Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar

[2madboys]

Just wondering if anyone else has done this and fancied a support thread? I started yesterday using the book but haven't signed up to the online plan.

[2madboys]

Surely not just me?!!!

[thekitchenfairy]

This book is ordered from Amazon as DS has to cut sugar...and TBH I would like to lose some weight too so I will join him in his new sugar free life.

Willing to start now and use review info until book arrives!

[thekitchenfairy]

What is the online plan?

[2madboys]

You can pay to get meal plans emailed to you (not sure if it includes anything else). Lots of the info is on the I quit sugar website so you can find lots on there before the book arrives. Basically, week one is cutting out refined sugar. I'm also trying to cut down on fruit and white carbs, but its' fairly easy going. I was feeling a lot of sugar crashes after meals, and after giving up chocolate for Lent and then eating loads of it at Easter, realised just how rubbish it was making me feel. Hoping to get rid of the cravings and be able to regulate my intake a lot more. Obviously, losing some weight would be great too!

[2madboys]

Kitchenfairy - why does your ds need to cut sugar?

[Tiggywinklespinny]

I started the IQS book, love some of the recipes. For a chocolate craving I make the choc berry mud and banana ice cream. Weight loss is slow but I like how I feel without refined sugars.

Also check out Madeleine Shaw, great recipes there too

[2madboys]

Just weighed myself at the start of week 2 and have lost 1lb. I was hoping for more, but that's fine. I did have some lemonade on Saturday and also a slice of apple pie and ketchup on a hot dog, but that's all the refined sugar I'd had (family bbq and not a lot of choice!). Really enjoying eating differently and also feeling like I have a lot more energy.

[thekitchenfairy]

Hi 2Mad -- I am a week in of conscious decision to cut refined sugar and 2 lb down. Feeling great but fell into few glasses of wine at a Saturday BBQ.... Horrific sugar craving Sunday morning DS is highly allergic and as consequence has a painful skin condition. Sugar is instant pain if he has too much reducing didn't work so trying to cut completely to see if he can do it. Think it's really hard which is why I am going first!

[2madboys]

Did you get the book yet Kitchen? It's very chilled out about slip ups. I knew I'd eat something at the bbq on Saturday so just made sure I didn't go mad. I think as I'd already given myself 'permission' it didn't feel like a major problem. I think it helps me with motivation if I know it doesn't matter too much. It's DS2's birthday on Thursday and I'll have some cake, but that will be all my refined sugar for the week. Still mulling over whether I can give up fruit for the following three weeks though!

[oif]

hi, I have just started reading this too. Don't need to lose weight per se, mostly interested in the general health aspect of it, but I have a slim frame with a big round belly, made worse by constant bloating and will be interesting to see if that changes. Really hoping for some of this feeling clear and energised business too, although I suspect with two small children around that is a near-impossible ask. Anyone on this thread still around? How is it going for you?

[ppeatfruit]

olf dh instantly get bloating if he has wheat (a lot of bread has sugar in it too I suppose) If you get exhausted too then you could look at cutting out wheat. I have rye or kamut because although it has some gluten it's not like the modern wheat gluten.

I eat maple syrup as a sweetener but I know some people aren't good with that.I'd never give up good organic fruit though. (btw i've lost 3 stone eating as do.

[oif]

Thanks pp. I'm not sure I could face cutting out wheat - it would require such a massive rethink around lunch and dinner meal planning as we have a LOT of things on toast and I always fall back on pasta when I don't know what else to do. The book recommends cutting down on processed carbs though, which I do intend to, so we'll see how that goes.

I don't want to give up fruit long term either. The book suggests cutting it out completely for the 8-week plan I think, but reintroducing a piece or two a day thereafter, which seems fair enough to me.

Anyway, going ok with generally paring back on sugar so far. Weirdly don't miss it much yet although getting through huge amounts of cheese, to replace biscuits in front of the tv after kids are in bed habit.

[ppeatfruit]

You can buy pure rye bread (not just the flat type German bread) from sainsbos and Waitrose. Ryvitas etc. it can be done easily (we do it) and have toast too!!

[2madboys]

I'm still here! Starting week 5 today and have now lost 6lb which I think is mostly around my middle and I feel so much better! Much less bloated, less tired (and no energy crashes after meals), sleeping better. Feeling good!

[oif]

wow - sounds good 2mad. amazing. I think I will start the proper cold turkey bit next Monday, when I have had time to get some supplies in and so on.

pp - you're right, and I think I will start trying rye and not getting in any more white flour products. We've just moved so I haven't found all the good shops round here yet, but can do Waitrose online. Need to find a vegbox scheme up here as well I think, as that really helped my cooking when I got Riverford boxes - some of their veggies are just so much nicer and more inspiring than the standard supermarket ones.

We had the sausage, walnut and beetroot hash recipe from the book for dinner last night - except with broccoli and spinach in place of kale - was really good.

[ppeatfruit]

Sadly even organic whole wheat is no good. It has always stopped my digestion dead (sorry TMI)! I use spelt, or whole rice flour . I made sushi yesterday and it's great even with my own whole rice not the special white (sticky or sugary) one!

good luck oif I love Riverford farm stuff I used to go to the shop in Totnes it's fab I just remembered they do fantastic non wheat bread!

