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?

I've fallen stepped off the wagon and feel terrible despite it only being---- 3 days. Climbing back on tomorrow - I have had a horrible sickly taste in my mouth and cravings. Sugar is really the devils work!

Please may I join your sugar free huddle?

I'm in the grip of a serious sugar addication and I'm not sure where to start.

Main problem areas are:

Lifelong love of Coca-Cola
Sugar in tea and coffee
Biscuits, cakes, chocolate...

I was always feeling a bit smug thinking well I don't smoke or drink too much. Seems like I've got a silent addiction that is just as damaging.

The thought of giving up sugar is actually quite daunting

I should add I've got a toddler and a stressful job so going through withdrawl is going to be fun

But I have to get a grip of this. My weight is going up, I have spotty skin and I'm constantly tired.

Funnily enough everyone told me that drinking coke would rot my teeth and given that I'm now in my forties and never had a filling I took it as validation that my diet was okay. Having read this thread though I'm starting to feel that it's impact has been in other ways such as bloated tummy, mood swings, tired and stressed skin.

So how do I take the first step? Does anyone have any advice?

Welcome welcome welcome learning

I found the withdrawal lasted twenty four hours that's all.
Top tips: make sure you have easy-to-grab snacks and alternatives already available for when you have a wobble (I have tiny packets of nuts, always lots of fruit and my big favourite YEO Greek style yoghurt, they are all delicious enough to feel like a treat, but no added sugar)
: I haven't gone into intense detail with things like ketchup. I have just avoided very obvious sugary things...pop, cakes, sweets, puddings etc. I didn't want to be exhausted and annoyed with myself
: I actually seem to have MORE energy now than I did before. Partly because I am carrying less blubber around, but partly because I don't have the 'slump' that comes from sugar
: there is a wonderful Australian documentary called 'that sugar film' that is full of good info

I can honestly say this has been relatively easy, even over Christmas. I am not looking at this as a diet, but a permanent life change and I am so positive about it, I am almost evangelical (but only on here, IRL I am just airily cheerful about turning stuff down, I don't boast IRL like I do here :) )

GOOD LUCK, you CAN do this

It's difficult to say. Part of me says start with whatever is easiest. For me, phasing out sugar in my porridge was easiest because you can reduce it incrementally, from 1 tbsp, to 1/2 a tbsp to a tsp to 1/2 a tsp to nothing. I hardly noticed the change.
So you could try that with your tea and coffee.

The fizzy drinks however is a bit different because the 'low sugar', 'sugar free' etc versions just use fake sugars instead. I don't know where you stand on sugar substitutes, but I don't rate them. If you word search artificial sugars on this page you'll find a link which talks about it.

Maybe go whole hog for a defined period of time like a month or something? I found breaking the habit the hardest part. Once I did that (and it took about a month), it became MUCH easier and represented a big change in my diet. So much healthier and I lost weight.

I like having goals so i'm thinking my goal for 2016 might be to quit sugar for the whole year! Excepting my birthday and graduation (i'm a mature student doing a doctorate) and maybe the odd ice cream on holiday. What do you think?

It's best to just cut it right out. Once you get the first 24 hours out of the way it does get so much easier.

I managed 3 months. Now I think how the heck did I do that.

I've got 14 hours till bed time. Can I avoid sugar till then? Doubt it because I don't want to. My heads not in the right place and the house is full of the stuff and.....seriously I'm not Ill enough.....yet!

Too much sugar and I'm really Ill.

Can't believe I've written that. Anyone else I'd be saying just do it.

Shows how addictive it is. Drinks are not a problem for me. Maybe instead of trying to drink normal drinks without sugar go for something completely different. Fruit teas do it for me and there's never been such a huge choice. Twinings are great. Have them hot or cold with ice and lemon morrisons do a spiced orange which is nice too.

I'm gluten free, so normally can avoid biscuits and cakes but....as its Christmas I have gluten free trifle, cakes I've made , mallows I've bought and a big tin of roses and quality street.

Chocolate ...that's my huge weakness.

Minute at a time . Best ican do at the moment!

Mrs risotto, I think if you can do it go for it.

I'd be inclined to think of bite sized chunks

Birthday....a day off.

Valentines.....a day off
Easter...., holiday , graduation....etc
A whole year sounds so daunting. Might it be easier to say I'm not going to buy any chocolate, cakes etc for a year and then ate off days as and when.

Right now, I'm going to get till 12 o clock.

Good advice Dowser.

Did anyone else get boxes of chocolates for Christmas? We got 3 huge boxes, as well as a chocolate orange and my favourite - a box of the strawberry quality street chocolates. What to do with it all? Shame to throw it out but i'm not going to eat it all either.

