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 💪

I'm totally addicted to sugar also. I don't eat enough and fill up on sweets and coca cola.

Yesterday for breakfast/lunch I had a Mr Kipling's chocolate cake bar, an ice cream and half a beuno. The last week I've eaten a whole bag of nerds clusters. I've got a carrot cake in the fridge and I'm legit thinking of how many meals I can get away with replacing it with?!

I really hope to try and cut down. After a couple days even fruit seems really sweet. So it so obvious how unhealthy it is. I hope we all manage to reduce it! Xx

Hi all, great thread. Always been a sugar addict, with the secret 'just for me' evening chocolate stash. Followed Michael Mosely books and managed to ditch the habbit, lost loads of weight and felt fab. However, fell of wagon, so getting back on! Lots of good fats and protein worked for me. Also a 'nice' sparkling water with lemon/lime, playing my fave online games worked ok for the 'me' time. Mosely also has delicious little date-based snacks that you keep in the freezer and have if necessary, but only right after a meal (avoids spikes). I think the main thing to tell yourself is it's amazing how the craving disappears, doesn't take long. Body happy. You're happy!

OP I could have written your post word for word. You’ve inspired me! Joining in here. I did do this once before (several years ago, before having kids) and it was the first week or so that was worst. It was absolutely fine once the cravings died down! I just really need some motivation this time.

Its dreadful 4 pm snack time and I am craving something. I am on Day 2. I checked all of our snacks labels and almost everything has added sugar in it. Even Ritz salty crackers! Came here to distract myself as I know I am not hungry, its just my brain that wants something sweet.

All going ok for me today - no slip-ups! I've been super busy though so not really had time to think about it. I think when I sit down and stop, that will be the challenge as I probably haven't drunk enough either 😬 I'm at my DD's swimming lesson at the moment and this is my classic time of popping to the cafe and getting an iced latte and a cookie. Sitting on my hands and relying on MN and online puzzles to help me resist the pull!

Day 1 for me, going ok, had a sensible lunch, with only two bourbon biscuits as my treats. I’m ok with ‘utility’ biscuits, it’s the good stuff I binge on.

Not going to the shops is a key thing, trying to get ahead of that. My husband can go to the shops and buy exactly what is on the list, I don’t think I have ever managed that once in my life! Car snacking all the way 😬

@Shortbreadstarthis may help you. 4 years ago I was the same size 8 and 8 and a half stones I have always been and am now. I had a health check at 40 and was almost prediabetic. Like you my addiction was sugar and I would also eat it in secret like OP when I felt tired or stressed. I am one of those people who don’t put on weight. This was my wake up call as like you I thought I was healthy as I wasn’t overweight. Now I have cut down massively, I probably have 1-2 desserts or sweet treats a week but don’t binge at all like I used to. And I am much healthier and also feel better and more ‘level’.

This frightens me too, everytime I reach for the chocolate I think of this and stop.

I don’t think I can cut it out completely so I’m starting with baby steps and reducing it, like in tea, half a choc instead of the whole pack etc xx

Urgh, the breastfeeding hunger is real, but I think I did ok today. Definitely can't get away with cutting snacks, but trying to replace them with things with fewer/better ingredients, or things I've made myself.

Meals today looked like:
Breakfast: mushrooms, fried egg and sourdough, small glass of orange juice (which I take with my iron tablet and other vitamins), coffee (no sugar)
Snack: Deliciously Ella chocolate coated almonds (have unprocessed coconut sugar, I think. My friend who has had to give up refined sugar for health reasons says these are ok)
Lunch: Ham, lettuce and cucumber sandwich on sourdough bread, water
Snack: iced latte, portion of sea salt flavour love corn
Dinner: Tofu curry, stir fried green beans, rice, latte

I'm hoping now not to snack until bedtime, but I definitely find it hard not to. I tried to fill up on green beans, which will hopefully keep me fuller for longer.

@FrenchFriesSurprise The baby is 10 months, and while he definitely triggered the breastfeeding hunger, the sugar was definitely an issue before having kids (he's my third). I think I was skinny-fat before having kids. Having kids just made me fat-fat 😬

Or peanut or almond butter to dip it in is lovely

I have just hovered over the sweet snacks at work and went for a packet of savoury pretzels instead.

End of my Day 2 no sugar and Things I have noticed in last two days are :

1. pounding headaches
2. so many toilet visits ( I think my body is losing all the retained water caused by sugar)
3. headache started last evening and carried on until today afternoon. Went away on its own and I feel much better

This thread is helping a lot to stay motivated.

End of day two for me. I'm also focusing on cutting out the very high sugar things - chocolate, biscuits etc rather than think about white rice etc.

