Low/No Sugar

[Schweetheart]

So it seems a few people are keen to try this. I am for sure. But I know very little about how to achieve it.

DD1 (3yo) has got obsessed with chocolate over the festive period and DD2 (5mths) will be weaning soon so I'm keen to get in a healthier place for them - as well as for my own good too. I could do with losing 20lbs plus my skin is dire, as are my moods and energy levels. I'm breastfeeding DD2 so find I get very hungry very quickly and am all too quick to reach for chocolate/cake/sweets/biscuits.

Not sure I could be a purist and go as far as cutting out potatoes or rice etc but I need to do something.

I could really do with a list of low/no sugar foods and meal ideas on which to base meal plans and to have a decent list of healthy-ish snacks to keep me going in between meals.

Anyone care to join/help?

All going well here. Not.

2 x mince pies
6 x party rings
1/2 a French stick
3 x Christmas biscuits we forgot we still had.

Worst of it is that DH doesn't know about the party rings - I hid in the kitchen and scoffed them.

I'm DEFFO a sugar addict

DP has gone away for two weeks. I spent yesterday writing an essay and emptying the cupboards and fridge of stuff I don't want around me for the next two weeks. I achieved this by eating most of it! Due to essay writing I d aren't fit in going to the gym (it's due in tomorrow) but I have just been to Tesco and stocked up on healthy Dairy - free foods. I'm looking forward to two weeks of healthy no sugar eating with real food.

Any suggestions welcome on what to replace my morning cuppa with. I only have 1 tea a day but it's with 2 (large) sugars. The shame. Has anyone gone cold turkey or should I try and reduce it a bit at a time?
Not a coffee drinker, love my hot choc (obvs). Could try switching to mint tea but it's not the same as a strong sugary brew!
Really love sugar. Thinking about DD's Smarties that we keep for potty training rewards....

cake I stopped drinking normal tea about 15 years ago and couldn't go back to it now. I drink peppermint all the time, and Twinings Buttermint is nice too. I've converted DP to it as well and even carry my own for those times when a restaurant or cafe doesn't have any. Give it a try!

Feck sake.... Was doing really well until I had an attack of weetos cravings. I'm 6 months pregnant so trying to not be too hard on myself!

Thanks postman I'll give the Buttermint a try! Sounds lovely! This morning have had ice cold water with loads of lemon squeezed in - was lovely and hopefully will keep me away from Cherry Coke.
Avoided cereal for brekkie as I would have sprinkled loads of sugar on it. Eggs and toast instead, without my usual sugary cuppa. Have got the beginnings of a headache so will keep on with the water and hope it passes.
Ooh, also have thrown out leftover Christmas biscuits and some cherry scones that I bought yday. Nearly cried throwing out the M&S cranberry Jaffa cakes, but hey ho, it's all or nothing in our house.

How is everyone getting on today with low / no sugar?

Awful. Just awful.

I think it doesn't help that I don't feel that new years resolutions don't start until the Monday following New Years so I've been really sneaky!

Today is the first full week of the new year and I'm feeling strong and determined to eat as many sainsburys chocolate orange cookies as humanly possible

Shall we post recipe ideas and tips that were finding are working for us?

Hope everyone is feeling more positive today!

I do an accountancy course on a Monday and usually rely on sugary foods to keep me picked up.

Today I've have weetabix for breakfast and a goats cheese salad and cheese n onion quiche for dinner.

I haven't thrown away any food from the house because I need to teach myself not to go crazy and scoff everything in sight. Doesn't help that the mil has brought some mini dime bars back from the ferries!

Also going to start doing 5:2 and tomorrow is my first fast day...May have bitten off more than I can chew....no pun intended!

Not a full quicee, just a slice ha

Letmeeatcake - don't beat yourself up. It's only food.

I'm on day 1 and have decided to take it 1 meal, snack and drink at a time. No long term goals (they overwhelm me), just less sugar in my gob, 1 day at a time.

No specific recipes really - I'm
Veggie and have had:
B - boiled eggs, buttered granary toast
L - picky plate of salad bits / cheese / bread with DD
D - will be roast dinner with cauli cheese instead of meat

Had a hot choc at play cafe this morning, enjoyed it but could happily have had herbal tea or summat. Just habit I guess.

Definitely not pressuring myself into dieting as well - the no sugar thing is a huge deal for me and I can't do both right now!

Have been quite good so far today! I went food shopping and managed to get a very healthy sugar free trolley. Even managed to avoid the sainsburys chocolate orange cookies by going to waitrose instead through sheer willpower and determination

breakfast today was 3 scrambled eggs on a slice of cheese + 2 cherry tomatoes.
Snack of some nuts
lunch, 2 soya burgers, half tin of baked beans, 1 orange
snack of an apple, just about to make a soya milk latte ( did you know plain soya milk has 1.5g per 250 ml)

just need to sort tea, probably a mixed bean curry then some plain yogurt and linseeds and I'll be done.

Its day 2 of behaving and I feel much better than I did over Xmas.

meant 1.5g of sugar, quite low. And I've stopped adding a spoon of sugar myself too in the latte

Hi there. I'm also going low sugar, or no added sugar for January and hopefully Feb as well. I did it this time last year and managed 3 months before falling off the wagon.

This year dh had decided to go for it to so hoping that will make it easier as I'm not having to watch him eating biscuits :o

For me I have to go cold turkey. Cutting down just doesn't work. My rules are:

No sugar or sugar substitutes
Nothing containing sugar or sugar substitute
Eat whole fruit but not fruit juice

Dried fruit is my treat (dates are awesome and dried mango is just mind blowing after a week or so no sugar).

From last time I remember the first couple of weeks being hell but once you get past the withdrawals you feel great.

I'm on day 5 now and eating tons but hoping my appetite will settle down soon. Eating lots of good fats helps and taking loads of snacks wherever I go. The really weird thing I always seem to get is back ache from about day 3-10. Hurts like hell

eatcake I confess I do love the feeling of smugness a healthy trolley of shopping brings. Possibly I need to get out more :o

well here's a recipe, as tea was absolutely yummy.

Open a tin of mixed bean salad, + a tin of tomatoes.
Gently fry an onion, add some chopped garlic, and as much Pataks Balti spiced paste as you like.
Add 2 chopped carrots, 3 lumps of frozen spinach, half a chopped pepper, and the beans and tomatoes.
(you could probably add any veg but this was tonight's version)
Top up with some hot water and a veggie stock cube, cook about 20 minutes, stir so it doesn't catch as the water boils off.

I served it with broccoli to really minimise the carbs and increase my vegetables as I don't eat enough of them (I would usually have brown rice or pitta bread or jacket potato)

I'm not a great cook so I get a bit excited if something turns out tasty! It made 3 portions. It was quite spicy so then I had natural yoghurt + linseeds and a few grapes on top. I am full!

hearmyroar I did feel incredible smug, but I do think someone caught me giving a tub of Nutella come to bed eyes...

amiga that sounds really tasty!

Tomorrow I'm going to make a soup, I originally made it with a pumpkin but using a squash this time instead....

Roast he squash in the oven until soft. Chop onions and garlic and fry in olive oil until sweet and tender, add chopped chillies (according to taste) and fry further, add 2 x tins chopped tomatoes and 1 of coconut milk, scoop out squash and mash up, add to pan and simmer for 30 minutes! Hopefully it'll be just as yum with the squash as the pumpkin! X

amiga that sounds good! I'm not into spicy food so would have to think of another way to make it tasty.

I weighed myself this morning and found I was 1.3kg heavier that I was three days ago, having spent the weekend hoovering up xmas leftovers and being very sedentary due to study commitments. It was such a nasty shock I have had a fast day today to get my low sugar, dairy-free fortnight off to a good start.

Hearmyroar, Dh as been sitting eating hobnobs right next to me....I could smell the sugar

Im on day 4 and its not as bad as I thought it would be. Im also doing my first fast for the 5:2 diet so today is a double whammy but doing ok!

I weighed myself today and when the machine printed the ticket my eyes nearly popped out my head when I saw 8st 7lb.....then realised it was the ideal weight

amiga, that sounds lovely!

And letmeeatcake, that soup has got my mouth watering!

Fcuk, it wasn't that successful. Definitely better with pumpkin. It wasn't near spicy enough for me either and I feel like I've missed an ingredient but I can't think what! It's very sweet though so that may help with sugar cravings!

Oh no way, hate it when something doesn't turn out how you want it!

I've just had steamed salmon with spinach, garlic, line juice and chipotle spice mix, tender stem broccoli, cauliflower rice and a new potato lol.

Was so nice and about 300 cals

I'm dreading later on when the kids are in bed, that's when I crave a cuppa and sweet 'treat'

Yesterday I bought some of the popcorn you pop yourself in the microwave and sprinkled some cinnamon on for a bit of sweetness, was nice to be able to pick at something and no sugar.

Fcuk, oooh your salmon dish sounds yum! What's cauliflower rice though? I did exactly the same with the pop corn yesterday too! I added some vanilla extract to the pan before adding the pop corn and added the cinnamon after! Felt nice to have something to nibble on!

Cinnamon popcorn - you geniuses! (Genii?). Will def be giving that a try. I'm a sucker for the evening munchies...

Great minds with the popcorn! (I did steal the idea from Davina though

To make cauli rice you put the florets into a food processor (or grate but it's messy). Once it's blitzed into little pieces it looks like rice, I then cooked it in a frying pan with a little bit of coconut oil, salt pepper, more chipotle spice and a spring onion.

It doesn't taste exactly like rice but it fine to go with food to 'bulk' it out without eating the carbs and cals of normal rice.

And oh the salmon was to die for, I seasoned it, topped with spinach, added a chopped clove [shock[ of garlic and the chipotle spice mix and lime juice, wrapped in foil and placed in a colander on top of the new potatoes I was already boiling to steam.

Cinnamon popcorn sounds amazing. Must try that one. :o

There are still Christmas chocolates in my office at work. I can see them from my desk. I came so close to munching them all. Some how I valiantly resisted.

Just realised we're out of milk so I can't have a bedtime coco. Whaahhh!