If you have any full boxes, take to you local food bank?

Great idea MadauntofA. I was meaning to donate to the food bank anyway.

I'm an all or nothing person. I can't go halfway with sugar, so I have none at all. I appreciate this is extreme for most, but it is working for me. Family birthdays are tricky - we have cake later today and my children lament that I'm missing out on soooooo much, but I gently remind them it's my choice and I'm happy with it. When my birthday rolls around I may consider a sugar free cake made with alternative sweeteners. I have several months to decide. :)

This Christmas has gone very well overall for me, though I have overindulged in cheese and crackers!

Thanks

Well I've made it through day 1 with no fizzy drinks.

I'm going to take your advice and cut back little by little. So 1 spoon of sugar in tea will become 1/2 and then 1/4 to hopefully nothing.

I've had no cakes or sweets today despite the fact we have a cupboard full of Christmas goodies! Food bank might be a good idea if husband doesn't get to them first

My aim is to drastically reduce my sugar intake by doing the following:

Cut out fizzy drinks
Wean myself off sugar in tea/coffee
Cut out sugary snacks

I'm going to do this for a month and then re-evaluate where I am.

Fizzy drinks is a BRILLIANT start, well done you!
If you can do this with all the Christmas temptation around, that is a pretty good start.
Am back very firmly on the wagon and feeling good

I have however eaten my body weight in cheese :(

Yeah watching what you drink is a great start, here's a reminder of how much sugar is in common drinks.
andykennyfitness.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sugar-blog.jpg

Kept out of the sweetie tin...but two pieces of Christmas cake later.....

I didn't eat after 6 pm though!

Had to sat to DH...please don't ask me if I want this, that or the other as I can't seem to say the ' no' word at the moment, it just keeps sounding like 'yes!'

Oh, we'll. Let's see how today pans out.

Happy New Year everyone! My Christmas binge ends here....!

Me too Mrs Risotto , a very poorly stomach is playing a huge part in the decision, and happy new year to you too.

Im going this thread. Can feel my inner acne waiting to return with a avengance. Its quit sugar or get pregnant again 😩

OK, having eaten 'spare' chocolate yesterday, I have been battling the 24 hour withdrawal AGAIN today (I am STUPID).
Hopefully all will be back on track again tomorrow.
Feeling very cross with myself :(

It's a moment at a time Norks.

I was putting the party bags together for our annual trip to the pantomime. After I'd finished 10 bags...just look what I have left

2 packs of Lidl jazzies
1 3/4 full tin of roses and quality street
6 small bountys
1 pack of after eight mints. They were from pound land, so a small pack
1 pack of jelly beans
1/2 bag of gummy strawberries
1 net of chocolate snowmen

Then in fridge
2 decent sized bars of dairy milk
2 smaller bars of bournville

Then in cooler room
1/2 a large box of thorntons
1/2 small box of chocolate mints

That's the sweets...now the cakes

3/4 Of a very large christmas cake
1/4 smaller gluten free one
1 small portion gluten free Xmas pudding
1 pack of gluten free mallows
6 home made gluten free cup cakes
4 lemon muffins
4 creme caramel and a few other assorted biscuits.

A lot of it was bought for Xmas and just didn't get eaten as I'd made gluten free trifle. Bought cupcakes. My dil bought berry cheesecake and chocolate log and my daughter brought a pavlova sort of dessert.

I hope someone can top that!

Crikey, I can't top that!

I weighed myself this morning and I gained 4lbs from my christmas binge! . I don't regret it though! It was worth it . And I know I can go back to the way I was before.

Who would have thought ten minutes after I wrote that my lovely, shiny new husband would come into the bedroom and say his vision had gone a bit funny and half an hour later was whizzed to hospital by my sil.

He's had tests. They don't know what happened so he's in hospital over night ( luckily I thought to pack a bag when I went through) and he's having an MRI scan tomorrow.

He hadn't got his vision back ( peripheral In Right eye gone) when I left him at 7-30 pm.

I'm very worried :-(

Oh my god Dowser how scary for you all. How is he dealing wth it? You must be worried sick x

Oh Dowser, that is horrible and so frightening.
I am here on and off throughout the day if you want to just offload.
Sending a huge hug and all the very best wishes
X

Thank you ladies. Yes he has had a stroke. He came home at 4 pm yesterday looking a bit worse for wear.

He was very tired and while I prepared dinner I let him sleep. We had an early night last night...well 11-30 and both got a good nights sleep. So we both feel a lot better.

Weather been awful today, so stayed in and he's dozed when he needed too.

At least no paralysis or slurred speech.

Not being able to drive and read and of course see properly are the worst things.

Hopefully, there'll be some more improvement tomorrow.