Quitting sugar accountability thread

[quittingsugaryay]

I'm quitting sugar for 30 days. I did it before and lost lots of weight, cleared my skin and felt more energetic.
So here are my rules:
*No added sugar (check every label)
*No honey
*I'm allowed to eat fruits but the ones with low glucemic index
*No pasta and no bread.

I'll be using this thread as accountability thread. Everybody is welcome to join.
Thank you x

Review of Day 41 (Friday, 29.03.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
On the go most of the day. A breakfast of scrambled eggs and banana pancakes with peanut butter slathered on top, set me up for the day. Back home around 15:00 to Pinto beans in spicy sauce with vegetables, olive and pickles. 12+k steps before settling in for the evening.

Review of Day 42 (Saturday, 30.03.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Up early to finish work. A bowl of buckwheat porridge (getting used to the taste and texture) with smoothie on top (spinach, avocado, banana, flaxseed and apple) with peanut butter. It was both heavy and filling. Left around 09:00, and out the rest of the day with DD. We grabbed egg and potato salads, humous and carrot dips, and various fruits from Tesco during the day and arrived home around 19:00. Ate the remaining spicy pinto beans with broccoli and relaxed for the rest of the evening. 10+k steps for the day.

Review of Day 43 (Sunday, 31.03.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Finished up work in the morning. Concerted effort to be out and about. Achieved 13+k steps. Pretty light meals throughout the day. Relaxed in the evening with the family.

Starting weight: 10 stone 4lbs
Current weight: 8 stone 13lbs

Kamr123 You’ve done so well, keeping to your plan. May I ask have you lost the weight just over the 6 weeks of doing this program?

Hi Mydoghealsmyheart,
I had to change my username as the other one, for some reason, changed to a very old one I had years ago. Simply added more numbers to this one to get around it.

Thank you for your comment. Yes, I cut out processed sugar, anything with added sugar, reduced the salt and the processed food. Exercised, but not excessively (sit-ups, planks, press-ups maybe add in a few squats - Calisthenics). Lots of walking and moving around. First few weeks removed all the sweets from my work drawer, where most of the sugary indulgences would constantly occur.
But yes, I did it all in that time frame.

The biggest change is knowing when the triggers are impacting my actions and what those triggers are that are making me reach for the sugary foods.

Another thing for me was portion size. I didn't have an off switch and would eat until the packet or box was empty. A lot has changed since then - though I do tend to have a teaspoon and a half (maybe more when I eat it from the spoon) of peanut butter.

Still on the journey. 🙂

Review of Day 44 (Monday, 01.04.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Left early for a few days away. It was a rushed breakfast of a few banana fritters and herbal tea (DD said it's good for me, and I should give it a try). Once on the road we ate the packed lunch made (spring rolls and falafel wraps). I also boiled 10 eggs and made a container of banana fritters (3 ingredients only) to eat over the next few days. Only stopped off at the services to use the restroom and nothing more.

Arrived later than planned. As it was Easter Monday most shops were closed.
I opted for a poor looking salad from the Services nearby to eat with a few eggs. However, my family opted for a Subway sandwich each, the only one that was open at 19:30.

Managed 8k steps - mainly achieved in the morning when I was running around trying to sort the last few things out.

Kamr12345 That’s so kind of you to reply to my question, I’m really grateful. Wow, you are very organised with meal planning and this is inspirational. You’re certainly giving me a lot to think about. I have a lot of weight to lose and I’m wondering if this could be the way forward for me. But I have a VERY sweet tooth so I worry I’m doomed to fail at the first hurdle. Hope you have a great break.

Thank you. We are having a wonderful time.😀
A few very humble thoughts from me (I can empathise about 'failing at the first hurdle'). Try changing only one thing and focus your energy on that.

If you like carbonated sugary drinks, maybe switch to cordial/dilute to taste and add lots of water, but you still have that sweet hit but less sugar. If you eat bread, and most of us do without a second thought, it can be a hidden added sugar. You can try changing it to Ezekiel, rye or sourdough bread or ones with less sugar. Avoid anything with maltodextrin, it is a sugar substitute which has a much higher GI then sugar, so much worse. Maybe changing your chocolate to higher concentrations of cacao solids. This one with cause a fight between you and your taste buds if you are used to the sweets found in miniature heroes and celebrations, but it is worth it in the end - quality over quantity.

