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?

Peachypips is your skin clearer (ie did you have spots?) or younger looking?

I am hoping for both, since it seems unfair to have spots and wrinkles :)

So far I have fewer spots I think, which is a start.

I've had quite bad adult acne forever- I'm 36. Since I gave up sugar ive had two spots! Unheard of for me. I normally can't count.

Mine are hormonal and I can only thing the sugar has been adversely affecting my hormones. Glad yours are a bit better too! Are you being really strict with the sugar or not? I'm not really even eating fruit.

I'm down to two small pieces of fruit a day, although as of tomorrow I'll be on Week 3 of Sarah Wilson's book and that is when she says to go cold turkey and even give up fruit. I'm in two minds about whether to do it or not.

The fruit I have been eating the last two weeks has been allegedly low-fructose fruit which is a start.

Sounds like the improvement in your skin has been dramatic to say the least! Wow!

Re the lack of weight loss, maybe that will take a bit longer. Are you eating mindfully re quantities?

I think I definitely need to give it more time. I'm not eating excessively apart from a bowl of coconut porridge every eve!! I've lost a couple of pounds, but was expecting it to fall off according to the books!

Hi Cappster,
Can I join too. I've just watched Fed Up on Netflix and it has had a profound effect on me. I've even started a thread about it. I am starting today, but am scared, sugar is everywhere. How can I avoid it?

Day 13 for me and I've just found out I'm pregnant! Argh!! What do I do? Keep going? I thought I might re- introduce fruit but other than that it's all healthy stuff that I'm eating although today was the first day I got SUCH a strong craving for chocolate. Still eating bucketloads of food and haven't lost any weight but I guess I need to forget about all that anyway for now.

Congratulations Esssss . The documentary Fed Up that I watched today said that eating a piece of fruit is fine because it includes the fibre and the liver/pancreas can cope with it. Fruit juice however is a no no because it is very high in sugar and the liver/pancreas struggle to cope and any excess sugar gets turned into fat.

You are absolutely right to forget about losing weight. Focus only on eating healthy food for you and your baby. The weight will take care of itself over time.

Thanks Absent! Actually I think I will try and stick to it cause with my first pregnancy I had terrible thrush throughout the first trimester (sorry tmi) and my midwife kept saying it was due to too much sugar in my diet. The cravings though aaaaargh!!

Congratulations Esssss!

Sugar doesn't give you any nutrients at all so as long as you are getting enough calories from other sources then I think it'll be fine .

I wouldn't cut out all carbs though - eat brown rice, wholemeal bread, brown pasta etc for energy and fibre. Good luck.

Brown carbs are recommended because they are slow burn carbs and your liver and pancreas can deal with them more efficiently.

I have had my first full day doing the "no added sugar" thing. I was at the supermarket and there seemed to be a sea of products containing added sugar; sweet and savoury.

Yesterday (as I usually do) I made a "all the leftover veg and stuff in the fridge" soup (does me for work). No obvious sugar but I'm not sure about the stock cubes.

Teatime was sausages, boiled new pots, carrots, green beans and a choritso (sp) sauce.

Tomorrow I will try and have a breakfast; porridge with blueberries.

I would love to do this.
But we go out on a Saturday and have wine.
Is that allowed?

Hmm, good question.

I went to sleep last night with the beginnings of a headache, and early this morning woke up still with it. Taken a couple of paracetomols and then a few minutes later been sick . It doesn't feel like a migraine though. Is it the effects of withdrawing from sugar?

Congratulations Essss ! Great news. I can only think that no sugar will do wonders in pregnancy. Be really interesting to see if it makes a difference.

You can have wine done - dry or red is fine as are non sweet spirits according to the book I am following. The fructose converts into ethanol or something

I'm afraid headaches are part of withdrawal.

I caved for the first time yesterday as it was my sis-in-law's 40th and she had made a raspberry and amaretti biscuit trifle with baileys, cream cheese and white chocolate. It was heavenly but I'm back on the wagon today! It felt good in the mouth but make me feel really sick and yuck.

From now on whenever I have wine it's going to be in italics.

I wondered that, Peachy. Went to work and had another couple of painkillers at tea break. Thankfully by lunchtime they'd kicked in and I felt a lot better.

Last night I did had the urge to have sugar (ice cream) and tried to convince myself that eating sugar is actually ok, it won't make a difference, you'd love some ice-cream, wouldn't you?. I said "no" to this thought, but really missed having ice-cream . This morning I was grateful I said "no".

This morning had a breakfast (never usually bother) of porridge and blueberries. It was ok.

How is everyone doing? Im on day 16 (I think, I'm losing track!) and I've had a couple of pieces of fruit in the last few days and that's been nice. But I am getting so so so bored of my snacks of raw veg, oatcakes/ryvita hummus and nuts. Anyone have any inspired suggestions?

Ps peachy, I think that trifle sounds amazing! I think it's good to think of this no sugar thing as a life change and that means allowing yourself treats every now and then. I think if I was facing a diet where I could never have nice things ever again, I'd feel
Pretty sad and there's no way I'd stick to it!

I'm doing ok, not craving sugar any more and my energy levels seem stable.

BUT

I can't seem to wean myself off fruit totally concerned about constipation

So I'm limiting myself to two small pieces a day.

I made the courgette cheesecake yesterday from the IQS book and it was delicious. My next plan is to make a vat of daal and freeze it in batches for my lunch.

The snacks are quite boring, I agree Esssss although cinnamon popcorn was quite yummy the other day. I find that I have to be quite organised with this way of life, don't you?

And my local health food shop does not stock cacao nibs...

I've got some of them. How do you use them?

Still battling along....nearly 5 weeks. No thinner though!

I've been humming and hawing about buying the iqs book but i don't really want to buy a diet book iyswim just want the recipes....is it worth it for that? I'm leaning more towards the deliciously Ella book or the art of eating well by the Hemsley sisters anyone have any experience of these? 5 weeks is fantastic dowser!

My approach is to look at it not in terms of losing weight, but rather as improving health. If by chance I lose weight, that's a bonus; it is not the reason I'm giving up sugar though.

I'm still eating stuff I usually eat (going to Wetherpoons tomorrow evening for fish and chips but no tomato sauce with it), but just not eating sugar laden foods any more.

It is bound to have some effect on my weight because I can eat sugary stuff when not hungry (and keep eating it ). It's got to stop.

Essss, I had a look at the IQS book on Amazon last night, you can click on the book and read a sample. Some of the stuff doesn't suit me really (and I don't like diets) so I'm going to just adapt what I do eat and leave out any sugar.

I will still have some fruit though. Blueberries in my porridge and apple/pear as a snack. I think the daily recommended allowance is something like equivalent to 6 teaspoons of sugar so a couple of pieces of fruit will be fine; our liver/pancreas will deal with that ok.

Hi Hippo, thanks for commenting on my thread

Marking my place so I come back to read up

I've had no chocolate, sweets, mints, gluten free cake or biscuits for five weeks now.

I have had a little bit of brown sauce with chips.

I have had at least one piece of fruit most days, occasionally two. Usually it's been an apple.

What I have done must have made some difference...surely?

I don't feel any fitter. My digestion feels better though!

That should read I. Don't feel any thinner not fitter.