Anyone wants to join me in quitting sugar for 30 days to start with?

[Bananamuffins123]

I have been out of control since we got back from holidays 6 weeks ago. For some reason can't get get inti the mindset of eating healthily for more then 5 days to the point i binge even on dark chocolate. The only way for me is to do 30 days of no sugar , not even dark chocolate and hopefully my mind will rest again. Anyway wants to join me from tomorrow?

Peae that’s how I feel. In all honestly if I could just eat cake/dessert/chocolate 2-3 times a week like a ‘normal’ person then I’d be happy and I’m sure my body could cope. My problem is that I just hoover up anything sugary in huge amounts all day long if I have the opportunity. I struggle to resist it and can’t stop once I’ve started so maybe it has to be all or nothing to me but I’m hoping if I could just go 30 days without it then I can at least reset my habits a bit!

I nodded all the way through this. I can't do moderation where chocolate and biscuits are concerned.

happy to say I’ve made it though day 2/30. Not too much of a struggle craving wise although I did eat a couple of quite sweet clementines so maybe that’s why. Still felt lost after lunch without a biscuit or 5 to get me through the post lunch sleepiness!

Back in the office tomorrow after a couple of days WFH so I will have to be really careful to pack enough food to see me through the day without going out to a shop and also be prepared for the inevitable cake and biscuits that will have been brought in by someone!

Another sugar-free day here. I think I'm about 18/19 days free from biscuits and chocolate.

Very tired after a disturbed night and a stressful day at work. Felt my resolve weaken and ate three dates. Technically okay according to my "no sugar" rules but feeling very bloated - body seems to react the same. Tiredness and the need for a treat to keep going are clearly major triggers for me.

Well done @Peae that’s an amazing achievement. Are you feeling better overall after that length of time? That’s interesting @orangetulipsinbloom, I do love dates but they are very sweet, I suppose they also have a lot of fibre which might also account for some the symptoms.

I have made it through day 3/30. I decided not to go into the office today after all as I definitely would have cracked. Work is super stressful at the moment and I’m a lot more desk based than usual which doesn’t help.

After lunch today I was just pacing round the house trying to get rid of the cravings and unease that I’ve been getting at that time of day. Hopefully I will eventually be content with a piece of fruit!

Friday will be a big challenge I’m sure, my kids always get sweets on the way home from school on Fridays and I usually treat myself to a big bar of chocolate. I’m going to have to stay very strong to get past that!

Day 4/30 done ✅ massive challenge for me to get through Friday without a ‘treat’ so I’m feeling pretty pleased. Still not seeing any benefits at this stage, maybe been a bit less tired in the afternoons.

I found the gym a massive struggle today, not sure if it’s the lack of sugar or just because I did quite a hard run yesterday but hopefully it will pass soon whatever it is!

Day 5/30, out at soft play and managed to resist the cake temptation but I’ve just eaten a massive bowl of Greek Yogurt with banana, nuts and a sprinkle of cocoa powder on top, it was absolutely delicious and within the ‘rules’ I set for myself but definitely felt like cheating 😬
I have a longer run tomorrow and would normally have a sweeter breakfast I.e cereal or honey to get the carbs in and also maybe take a gel halfway so I have to make a decision on how I’m going to handle that as even my shorter runs have been a bit of a struggle for the last few days.

I've been feeling pretty good, but having a few weird moments when I can't really tell if I'm hungry or not, whether I should eat or not - so I guess my appetite "off" switch is turning back on!

Have a runny nose today, so not sure if I'm coming down with something or it's a bit of carb flu.

@QuiteAnEpicFailure I wavered about starting low sugar for a while as I have a half-marathon at the beginning of October. I've only done two long runs since quitting sugar, but I had oats, half a banana, nut butter, cacao and full fat milk blended as a shake pre-run, then I got some SIS gels, which have maltodextrin. Obviously they have artifical sweetner, which generally I stay away from, but it seemed the best compromise solution for me.

Personally I'm taking the view that sugar consumption to enable intense exercise doesn't "count". I feel like its very different metabolically to eat sugar that goes straight to your muscles, it feels good and fuels my energy, rather than giving me a high and then slightly sickly feeling later.

Well done, that’s an amazing achievement. Are you feeling better overall after that length of time?

Definitely, yes. No more afternoon slumps is the biggest benefit (as well as the weight-loss). Another benefit is how sweet other food is tasting, such as tomatoes.

(I am sugar-free 21 days out of the last 23).

Thanks for much for the thoughts on sugar and exercise @Trickedbyadoughnut and @ManchesterGirl2, in the end I made it round without any gels but I think if I go longer I will just take them and not count it. I have a half in October too but I’m starting ultra training next month so will be aiming to use more ‘real food’ over gels then.

Maybe day 7/30 I’m torn about how to count my days sugar free, my dd spent ages baking a chocolate cake yesterday. I helped her melt chocolate and decorate the cake and didn’t eat a single lick or nibble of anything. Normally I’d have eaten so much mixture and Icing that I’d feel sick by the time the cake was made 😬

It was just me and dd home for the weekend and I when the cake was ready there was no one to have any of it with her so I had a small slice. To me this is still a massive accomplishment, to have helped bake a cake and then eaten only one slice of (there is still lots of cake left and I’ve not touched it again). Normally I would have been completely out of control round the ingredients and the cake but I have maintained control and I didn’t really have any choice about eating the cake as dd would have been very disappointed, so I feel that I will still count this as a sugar free day.