It will take a concerted effort in the beginning, as we are breaking habits, but you can do it. It will not be perfect, nothing is, but if you are thinking about it, you are already in a good place to start.

My humble thoughts. 🙂

Review of Day 45 (Tuesday, 02.04.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Morning started with a small mixed fruit salad topped with nuts and seeds, scrambled eggs, and mushrooms. Family also went for the cooked breakfast, but had all the extras like hash browns, lots of bread and jam, baked beans, and sausages (veggie).

Left around 10:00 and was out for most of the day. Walked along the beach and climbed a few leg straining hills (kids made it look easy, while I was trying to drag in air). It was raining so we couldn't walk as far as we wanted.

Back at the guest house we made rice, mixed with corn, tofu pieces, veggie sausage, hard boiled egg and spinach (we have a microwave and fridge). Supper was Chinese take away for the family (don't have it often). I opted for veggie sausages and crunchy salad, with sugar free yoghurt. Did have a few forkfuls of egg fried rice from DS but it seemed extremely salty. 11k steps.

A good day.

This thread has been a great read and I would love to join. I’ve been toying with the idea of stopping all processed sugar for over a year and have decided to bite the bullet! I am inspired by all of you who have kept going.

Im currently at the end of day 1. I haven’t weighed myself but would love to see a few cm disappear from my stomach too!

Do you allow yourself to eat dried fruit or sweeten with dates/maple syrup? Or stop all sweet except for fresh fruit?

Hi Colouroftherainbow.

Congratulations on day one!

To answer your question, I don't personally eat dried fruits. On dehydration we remove all the water. What is left is the concentrated sugar in a small package. If we had a handful of the dried fruits, i.e., maybe equivalent to three or four apricots (possibly more for me) for arguments sake, it will be a huge sugar hit, more than if we ate one or two in its natural form. It does not mean we cannot have it on occasion, but for me it requires conscious thought not to eat a lot more,

In regards to maple and date syrup. I went down that same thought process - 'is it better?' For me personally, it is still sugar in a concentrated form that we use in addition to our main meals. Some may argue, date and maple is better due to some additional compounds, but it comes wrapped up in sucrose, fructose and glucose. The links below may give you some idea of the range: 65 - 68g per 100g for maple and 55-68g per 100g for Date. Tesco has a good selection.

Maple syrup sugar composition
https://www.maplefromcanada.co.uk/maple-syrup-vs-sugar/#:~:text=At%20around%2077%20calories%20per,quantities%20for%20baking%20or%20cooking.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/search?query=maple%20syrup
This is a great paper (no affiliation which may cause informed bias).
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13684

Date syrup sugar composition
https://www.clarksit.co.uk/product-range/date-syrup/
https://www.groovyfood.co.uk/products/organic-date-syrup
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/clarks-date-syrup-330g

I do eat fruits but I am mindful not to eat a whole punnet of strawberries and berries. I keep reminding myself that when I eat fruits in the morning, during the day and in the evening, I am still eating a lot of sugar. Frozen are good, and canned in water is another way - my DMIL does a mean fruit salad with an little extra twist.

This article by Diabetes UK has a good piece on frozen and canned.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/cooking-for-people-with-diabetes/cooking-on-a-budget/top-tips-for-using-tinned-and-frozen-fruit-and-veg

It is a process and the physical changes will come. 😀

Review of Day 46 (Wednesday, 03.04.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Egg, mushrooms, and tomatoes in the morning. Out for most of the day with family and back around 19:00. Remained in the guest house as it rained pretty heavily for most of the night. Chickpeas, rice noodles, salmon, spinach, corn, potatoes, crunchy salad (carrots, red cabbage, lettuce) with dressing, hummus and yoghurt where on offer for the evening meal. 13+k steps.
A good day.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed reply @Kamr12345, cant even express how much I appreciate it.

I do not plan to substitute regular sweet foods (chocolate is my weakness) with dried fruit or maple/date but am trying to plan ahead for what to include when I am in a situation where I would like something sweet to avoid me being tempted towards processed sugar. Likewise for when I am making a meal where I would usually add a tiny amount of sugar to offset - hopefully I can use a touch of maple/date instead.

Biggest change yesterday was drinking coffee without sugar. I usually have less than one teaspoon but have always considered it impossible to cut out but now the decision has been made, I will have to adjust!

