Has anyone gone sugar free and stuck with it.

[billybagpuss]

I have had no sugar since 4 March. I’ve cut all sweets, chocolate, pudding and sweet soft drinks. And crisps.

I was awful, I was literally stuffing myself it was unhealthy and undignified.

I am still drinking wine at weekends as I read it’s the fructose that gets fermented into alcohol and fructose is the bad bit that bypasses the body’s calories calculator so that’s ok, this is my only rule bending.

I feel better, I’ve lost 10lb, I want to carry on. Has anyone gone from full blown addict to sugar free and stuck to it? I’d really appreciate any tips.

Mindlessly

I did it several years ago, for 1yr and 2yrs at one stage. Once out of the habit it was pretty easy, but it was pre kids. I didn’t have so much stress in my life. I can’t imagine doing it now

Absolutely, 100%

The cravings do go away but you have to refrain from substituting. Remember, when you binge (on anything) it's not the food per se you are binging on. It's your body's own neurotransmitter response (ie dopamine) - in the same way with gambling addicts there is no physical substance involved. We learn very quickly where to get the maximum 'high' from (sugar, fat, salt in combination, in fact anything with approx 1 cal of carb to 1 cal of fat/ 1 g fat to 2g carb ratio is proven to be addictive- same ratio as human breast milk)
So if you substitute, you'll find that you just chase the same response, especially if you sub cheese, nuts, nut butter on apples etc

I have found it much easier to have 3 big meals, eat enough to sustain me for easily 4-5 hours, no grazing or snacking.
Incidentally after the first month or so where I lost 11lbs, I haven't lost any weight, actually have possibly gained weight in numerical terms as I was already a low body fat percentage, but my muscle percentage has increased and I look very lean these days, considering how much food I eat!

I don’t think I’d have reached the month marker without going cold turkey (which incidentally is today’s lunch) I’ve tried cutting down and honestly I just can’t.

That’s interesting @thenewaveragebear1983 were you a regularish size to begin with, I’m size 18 so hoping weight loss will be a side effect.

I did it for 8 wks from the 4th of Jan, then had some bad news so of course reverted to eating my feelings🤦‍♀️ I'm going to start again as I felt so much better without sugar. Kicking sugar in my coffee was the most difficult aspect but I'll never go back again as that was so hard for me to do. For breakfasts I find coconut yoghurt, berries and chia or flaxseeds with pine nuts is really nice.

@billybagpuss I am 5'7 and was 11 stone ish , got down to 10.3 in the first month. I now hide my scales so I don't weigh regularly but 31st of March I was still 10.3. I'm a size 8-10 despite my weight (I think I weigh heavy for my size as I'm a runner and I am muscular on my legs especially) but the last few months I have also really noticed definition appearing in my arms and core, my shape has totally changed but my weight is fairly stable.

Interesting about the emotional eating, I would say to anyone who is thinking of doing this who is an emotional eater to get a journal and write in it every day plus prepare yourself for the fact that when you rip away your emotional crutch you can feel very 'raw' feelings.

I have definitely found the need to binge has reduced. I don't get the same 'hit' from low sugar foods. I generally have a mid afternoon snack as that's when I naturally feel hungry and it helps me stay in control. Otherwise its 3 sensible low sugar meals a day.

I did 6 months last year and lost four stone. I allowed myself to relax over Christmas and have sugar and alcohol with the intention of getting back on it in January. However, then lockdown happened and I was not at work and trying to homeschool. I'm hoping that after Easter when things are more normal I will cut it out again as I felt so much better for it.

I did it for 2 years after reading the Sweet Poison quit plan by David Gillespie. I mean properly did it, not just refined sugar - limited whole fruits, no honey, maple syrup etc. I didn't even touch sugar substitutes/ sweeteners for the first year to make sure I wasn't enjoying the taste of something sweet in any form. Savoury foods are where you have to be careful, they're full of sugar so you need to heck the ingredients of everything. Things like sauces, unless you've made them are pretty much out the question. The book tells you what to look for. Once my body was no longer physically addicted it was the easiest thing in the world. I could stand by a banquet of cakes and chocolates and not have to tell myself not to eat it, I simply had no interest. It was brilliant because i was losing weight without counting and weighing, I didn't feel like I was on a diet at all, everything else I ate was full fat and I ate what I wanted providing it didn't have sugar. When I got pregnant it all went out the window but I've been doing it again since January. I don't think I've been as strict this time round and it hasn't worked nearly as well for my weight loss to be honest. If you want the weight loss as well as no longer being a slave to a sugar addiction you need to go cold turkey and do it properly. The book is great, it fully explains why and how we're addicted and how to be completely fructose free

@AnnaFiveTowns

To anyone that's managed it: Do you think it's easier to go cold turkey rather than just trying to cut down? I really have a sugar / chocolate problem and need to stop it.

