Has anyone cut out sugar, and if so, how?

[YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka]

I need to stop eating so much crap. I NEED to. I have a few lbs of pregnancy weight left to lose (it's all in my little pot belly) and it will not shift unless I can cut back on the crap I eat.

I'm rocking a hardcore sugar addiction, and between that and "I need chocolate" moments borne of tiredness and frustration I sometimes consume 100 cals/day of chocolate, biscuits, cake. It's not good :(

So I think I need to go cold turkey. And maybe typing it out here will strengthen my resolve. So has anyone done it? And do you have any tips?

[solveproblem]

I was a total sugar addict and would eat sweets/chocolate everyday.

I went cold turkey and swapped to a low carb/ high fat diet. It was hard at first but I rarely get any sugar cravings now as my blood sugar levels have stabilised (and I've lost over a stone whilst still eating loads of food).

I'd recommend this diet to anyone! Never felt better.

[Artandco]

Yes go cold turkey. After a week with no crap you will find most stuff tastes horrid. So if you eat chocolate it will just be dark good quality so you can't just pick up from corner shop etc so you will pass until another day. Biscuits will seem super sugary so you end up only eating when you make yourself so less often etc etc

[MarshaBrady]

Cold turkey. I was addicted to the stuff when ds2 was little and used it to boost energy when I was so sleep-deprived.

I feel loads better not eating it. And don't miss it.

I remember the hardest thing to drop was in the coffee, but it really is nice now without it. I think tastes change.

[EachDay]

I agree with everyone else. You will feel loads better for it and after the first 10 days or so you stop "needing" it.

100 calories per day is less than one and half chocolate digestives though - it doesn't sound that excessive!

[eggyweggies]

100 cals a day is NOTHING. That's one chocolate hobnob.

Was that a typo? Did you mean 1000?

I'm losing weight very successfully- I often have a digestive biscuit or two in the evening. Now I'm so aware of the calorie content I restrict the amount massively, but it is there.

[HerdyHerdwick]

I was just about to say the same thing as PP. 100 cals a day is nothing and you could definitely lose weight and still keep that treat in your diet if you wanted to by cutting back slightly elsewhere.
I think you're being too hard on yourself - I wish my consumption of crap only amounted to 100 cals a day!

[YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka]

100? Hah. That was wishful thinking a typo, sorry.

I meant 1000

[YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka]

Tea and cake out somewhere in the morning, chocolate with coffee when DD2 naps, another couple of biscuits when I'm feeling peckish before dinner, then another chocolate bar at night when the DDs are in bed.

Right. That's it, it stops now. Herbal tea for me tonight, no chocolate.

[eggyweggies]

Sounds like an excellent plan.

I think the problem with a lot of people is the snacking- I know so many who eat lovely healthy balanced meals, and then a family sized bar of choc or a whole packet of biscuits in the evening. Some sort of disassociation, I think- they're not having chips and chicken nuggets for dinner so they must be healthy, right??

Well done and good luck!

[YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka]

Well, I managed to avoid anything sweet last night (I did have an apple and a cheestring though ), and this morning I even refrained from licking the Nutella-y knife after spreading DD1's toast! Today might be hard, especially as DH has been away with work all week (but he gets back today, yay!), so the kids are running me a bit ragged .

Shopping this morning; I think I'll invest in some non-chocolate-based snacks.

[specialsubject]

remember not to buy health bars, cereal bars etc - they are all a huge con and have more sugar in them than chocolate.

hungry? Have a sandwich. Just stop buying the choc, cakes and biscuits - not in the house, can't be eaten.

that said, I do enjoy my two squares of value choc each evening, about 40 calories. Somewhat to my surprise, I am now finding 'real' choc bars too sweet.

[RainbowBob]

I haven't exactly cut out sugar, but I have drastically reduced my intake. I couldn't imagine life without the odd chocolate bar, so I thought I would be realistic and change my eating habits instead. I haven't really lost much weight, but I have tons more energy and have had comments from people saying I look less tired and worn! So I am more than happy with that.

Before I started cutting down on sugar I would eat biscuits or cakes mid morning, after my lunch I would scoff some kind of cake or chocolate bar, I would have a biscuit (or three) around 4pm to give me an energy boost then I would eat chocolate after dinner in the evening.

Now, to make sure I don't crave sugar in the morning I have a 'slow energy release' breakfast of porridge with raisins and nuts/blueberries. Mid morning I might have a banana to keep me going if I feel my blood sugar levels dipping, but they rarely do thanks to the hearty breakfast. For lunch I have a jacket potato or wholemeal bread with tons of protein like ham or chicken or fish, as protein is meant to really fill you up. Then I have fruit for afters. Mid afternoon I usually stem the hunger pang with those oat biscuits, smothered in humous. Then, I have normal dinner and try to have yogurt for pudding but sometimes have some of that 70% cocoa chocolate.

I allow myself cakes/choc/biscuits as a treat if it's a special occasion.. and by 'special' I could mean simply having a coffee with a friend! But I just try not to overdo it... I just find, personally, that by completely denying myself something I just end up craving it so much I cave in. But that's just me.

I have three children under 6 so I do need to eat regularly as I am rushing around a lot. But I can honestly say that since I reduced the sugar, I have had a lot more energy and have found that even little things like my mood have changed (for the better - although I can still be a grumpy shouty cow when the kids are kicking off). It has definitely made a difference.

Good luck.

[YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka]

RainbowBob your previous intake sounds a lot like mine; it's good to know you've managed to change for the better. I've tried telling myself that I'll stick to under 500 cals of sweet stuff a day, or I'll limit myself to two treats a day, but when the time comes my willpower just fails me. So that's why I'm going for cold turkey now, and hopefully I'll eventually be able to reintroduce treats in moderation.

I did have a chocolate mousse after dinner today, but that was the only sweet treat all day, so compared to my usual amount I'm not too disappointed.

Onward and upward

[LegoCaltrops]

Hi I've done this. Try finding alternative, healthier, foods that you consider a bit luxurious but that are relatively virtuous. eg:

• king prawns or strips of cooked chicken breast, perhaps with soy sauce or other simple, low calorie flavouring.
• Plain, unsalted nuts (these are big on calories but very nutritious & filling, get a 'serving' of about 8 almonds & put the rest away in the cupboard.)

I had a massive sweet tooth when I was pregnant, put on a hell of a lot of weight & I've found that in terms of sustainable weight loss it's less of a chore to avoid sugar than fat. Healthy amounts of healthy fat will help you to feel full & absorb more vitamins from your food. I tried calorie counting, 5:2 diet & this. This is definitely the easiest & I've lost more weight with less stress. Good Luck!

[PinkCustard]

This sounds exactly like me! I have a major sugar addiction and will happily miss meals in order to eat biscuits or chocolate! I really really want to give it up in the hope that it'll improve my energy levels (I get 8 hours sleep but still feel like death when it's time to get up) & general health. I keep reading books explaining why high fat/low carb is the healthiest option, but I just can't implement it!

Rainbowbob I like your idea of cutting down, I've tried cold turkey & never even make it through the first day!

I'll be watching this thread with great interest - good luck!! X

[BadSeedsAddict]

Chromium supplements have really helped me! Also magnesium and omega 3. And sticking at it despite failed attempts!

[PinkCustard]

How's it going Yippee?

I've been giving my bad eating habits a lot of thought this week. My immediate plan was to consider adopting a high fat\low carb diet, but for me this would be too drastic a change. I am instead going to start having 3 good meals a day, based on whole, healthy food. If I desperately want something sweet after a meal I will have it, but no snacking between meals, and my aim will be to reduce the frequency of these treats. I'm hoping that if I get organised enough and eat enough filling, satisfying food at set meal times, I'll be able to move away from my terrible sugar habit.

oh, and I've just had my final glass of Pepsi Max (evil stuff!).

Hope you're still on with your plan Yippee

[Gauri]

Replace sugar with stavia

[29chapel]

I was a Haribo addict (shame) but recently visited a homeopath who is treating me for a few things. However i have one drop of Nutrisorb Chromium in a glass of water daily - it apparently staves off sugar cravings - it's worked for me, haven't eaten sugar since it got to work ;-)

[VerySmallSqueak]

If you hve it in coffee/tea,cut back by fractions of a spoon every few days.

Replace sweets with fruit.

But I think the easiest is to get rid of sugar in drinks,then go cold turkey for a few days.

Once you reach for a bit of fruit it'll taste like the sweetest thing you ever tasted!

[YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka]

It's going well, although I only had one completely sugar-free day so far but I've limited myself to one small sweet thing per day (usually in the evenings, my resolve weakens then for some reason) so compared to what I was eating before it's much better. I've been snacking on dried fruit (still sugary, but not refined sugar at least), nuts, raw carrots. Lots of water to drink.

I'm interested in the chromium supplements, I'll look our for them. VerySmallSqueak I actually weaned myself off sugar in coffee that way a while ago, and now I don't miss it. Weirdly I still like 1/2 a sugar in tea, but I don't drink tea often.

I've noticed that my stomach seems less bloated in the evenings, but it's too soon to see any weightless I guess. I'm feeling better though; I'd always feel guilty after a day when 1/3 (or more) of my calorie intake had been sugary crap. Now I feel positively virtuous

[showerhead]

i don't personally believe in complete denial. As the poster above says keep it as a treat e.g birthdays or once a week have a lovely pudding with your family. It won't make you go mad and start eating badly again unless your head tells you to do so. Just try to remember that most cravings go after 15 minutes. I'd stay away from snacking on anything sweet though- including fruit. Keep sugar for mealtimes only.

[DumDum32]

one change I've made Is I've swapped sugar in tea with candrel (sweetner). if I get a sugar craving I eat fruit (apple, pear, banana or grapes etc). it's day 5 for me & already my family say they can notice a difference in my stomach area. I've also cut out all biscuits (this was my main problem as I would just scoff a whole pack of rich tea biscuits without realising!!!)

I've been reaally watching what I eat & have cut down my portion sizes & really make an effort to drink more water. no fizzy drinks either unless there the zero version although I've even given those up too.

going cold turkey is proving to be great for me (I've got a long way to go but it's been a good start) :)

[MrRected]

Beware of artificial sweeteners and diet products. These are much much worse for you than the odd chocolate.

Stop snacking. Drink a huge glass of water if you feel a craving. Don't focus so much on "the cutting sugar out". This just makes you more aware of what you are missing.

Rather eat smaller portions. I have been eating like this for 3 weeks and have lost 8lbs.

2 weetbix & skim milk, coffee with one raw sugar & a pint of water
Apple or carrot
Another coffee
2 slices of whole meal bread, hummus, lettuce and tomato & pint of water
Piece of fruit
200g fish/chicken/steak & salsa or veg & pint of water
40g Lindt 75% cocoa dark choc