Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to have expected a bit more effect from giving up sugar?

22 replies

Mangledrake · 30/07/2022 16:15

So, I gave up sugar, two months ago now. I've always eaten lots of it. Had a bit of a stressful period and was eating more - a couple of bars of chocolate, a slice of cake, a bag of sweets in one day wouldn't have been abnormal. Before that, not so bad, but would usually have at least two sweet treats a day. I liked it. Overweight by about a stone but not particularly bothered about that.

And one day I thought - okay, stop eating like this. And did. I thought I'd struggle (had before) and would have to avoid touching it again and be constantly in guard but ...

Nothing. Gave it up. Lost interest in it. Have it if I'm visiting and someone offers. Still drinking milk, eating fruit etc, but actually not much of either. Craving is gone. Pleasure is much less than when I actually eat it, but ...

All that stuff about increased energy, never feeling better etc? Haven't noticed a thing. I'm sure it's good for me to have dropped it, but all I feel is that I've lost a pleasant hobby - tea and cake / chocolate used to be great, and I'd work away happily with that - I seem less energetic now. I'm baffled by the whole thing. I'm not one of those people with Willpower, so why was this so easy? And when do I get my reward for virtue? Was it like this for anyone else?

OP posts:
Billybagpuss · 30/07/2022 16:21

I gave up 18 months ago and feel so much better and healthier, I’ve lost 4.5 stone I’m OW swimming twice a week and just did a 47 min OW mile (I’m around 40 in the pool but haven’t pool swan for ages) my bmi has just dipped to below 30 for the first time in 20 years but weight loss has slowed to between 1 and 2 lb a month which I’m fine with. For me it was always about health rather than weight loss and I can feel my shape changing even if the weight loss is slow.

do stick with it, I gave up once before and went back and it wasn’t long before the cravings were a million times worse than before.

Mangledrake · 30/07/2022 16:32

Well thank you - that's encouraging! I suppose I was expecting more drama in all directions: cravings and improvements. Probably too much social media. Glad you are doing so well :)

OP posts:
SweatyChamoisPad · 30/07/2022 16:35

That’s good to know @Billybagpuss - I’m just about to take the sugar free step. How do you fuel yourself when exercising? I’m a keen cyclist and fell walker and worried about bonking half way through.

NoodleSnow · 30/07/2022 16:36

Have you changed servings of bread/pasta/potatoes as well? I feel better when I limit the portions of those as well as cutting out sugar. If I just skip sugar, it doesn’t help as much.

Riverlee · 30/07/2022 16:37

Are you less energetic because sugar gave you a quick hit of energy? Try some slow releasing energy foods.

EhatBow · 30/07/2022 16:38

The main changes for me were noticeably better skin and fewer premesntrual mood swings. I wouldn't say I was full of energy either, although it did eliminate the post sugar slump.

Billybagpuss · 30/07/2022 16:41

SweatyChamoisPad · 30/07/2022 16:35

That’s good to know @Billybagpuss - I’m just about to take the sugar free step. How do you fuel yourself when exercising? I’m a keen cyclist and fell walker and worried about bonking half way through.

Walking, I pack a picnic and is one of the few occasions I have bread, usually a roll, water, piece of fruit sometimes carrot sticks. I’ve tried to give up crisps but they’ve crept back in but I tend to only have plain which are the only ones without sugar added.

I don’t tend to do long distance events but have wondered what I’d substitute for as jelly babies seem to be the snack of choice for long distance swims. I rarely do more than 2k so don’t really need anything so just have lunch.

ps if your stopping for a bonk I suggest champagne and strawberries but maybe it has a different meaning to my generation

Mangledrake · 30/07/2022 17:04

NoodleSnow · 30/07/2022 16:36

Have you changed servings of bread/pasta/potatoes as well? I feel better when I limit the portions of those as well as cutting out sugar. If I just skip sugar, it doesn’t help as much.

A bit - went off bread at the same time; still quite into wholemeal pasta and white rice. Used to love cauliflower rice so maybe I need to swap that back in. Got an airfryer so have maybe been eating more potatoes - couple of times a week though. Sounds like I need to treat this as a first step :)

OP posts:
Riverlee · 30/07/2022 17:24

“if your stopping for a bonk I suggest champagne and strawberries but maybe it has a different meaning to my generation”

Grin
Orangio · 30/07/2022 17:29

Me too. I gave it up for three months, no difference to anything at all. Felt no better, felt no worse. I also feel no effects if i give up caffeine. I never crave caffeine though, and never get a boost of any kind from either caffeine or sugar. Perhaps some people are just less affected by these things? Not sure if that's scientifically sound though!

