Has anyone successfully cut down sugar after a spell of eating ALOT?

[BrownWoodenChair]

Help. Ive had some events recently and eaten alot of rubbish and now I cant stop eating sugar! Has anyone drastically reduced sugar?

I have stopped entirely from almost certainly being addicted. I started doing the Michael Mosley Fast 800 diet and feel better than I have in years. I am finishing week three and the craving and impulse to reach for sugar for a quick fix almost constantly, have passed.

This is the book (image not link) - I have also lost 11 pounds.

Yes - on and off but it’s great when I quit sugar entirely and much easier than cutting down. My book recondition is The Sweet Poison Quit Plan’ by David Gillespie.

Yes but it only works if I quit. I only seem to be able to that when it gets so bad that I’m disgusted with myself and then I can stick to stopping. After a few days it gets easier as my body isn’t used to getting it and doesn’t crave it as much. I’m in one of those periods now and feel so much better.

I also drink protein shakes mid afternoon as soon as the cravings for the sweet cupboard at work start to get noisy.

As above, quitting entirely is sometimes easier than reducing. If you want a good read on the subject try 'The Case Against Sugar' by Gary Taubes.
I can't stand artificial sweeteners, but I know that some people use sugar free jelly to help transition to lower sugar diet.

Yes - I just cut it out and only have something sugary as a treat on a Sunday now. Lost 2 stone in 6 months without changing anything else!

I would say I do this after every Christmas, but some Christmases I avoid having too many treats just so that I don't have to manage getting over the craving. I always just go cold turkey. I have the confidence because I do it near annually, and I'm sure that confidence helps, but I usually feel better once I'm 4 to 7 days in.

Have a read of the Fast 800 by Michael Moseley. Really enlightening and it works! Good luck!

I find cold turkey is best. If I eat more salads, protein and fibre then I don’t get the sugar cravings and crash.

Yes, me! I made a pretty drastic change a couple of years ago and now I barely ever have any processed sugar. I will now have dates stuffed with a slice of cold salted butter and consider that a sweet treat..... which would have seemed crazy as I was someone that used to eat chocolate biscuits for breakfast!

I feel much, much better for it and if I have too much sugar now I feel dreadful the next day ... almost like I'm hungover. I agree with PPs that it's almost easier to completely cut it out. I genuinely don't crave it anymore.

So what counts as sugar? Obviously cakes. Biscuits etc. Alcohol? Bread,?

My rule is 5% refined fructose. So no to ketchup, honey (refined by the bees) and orange juice. Yes to milk, plain yoghurt, fruit and vegetables, bread and red wine. Sourdough is better than supermarket bread, bagels worst. Raspberries and blueberries are better than bananas, grapes and apples.

I eat carbs, but aim for wholemeal- you need energy and if you cut out carbs then that’s a whole different thread on keto diets!

I have found the only way I can do it is to not have it in the house- so I just don’t buy it now as I have no will power if it’s there! So no chocolate, cakes, sweeties or biscuits.

I also have had to consider why my thoughts are hung up on ‘treats’ and why I’m actually craving it. I started doing more exercise a few months ago and that helped as well with a generally healthier mindset and possibly feeling good from the endorphins so not needing a sugar fix as much.

I think once you’re off sugar for a while it doesn’t hold the same power over my cravings anymore, I don’t really think about it much now. Distraction is a good thing when you do get cravings though. I do have some alternatives such as in the evening I have a cacao hot chocolate which is quite bitter but have gotten used to it and feels like a little indulgence.

edited to add limit alcohol to! So much sugar in most!

When I cut sugar out completely with ChatGPT as my diet coach the first week was no sugar no carbs no starchy veg - so literally meat and leafy veg for the most part.

I actually couldn’t function on that though so introduced plain porridge and milk back in as one meal a day as I’m not sure I would’ve survived (I was having hot sweats and too weak to stand for any period of time).

After 4 days of that, I brought carbs back in and focussed on high fat foods (I allowed myself lactose). I did that for a week, then I allowed anything with natural sugars (eg fruits) for a week, then I reintroduced things with sweeteners and after month started having refined sugars again.

It didn’t change my diet radically though, I do drink less sugars now but 2 months later I’m back to sugar cravings after meals - but that’s probably because I haven’t changed my underlying eating habits that were causing the cravings in the first place. But it has reset my taste buds to some extent to overly sweet things (I can drink tea with no sugar now whereas I used to have it with 3 or found it disgusting).

Often go off sugar - I have my own list of things I struggle with. I have limited to going off chocolate in the past because I was completely obsessed but now I don't really like chocolate. Sometimes all sugary things except when I am eating out. Sometimes it extends to fruit too - anything sweet! Not usually alcohol though. I think it just depends on what gives you back control over what you eat.

Is it all sugar or just crappy/processed stuff?

Id start by taking fruit with you to work /having it available at home. Still sugar but not crap, and you’ll get your fibre and vitamins from
it. Cherries are cheaper right now as they are in season.

The “all or nothing” approach of just cutting out all sugar and carbs works for some people, I’m not one of them, I’m much better at redirecting my sweet tooth towards fruit, loading up my plate with mainly protein and veg but still having some bread /pasta /rice, just not as much.

Just stop……you will most likely have headaches, cravings and sweats etc. soooooooooo worth it though. Good luck x

I think you need to figure it out yourself. What can you reasonably control (I mean what make you eat uncontrollably) I work better with all or nothing. I don't eat biscuits as a rule - because I'm rather fussy about the quality, same with cakes. We're all different.

I read once that it takes theee days or so for the body to adjust from the carb or sugar highs. So give it at least that time with no sugars.

Sugar is a carb. The simplest one with the highest GI. So stick to complex carbs with lower GI. If you can manage three days zero carbs that would be an amazing start. You can eat all the meat and cheese and cream if you’re struggling so you definitely don’t need to be hungry even if you’re craving sugar.

Is ALOT a type of sugar?I've thought about doing this before but haven't really known where to start

I find if I do a 36 hour fast, only drinking water, tea and coffee, the desire for sugary things has gone.
Do get a headache with sugar withdrawal though……

I just stopped sugary treats, bread, potatoes, pasta etc overnight - except for the odd exception like a birthday or a meal out. I didn’t have any of these issues that PPs are describing. It was making the decision that was the hard part. I had been through a lot of trauma and was comfort eating. That was October 2024. I have lost 6 stone since then and I don’t exercise (chronic illness). If you do exercise you’ll need a few more carbs than me.