To ask if cutting out sugar really makes a difference?

[Tobythecat]

I eat way too much sugar and lack energy/feel tired a lot, mood swings and sugar crashes. Bloods are always normal so i think my diet is the issue.

If i cut out all sugar, will i honestly notice much of a difference in my overall health? What, if any benefits did you notice after cutting out sugar and how long until you noticed the effects?

If you are sensitive to carbs does that mean you would loose weight on a low carb diet or the opposite?

Sorry, lose. Half asleep.

Bridgetreilly thank you your post was really helpful

Yes I think I need to get some medical advice as you say fat seems to be a key in this sort of eating philosophy and fat is really quite dodgy for me.

Thanks for the breakdown of daily eating, very useful

Why cut it out? Why not cut down and eat healthily overall? Much more mentally healthy than drastic elimination diets, and much more sustainable in the long term.

I don’t eat much sugar. And yes it does make a difference if you get blood sugar crashes. Snacking on crackers and hummus or nuts and dried fruit rather than sugary things helps.

But I’m not neurotic about it, if I go out for a meal I’ll have a pudding if I fancy one. But the less sugar you eat the less you want it.

I don't believe in these extreme diets, cutting out sugar/carbs etc completely. Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit/veg and protein. Regular exercise.

If you look at the post war diet, it had plenty of sugar in it, yet people were healthy because they walked everywhere.

I didn't need to cut out carbs, or even completely cut out sugar. But I did massively reduce it. Felt better. Got rid of those horrible, shakey, cravings for sugar. That was the best benefit. Just got rid of the addicted craving (was hard though to go through that) and now feel in tune with my appetite and comfortable around food. No more sugar crashes either, which is great.

I dropped (not cut entirely) my carbs in June and lost weight slowly but steadily - about 18lbs - by mid-November.

I wanted to do something that I could sustain and to be honest, never eating any carbs just didn't sound sustainable long-term. I really have educated myself to have less carb, however.

Why not exercise moderation with it comes to food and life? The all or nothing approach is a very unhealthy way to live.

I don't believe in these extreme diets

Eating low sugar isn’t an extreme diet, it’s not a diet at all.

I’m not on any kind of diet, and have no need to lose weight - I’m just mindful of how much sugar there is in diets generally these days - far more than when I was a child in the 70s. And there’s no need for it.

I cut out sugar a year ago, I had become quite addicted to the stuff - my weight has stabilised so I no longer need to monitor what I eat. I'll now eat the odd pudding when I'm out (maybe 3 pudding in 6 months) but generally it has broke the addiction and I'm much happier being in control again.

@NameChanger22

My understanding is that if you experience "insulin resistance" then a low carb diet will work best for you. Insulin resistance can often be the first step on the road to type 2.

@Gettingbackonmyfeet

First step would be cutting out all foods with added sugars. So that's fizzy drinks, sugar in tea or coffee, cereals with sugar (e.g. Crunchy Nut), cakes, doughnuts, sweets, ice cream, etc.

Next step would be decreasing your carb intake from food made with flour. So any kind of pastry, bread, and most pasta. Some of these can be swapped out - it's better to have wholemeal bread than white if you can't give it up completely. I have Ryvita Thins which have less carbs again and I don't eat sandwiches any more.

You would then want to plan your meals to focus on healthy proteins, with the best being chicken and fish. I make a lot of chicken stirfry - one chicken breast plus peppers, onions, mushrooms, baby corn, mangetout, broccoli, and whatever flavourings such as soy sauce, garlic and ginger. I make a low carb moussaka with aubergine instead of potato. I regularly make butternut squash soup. I make a sort of pizza using a wholemeal tortilla as the base and add tomato base, mozzarella and veggies (I've also used sliced aubergine as the base.)

I eat a huge amount of salad, which can go with more or less any protein.

I'm not overly fond of eggs but I do throw an omelette together every now and then.

Do you know what amount of fat you can eat daily without affecting your health? Until I got to know my tolerances I used MyFitnessPal to track my intake. It's very helpful.

You won't know until You try.
Probably would help your teeth A Lot.

I have a very sweet tooth but decided earlier this year to cut out as much sugar as I could, starting with my tea. I used to have 2 sugars but gradually cut down to zero. I still don't like tea without sugar, but I drink it, and have noticed that I don't crave sweet things as much. People have also been telling me that I've lost weight, when I hadn't even been trying.