[rosalux]

Hi. I'm starting the cold turkey phase tomorrow, having cut out obvious sugar this week. I do seem to be eating A LOT of coconut flakes and almonds though, so need to stop this as they are really calorific even if full of good fats. Am also hoping to lose the bloat and feel energised as well as shift the last stone of baby weight - baby is now 5mths

[oif]

Thanks ppeat. I am not sure if it is wheat or sugar but had two days with v little of either and woke up each morning after without the awful hard-to-shake sleepiness I normally wake up with. I know correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation and all that but it's an encouraging sign anyway.

Hi rosa - great to have someone else doing it at the same time. I'm going to go cold turkey on Monday. Need to meal plan and shop a bit first I think.

I am also eating LOTS of nuts. And cheese. I think the theory is to not try to restrict these things because you should just feel full up when you stop. Plus as these things don't contain fructose they won't be converted to fat stores in your body so quickly. I think I still psychologically eat for comfort, habit etc. though, so not sure how well this is working.

The next step for me after getting myself stable with no sugar is cutting it down in my kids' diet. My parents very rarely had sugar in the house and we are a pretty balanced vegetable-based, mostly whole foods diet which I am always grateful for as it means my body naturally craves green stuff after missing it for a little bit and I have always had an easy relationship with food and stable weight. Sugar consumption has really crept up in my diet though, and I know my kids eat too much, I really want them to appreciate good nourishing food and not be little sugar addicts (whilst not getting a complex about it!)

[postmanpatscat]

I bought the book on Kindle (£5 cheaper than it was in Tesco!) As a vegetarian, I'm not sure the recipes will be much help. However, once I've eaten my Muller Greek corner yogurts over the weekend (there are about six in the fridge!) I'm going to get started on quitting sugar and I'm going cold turkey straight away.

Will be good to have some company on the journey. I don't need to lose weight but I want to feel better and keep my teeth well into my old age so I can still !

[BreakingBod]

Hi, I haven't got this book but I've read David Gillespie's similar book about quitting sugar and have been trying on and off since the new year.

I just had a full week without any sugar, and was starting to feel the benefits, but then on Saturday I had 1 glass of white wine and a strip of milk chocolate. This morning this had really unleashed massive sugar cravings again, and I've had more chocolate and even some ice-cream today. I've been really moody and exhausted this afternoon, and my stomach has felt bloated. I definitely felt healthier in the week, so I'm jumping back into it again tomorrow - I'm really annoyed at myself for indulging yesterday, as now I'll have to get through the cravings again, but at least it's clearly shown me the bad effects of sugar!

It's so hard to get going with giving it up, but I was beginning to get over the cravings and was feeling really positive...back to it!

[postmanpatscat]

bod it sounds like you know how to make this work.

I'm doing my own version of the plan. Sunday was day one, I've stopped eating all types of sugar, so I've just had plain yogurt and coconut for breakfast or puffed wheat cereal, salad for lunch and veg stirfry, quorn bolognaise etc for dinner. So far I haven't had any cravings or much of a headache at all. It can't be this easy, surely?!

[oif]

I am on day 3 of cold turkey and really missing fruit! I don't miss cakes, biscuits etc. much at all though, which is good. It is making me realise that fruit is enough of a sweet treat, and no need for the really sugary baked things. Am really looking forward to re-introducing fruit, whenever that is. I don't aim to be totally strict with myself - I just want to get to a point where I can very rarely eat sugar and make a sensible decision about it when I do - not just cram biscuits in my mouth because I am feeling tired or eat a cake just because it's there, then feel awful!

Bod - do you really notice feeling exhausted straight after eating sugar nowadays? That's amazing. The science and reasons to quit make total sense to me, but I am still very sceptical about how different I'll actually feel - since cutting sugar right down I've had a few better mornings waking up, but some still terrible and no noticeable change to energy or mood so far.

[postmanpatscat]

I couldn't do low carb, as a vegetarian it's too restrictive. I'm not eating fruit, cakes, biscuits, sweets/choc, white bread etc. I will eat white flour products occasionally e.g. pizza base. I'm avoiding sugar rather than carbs, it's much more doable I think and so far, five days on, it's going really well.

I had lost 900g (2lbs) since Sunday then inexplicably gained 300g this morning - turned out it is TOTM and I hadn't even had any I'll-eat-anything-that's-not-nailed-down feelings like I usually do.

[oif]

No not really the same LLVL - emphasis is all on fructose (table sugar - i.e. sucrose - is half fructose and half glucose, and fructose also found in fruits, so fruits/fruit products plus anything made with sugar are the target). If you have the patience the Robin Lusting youtube talk on sugar explains why fructose causes problems/illnesses/weight gain.

I am on day 4 of no sugar today and I am really putting that whole theory about people not being able to overeat on fat and protein to the test - totally stuffed myself with ham/cheese/mushroom crepes for dinner and am now feeling totally bloated and full… I think a lot of the cravings I get are actually for the physical act of eating rather than a particular food - I always want to sit down and eat after the kids are in bed even if I am still totally full from dinner - need to really learn how to stop when full and eat when hungry.