Giving up sugar for January, maybe longer

[GrumpyOldBag]

I have decided to try giving up sugar.

Anyone else tried this?

I am going to continue eating fresh fruit, but not dried or juice.

No processed foods containing sugar.

And obviously no fizzy drinks - but don't drink those anyway.

Anyone tried doing this? Can I have honey on my porridge?

I think dry wine & vodka OK?

Anyone got any advice to share? Thanks

I'm doing this too, lost a stone last time I did it. Am also off the caffeine (which I actually find harder than the sugar). Am day 8 now and cravings finally stopping yay! Last time I cut both the weight fell off too.

I've only cut out added or refined sugar - rather than carbs & fruit etc. Why are you cutting out caffeine too minnie? I've found I've been over doing it on tea and coffee since cutting out sugar. But I'm sure it won't make me fat - will it? Only problem will be the discoloured teeth do you think?

Are you all feeling good effects from cutting out sugar? My face became less puffy almost straight away. But now I'm starting to worry that it's looking saggy, as no puff to hold it all in place!!

Just feel normal now, not extra energy or anything, although I am having lots of dreams involving cakes!!!

I'm on day 4 of quitting sugar. I feel quite angry, but hopefully that symptom will pass!

I've been having overnight oats with peanut butter and a tea spoon of raw cacao for breakfast, it feels like a treat even though it's sugar free.

Wips I bought the 'I quit sugar' book, it's much cheaper than the online plan.

I've been sugar free just over a week. I'm also low carbing and walking a lot and I feel so much better.

For breakfast I usually have fridge porridge. Made the night before or early morning and eaten mid morning (I work from home). Half fill an empty jam jar with oats, add about 4 tbspns milk, 2 tbsp plain greek yoghurt, half a mashed banana, raspberries and blueberries and shake up. Leave in fridge for a few hours or overnight. Sometimes I have scrambled eggs instead. (No toast or bread)

I'm drinking lots of water and limiting myself to two hot drinks without sugar and a splash of milk a day.

Mostly skip lunch as not hungry because of porridge. Eat a grapefruit or orange around 4 pm.

Normal supper with family but with less carbs. Eg tonight had sea bream baked with soy, sesame, Pak choi, spring onions, garlic, and lots of broccoli and leeks. DH and DC had mash too. Last night had chicken stirfry with some rice. Drink lots of water with and before meal.

Might get a FitBit. I reckon I've been walking around 10,000 steps a day.

Well I had a delicious dinner last night which was sugar free but not low calorie.

Lamb cutlets, gratin dauphinois (potatoes cooked in cream in garlic), peas & carrots.

I've been lunching mainly on oatcakes topped with homemade hummus or avocado with a squirt of lime & sea salt.

@WipsGlitter The I quit Sugar website also has loads of info. I got the book from my library.

I've lost 8lbs now in 10 days!

I'm cutting caffeine as I'm combing no sugar with an anti-inflammatory diet. A reboot for the gut.

I also wanted to cut the caffeine as I was living for coffee (3 cups a day) and reaching for it first thing in the morning as a necessity. I wanted to curb that. I'm going for hot water, lemon and apple cider vinager most mornings now... And shock actually enjoying it! Who knew.

For those looking on the "I Quit Sugar" website, can I just warn against their use of rice malt syrup. I'm suspicious about stevia and all artificial sweeteners too. I watched a Robert Lustig lecture on youtube where he said that the these things were too new to be adequately researched so we don't yet know how they compare to sugar.

Oh and if anyone is interested in Robert Lustig's book, there's a really good summary here

Thanks. What about dextrose? That s what David Gillespie suggests for once you are off sugar (for occasional baking etc)

Dextrose is sugar too

I think the public (and those trying to sell to the public) are desperate for sweetness AND for it to be healthy. I'm not convinced there is such a thing. We need to reset our taste buds to live without sweetness. I found a cashew nut sweet the other day - I think that's a result of NOT eating anything sugary for a while.

David Gillespie was a lawyer, now an author so I tend to trust Robert Lustig's advice over his.

I understand that. But what about birthday cakes etc? I'm not suggesting exchanging one thing for another.

Interesting that on the list of things to eat a few times a week are cereals with sugar in.

Oh sorry, I don't know. When i'm going to have cake (birthday, end of feb not that i'm planning it already....) i'm buying the biggest, chocolateyest thing from costco and i'm not curious about what kind of sugar is in it.

Ah ok. I dunno. I'd ways said I'd do this for just a month and the see. Some of the writing seems to suggest even having a bit of sugar, will mean having to withdraw all over again.

Hmmm. I've just bought the Lustig book to read.

I gave up sugar twice, both times for a year, both times I didn't lose any weight and felt no health benefits. I did still eat other carbs, so maybe that's why I didn't lose anything.

Just giving up sugar is fairly pointless if you want to lose weight in my experience. Maybe if you have a huge amount to lose it might make a difference. I was only 1 - 2 stones overweight.

Sugar is 100% carbs, but there are plenty of other foods nearly as high, even bran flakes are 79%.

I am/was a stone and half over my upper BMI weight and 2 to 2 and half stone over my ideal weight. I've lost 8lbs in 10 days.

I've noticed a big difference in my appetite. I usually spend all day hungry. I think about food all the time. This week I've not really smacked in morning or afternoon be a use I ha entirely been hungry. That never happens. I'm eating less because I'm not stuffing food in because I feel so hungry.

So it's making a difference to me. I'm eating wholemeal bread (but not loads) and pasta and rice.

Oh that's interesting namechanger. I lost a stone from quitting sugar and was never overweight. Just went from a 12 to a 10.

Branflakes are full of sugar. They aren't a healthy food. This isnt about carbs, but fructose. Lactose and glucose are OK, but fructose is the sugar that converts to fat (that's a simplified science!)

My point is that not everyone will lose weight just by quitting sugar, some will, some won't. Some people have to do a lot more than that because sugar snacks can quite easily be replaced with chips butties and cheese on toast.

And there are a lot more calories in a couple of slices of cheese on toast than there are in a small chocolate bar.

But it would fill you up for longer. So you would eat less overall. I am eating less overall because I'm fuller longer.

I'm not just doing it for weight. There's a wealth of evidence showing that sugar is bad for us. The WHO recommends 10g a day. Some yogurts alone contain 7g.

Lots of people aren't eating to hunger, they're eating more than that and for many reasons. Toast is just as addictive as sugar, in my opinion.

Eating for health is always going to be the best way to eat. But you can still eat a very bad diet without sugar. And you can also eat a very good diet with some sugar in it.