I Quit Sugar - anyone up for this?

[Cappster]

I tried quitting sugar during January and it was really good - I lost a few pounds, ate really well, felt very good (after initial detox )

I need to do it again but it would be really good to have a bit of support

Any takers?

Will have a look Mrs Numpty.

Thanks for the info.

At the moment I have a will of iron . It would be like putting rat poison into my mouth

Not eating sugar is no longer a problem...losing weight is.

I'm going to log into Mfp and work out yesterday's calories. Omelette, home made veg, lentil and ham soup, steak , asparagus, sweet potato for dinner and two small apples and see how many calories.

On the plus side I tried on my wedding dress and it looked gorgeous. This is a Sophie grey dress in a pinky beige colour. The fabric I'm not sure how to describe it. It looks embossed but may be called damask. I have matching bag and shoes. I had to have the waist let out ( I had it shortened so there was plenty of fabric.) and it's a size 16. After doing this dieting malarkey since jan 1 st I thought I would by now be a proper size 14 in a fixed dress and a 12 in a jersey stretch dress but I'm not.

But as for giving up sugar I'm fine with it. Same as the wheat and dairy I've given up.

The positives I've got from this is that my digestion is so much better and I've not put any weight on. I was hoiking out the bottom of the wardrobe and came across some bras in a bag 38 dd. the size I've worn for many years. They fit! When we got engaged 3 years ago I wore another sophie grey dress a size 18 I believe. I tried it months ago. Oh crow barred me into it but I couldn't have worn it. Think I'll try it on later.i had lost weight for my engagement quite easily. It was probably around the time I cut out wheat. I had to take in the bust as it was too big.

Oh well. Onwards and upwards.

Have a good day everyone.

I echo exactly what you say Mrs R. Cos you can't have the snack you want I often don't snack at all.

It amazed me yesterday ( we went into town late , then went to see grandkids ) got home about 7 and ate about 8 and I'd had nothing since my soup lunch .

Before the iQS that would have been several squares of chocolate.

Just Totted up yesterday's food and it doesn't come to 1000 calories.

I'll have to do it every day now. I'm supposed to have 1200 to lose a pound a week. If I'd stuck to it at the very beginning I would be 25 pounds down and looking

GAUNT!

Hmm, dowser, I believe that eating too little causes your body to go into famine mode (google it) so you hold onto every bit of fat and calories to help you stay alive until famine passes. I wonder if you could find out google how many calories you need daily to safely lose weight. You may need to key in height/current weight. I seem to remember when last on www.atgtickets.com I had to do this.

good heavens, where did that website come from blooming autocorrect. It should have said "WW "

MrsR said "because I couldn't snack on my preferred things, I didn't snack at all". I'm the same . Weird isn't it how the desire to eat sugary/fatty/salty rubbish is nothing to do with hunger at all. I am glad to be rid of it.

Mfp says about 1200 I think my metabolic rate is about 1400.

That's why I don't get weighed. My legs have really slimmed down yet my dress size hasn't changed. So at SW I could be whoop DI doing because I'd lost 2 lbs or whatever when in actual fact my body is just the same.

I'm in it for the long haul so there's no point fretting.

My body works better without fighting off the effects of too much sugar. fact!

I ate a bit more yesterday.
Oh made oat crackers using porridge oats a bit of coconut oil and salt and water. Baked them in the oven. They were nice and wheat free. I had one with hummus and one with a tiny bit of goat cheese.

Hi Dowser, I am intrigued about your oatcakes. I use these

www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=260391973

(not wheat free) but would like to try and make my own crackers. What is your ratio of oats to water to coconut oil?

Oh mrs numpty he just flies by the seat of his pants. No measuring I would suspect a cup of oats , 1-2 teaspoon coconut oil. You can taste it so you might prefer olive or a nut oil, salt to taste and water to bind to a fairly stiff dough.

He was last seen ramming it into an old enamel pie dish which he cut into pizza shaped ( not sized ) slices. About 20 mins in a medium oven.

If they are not crisp when cool, bung tem back in.

I would have made the dough stiffer and patted it out onto a board and attempted to cut circles with a cookie cutter.

We had our annual summer solstice party tonight ( what summer?) . It was quite cool even with an anorak over my thick fleece and sat near the fire pit.

