Deep breaths, here we go Week 1 - sugar free

[clutteredup]

Welcome one and all - its 9.30 and alls well. Well I've had no breakfast so here's where it gets difficult, this is my cup of tea and biscuit time to reward myself for nightmare morning /school run. So off to make some toast instead - oh bugger, no marmalade either!
Welcome Donk and Kaloo, best of luck everyone. Will be back later to monitor progress - one day at a time...

cake/creme egg>>>>>>>>>>

But A good old vodka and diet pepsi has seen me through!!!!

No sweet stuff for 3 days now, woooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooo

OK, maybe i need to lay of the vodka too

Yeah OK

that first huge gap WAS NOT there when i typed it

Haven't had that many

Hello.

Don't mean to be a nuisance but white bread and food such as crisps are highly processed carbohydrate so only really a step up from sugar. They can affect your blood sugar in a similar way to obviously sugary foods. Best to stick to wholemeal seedy breads if possible and nuts for a snack. Berry fruits are lower in sugar than apples/citrus.

Also beware of reduced fat foods. They are often full of sugar or starch to try to make the food more like it would have been naturally.

However just cutting out sugar in tea and the obvious things will help to lose weight to a certain extent. Unless you find that cutting out wheat too helps you - many people do.

As Or says the white and processed foods aren't too good either. You probably wouldn't do too tell cutting out sugar but replacing with crisps and buns from the baker.

What interested me is I gave up the sugar which is going fine so far but I've been using fruit instead (or abusing fruit). It definitely makes me feel better than sucrose but it's still me eating fructose or whatever - a kind of half way house. I probably need to limit even the fruit.

You can't "give up" sugar. We all need sugar to give us energy to get through the day. But it should be "slow sugar" not "fast sugar"" so that you avoid the highs and lows and get a steady, constant supply throughout the day. Eat a handful of a starchy food (cereal, rice, pasta) at every meal, mixed in with some protein, vegetables and/or fruit and you won't crave sugar.

anna, i don't think the idea is to give up all sugar, just the obvious sugar filled rubbish like cakes/biscuits/chocolate/fizzy drinks etc etc, and sugar in tea/coffee.

I do agree it would be virtually impossible to give up sugar and we all know you NEED fruit in your diet

Thanks ormirian/xenia/anna for the advice, certainly some things you say that i didn't know, but then that's why I carry excess weight

That's just being a bit pedantic Anna. It's refined sugars, sucrose they mean. Even milk has its own form of sugar.

Not remotely pedantic, just nutritional common sense . People put on weight by not knowing the basics of nutrition and doing loopy things like "giving up sugar".

Give us a better short understandable catch phrase then? We could have done giving up sucrose I think? Would that do?

If I was going to "give up" anything, it would be anything containing refined sugar - so, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, fizzy drinks, sugar in coffee and tea etc.

Though I believe you need to allow yourself some little treats always . I don't believe in self-flagellation - it always backfires in the end and is the root cause of many a long-term eating disorder.

well I am here hanging my head but I have ill children - upset stomachs so you can guess what most of my time has ben spend doing (and doing it 12 times in a night!)

So I have not been cooking and sadly resorted to a biscuit or two when I wasn't feeling hideously sick and needed something to get going.

Lame excuse but will be back on the band wagon when all healthy again.

Poor you BBBe, sick children and broken nights, you deserve - no NEED - or 3 or 4 - to keep you going. Hope your DCget better soon and you get some sleep. Come back when you're ready, we understand.
Earlybird, parties are a nightmare aren't thet- I oftern end up eating the cake as it's not good for my DC!!!!! Sounds like you're going well though - keep up the good work.
You're right Orm andXenia carbs are essentially sugar in another form. I am trying not to replace my chocolate and swet fetish with buns and croissants as it would only perpetuate my problems. They do create the same kind of craving. fruit doesn't have the same effect on me, it doesn't satisfy my sugar cravings, therfore no need to cut it out as far as I'm concerned.
Hi Anna, we're not trting to do a loopy diet just trying to cut out crappy sugar filled chocs, sweets, biscuits etc. I'm not trying to do it to lose weight as much as fight a growing addiction which makes me sluggish, irritable, and wondering where my next bar of chocolate is coming from. It's more a freeing from tyrranyrather than diet. your're right about the right ways to lose weight, this isn't one. In my first thread i sort of explained it, but you're right the thread title isn't exactly clear, I'll clarify it next week when we're on to 7 days and counting.....
Mylastrolo - you're not getting away that easily - you can climb back on the wagon, and no more talk of delicious things please!! Give yourself another chance, you know you can.

poor you bbbeee get well soon. well done to everyone impressed and anyway, have bought loads of party crap for d/d 4th birthday on sunday. some healthy stuff too cheese strawberries cucumber carrots cherry toms etc.... but lots of goodies too won't mention them now see i am learning.

been good so far but haven't really got into the mindset yet. but will linger if you don't mind and really apply myself after party lol and goodluck.

