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 would like to share that I dreamt of eating a ginornous bowl of ice cream last night, followed up by an enormous bowl of sorbet. My relief when I realized it was only a dream was immense!

Very stressful day coming up today and lots of travel. I need to remove the excellent selection of sugary snacks from the car before I get in it shortly.

Good luck everyone, stay strong.

I hope those with poorly children and small children have had a bit of a better night? How is your DD, @FrenchFriesSurprise?

Morning all 😊 Hope your DD is feeling a little better today @FrenchFriesSurprise. Tummy bugs are so rough.

Yes I managed to avoid the iced latte and cookie at swimming yesterday, thanks! I feel like I have certain places in my weekly routine that I associate with my sugar habit and that is one of them. It's just something I do each week...DD goes swimming; I sit in the cafe with my coffee and a cookie. Need to rewire my habits and associations!

That's quite a dream @excesssugar! Good luck today and to everyone!

I can't recall who mentioned switching carbs to spelt spaghetti and whole grain rice but felt they might get pushback from family. I just wanted to mention that I made this switch about 3 years ago - my kids were about 3, 9 and 13 at the time - they didn't even notice when I made the switch. The pasta still turns quite pale when cooked and the sauce covered the colour and the texture is the same. And the rice is tastier. It was a super easy switch to make for us.

Husband brought me back a giant toblerone from his work trip. It’s just sitting on the island looking by at me 😂

Hi everyone! DD is doing better, thanks. She had a bad night (didn't sleep until 11pm and then woke a lot) but hasn't been sick/had diarrhea since yesterday night.

It's crazy how much the sugar plays on your mind, isn't it? I woke up very groggy and one of my first thoughts was how bleak a sugar free day sounds. @excesssugar sounds like it's playing on your mind too, with that dream 😂 hope your day isn't too stressful

Ok best of luck everyone! I'll check in again later.

@FabulousPharmacyst arghhh no!! Sabotage.

I've had a massive boost to the willpower via Mounjaro (and my DC's are long grown!) but am seeing some unexpected benefits through massive reduction in processed sugar/processed food and replacing it in my diet with greek yoghurt, nuts/seeds/berries/oats etc.

I moved out of the pre diabetic zone within 12 weeks and my skin in absolutely glowing! Also facial hair growth is massively reduced - better blood sugar control reduces androgen, apparently, the male hormone.

If anyone told me I'd prefer blueberries to dairy milk a few months ago I'd have thought they were mad.

Stick at it!

He’s a feeder, who comes from a long line of feeders

That's encouraging about the reduction in hair growth @CountryShepherd I also have this issue - hairy women on both sides of my family, thanks ancestors! - it seems worse lately and I assumed it was because I'm getting older. But maybe the sugar hasn't been helping. Thanks for sharing!

Can you get him to feed you nuts and berries instead @FabulousPharmacyst 😂 My grandma was very much a feeder, she prepared for us grandkids visiting by cooking stacks of cake, making lemon curd and jams. She grew up with rationing and being evacuated to a bleak-sounding farm in the Yorkshire dales, I'm sure the feeder tendancies were a reaction to that. She ended up with type 2 diabetes...

Mad how ingrained sugar and sweet treats are in our culture - I really notice it in kids' culture, like the soft play cakes, massive party bags, nursery giving out haribo. I'm guilty of using chocolate to bribe or reward my son, really must stop that!

@FrenchFriesSurprise oww. I hope your DD is better now.

Day 3 here we go !
Just made an Indian sweet for DD with Jaggey sugar and it took a lot of self control to not even taste it 😂
No headaches today but First day for Periods. Uurrgghhhhhh.... Lets hope I can make it without any sugar at the end of my periods 😐🤞🏻

Hello! How has today been for everyone?

Well done for resisting temptation despite your period arriving @Theeasypeasywoman Are you Indian/from an Indian background? Might be nice to share some recipes at some point!