Yes, definitely. Before I lost weight and kept it off (for the first time ever), if I started a paving stone sized slab of crappy chocolate I could happily devour the lot in one sitting. Cutting it out completely was the key for me.

After several months I found a lot of stuff is actually too sweet for me. It is now possible for me to order a pudding, have a couple of bites and leave the rest because it's just not nice enough to be worth the calories. I can restrict myself to a reasonable portion of something really nice without feeling resentful and desperate to cram my face with more sweet stuff.

Over Easter I had a beautiful Belgian choc egg filled with chocs, and I ate it over three days. But that was dangerous because what I find now is that if I have a sweet treat on the odd day the cravings don't come back. But if I go on holiday for a week or two and have sweet things every day the cravings come back and I have to go cold turkey again to get rid of them. So I'm better off having a massive blowout on one day and then going back to normal.

I've stayed off sugar for longer than most of you have been alive. I gave up at 20 on a bizarre whim when my grandmother insisted girls had sugar in coffee and had to have a pudding.

Friends got to know I didn't have puddings or chocolate but was happy with coffee or cheese or whatever. I didn't make a fuss but noticed pretty soon when I did have something sugary ("crosstalk do have this new pudding - just a taste) I felt quite ill.

I'm not stupid enough to ignore the fact that a lot of things have sugar including alcohol, fruit, many veg and bread. To say nothing of pickles. But it didn't take me long to start not liking obvious sweet things.

The problem is that quite a few events with friends (coffee and cake, afternoon tea, only sweet drinks to replace alcohol at events) are sugary. I don't drink colas or sodas so take along my own tomato cocktail or water bottle.

Good luck to you all. Now to kick myself out of salt!

I’m so pleased I started this thread, thank you everyone for your input.

@Spodge this was my downfall the first time, I allowed myself treats in the run up to Christmas and it was a slippery slope. I think I have to acknowledge I will never have a good relationship with sugar so NC is the only way to go.

I am also an emotional eater so will need to watch what I’m doing when the going gets tough.

Billybagpuss I'm exactly the same as us. Want to be sugar free buddies?!

@cheeseisthebest

Billybagpuss I'm exactly the same as us. Want to be sugar free buddies?!

Yes yes yes, and I love cheese too

Great! pm me!

I gave up sugar 4 years ago, I genuinely (I don't think believe me as I'm a greedy fecker!) haven't touched cake, chocolate, ice cream, sweets or fizzy drinks since.

I only eat savoury food now.

@crosstalk

I've stayed off sugar for longer than most of you have been alive. I gave up at 20 on a bizarre whim when my grandmother insisted girls had sugar in coffee and had to have a pudding. Friends got to know I didn't have puddings or chocolate but was happy with coffee or cheese or whatever. I didn't make a fuss but noticed pretty soon when I did have something sugary ("crosstalk do have this new pudding - just a taste) I felt quite ill.

I'm not stupid enough to ignore the fact that a lot of things have sugar including alcohol, fruit, many veg and bread. To say nothing of pickles. But it didn't take me long to start not liking obvious sweet things.

The problem is that quite a few events with friends (coffee and cake, afternoon tea, only sweet drinks to replace alcohol at events) are sugary. I don't drink colas or sodas so take along my own tomato cocktail or water bottle.

Good luck to you all. Now to kick myself out of salt!

Wow, that's amazing ...

Hi @trunkysbun well done that’s awesome.

This thread is very inspiring thank you everyone.

The DC’s finished up the cake I’d made yesterday as I told them it was going to have to go into the bin if they didn’t as it was shouting ‘eat me’ every time I went into the kitchen. Weirdly they have some sweet sickly looking Easter treats in there that friends have given them and I have no interest in those. So it’s just the homemade stuff which is promising.