EmmaH2022 · 30/07/2022 17:31

I did this for about three weeks and decided it wasn't worth continuing. To be fair, I wasn't low in energy to start but it was just ...life without sugar. Not for me.

Mymoneydontjigglejiggle · 30/07/2022 17:40

I was pretty much forced to quit sugar and low carb after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes in pregnancy. It was shit. I was very good at the diet - didn't even really crave sugar to be honest - but felt totally lacklustre and rubbish. Agreeably, the pregnancy itself may have played a large part in that! I've tried to watch my sugar and carb intake since having DS3 and while I have found losing the baby weight much easier this time, I haven't noticed any discernable difference in anything else.

lljkk · 30/07/2022 17:42

I perceive that ppl believe in magic foods. Magic bad or magic good. Sometimes food is just calories.

Sugar is bad for your teeth, heart, is empty calories. So great that you don't miss it, OP.

Mangledrake · 30/07/2022 17:51

Orangio · 30/07/2022 17:29

Me too. I gave it up for three months, no difference to anything at all. Felt no better, felt no worse. I also feel no effects if i give up caffeine. I never crave caffeine though, and never get a boost of any kind from either caffeine or sugar. Perhaps some people are just less affected by these things? Not sure if that's scientifically sound though!

Oh yes, I'm caffeine proof too! Maybe we are a people apart then. Not sure what you'd call us :)

OP posts:
NoodleSnow · 30/07/2022 18:19

I do feel much better when I don’t eat sugar, but my blood sugar is definitely wonky which is probably why. There’s also the fact that I am poor at resisting the craving once I get started, so I can easily eat either no biscuits or a whole packet of biscuits, but eating just one or two biscuits would be really difficult.

ImFuminHun · 30/07/2022 18:25

It's the same as the whole "drink 4633 litres of water a day" bullshit.

You don't need that much water, it will not make you feel like you can fly/run a marathon/give you the skin of a new born baby

You will simply be spending 40% of your day needing the toilet and planning where all the closest toilets are when you go out.

However, sugar is bad for your teeth and can cause health issues so YAB a little unreasonable but YANBU to not feel the so-called hyped up crap people yap on about.

Well done, 2 months! That's a long time.

OneCup · 30/07/2022 18:42

I don't know. I really believe in everything in moderation.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 30/07/2022 18:48

Riverlee · 30/07/2022 17:24

“if your stopping for a bonk I suggest champagne and strawberries but maybe it has a different meaning to my generation”

Grin

If done right, they both have a similar effect of your legs turning to jelly...

You could carry something that isn't only pure refined sugar for those times - perhaps something containing oats, seeds, nuts and dried fruit, so you still have some sugar for when you have completely depleted your glycogen stores and need to make it home again, but it's not quite the same speed of spike and crash?

OneCup · 30/07/2022 18:50

You won't die from the odd bit of sugar/fat/whatever. You may as well enjoy yourself!

Mangledrake · 30/07/2022 18:59

OneCup · 30/07/2022 18:50

You won't die from the odd bit of sugar/fat/whatever. You may as well enjoy yourself!

I know! I've just stopped wanting or enjoying it, but without the superpowers I expected in return. And it has been utterly weird not needing to make an effort! But I'll be thankful for any quiet benefits - thanks everyone

OP posts:
pippinsleftleg · 30/07/2022 19:23

You could have low energy because something g else is going on - get a blood test for low iron, etc.

do you exercise? That will usually increase energy

SweatyChamoisPad · 30/07/2022 19:26

Thanks for the tips on fueling - and apols for slightly hijacking the thread. Possibly I need to think low GI when exercising. Bit tough when you need to lose weight but need to exercise and it’s hard for me to try to balance it out eg I’m doing a 14 mile hike tomorrow but don’t want to spoil it with what I take in.

And “bonking” is a cycling word I guess - a bit like hitting the wall in a marathon. It’s only happened to me once, half way around Ride London and I still had 10 miles to the next feed station - not pleasant. Maybe next time I should try the champagne and strawberries version outlined above…. ☺️

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread