Please help me quit sugar!!

[DoNutSweatTheSmallStuff]

Yesterday I bought myself a bag of Haribo and ate the lot.
The day before I ate half a (large) bar of chocolate.
The day before that I ate a share bag of Skittles.
The day before that Iate 6 chocolate digestives.
I could go on...

Aside from this, I tend to eat quite well - fruit / yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch, healthy dinners, get my 5 a day, only drink water etc.

BUT the amount of sugar I've had this last week is obscene and makes me feel a little disgusted with myself. Of course, I enjoyed it at the time, I actually felt I was craving it and needed a 'hit but I just feel rubbish afterwards.
So now I'm on a mission to quit - or at least drastically cut down.

Anyone else done this? Anyone sugar free? How did you do it? Any tips / book recommendations etc would be gratefully received, thank you!

I'd like to join you! But have no idea how, its a real addiction.

Can I join too ? I get a sugar craving after I eat dinner/tea.

Following!

the low carb bootcamp on here is absolutely brilliant for this, the first few days can be tough but after a week it’s fine.
I really notice the difference where sugar is involved now, used to take tea with 2 sugars but that’s way too sweet now.
(Disclaimer….it does take a tiny bit of willpower but it’s a really do-able way of eating)

I'm trying too. I'm getting back up to pre diabetic levels after quitting low carb last year.
I'm all or nothing so can't just have a few treats here and there, just inhale the whole bag. It's affecting sleep and my face is so puffy.
So now I'm going to eat a big bowl of berries at 10am then eggs and avocado in a low carb wrap for lunch and huge evening meal with lots of veg. I have some low carb sweeteners so will make myself some treats for when I do have cravings.

I notice that the eariler in the day that I have sugar, the more I want it. Maybe the fruit for breakfast isn't helpful and something like eggs would be better?

My sugar consumption goes up in the heat. My actual apetite goes down but I seem to want the regular intake of easy energy over preparing food. Keeping up fluids on weak squash is better for electrolytes than suddenly drinking lots more water.

Breakfast is usually apple & greek yogurt so not overly sweet... though I do have orange juice with it...
Am thinking that's healthy with 2 of my 5 a day to kick start the day ??

I'm more worried about the refined sugar - sweets, chocolate, biscuits. Just seem to crave it sometimes!

Yes, mine seems to be after a main meal. Though often in the evening too - sat watching TV eating crap... :-/

Ice lollies?
Solero are only 100 calories and most others are around 50

I’m 2 months in to giving up all added sugar (including alcohol) and intend to do this for another month before allowing a gradual reintroduction at lower levels (I.e. cake on birthdays, dessert in restaurants sometimes).

I did similar to you- healthy diet with awful sugar based binges. I cried when I realised I needed to go cold Turkey. But I’ve done it and it’s not that bad. I allow myself fruit and that’s really helped. I started off avoiding anything with sugar in including most condiments, soy sauce, etc etc but I do allow small amounts of those things when out now. I also still eat starch but try to have wholewheat when possible.

i can say hand on heart it’s been 100% worth it. I did it to try and regulate my hormones - it hasn’t done that- but I’ve been amazed at the impact on the way I eat. It’s only in the last week or so that I’ve noticed I can eat “intuitively” now- whereas it seems the sugar short circuited my ability to do that before.

My weakness is chocolate and I used to eat a lot in the evenings, sitting watching TV with a cuppa. The Paul McKenna book I Can Make You Thin says to not deny yourself a treat - if you have permission to have one you might be able to resist it. So, I have moved onto dark, low sugar choc and have it with my coffee in the morning. I don't have a cuppa after dinner any more so that association has gone. If I want something sweet after dinner I have fruit. I do have choc at other times sometimes and know I still eat too much sugar. The only way is to not have it in the house, but that's denying yourself, isn't it? Can't win!

I sometimes crave carbs too though, it’s either crisps - so I have French Fries in as they are lower calorie - or Cheddars.

I find that Diet Coke and sugar free jelly help when you crave something sweet but want to avoid sugar. Not the same as a bar of chocolate but it does help with the craving.

