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?

Had a luscious piece of millionaires caramel shortbread winking at me for three hours yesterday afternoon.

But did I crack?

I did not !

well done everyone! may I join you? reading the book now, very interesting. surprised to read that some sweeteners are OK to wean off the habit, don't think that'll help me as it seems it just means I could have diet drinks (hate fizzy stuff) but very few foods seem to have entirely sweetener instead sugar. is that so??

daft question but when ingredients list "sugar" what type of sugar is this???

reading through my last comments it's clear sugary food is my downfall, I look a bit obsessed! sugarholic for sure

pps. thanks peachy am reading poison quit plan

Well done dowser !!!!!

If sugar is labelled on the ingredients list it is added sugar and therefore not allowed. Neither is anything like syrup, glucose-fructose, etc etc. If it ends in 'ose' it's sugar. Honey is also not allowed... I think that's it!!! The sugar I eat is naturally occurring in milk and also whole fruit. Hope this helps! Good luck.

I can't make my mind up about honey. Here's some really interesting information about the pros and cons of it. It is a naturally occurring sugar with antioxidants so when i'm not going all out, i'll probably allow it.

I'd like to do this too. Like a couple of posters upthread I don't want to lose weight, cut out carbs as I exercise a fair bit or fruit. I do however need to seriously address the amount of sugar I consume every day. Counted up the other day, was well over 100 grams and that was just the chocolate, popcorn and crisps. Didn't include the sweets, sugar in my tea, coke or anything else I'd ate that day.

I know I'm totally addicted to sugar, can't stand the taste of sweetners so always go for the sugar options. I physically crave it and get shaky crashes quite a lot when I'm hungry - I'm on a sure fire road to diabetes

Oh last gleaming that's not good is it.

I think you've got to give it five days total ban.

My Dr says it takes five days for anything to leave your body.

The first 24 hours are the worst for me.

Then I settle down

Good luck

Thanks peachy.

Thing is, sugar is 'natural' too. It comes from cane or beet. Honey may have other things going for it, but it causes the same spikes in blood sugar.

I have now moved on to a kind of sugar maintenance diet. No cakes, etc, during the week, and a limited amount at the weekend. So I am allowed a piece of cake with the family at teatime on Sunday afternoon.

I seem to crave it far less.

Eek Dowser. Ok I'd be prepared for a five day ban, it's not that long I suppose. Want to start setting a good example for the dc, dd especially has a very sweet tooth and is only 2.

Questions - does that include milk? What on earth can you eat for brekkie bar porridge? I have an egg intolerance so that's out.

I had porridge with almond butter on it. I didn't like it as much as with brown sugar on it, but for the initial week or so of being very strict, it worked well enough.

Which book are you all using/following?

I bought the I Quit Sugar book, which is definitely introducing me to some unknown ingredients.

I also bought Davina's book, but disappointingly she uses lots of honey and maple syrup. I'll be avoiding those recipes.

I managed to stay sugar-free at a hotel this weekend. For breakfast I had ham, egg, cheese, yoghurt and one kiwi fruit (I can't bring myself to cut out fruit so I'm limiting myself to two pieces of low-fructose fruit a day).

I did feel a bit ill at the end of the day and I think it's because I ate more meat than usual. I need to find a balance I suppose.

What tips and tricks have you found that are tasty?

As well as porridge you can make your own muesli. I use oats, nuts, ground seeds etc. No dried fruit though sadly! I like the almond butter porridge too- Google deliciously Ella creamy coconut porridge.

Hmmmm treats... Pecan nuts, Lidl croissants, coconut porridge, chips, crisps (check for added sugar), tomatoes sprinkled with salt, basil and olive oil, olives...

iquitsugar.com/recipe/coco-nutty-granola/

That muesli looks nice and I really like the look of the coconut porridge, thanks. Bonus is I have all the stuff in my cupboards :)

Have been cutting down the last few days - started off with no chocolate and sweets, no sugar in my tea and today the only thing sweet I had was dried dates in my hot cacao drink. Hoping this means it won't be such a shock to the system.

Noticed today I felt hungry a lot - is that normal? I'd ate but it wasn't satisfying or something. Also my caffeine intake dramatically dropped.

Opinions on goji berries? They have a low GI and I've read they can help to lower blood sugar.

I have one or two apples a day. The whole fruit .

Last night as I'm away from home visiting relatives we had blueberries and raspberries with clotted cream. They taste a lot sweeter when you aren't having sugar.

The nice lady in the health shop in Ross on wye does the paleo diet. She said to up your fats if you're hungry ( she was very slim ) she has a spoonful of coconut oil or cream in her coffee .

I wouldn't worry about small amounts of natural sugar in unprocessed food. Its the sugar ( fructose glucose syrup, refined sugar from sugar beet ) that I believe causes the damage.

I haven't seen davinas book but using maple syrup etc doesn't seem to be a good idea at the beginning when you are re educating your palate especially for anyone with an overgrowth of candida as well.

Just my 2p.

What day am I on...26 I think.

Can't see any difference inmy clothes. Had to give my Boden Sumer dress to my cousin ( bought in charity shop for £4-50) as indeed to lose 1-2 stone to fit it!!!

It's gone to a good home!

How is everyone finding this?

I'm on day 14 and haven't cracked (though I am allowing myself 2-3 small pieces of fruit a day).

I feel very tired and am sleeping solidly. But I have also been feeling a bit depressed and grumpy, and I can't figure out why. Anyone else?

I bought some coconut oil but my local health food shop doesn't have half the ingredients that the IQS book suggests using.

Hey sugar-frees.

I think goji berries are fine.

I have seen a little bit of a difference in weight- about 2 pounds in three weeks. My husband has told me that my stomach is a lot flatter.

I haven't cracked- still going. Feeling pretty good and skin is better than its been in years. Sad about cake.

Hi Peachypips and others.

Do you see this as "I will never eat sugar again" or "I will retrain my tastebuds so that I will occasionally enjoy a tiny taste of sugar but I won't crave it anymore"?

I aim for the latter but right now I just feel tired and a bit sad!

I also think my skin is somewhat better this week. The real test will be my PMS which is usually horrendous. I'll know in a couple of weeks if there's any difference.

Hey Hippo! How are you getting on? I started thinking I'd go for the latter, but my skin is so amazing that I'm almost swaying towards quitting for good. I feel sad too about things like trifle, homemade cake, ketchup etc... Seems weird to never eat them again!

Be really interesting to see if it affects your PMS.

We ingest too much sugar: fact. One of the best bits of advice I've ever received is if it is melted and turns hard when cooled; that's what happens inside your body.!if you heat olive oil it remains in these state once cool. Ergo, it can pass through your body interjecting all its good substance on the way through x

28 days and going really really good!

Haven't lost any weight though!

Hooray Dowser ! I'm with you in that I've lost minimal weight considering I'm 2.5 stone overweight. I'm trying to focus on the other benefits!! Sucks a bit though when you see all these thin people eating whatever the shite they like.