I am quite headachey and tired but have made it through. Today I've had

Toast and peanut butter (need to think of some more exciting breakfasts)
Handful mixed nuts
Cucumber and carrot sticks, hummus, boiled egg, ham on a slice of rye bread, a few raspberries (at a picnic with DS and his nursery friends, this was quite a superhuman effort to prepare, rather than just grabbing a baguette and crisps and probably a pack of biscuits to "share" from Tesco on the way)
3 oatcakes with cheese and some olives
Smoked mackerel with salad and couscous

I also made a nice butternut squash, carrot and cardamom soup, again something of a superhuman effort.

I will have a 330ml can of beer this evening, as I am hot and tired and want to sit down with DP and watch some TV. That's if DD actually goes to bed before 11pm tonight 🙄 just sitting with her now. She had a normal amount of solid food at dinner so I'm hoping that means she feels better

Hope everyone else is OK!

Today has been my first full day! It’s gone well - I’m not really craving sugar as much as I thought, but I’m missing the snacks - I’ve eaten a lot
less, because I’m disorganised and hadn’t really planned enough healthy alternatives.

breakfast- too small bowl of shreddies while trying to sort 3yo and 1yo.
(skipped the usual on-the-go pastry on commute.)
snacks at work - pot of nuts, babybel, apple
lunch- egg&cress sandwich
tea- salmon, flatbread, cucumber. Then some watermelon.

i feel very hungry, I’ve just not had enough of anything. Tomorrow I need to do a proper shop and get organised. It’s also my WFH day so danger zone - cupboards/shop are accessible! These are the days I just go bust with the secret snacking so I need to dig deep and find some will power.

I’ve just about made it through another day. Had yogurt, strawberries and oats for breakfast, spaghetti and meatballs for lunch, emergency crisps for a snack (after wrangling my 3yo at the outdoor swimming pool) then actual afternoon snack of a crumpet with almond butter while the DC ate ice lollies and I managed not to snatch them off them (although it was tempting). Not sure what I’ll be having for dinner but hankering for carbs and salt rather than sugar so will take that as a win of sorts…

@FrenchFriesSurprise

Yes I am from Indian background but have been living in UK since I was very young. We mostly cook healthishh for dinner most week nights.
I strength train 4-5 times a week and have always been around 55 kgs so I have to have some protein supplement to fulfil my protein intake of the day but I have read the ingredients and It has fructose in it and not sugar.
Chat GPT gave me a long explanation on difference between sugar and fructose.

This sugar detox is mainly because of binge eating. And It actually worries me since my dad has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I also try to eat less carbs during the day and mostly eat some kind of bread for dinner.

Today I had :
breakfast: Coffee, smoothie made with banana, protein powder, apple, spinach
lunch : 2 boiled eggs, roasted cauliflower and potatoes topped with spicy yogurt
snack : few almonds and walnuts
dinner : Veg loaded rice with spicy greek yogurt
I wanted to eat something sweet after dinner but I had to put DD to bed so We brushed our teeth together which helped a lot 🤣

Oh that's interesting regarding the fructose/glucose, maybe I will ask chat gpt as well @Theeasypeasywoman I saw a thread where someone said they were asking chat gpt to design their meals for them and how they'd lost a stone already or something like that - I was thinking I might ask it for low sugar, higher protein snack ideas.

Does your smoothie keep you feeling full? I always end up starving by 10am. Your lunch sounds good, I love cauliflower!

I've also always been around 55-57kg too, it sort of gives you an excuse to keep treating your body badly if you don't gain weight quickly, doesn't it?

@Aozora13 well done for getting through another day! Is it really hot where you are? It is here, I also had the lolly envy

Well done too @Byesugar on your first day. Sorry you're feeling peckish, I guess it's better than feeling annoyed with yourself for eating loads of crap. I'm hoping that the psychological benefit of not feeling ashamed of myself (increased self esteem) will eventually outweigh the urge to stuff whole big bars of chocolate onto my mouth... Have you got some cheese and crackers or something like that you could nibble on?