I am going to step onto Boditrax when I visit the gym later today so I have an idea of my initial stats. Don't plan to measure again until the end, my aim is to focus more on how I feel to avoid obsessing over numbers

Review of Day 47 (Thursday, 05.04.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Heavy rain kept us mainly inside. Picked mostly on fruits, nuts, last of the eggs and fritters, after our usual breakfast. Walked with DH for just over an hour in the morning. Did a little bit of work as we did bring our laptops. Enjoyed an evening meal with the family (fish and chips near the beach). A little over 8k steps mainly from our morning walk.
A pleasant day.

I have just found this thread, @Kamr12345 I have enjoyed your updates, well done, you are very motivating, sugar isn't really my issue, just vast quantities of carbs, crisps and alcohol...I am three days in on low carb but think I am overeating on eggs, meat and cheese 😦

@colouroftherainbow
Well done for knowing where you are going to start - the sugar in the coffee.
Hope it all went well at the gym and you managed to get an idea of your stats.

Managed day 2 and also made it to the gym. Didn't manage to fit in any walks with busy work day and rain when I was finally free.

Had to control the desire to reach for something sweet after lunch and late afternoon - this is the time where my willpower usually drops and I end up having chocolate. Pushed through with some strawberries and oranges as a substitute

Was surprisingly tired, even had a nap for half hour in the evening which would usually spell disaster when I go to bed but no problems.

Day 3 going well so far, been to the gym this morning and will head out for a walk when I finish work in couple of hours. I am eating out this evening but feel confident I should manage to choose something appropriate and avoid dessert. Usually only drink water so that is an easy one

Thanks @Kamr12345, I am inspired by you being almost at day 50! I can't see myself getting that far but am determined to make it to week 3 to see what effects no sugar has on rest of me. I am also listening to Why We Eat Too Much which is doing a great job of turning me off the sugar!

Starting weight is 57.5kg with 26% body fat

Your target of three weeks is great! I think listening and reading around the subject is definitely a good way to learn more.
I will have a listen to Why we eat too much. 🙂

Well done on your three days in!😃

I am not a dietician by any means, but I have been where you are, so these are simply my humble thoughts. .

Eating eggs, meat and cheese, in moderation, can be part of a balanced diet. However, like you mentioned, we can overdo it, especially with the processed meats like you will find in the 'ready meal' section in most supermarkets, which can have a lot of hidden salt and sugar. Or the high salt content of cheese. which means popping that last part into our mouths when we come to the end of grating a mound of cheese (and still eat the grated cheese while we are preparing a meal with it) can have an impact on water retention. If you find you are eating them several times a day, maybe think about changing one meal each day.

Protein is an essential nutrient for the body, a lot different than processed sugar with no nutritional value which you can effectively do without, so the change should be based around 'substituting' meat for other good sources of protein and possibly reducing the trio, if you believe you are overeating.

Meatless meals
This is a good site for actual meals that you can cook.
137 Vegetarian Dinner Recipes | Good Food (bbcgoodfood.com)
This one has many from various cultures.
82 Vegetarian recipes from around the world - delicious. magazine (deliciousmagazine.co.uk)
I am not a fan of 'processed meatless meats' as it can, at times, have far more 'unsavoury' additions other than high salt and sugar for taste, than if you had processed meats. You don't want to go from the frying pan to the fire - just my own personal take.

Cheese portions
Reducing the amount you have in terms of portion size. Example, Cathedral cheese is a 550g packet and is supposed to have 18 servings.
Cathedral City Mature Cheddar Cheese 550 G - Tesco Groceries
I know with my hand on my heart, it could eat a good 1/3 of a packet of cheese with ease many years ago (I can go weeks without it now, and maybe a slice here or there).
Maybe smaller serving sizes can be an alternative.
Cathedral City Mini Mature Cheddar Cheeses 6x20g | Sainsbury's (sainsburys.co.uk)
This is a brief but good read.
Size matters: portion sizes | Diabetes UK

Eggs
I tend to eat them several times a week: usually scrambled in water or hard boiled. My DD makes the best 'egg muffins' (onions, tomatoes, olives with herbs) and are baked in the oven. Sometimes, I can go without them for a few days, and then I will reach for them in a bind, as they are the ultimate fast food. Have a look at how much you are eating (and how you are preparing them i.e., fried), and maybe think about what you would do to scale back for your own personal needs.

Here are a few articles that I found interesting.