I have never gone cold turkey with sugar but do try to keep a limit on it...too much sugar plays havoc with my pmt. If I eat a good portion of protein with each meal it really helps me, for example greek yoghurt with cereal and fruit in morning, sandwich with meat filling lunch, regular dinner evening with meat/eggs/lentils.

@DoNutSweatTheSmallStuff I was told (by my therapist for food issues who has relevant qualifications) that orange juice is really bad for sugar cravings etc - because it’s the equivalent of 5/6 oranges worth of sugar but with all the fibre etc stripped out.

Massive sweet tooth here so I can't buy it at all otherwise I inhale everything.
I'd start the day with a protein breakfast (scrambled eggs usually) but if I'm really craving something sweet I eat pink lady apples as they are really sweet I find.
No carbs doesn't work for me. I've tried it and I'm just constantly hungry. I don't eat much meat so could be why, not sure. I still eat jacket potatoes, pasta etc

I have always drank tea with sugar, eaten chocolate bars with wild abandon and cut sugar out about 4 months ago but have since reintroduced some. I did the Fast 800 Michael Mosely thing and dropped a stone in 2 weeks. This spurred me on. I then went onto a sort of keto diet as I needed more calcium, but no fruit mainly increased variety of veg and portion size. I cut rice, pasta and bread. I switched to drinking coffee with Erythritol having tried Stevia etc.

My weight loss went to 2 stone and I probably should lose another 7lb to put my into a healthier BMI but I am late 40s with chronic fatigue so it is hard. The first week of no sugar was hard and I felt rough and did have a couple of headaches.

I listened to a podcast on BBC sounds, "A thorough examination with Drs Chris and Xand" who are identical twins. Xand gained 5 stone due to a combination of life events. As they are identical twins and doctors Chris wanted to understand why his brother had done this and he hadn't. They explore all the science that goes into why we eat ultra processed food, what the labs do to food to make us crave it and it was eye opening, from rustling crisp packets, the pop of that pringles tube, and the fact that they are designed to give us a dopamine hit every time we eat it which isn't normal with food. It made me understand food but also why we feel like we do about certain foods. Definitely worth a listen.

I do eat carbs just not daily.

I would try and go cold turkey on the chocolate/biscuits etc but allow yourself whatever savoury snacks/junk you like for a couple of weeks to get you through the sugar withdrawal/cravings. So I swapped chocolate for crisps/peanuts/chips initially, then only worked on replacing the salty snacks with something healthier a few weeks later when I wasn't rabidly craving sugar any more.

Think about where and when you are buying the sweet things as well OP. Obviously you can't eat sugary stuff if it isn't in the house. If you are out and about, can you change your routine to visit the snack shops less often?

Following with interest as am now pre-diabetic.

I have.

Imagine you have a Sugar Monster. Every time you give in to the sweet craving it gets bigger until it is completely in control.

When you reach for sweet stuff, stop, imagine the monster, say “”not this time” and walk away. Have a drink of water and let the craving pass. Notice how much better you feel and remember that.

It does get easier. I wouldn’t touch haribo, milk chocolate, biscuits or most desserts now. I find fruit sets it off as well so I only have that rarely. Also root veg/carbs as they’re all basically sugars. But it might be different for you.

Your breakfast will have a lot of sugar, even though they are 'natural' sugars. Try having a savoury breakfast for a couple of weeks. And aim to get your five a day from vegetables. Also check all labels for hidden sugars, they get snuck in everywhere!

Good advice from @SatinHeart - I also allowed myself whatever savoury snacks I wanted (and still do!) but have found I naturally limit myself now in a way I never could before I gave up sugar.

I'm not a fitness expert or anything, far from it but I really do think all these diets aren't sustainable long term and the more you tell yourself you can't have something the more you want it. I try not to obsess about food for that reason but I just don't buy sweet treats or desserts, that's it really and I agree with the whole don't go food shopping hungry. Bad idea lol

For a book I recommend The sweet poison quit plan. I find I have to stop altogether or once I start it just escalates over time.