I ate too many cheesy nachos but no toasted marshmallows thank goodness. Or any of oh's father day present of choccies. I will rein myself in tomorrow.

Thanks for that recipe, it sounds like a bit of trial and error coming up . I have walnut oil that might do and might also make some hummous (mumsnet recipe) to go with it. We finish school for summer this Friday so I'll have time to experiment.

Oh I love home made hummus. I usually whack too much garlic in and everyone goes around gagging!

I've got my matron of honour arriving in three weeks so been tweaking the house a bit. We've been down to Wales a fair bit to see her ( when her husband was dying) so house and garden got a bit neglected. Got the back licked into shape yesterday so there's the front to do now.

I made a blind for the window the day before and while the machine was out I took in a new cardigan I hadn't worn as it was too big. Never done a cardi before so was quite pleased with the result.

It all keeps me busy and not thinking about food. To be honest though I'm well past that stage.

Just seen Britains fattest man died at 33 weighing 65 stones. So sad. What a waste. Someone was feeding him though as he couldn't get out of bed.

Can I join the party?! I met up with a friend at the weekend who has quit sugar. I thought she was a bit crazy, but then yesterday I ate 10 Thorntons mini caramel shortbreads and had a raging headache all day. I had to go to bed at 5pm for a nap! I frequently feel lethargic and am always on the hunt for food, even if I've just eaten, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Am a bit confused though about how far to take it. Obv junk food is out, but am conflicted about fruit and also white bread, pasta etc. To be honest, in the long term I think the health benefits of fruit win out and I'm sure my liver can withstand a couple of pieces a day, but to break the addiction I wonder if it might be worth cutting them out for now. But then I wonder, what about tomatoes, peppers etc, they are sweet and if you cook them it probably makes the sugar even more accessible!

With grains, I don't think I can realistically stick to 100% whole grains as DH has IBS and is on a low fibre diet, and DS (10 months) needs a balance too. But I'll make a few small changes anyway, eg. swap white bread for wholemeal.

Any fruit in its natural state is fine, I think. Fruits once they're juiced are not recommended; the fibre is an important part of the fruit and slows the sugar rush to liver to manageable levels. I'm not obsessing too much about brown pasta, rice or bread. Choosing brown mostly but not always. I'm limiting obvious sugary stuff but still having something sweet occasionally.

Welcome to the thread, by the way.

What are people using for salad dressing? I usually use balsamic vinegar but that's out now. I just made a dressing with tahini, olive oil and lemon juice, and then realised I probably shouldn't be using lemon juice

I use a home made olive oil/balsamic combo. The sugar in the balsamic is minimal and I'm not going to obsess about every bit of sugar . It is a huge achievement that I have stopped the mindless snacking on sugary/fatty/salty 'treats' that merely made me more hungry . A bit of home made fresh dressing is fine. Go for it!

Welcome to the thread! I didn't cut out fruit during my 'abstinent' kind of period. I have taken to watering down my fruit juice to benefit from the extra water and also, to reduce the overall sugar intake.

I have balsamic on my salad, it is low GI which is explained here:

healthyeating.sfgate.com/balsamic-vinegar-good-1444.html
Balsamic vinegar is low on the glycemic index. This system categorizes foods based on how much they affect your blood sugar. Low glycemic index foods cause your glucose to rise slightly and then slowly go back down over a period of time. High glycemic foods, like processed treats, cause a sudden spike in your blood sugar. Once it spikes, glucose drops sharply to below its original level. Low glycemic foods, such as balsamic vinegar, can keep you feeling satisfied for a longer period of time. Even though balsamic vinegar is a low-glycemic food, it does contain sugar and you should watch your portion size if you are diabetic.

What's wrong with lemon juice? It's going to be such a small amount, i'm sure it doesn't really matter.

I'm with mrs Numpty. I have an apple a day. All cakes, chocolate etc is out.

If I have a bit of brown sauce on something I'm not going to stress over it.

I'm gluten free anyway so nothing with wheat for me bu now no gluten free cake either.

8.5 weeks now.

I have gone back to having two squares a day of 85% chocolate after six weeks of none, because my restless legs have been terrible, and I wonder if it's the sudden and dramatic reduction in magnesium since I gave up all chocolate?