Eggs and cholesterol - BHF New Study Finds Eating Eggs May Not Increase Cholesterol Levels (healthline.com) Egg limits lifted | BEIC (britisheggindustrycouncil.com) This one is an interesting read. Does eating eggs increase my risk of heart disease? - BHF This was an interesting article. However, it was funded by EIC. It states, 'This research and the APC were funded by the British Egg Industry Council'. So take its findings with a large pinch of Himalayan salt. Eggs: Healthy or Risky? A Review of Evidence from High Quality Studies on Hen’s Eggs - PMC (nih.gov) This article was a good read, but also has little 'conflicts of interest' showing its head (see before the references). Eggs: good or bad? | Proceedings of the Nutrition Society | Cambridge Core

Just a few thoughts.🙂

Review of Day 48 (Friday, 05.04.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Arrived home in the early afternoon. Spent the afternoon putting a few loads on, while family cleaned the car. Went shopping to replenish the perishables and settled in for the evening. Light meals throughout the day (fruit, nuts, bowl of veggies with hummus and yoghurt). Evening meal was a very small bowl of buckwheat porridge, smoothie and peanut butter. 10+k steps.
A good day.

Made it to the end of day 4! Stuck to just a main meal when out last night that I could confidently say would not have had sugar in it. Still feeling more tired than usual, not sure if it is to do with the change in diet or just other things catching up with me. The children also did not end up having any snacks today which I hope continues. I don't usually snack on weekends, its a case of dealing with their demands but other than little fruit offered at 4pm, nothing was requested.

My dinner was bowl of roast veggies with feta cheese. Added pasta into the mix for rest of the family

@colouroftherainbow

Well done for reaching day 4. That is almost a week already.

I read your comment about tiredness. I didn’t experience fatigue (or didn’t register it as I was always on the go and always thought I was exhausted from work) but I was a little concerned about your symptoms.

Research papers on sugar withdrawal in humans was very limited and tended to be about the physical symptoms in rats – not very helpful. So, though there are not many epistemological studies that I could share, I opted for information that may prove informative (see below).

Numbers 3, 4 and 5 point out ways in which you can mitigate the symptoms: eating more proteins, fats and whole grains as examples.

1. Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms:

Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms: Timeline and How to Cope (verywellmind.com)

1. Sugar Detox:

Sugar Detox: Symptoms, Side Effects, and Tips for a Low Sugar Diet (healthline.com)

1. Giving up sugar and tiredness:

Giving up sugar and tired, what could I be doing wrong? (topsante.co.uk)

1. 10 Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms:

10 Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms to Expect From Your Sugar Detox (trifectanutrition.com)

1. Withdrawal symptoms:

What are the symptoms of sugar withdrawal? | Patient

1. What happens to your brain when you give up sugar - BBC Future:

This one is a very detailed read and mentions an interesting study by Falbe, et al., 2019. Potentially addictive properties of sugar-sweetened beverages among adolescents. Appetite, 133, pp.130-137. Potentially Addictive Properties of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages among Adolescents - PMC (nih.gov)

However, it is always a good idea to seek the advice of your GP, just in case there is more to the tiredness than simply sugar withdrawal, as removing the main source of energy may lead to very low blood sugar which can be detrimental.

I want you to be safe on your journey. 🙂

Review of Day 49 (Saturday, 06.04.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Started the day with the usual cleaning. Made lentils stew early in the morning (soaked green lentils (vertes) with a homemade sauce of aubergines, carrots, spring onion, red onion, pepper, garlic, tomato paste, herbs and spices). There was a choice of rice or sweet potatoes to go with it, along with steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and peas. I ate the lentils with various things throughout the day, which was filling. Kept some of the sauce to use for the next day. Did have a few periods of high stress, but I understand my reaction a little better: aware it’s my body reacting to the situation initiating a complex interplay between cortisol, ghrelin, dopamine and the limbic system. Ended the day with veggie straws and a few tangerines.

Review of Day 50 (Sunday, 07.04.24)
No processed sugar/reduced intake of salt/reduced intake of processed food.
Caught up on a little work in the morning, then out with DH. Light meals throughout the day (omelette for breakfast, lentil stew with rice noodles and veg when we returned). Yoghurt with pistachios and a sprinkling of seed mix with a tangerine in the evening. Had carrot sticks with hummus to pick on when home. Finding I am needing that crunch every now and then. 15k steps.

Starting weight: 10 stone 4lbs
current weight: 8 stone 12 lbs.