuckle your way through it. There is no good solution but I found that drinking Crystal Light helped me a lot.

    I'm sorry sweetie. I hope you are hanging in there!
  • You know, I don't come here often but when I do, I find the most amazing threads that really help me. I really react horribly to sugar and had a sugar-filled week. I'm so glad I saw this thread, I'm not alone!

    My goal this week: Say no to the snickers in the vending machine!
  • I don't have sugar detox symptoms but periodically do have to get off of it. For me it only takes three days. I was on Sugar Busters for years, literally, and I think being off sugar for a long time and then periodically adding and detoxing from it did something to train my body and mind to do it quickly.

    Someone mentioned caffeine, though. I use a lot of caffeine in one way or another, even though I don't drink coffee. I get all those horrible symptoms when I don't have it for approximately 12 hours. I always cave after that. It IS very similar to sugar withdrawal.

    It will get better, hang in.
  • Thanks for the support guys. I am on day three now and I think I may be one of the lucky ones. my headache dissappeared after a day and a half, so did the nausea and lightheadedness.

    What I can't believe is how good I feel. Iam not getting anywhere near as hungry as I was before, so my 1400-1500 cals a day is plenty to sustain me.

    The only other interesting side effect is the really vivid dreams that I have been having. Apparently this can be a side effect. I keep waking up part way throught the night because I've scared myself awake. KInda funny when I write it down.

    On to day 4 tomorrow.