Breakfast was Greek yogurt with oats and seeds
Morning snack: apple and nuts
Lunch: houmous and grated carrot sandwich with a big leafy salad with tomato and beetroot
Afternoon snack: couple of clementines
Dinner: egg fried rice and lasagna (don't ask! A Frankendinner of leftovers!)

Was then desperately wanting something sweet, so had some fruit yogurt - checked the ingredients first and it wasn't one of the very bad ones, less than 1% sugar.
So I've failed in the strict sense, as I've had added sugar there - but compared to a typical pre-thread day, this is amazing.

A lot of success on the thread - well done everyone, and good luck to those about to start!

Heavens what a long day. Poor DD is wiped out from the tummy bug and has just fed to sleep. I made it through.

@JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome I reckon a small cupcake on your daughter's birthday is fine. Especially as you're doing so well in general! How's today been?

@BlueberryFlapjack welcome! cold sparkling water is helping me, definitely a good idea to have a few alternative treats to rely on. I don't know about you, but I think going to the shop and getting myself a little treat is part of the addiction - maybe I can replace chocolate etc with other stuff that's good for me, and also feels a bit luxurious. I tried switching to dark chocolate at one point...but still ate entire bars in one go.

@Outofthemoonlight thanks, it's helping hearing from you and a few other posters how much better you feel once you've made the change (and maintained it).

Hello @Theeasypeasywoman well done on your hopefully 3 days now. How's your headache?

Breakfast - slice of toast (home made brown bread) with peanut butter, greek yogurt and blueberries
Snack - handful of nuts
Lunch - carrot and cucumber sticks, hummus, boiled egg, slice of rye bread with avocado. Stole one of DSs grapes from his plate 😂
Dinner - it was an emergency pizza dinner because of DD being sick, but I had a large portion of salad and less pizza than usual.

Usually I'd also have had some biscuits/a pastry/a scone and about 100g of chocolate.

Regarding veggie protein, my DP has started making tempeh, it's really nice. I'm not veggie but DP is so we generally eat veggie meals at home.

That's a good link @LivingDeadGirlUK We should have goals that work for us, so that we can look after our bodies long term. Personally I think the real struggle is with crazy portions of processed sugar, choosing a piece of fruit over this is a huge improvement.

@Steelworks I like cheese! I could get onboard with cheese alongside all my snacks 😃

@DiscoBob will you try to focus on making meals, do you think?

Welcome @DowntheTown hope you've had a good day! So hard to stay on the wagon, isn't it!

@CointreauQuaint utility biscuits 😂 yeah bourbons are certainly that. Well done. Well done too @cloudengel and @CoffeeChocolateWine assuming you managed to avoid that swimming lesson latte, I hope Mumsnet pulled you through! (I also have a Mumsnet addition but I'm hoping it's not harmful to my health).

@cloudengel ahh 10m is such a cute age ☺️ DD is definitely starting to taper off the BF a bit now, which is when my weight began to creep up with DS. Another reason to change my eating habits now.

Oh hell DD just woke up again. Argh this tummy bug!

I really really want some chocolate now. I need to get on the computer and do some jobs, and I would normally have a coffee and chocolate to help at this point.

Oh sorry @Theeasypeasywoman it took me so long to write that, that I cross posted with you - glad the headache is gone and you're hanging in there!

That sounds like a great achievement @FrenchFriesSurprise, especially with a tummy bug in the house! I hope DD is much better soon!

Thanks @excesssugar how are your chocolate cravings going? Hope they've died down now. I had a weird thing when I was biting into my 2nd forkful of salad, of automatically and really clearly visualising the big bar of dairy milk that I was going to have after dinner. Then I remembered I wasn't.

@FrenchFriesSurprise I have done ok in the main. Small bit of cake but otherwise been good. Trying g not to beat myself up too much.

@FrenchFriesSurprise I hope your DD feels better soon x

I hope your DD feels better soon @FrenchFriesSurprise

I definitely need to focus on cooking, as I do love it.. had loads more of those terrible sweets earlier 🙁

Tonight I had salmon with potatoes and salad. Not had anything sweet for afters and trying to stay strong for the rest of the evening!

I gave a slice of my carrot cake to someone else but haven't had a bite of it yet! I might try and give all of it away.

Here's to tomorrow being sugar free! Xx

Ooooh which one? I have a forty a day Haribo habit.

@FrenchFriesSurprise sorry for the late reply. Just catching up here.

To answer your question, I decided to give up alcohol as I was drinking far too frequently and it had become almost a daily habit. It was having a really negative effect on me particularly on general mood, and I was worries about my health. Had a few brief stints over last couple of years of being dry but decided I needed to go for a dry 2025 - and probably forever! I miss it sometimes although I don't miss all the negative effects. Just wish I could moderate.

I'm defo filling in the 'gap' with sweet stuff ao interested in hearing other people's experiences and strategies.