I'm a sugar addict. Join me getting clean

[FrenchFriesSurprise]

I have a terrible sugar habit.

Today I've eaten a packet of shortbread biscuits, a lemon cheesecake portion and a scone with jam. I have two young kids and I'm bored. I was a 'two squares of dark chocolate after dinner' kind of person before having babies, but motherhood has driven me to the Dairy Milk. In abundance. I'll get diabetes if I don't sort myself out.

I ate the biscuits in secret. I mainly eat my sugar in secret.

From Monday I'm going to cut out all high-sugar foods for 4 weeks. That's all cake, biscuits, chocolate, sweets, sweetened drinks, sweet sauces such as ketchup, stir-fry sauces etc, dried fruit. I think I'll keep berries and apples, but will avoid most fruit.

If you would like to join me, sign up here! It doesn't have to be a sugar addiction you'd like to kick - if you have any habits you're struggling with, or changes you'd like to make, feel free to join the thread and we'll work on them together 💪

How has Monday been so far?
I've done ok - no added sugar muesli with added nuts this morning, cheese and tomato sandwich, then satsumas and nuts for a snack. Chilli for dinner.
Considering popping for some 85% chocolate on the way home from work, to see if that helps...

It's not been too bad, lack of sleep and poorly baby aside. I'm not sure how much sleep I'll get tonight, since he's already woken up 5 times, since falling asleep at 7.

Food looked like:

Breakfast - crumpets
Snack - bowl of supermarket rice crispies (which I now realise have sugar in them, which feels entirely unnecessary)
Lunch - leftover homemade pizza from last night
Snack - Deliciously Ella chocolate covered almonds and then later some baked coconut
Dinner - sausage & bean casserole with pasta
Snack - more crumpets (although I am now regretting these)

I need to find something better to snack on in the evening, for the times when I can't cut it out - ie when the baby feeds for 1hr at bedtime and I am starving

I asked ChatGPT for sugar free snack suggestions. Pork rinds, yum. 😧Hummus and veg sticks I could live with.

Here are some concise sugar-free snack ideas:

Nuts & seeds – Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds

Cheese – String cheese, cheddar cubes Hard-boiled eggs

Greek yogurt (unsweetened) Cucumber or celery with hummus Avocado slices or guacamole

Olives

Jerky (no sugar added)
Pork rinds

Dark chocolate (85%+ cocoa, no sugar) Roasted chickpeas

Zucchini or kale chips

Berries (in moderation)

Coconut chips (unsweetened)
Seaweed snacks

Finally managing to reduce sugar now we are a few weeks into this. It has really helped that this week we are abroad staying with friends. So complete change of routine. Also no access to my usual corner shop snacks.

Yesterday though I had an hour to myself to wander round local town. I still found my self fixated on the idea that I had 'earned' an ice cream. All sorts of reasons - I deserve a treat - no one will judge me here - it's part ofvthe holiday fun etc. When I was younger I used to walk around visiting places and never thought once about buying sweet treats. I'm not sure what's happened to me and my this is is so lodged in my brain and fixed in my behaviour now.
Anyway, I scoffed the ice cream which was delicious, but have now felt sad for 12 hours. I slept really badly weighed myself this morning (80kg... the heaviest I've ever been) and have downloaded a calorie counting app to try and have something else to focus on.

Oh, and all my holiday clothes are too tight. Holiday host is on some kind of 70 day exercise/ diet boot camp involving running at 5am. Feeling so fed up with myself.

@excesssugar
plain nuts, jerky, pork rinds, celery and boiled eggs 😬

I'll stick to my current obsessions of roasted sweetcorn, popcorn and coconut chips. Might add the seaweed to the shopping though

@Bluebells81 I feel the same re not having felt the need to snack all the time before. I'm definitely tempted by ice cream a lot. I've been craving cake for days. I found one of those nature valley crunchy oat bars in my bag yesterday. I used to carry them around just in case. I ended up eating it while we were out and it tasted really fake. I've eaten hundreds of them over the last year!

On the topic of jerky, you really have to read the packet. My partner thoughtfully picked me up a pack when he was getting treats for him and our son. When I was eating it though it tasted really good, was 35% sugar!

I've found a really nice snack, baby plum tomatoes. Kinda crunchy and sweet, really nice when you want to sit popping things in your mouth while you watch the telly :P

I’m in the swing of this now. I did cave one day for a magnum but there’s only been occasional caves! I tend to eat light babybels, hummus &tomatoes, fruit. In the supermarket I head to the picnic section. Savoury spinach&feta parcels are my saving. I’m not missing sugar as much as I thought.

@FrenchFriesSurprise you were so kind to reply to my post a while back & I couldn’t compose a suitable reply., it never occurred to me it was something I should talk to my GP about. I went to the GP this week and she has referred me to the counselling service locally for further support. Thank you x

since then - not too bad on the sugar front. Eating more intentionally.

How are you all getting on? I'm doing ok, definitely feeling in the swing of things. Still choosing snacks with no sugar, as much as possible. I feel though, like the craving hasn't gone away yet. I thought it would by now? I still find myself thinking - ooo I'd really like a biscuit/chocolate/etc.

I have started making my own bread again, which I'm enjoying. Going to have a try at using the sourdough discard to make scones this weekend.

I've got a holiday coming up with my mum and while I'm looking forward to spending time with her as we live quite far away, but shes absolutely obsessed with sugar. There will be loads of biscuits, chocolate, cake, etc around and she will have bought me something 'for a treat' that will test my willpower.