So medjool dates count? They are lower GI and have helped curve cravings.

They meet the craving alright.. but they are a no for me as they keep the cravings going imo but if not a problem and they help, that's different. For me, they'd set me off for more.

I love medjool dates but they seem to have the same effect on my body as refined sugar - I can't have just one or two and stop easily and they make me bloated, which is one of the reasons I decided to cut sugar out of my diet.

Noted. Thought they were too good to be true. Will give them a miss for now too.

Still going here, but struggling with my hormones this week and today I did have some biscuits after tea (and a 24+ hour fast).

I find it difficult to believe that I joined this thread from the very beginning and haven't eaten any refined sugar since. I don't think I have managed to refrain from sugar for such a long time ever. What I learned during the last 48 days:

Timing: I saw the OP at the perfect time for me - I was upset about premature death of a relative due to a lifestyle-related illness earlier in the summer and always feel like positive with anticipation when getting ready for the new school year in August/September (I work in education). It was a good time for me to make changes.
Accountability: I found the I Am Sober app that allows me to track each day really helpful. I don't like to break my streak!
Cravings: Cravings are not commands, I don't have to give in. I resist them by drinking water, eating an apple, lighting a scented candle, doing some physical exercise etc. At the beginning, I had strong sugar cravings even at night in bed (never experienced this before) but they disappeared about three weeks in, I think. I am simply less tempted when offered biscuits at dreary work meetings, a Turkish delight with the bill at a restaurant etc. I can leave it without feeling sorry for myself. Admittedly, I am also afraid of sliding back if I gave in to even a single temptation.
Body: What really motivates me is how quickly my body responded to a sugar-free diet. I felt my trousers loosening within a week and I am now visibly leaner, with no muffin top and, I think, much reduced cellulite. I didn't embark on this in order to loose weight (I have never been overweight) but I certainly have reduced my waist circumference and gone down a dress size.
Exercise: I feel very motivated to do 10-15 minutes abs exercises in the morning and squats throughout the day (when waiting for the kettle to boil etc.). I certainly don't have a six-pack but my body feels simply better overall. I feel that doing some exercise first thing in the morning helped me to reduce cravings as my body got a 'high' from exercising.
Digestion: Since peri I have been getting very bloated when eating sugar (my husband can tell from the trumpets at my side of the bed in the morning!). This is greatly reduced. I did get quite constipated for two weeks or so, perhaps while my body adjusted, but I started drinking lots more water and this really helps.

I am avoiding all refined sugars (chocolate, biscuits, cake, sweet drinks, sugary yoghurt, also honey, dates, agave sirup etc) but I eat fruit and don't worry about it. My lovely DD made me a beautifully decorated sugar/sweetener free cake for my birthday. While it wasn't the best cake I have ever eaten, it provided satisfactory "cakeness" to feel like a special treat.

The only negative thing that I noticed could be a coincidence. I seemed to have developed marionette lines over night, perhaps just a sign of ageing (I am 55) or is it loss of fat in my face?

How is everyone else doing?

@UmCachorroVerde have you tried his sha on your marionette lines? You have to keep it up, but it made a difference to my appearance.

Oh WOW @UmCachorroVerde - this is amazing!!!

But not at all surprising.

I'm trying to remember how long I've been sugar free. It's become a way of life and I now genuinely prefer savoury whole foods.

Kicking the sugar (and UPF!) habit awakened my taste buds. Vegetables now taste so much more flavourful. Carrots are sweet and delicious. Like you I don't worry about fruit. It's all good.

Not sure about marionette lines. I'm a lost cause I was already quite old when I stopped eating sweet stuff...

I had to look up what his sha is.I have never used a jade roller but interesting to hear that it works. Thanks for the recommendation!

Sorry about the autocorrect . “Gua sha” as you figured out.

I've just stumbled across this thread. This is really encouraging! Well done.

Can I ask - have you cut out bread or other things that might contain sugar? Do you eat other carbs (eg. Oats, etc?).

I think I have a fairly healthy diet, but will have the odd slice of cake or the occasional biscuit. I'm struggling to lose belly fat (even though at a healthy weight) and wondering if cutting out all sugar will help.

I was amazed how quickly I felt the difference when I stopped eating sugar. I love bread but I started reducing it earlier this year when I realised that the bloating I have been experiencing since peri might be a result of eating bread. Because I grew up in a culture where bread is very central, I had not occurred to me that it didn't agree with my changing body any longer (but this article might explain why - I don't have the same issues with bread "back home"). I now hardly ever eat normal wheat bread.
I don't avoid carbs as such but replace pasta with wholemeal pasta or choose the thin crust when having a pizza. For breakfast I typically eat Ryvita rye bread with hummus, cottage cheese and radishes or smoked salmon or overnight oats (best recipe here). Not keen on porridge because I find it unappealing without honey or some other sweetener.
As other PPs said, it's important to add something delicious to the diet and not only cut certain foods out. It makes it much easier to stick to these changes if you don't feel that you are sacrificing pleasure and taste.

I failed spectacularly, but I'm still trying!

I failed spectacularly too, but I’m going to give it another shot starting tomorrow!

I’ve download an app to help with accountability.