Fruit has a similar effect on me but not as bad. I had to buy cherries when I was out. I'm not hungry but I just needed an afternoon sweet thing.

done 2 days and only forgot once and put sugar in a coffee. so far so good.

well done burek - -it'll get easier as the habit develops.
kept it up today in spite of school cake fair today - usually but same for me as for dc - ptaa bit dowm on funds but at least I can feel better in spite of constant temptation -[smug smiley]
anyone else feeling grumpy and sluggish? i first felt exilerated [sp?] and 'released' but now i just feel like i can't be arsed to do anything, apart from to eat chocolate -NO NO I WON'T GIVE IN. Can't wait till withdrawal symptoms go, DH back tonight and house a pigsty as per usual
How's the packing going Earlybird?

Did very well today, but that was probably due to the fact that I was out/about.

There are 3 pieces of cake that I can smell (all the way from here) in the kitchen, along with a big biscuit and a chocolate iced cupcake with smarties on top. If it was up to me, I'd throw them all away rather than risk temptation...but they belong to dd, so that wouldn't be fair. My fingers were covered with icing as I put the goodies on a plate for dd to keep for later, but I washed my hands immediately. I sound like an addict don't I?

This weekend will be very tricky because I will be home most of the time packing. It will be boring, strenuous, and emotional....all past triggers for indulging.

Eddas a word of apology for not congratulating you on Thurs - < big pat on back>
Happy weekend everyone - how are we doing?
I am suffering major withdrawal symptons along with PMT right now so DH has taken DS and DD1 to but garden shears rather than be around me at the moment
Yesterday was hard, took DC to a farm park and had lunch and icecreams and fudge - normally it would be one for them 3 for me but I managed to stick to it and just watch, even when DH tucked in too when we got home [triumphant smiley]Especially hard at the tea counter when DS looked at an enormous iced bun and asked to have it, told him no - when he asked why I didn't quite have the heart to admit the only reason why was because it was far too big for him alone and I CAN'T EAT IT Not really a wonder I'm in such a foul mood now - i kepp telling myself it will get better, I b**y well hope so, or i'm off to the sweet shop soon.

yay! done another two days!
had some cherry squash today though because it was soooo hot. Homemade though - does the organic goodness neutralise the sugar or am I just kidding myself? It was only one glass.

Well I stuck to the sugar free thing until Sat. Fell off wagon a little then the wagon totally ran me over on sunday But back on it again today. Had a christening on sunday so seemed rude not to eat all the lovely food my friend had prepared

But i did start on monday so did 5 days sugar free

Right, here's to a sugar free week(i'm gonna try doing it a week at a time and see how I go)

Well done burek and Eddas, keep up the good work. The odd lapse is allowed, we're not being extremist here, just trying to improve our lives
I had a greta day yesterday and felt on top of the world, DD2 slept 8 hours, 7 of which so did I. felt great and eassy to resist sugar. Much harder today as she woke twice again and didn't have time for breakfast as morning was horrendous. living off toast and marmite at the moment
Mind you I don't feel quite so wound up and grimpy and I didn't shout at the DC yeaterday - quite a feat for me I assure you, they're at eachother's throats the whole time, lack of attention I'm sure again. I waiting for the burst of energy though. Perhaps I shoukld reduce the toast thing. Sleepwould probably help thoguh !!!

Have only skimmed, but you can get fruit-sweetened marmalade/fruit spread (jam) - in health food shops. They are very nice. Also try health food shops for peanut butter that only contains peanuts.

I am trying to cut down on sugar, but would rather have sugar than artificial sweeteners. My biggest challenge is baking, although I generally use half the sugar stated in recipes.

ooh - didn't see this thread before. I'm cutting out refined sugars and carbs as I really struggle with them. I get huge cravings and mood swings and after time I start to get really depressed. I am on day two and so far so good.
It is hardest not having wine with dinner !
I am not too worried about losing weight it is for my mental wellbeing really. Previous experince has taught me that i do best when I cut these refined sugars out.
Bummer isn't it

I'm trying to lose weight too though so that's why i'm being hard on myself. Had my baby 3 months ago and have lost 8lbs since. Not too bad as obviously I didn't start straight away

ds (the 3 month old) slept for 14 hours yesterday, think the jabs knocked him out

welcome pagwatch, i'm not giving up alcohol too, i need some home comforts
do join us looks like you're doing well already
the weight thing i'm hoping will happen a bit just by improving my diet, -well marginally - i know ther's a lot more i can do for weight reduction but the sugar thing was getting to me. i haven't cut it out totally, just cakes, sweets, biscuits, chocolate....anything nice
good for you eddas - i need to put in a bit more effort dd2 6mo yesterday and i'm just below where i was at 3 mo pg - i put on a lot of weight v quickly