So far I can stick to those two without craving more, let's hope I can continue.

I'm bypassing biscuits, cakes and puddings surprisingly easily. I'm amazed at myself in fact. No real cravings anymore.

I had a sticky moment today. I was helping lay out some lovely cakes and chocolates for various visitors plus staff to enjoy after a special assembly. I decided that after my lunch if I was still hungry I would have one of the cakes. Not surprisingly I wasn't hungry after lunch .

One of the other changes I've made relates to eating out. Me and DH eat out a couple of evenings a week with friends and I have been choosing 'normal' stuff (absolutely not anything that could be construed as 'diet') but swapping chips for salad. It's actually a nice balance with the protein (steak, chicken or fish) and because there's no chips, I don't use tomato sauce. Never have dessert so I don't miss it.

Mostly I am making sure I am not dieting; it's really important that I don't slip into diet mode because then I begin obsessing and losing the plot. It's handy to be able to chat here because it helps me focus more on healthy choices not 'losing' weight. Being surrounded by people dieting at work, on facebook, on tv, etc., it can be hard not to get sucked in again.

I kind of assumed the IQS method would say no balsamic vinegar as I assume it has fructose in it. IQS doesn't seem to care as much about glycemic index, as far as I can see, as they say bread and pasta etc is fine. To be honest, I don't care in the long run, I just want to do the first couple of weeks as sugar free as possible, and then bring back in fruit, balsamic vinegar etc.

And yes I agree, I was being a bit silly worrying about lemon juice!

Cor! 9 weeks tomorrow. Who'd have thunk it?

Hi Dowser, congrats , that's a couple of months. I started just over a month ago now and yesterday was the last day of term and the start of seven weeks summer holidays. God, what a relief! First thing I did when I arrived home was turn off the 6am alarm on my phone [whoopie emoticon] (of course, I still woke at around 6 this morning ).

However, the start of the summer holidays is usually a difficult one for me. Historically, all my diets have failed during this time; sometimes catastrophically . I think that the routine of work is very helpful in keeping me on the straight and narrow.

Still, I've been musing about the past failures this week [sigh emoticon]. Failure is such a terrible, destructive emotion. It goes hand in hand with shame, something else I live with.

On the plus side, I'm not actually on a diet at the moment so I won't be 'falling off the wagon' at all. It will just be a case of thinking of the choices I will make in the moment and not the future. The massive challenge I face is as follows; I am going on, not one but two cruises this July. The first one ; a week with family next week; the second, a luxury unlimited drinks fortnight, two weeks after we get back from the first one. Blimey! In between a weekend break with pals from the 'old days when we were young free single and partied hard'. We have plans to try and do it again, but we are all thirty years older... I ain't happenin' is it?.

I think I will make time today to watch again "Fed Up" on netflix to remind me why I started doing this in the first place.

Hey Absent, I don't know if you've seen/read Robert Lustig but he's also very informative about the negatives of sugar, so that might interest you -

Dwelling on your failures and shame is miserable for you :(
I hope it is not presumptuous of me to say, (but as a Clinical Psychologist in training i can't help myself!) but have you considered keeping a diary to write at least 3 things that went well each day? It is a simple exercise I learnt about that people in studies have found makes them feel happier and it might help get you out of a funk which might lead you back into bad habits. Please ignore me if I have overstepped.

Wow mrsrisotto, thanks for that. I am watching the shorter one just now (the longer one, at an hour and a half, will wait for later on lol). I had always wondered why the highest prevalence of diabetes was in Saudi, Kuwait, UAE, Malaysia (not USA). It turns out that all these countries are alcohol free, have questionable water quality, and hot climate. That deadly combination means that people end up drinking a very high amount of soft drinks.

If I take one new piece of knowledge away with me today, after watching the short programme, it's this; sugar causes liver fat accumulation: the TOFI syndrome: Thin Outside Fat Inside.

I now know that by limiting sugar I am reducing the internal fat that I must have accumulated over the years by eating too much sugar. I will never 'see' this happen, but I know that it will happen over the long term if I continue to limit sugar intake. Its something to think about when I am tempted...

Interestingly I stopped drinking soft drinks a couple of years ago; when I go to the pub nowadays (two or three times a week) I drink tea or coffee . Thank heavens that all pubs serve this choice or it would be water .