Giving up refined sugar - is it even possible?

[EndofmyWeightTether]

Diets frustrate me because I can spend all week eating below a certain number of calories, or points, or whatever, and lose a kg. Then if I’m just one evening I go over, I have a big piece of cake or a big chocolate bar, that weight goes straight back on and it takes another week to come off again. I know it’s not fat/it’s water/whatever, but the point is that the numbers go right back up and take another week to fall off. It’s ridiculous and frustrating.

So I am starting to think the only way for me to lose weight is to put a complete ban on refined sugar. If it’s not there to be eaten then it’s not there to sabotage a week’s worth of hard work.

I do have a very sweet tooth. But I do think I eat sweet things either out of habit (watching tv of an evening) or out of stress (if something goes wrong at work - reach for the chocolate!).

I am 37 and am at the very far end of the overweight scale according to BMI. I want to lose weight to be healthier and stronger in the future. My uncles and aunts have all sorts of knee and hip problems and I don’t want that to be me.

So. Has anyone here given up refined sugar? How hard is it?

I haven't given up, but I only eat refined sugar on a Sunday. It's worked wonders for me! It's something to look forward to.

Yes it's possible, the first week is really hard but by the end of the second week you look at a lot of the things we're conditioned to think of as treats and think "eugh".

I have in the past been free of refined sugar for up to 8 months but unfortunately when I fall off the wagon I'm straight back to bingeing. My mother is to blame, she gets all offended if I don't want a piece of birthday cake but once I've had it I'm back to square one.

When I am sugar free, I have more energy, far better mood and better skin. Also, when sugar free I lose weight without making any other changes, which I suppose you'd expect but it doesn't feel like dieting, you're not hungry because you're eating when you eat, just not sugar (which does cut out a lot of our boredom/comfort snacking)

My only advice would be don't use any sugar substitutes I.e. cut out fizzy drinks don't start drinking sugar free ones

I'm interested to try this, but do you have to give up bread, pasta, sauces, etc and literally anything with sugar in it?

It's actually quite difficult to give up all refined sugar because approx 70% of any 'processed' foods have added sugar, try buying stock cubes or tinned soup with no added sugar (and all sugar substitutes eg dextrose) and you'll realise how much the food industry has been instrumental in increasing our sugar intake. If you give it up totally (and that means checking all food you buy and only buying those with no sugar) you'll be surprised by how sweet things taste afterwards. I went completely sugar free for 2 months, and now only eat things with sugar in when I actively want something sweet, I don't waste it on savoury items.

It's definitely benefited my health, and I find I'm more likely to eat because I'm hungry and less because I want the sugar hit, I read somewhere that sugar is more addictive than cocaine (caveat - don't know how true that is)

I’m allergic to cows milk so that cuts out a lot of sugary foods, you lose the taste for it eventually.

Start by gradually reducing. Instead of having a big cake, just eat 2/3 of it. Next time eat 1/2 etc.
Instead of having 4 spoons of rice, have 3.
Gradual reduction will be easier to adjust to that cutting out completely. You are a lot less likely to fall of the bandwagon.

I dont want a lot of processed foods, but yes I realise it's hidden in a lot of places. I wasn't obsessive about it, I basically gave up puddings and sweets, so I'd still have wholemeal bread and pasta. I don't use bought pasta sauces, soup, ready meals or any boxed breakfast cereals though, for this reason.

I lost my sweet tooth through low carbing. At my best on keto I would have the occasional square of 85% dark chocolate, or a sweet-ish herbal tea as a treat but normal treats seemed horrible.

I'm a bit off the wagon at the moment as it was hard to keep it going through lockdown so I could probably now eat a bowl of ice cream or slice of cake if it was handed to me, but something like a normal chocolate bar still doesn't appeal.

I probably did still eat some sugar because it's in so much of our food, but when your diet is mostly unsweetened dairy, meat and veg, there's not loads of refined sugar in there.

I do get you on the yo-yo weight frustration - I would like to be under 9 stone and I can get there when strictly low carbing, but eating anything 'normal' and I fly straight back up to 9st5 which I seem to settle at. I'm quite little, so 9st5 is quite a high BMI for me.

Thanks for all the responses! I have tried low carb before but it just wasn’t practical for us as a family.

I would love to be able to just have sugar on a Sunday but then I will never lose weight as the weight just goes up again on the Monday, lose it by the Sunday, up again on the Monday!

This thread has some good ideas, guess I am not the only one contemplating this!

Going to go cold turkey from today...