@NotTheFordType
Thank you that is really really helpful , I had a stroke last year , have PCOS and a family history of AF as well as some brutal repercussions from ds2 birth and the advice after the stroke and followed through with GP just said low fat diet , they weren't overly specific to be honest, but quite a lot of "you won't make it to 40 if you don't do low fat "....its confused me as I was low carb and running 6 times a week before the stroke and a healthy weight so kind of took them at their word as I was a bit discombobukated

That breakdown is great , I do use mfp but if I'm honest I tend to focus on calories and need to look a bit more at the fat v proteins breakdown

It sounds silly but having a few suggestions of where to start really helps ,I was really healthy before the stroke and it threw me so I kind of have started doubting what I know ...so time to start baby steps

Thanks agaib

You really don't need to cut all carbs! If you're too strict it's too easy to fail..

I gave up refined sugar and processed food in 2016 for 10 months. I still ate tons and tons of fruit, tons of carbs (pasta, rice, pots) and swopped all low fat foods to regular versions. I lost over two stones and two dress sizes without any extra exercise. It felt so easy. After two or three weeks I didn't even miss sugar. I was much less tired (and I'm a long haul stewardess), less moody and seemed to have less peri menopause issues.

Unfortunately last year was full of big dramas and family members being rushed in and out of hospital, and I fell back into the sugar trap and comfort eating. I'm planning to start it again in January.

This is a very interesting thread. I am going to attempt to go sugar-free in January. For a month to start with and then see how I feel.
I won't be cutting out fruit, or naturally occurring sugars completely, but I hope to achieve a better balance by cutting out processed foods as much as possible and making my diet generally more whole-food and plant-based.
Good luck to everyone else giving it a go!

I tried low carbing a few times - the first time I did it, it was great and I lost 1.5 stone in weight but had no noticeable extra energy.

Next time I found it harder to stick to, lost a few lbs but still no extra energy.

Last time I tried it, got stuck after a 7lb loss no matter how hard I tried - and the rebound weight gain was fast and unpleasant.
Still no extra energy.

So it doesn't work for me but I know it does for some people.

I think if you have an over dependence on sugar, you need to be careful with fruit - it's easy to replace refined sugar with unrefined and you will struggle to move away from the dependence - I know lots of people spend time making puddings with dried fruit, honey and bananas kidding themselves that they are sugar free. Only you will know if you are doing that.

I eat almost no sugar as I don't have a sweet tooth. Never have a pudding in a restaurant, would rather have a starter. Never eat chocolate, cake, biscuits, fruit yogurt, honey, jam, syrup, sugar in tea or coffee, breakfast cereal. I just don't like sweet food, can't even stand fruit in savoury dishes.

I'm still 2.5 stone overweight .

Cutting out sugar has been a game changer for me—I lost four stone in six months, my energy levels are stable throughout the day, my skin has improved, I’m less bloated. I know that some people are more sensitive to carbs and sugar than others but quitting these has worked for me. I think it’s worth a try for anyone as long as you’re aware that results may vary!

No, it won't. Sugar does affect diabetics, but for the rest of us it's just the latest hate object for fussy feeders. And we all know how reassured eating phobics are by a food fad - they love it more than cake.

No sugar = none of the sugar calories it contains. But sugar isn't that fattening, so no chance of losing weight.

It's the fat in sugar products (eg the fat in the sponge and icing of a cake) that makes people think treat stuff is the road to ruin.

Look at the Patrick Holdford diet. He advocates cutting out all refined sugars and eating the good quality, slow release carbs along with plenty of vegetables, lean protein and full fat dairy.

I gave up refined carbs and ever since I find I get palpitations if I eat sugar. My body simply isn’t used to it. However, Christmas has happened and I’ve fallen off the wagon. I can’t wait to get back on track on January 2nd.

The huge slice of chocolate cake I had when I finished a 25 mile walk recently was bliss. It's a question of balance. If I'd sat around on my backside all day I wouldn't eat cake.

Yes, makes a massive difference. I decided to try low sugar for my skin, and lost a stone without trying, had better skin after 2 weeks, slept better and had increased energy levels. I now crave sugar less so can easily drink my tea, porridge etc without sugar.