Today has been a struggle I went for a swim earlier and have been fighting the tired/sugar craving ever since.
i have had breakfast granola, fruit & yogurt,
lunch crackers, cheese, tomatoes & boiled egg
snack lentil crisps/satsuma
dinner curry &rice
my kids are just eating ice cream and I’m trying to avoid looking at them! I have been so tempted for chocolate every time I’ve driven past a shop. I think I need to sleep early and ignore the cravings.

@FrenchFriesSurprise Yes I have done it. asked chat gpt for a meal plan containing no sugar, high protein, vegetarian and should be only 500 calories and It was spot on. I just did it oit of curiosity one day but Its actually good.

I usually have my coffee around 7 in the morning with whole milk and I am actually not very hungry at that time. and usually eat breakfast around 10 am. eating very early in the morning makes me sick. I then have lunch around 1 pm, snack around 4 pm and dinner around 5.45pm.

I was very skinny until the age of 24 and then I got married and started eating my happiness in form of processed food and gained about 16 kgs. Then in 2017 I decided to lose weight and started strength training and reached my goal weight in about a year. then got pregnant during covid and my body is not just the same. Even though I am not overweight, I am nowhere near I used to be and my sugar cravings actually started in 7th month of pregnancy where I ate 20-30 shortbread fingers everyday 😐

But this is where I draw the line now. Sugar and I are not going to be friends anymore !

I'm an absolute sugar FIEND and I'm loving all of these posts!
I haven't RTFT but the only thing that works for me is simply not having any in the house. Otherwise I can't think of anything else. Obvious point that I'm sure someone else has mentioned already. I think the key is to eat often, so that you never have those starving hungry moments.

@FrenchFriesSurprise
i need to stock up on those things tomorrow - I love me some cheese and crackers so that will be no hardship! I think it’s just doing this unplanned (I’ve been meaning to for a while, but your post inspired me to just go for it last night, but I haven’t shopped for anything to fill those cravings yet!)
I’m such a grazer - that’s the problem too. I just snack little and often all day long. Today I didn’t have quite enough at any of the meals (my fault being disorganised) and also had zero sweet snacks, so just feel a bit empty.
so tomorrow - try to stock up on things to bulk up meals and make them more filling. And get some healthy snacks in. I used to be good at this. It’s so bloody hard with young kids.

I've had a pretty good day, foodwise. I really craved some chocolate when I went shopping earlier, but had some dried mango and headed it off. I did have a homemade ice lolly though. It's the last one made with condensed milk. I'm going to make new ones tomorrow using double cream and strawberries.

I've had a mild headache all day though, and tonight it got really bad. Sometimes I have headaches that lead to vomiting and this has been one of those times. I'm really hoping it will be worth it. Even though I hadn't managed to fully cut out sugar yet, it must be enough of a drop for my body to feel it. Makes me think I was underestimating just how bad it was.

No headache here but I am quite proud of myself for getting through the day with no biscuit, cake, chocolate or other sugary food. Did have a pear so relieved to see so many of you having natural fruit sugars too!

I’m hitting the fruit like some sort of crazed fruit bat 🍋‍🟩 . Avoided the usual drive time packet of biscuits on the way home so quite proud there. Well done everyone. Not easy.

Right. Day 2 - getting a bit more organised. Off to Tesco now to stock up on more sensible snacks and get some filling meals in!
started the day with cup of tea and a marmite bagel. I remember reading ( last time I did this) that getting breakfast right can make the biggest difference with cravings - starting with something sweet can mean your body then expects it through the day - can’t remember where I read this but I tried to stick to it last time I went sugar free!

Hi everyone just a quick check in while I feed DD. Sounds like lots of positive progress! Sorry about the headache/vomiting @cloudengel if it's sugar "withdrawal" that's caused it...well that's quite startling I guess? 😬

My go-to is an apple cut into eighths, plus 8 very small cubes of cheese.