Try the 'No S' approach to eating (google it).
No (added) sugar
No sweets ( confectionary or puddings)
No seconds.
EXCEPT ( and this is why I find I can make this work) on Saturdays, Sundays and Special days eg. Someone's birthday where it would be rude not to.
In practice, when I did it, if I had a Special day in a week, I dropped the Saturday or Sunday S day to compensate. And I didn't go mad. One smallish piece of cake, or one pudding.
I still ate fruit, and lived a very normal life. If I felt like a biscuit or sweets , I would just think 'Oh I'll enjoy that on Saturday'.

Like @FinnyStory says, it's 100% possible and it's surprising how quickly your tastebuds - and, subsequently, your cravings adapt. I did it for several years. I fell off the wagon when I was working and studying because I started ordering in. It's impossible to do without prepping and cooking your food from scratch.

It is challenging because so much stuff has sugar in it, but not impossible. I do have coconut sugar in my coffee, it still has calories but I find I can have it and it doesn't trigger any cravings as 'normal' sugar does, I only have one cup a day as well. Other than that I batch make sauces now from fresh ingredients (also cheaper), and do feel much better for it. I agree with not switching sugar for sweeteners, however tempting! I have fizzy water if I want something fizzy, that did take some adjusting to as I do like coke zero with vanilla. The first few days were hard, and the temptation to slip back is quite hard sometimes, but now I'm used to it I don't feel I'm overly missing out, good luck.

I did it for 7 months and my reflections are: it's possible, it's ridiculously hard work - you've going to have to home make everything you eat. Most sauces and most yoghurts are out. What's the point of giving up refined sugars and allowing other sugars? How sustainable is this over a long period of time?

I didn't lose lots of weight over those 7 months.

"What's the point of giving up refined sugars and allowing other sugars?"

I know lots of the experts say you need to cut natural sugars too but I found tremendous benefits from just cutting refined sugar, I still ate and enjoyed fruit in moderation, but not fruit juices.

I know and understand all the theories but I honestly don't think natural sugar has the same addictive quality or creates a sugar slump the way refined sugar does.

I find low carb is v practical for me as a family - it's the easiest diet to do without annoying DH and he gets to eat healthily too.

Cook something low carb, veg or salad on the side, some new potatoes for everyone but me - easy! Or I just don't have the rice and everyone else does.

Diabetes UK has a lot of recipes that are full of veg, easy to do, low carb and family friendly.

Fruit etc has nutritional benefit too, and as it's in its natural state it can't be altered to remove the sugar without it becoming processed. Refined sugar as a standalone has no nutritional value at all, and although in some cases it is added to foods/sauces that might contain vitamins etc, if you can make a similar sauce without it then it's so much better, as the sugar is purely for taste and does nothing good for your body, but plenty of negatives with no benefit. I found as my palette changed natural plain yoghurt tastes okay, and although it has naturally occuring sugars from the milk, plenty don't have processed in. Again, milk has nutritional value so in my eyes the lactose is worthwhile, whereas a yoghurt which has sugars added for flavour dont, and they have the sugars from milk too.

There are plenty of useful books on Amazon to help you. My daughter made her own bread sugar free so you.can still enjoy a sandwich. The trick is fresh produce only. No processed food. A woman I know has put her cancer on hold going sugar free as the cancer uses the sugar to grow. Good luck.

I have found Stevia quite helpful in reducing my sugar intake, although I know that it’s not for everyone.

What's the point of giving up refined sugars and allowing other sugars? How sustainable is this over a long period of time?

Because I think giving up refined sugar is sustainable, whereas banning everything that ends in -ose is probably less so! All meals are cooked from scratch, so that won’t be a problem. We don’t eat anything packaged or processed as part of our three meals a day. It’s once we get to the evening however, that goes out of the window after dinner and we can easily polish off large chocolate bars, ice cream tubs, cakes, biscuits, puddings!! I truly think sweet food is an addiction.

iquitsugar.com/

www.howmuchsugar.com/

Sarah Wilson & David Gillespie - 2 good resource guides for a slow sustained reduction / quitting.

When they talk about sugar, it’s predominantly fructose (fruit, honey, agarve, cane, molasses, high fructose syrup, maple etc etc etc...) and refined carbs; which your body converts to simple sugars.

Milk products (galactose) and dextrose (used in brewing) does not have the same effects on insulin production / resistance.
David Gillespie has recipes for baking with dextrose.

If this is too hard core, try Micheal Mosley’s Blood Sugar Diet.
Designed for type 2 diabetics - so low carb / sugars but still includes fruit and some better carbs.
If you’re not looking to loose weight, just up the portion size.

General rule of thumb is ‘cook from scratch’.

What's the point in cutting out refined but not all?

Because all carbs break down to sugars, you'd not be allowed any fruit or vegetables and etc etc