The chocolate and sweets thread really got me thinking that I'd like to try cutting them out, too. This is a TERRIFYING thought for me, as I'm sure any chocoholic who has been through it is aware.

My question is: When you cut out the sweets, does that include things like Crystal Lite, SF syrups in lattes, sugar-free gum, etc? Or do you only cut out real sugar?

I ask because I've become quite reliant on those things... perhaps too reliant? Especially gum, since I quit smoking. I go through a pack a day, approximately.

And where do you draw the line? For example, do you not have fruit, either, for the first little while, since it's high in sugars? What about milk?

Anything else I'm missing???

At the time, I cut it all out, except for fruit (which I ate a ton of). I found that the fake sweeteners triggered the same cravings as the real stuff (particularly stuff like Snackwell's). Fruit satisfied my sweet tooth and I ate 2-3 servings a day. I hardly ever drank just plain milk, but low fat dairy was definitely okay with my plan so I ate a lot of yogurt.

My goal was to eat more whole foods (particularly foods that were nutritionally powerful), so artificial sweetners weren't really on my list of acceptable foods. I have loosened up a little since then and have sugar free syrup in my latte almost every day.

After giving up most sugar, what I found was that other foods tasted so much better. Fresh mangos are decadent, baked sweet potatoes are truly like a dessert.

I have to agree although I'm not doing it! ;P I allow myself crystal light and diet coke here and there. It helps me drink the water. I did however hear from my doctor that the ingredient in crystal light ~ aspartame ~ causes your insulin levels to rise just like sugar and therefore yes you would get hungry. So you have to see how it affects you. It doesnt bother me and i'm losing weight so I let myself have it. I do eat fruit...it's healthy and it has fiber. I do avoid some fruits that are toooo sweet such as grapes pineapple watermelon. :P But the good news is that by cutting out the sugar (white sugar) you will feel so much better and you will eventually LOSE your cravings for it. I used to be a maniac ~ especially before that time of the month! I would KILL for chocolate. Now you could put it in front of my face and I have no cravings for it whatsoever! AMAZING!!!!
Tina

I just have to say ... Tina, that line in your signature about being a thin chick trapped in a fat body really must be changed -- you look absolutely gorgeous! You're not trapped in anything, honey -- you're beautiful the way you are!

I have cut out blatant sugars and my cravings have died because of it. I am so very pleased. I let myself have SF syrup in lattes and splenda in regular coffee. I have cut out all soda and moderate juices. I have switched from candy to fruit too, and try to moderate my intake but also let myself go a bit with fruit sometimes because it's still SO MUCH BETTER than what I was eating before.

Milk-wise (off the topic of sugar for me), I use fat-free milk, soy, and rice dream.

As for gum, you're quitting smoking! Yay for you! If it helps, I'd do it until you could find a healthier substitute, or until you don't feel you need it anymore.

I cut out almost all sugar but I know that some snuck in there in things (like ketchup, Kashi Go-Lean crunch has brown sugar, etc...). I also severely limit artificial sweeteners. Yes, I still get some like about every 3rd night I'll have Crystal Light peach tea with dinner (1 glass only) and FiberOne cereal has aspartame...so for me I just decided I didn't want to be a "sugar ****". I pay VERY close attention to what goes in my body at this point...and that's why ALMOST everything I eat now is from scratch. That way sugar, sweeteners, white flours, white rice, preservatives, MSG, etc can't be snuck in on me. My cravings have virtually disappeared. I can have things like cake sitting right in front of me and avoid it completely and NOT feel sad about doing so. For me, knowing that I allow it in VERY limited portions eliminates that panicky feeling I always get if I start thinking "never again". Wierd, huh?

Ummm... I quit smoking 15 months ago and have no cravings for it... I just transferred the cravings to the gum, I think...

I cut out sugar and HFCS, even in things like ketchup and bbq sauce (I make my own). I have always used splenda and things like Crystal Light and some sugar free products (syrups, jellies, 35 calorie fudgesicles, gum). I have always eaten fruit. I originally cut out diet cokes, just because it helped me to turn my eating around by getting rid of that habit, but I don't think most people have to do that.

Funny thing is you never even know your addicted, when i cut off all soda, diet and regular you never even want it any more

At first I cut out everything sweet. This was especially important when thinking about the beverages. When I switched completely to water and cut out ALL aternatives including juice and sugar free, I really began to fill up and recognize thirst from hunger. Was it tough? Heck ya! But now that I have reintroduced diet/sugar free, I feel like I have more CONTROL oabout the things I put into my mouth.

Crystal Light was the only thing that helped me get away from sodas and transitioned to water. I didn't use it a really long time, but just enough to get me over the hump. Then, I quit using it, too.

I am insulin resistant, so sugar can really mess up my weight loss efforts. My plan is Southbeach and I don't include any added sugars in my diet....I read all labels and have to make my own marinades, salad dressings, etc as almost everything has some added sugars. I do eat two fruits each day, but I try to make them low sugar choices....no watermelon or pineapple. Southbeach allows up to three fruits a day, but I've found that the third one seems to make my weight loss stop or make me crave sugar. I do use Splenda in two cups of morning coffee and I drink one diet Barq's rootbeer each day. Occasionally, I will have sugar-free ice cream in the evening. So far, the Splenda hasnt triggered any cravings for me and the weight does continue to drop when I'm on plan.

Congratulations on quitting smoking!! I had my last cigarette 18 months ago.......like you, I dont crave the smokes anymore! Do you ever find yourself amazed that you've quit? I really never thought I would.

Thank you Rhonda! I do find it amazing that I've quit - but more amazing that I just don't WANT to smoke anymore! My boyfriend can't remember me as a smoker (we've been together 4 1/2 years).

I'm on SB too, but have been a little more lenient with things, which is why I think my cravings are worse - I have a few chocolate chips a couple of times a week, and lately I seem to have a thing for Ritz crackers (totally Off-Plan, I know, but seriously addictive for me).

Gum and Crystal Lite and splenda in my tea/coffee/lattes are kind of necessities for me. I drink a lot of water plain, but these things make me not want to give up, cuz they're still legal treats, KWIM?

You go girls, as my mom died of lung cancer, and I never smoked however i bet its super hard to stop......more people should

I find that the added unnatural sugars trigger more for me than anything else. Having the teaspoon of plain white or brown sugar in my tea or coffee in the evening doesnt seem to bother me, nor does the natural sugars in food, like fruit etc. Splenda and other substitutes trigger badly. I find that if I eat a normal chocolate jello pudding pop, that I can more easily stay on plan than if I eat 1 SF fudgscicle. I read something somewhere that explained better than I can, but it stated some portions of the population when eating sugar substitutes, trigger their body to begin processing the natural sugar they think is coming and then when it doesnt appear, the body then goes on a hunt for the sugar until the need to process it abates. For me, it made perfect sense. So, I limit myself to 1-2 "real" sugared things a week, but I find with time, it's more like 1-2 a month, and I'm more easily satisfied with a small portion, or even in the case of the last "treat", a sliver of plain cheesecake, I had 2 very satisfying bites and pushed the plate away. It was creamy and sweet and hit the spot and thats all I wanted. Even SF jello triggers me, so I stick with the occasional cup of hot tea with a real sugar most nights.