detox from sugar?

[merryns.mom]

help, my name is kelly, and i'm addicted to sugar

mtn dew, sweet tea, coffee, etc i know i need to stop and that it is not helping me be alert and it does not help me have more energy

can anyone help me quit/has anyone done it?

[ursusarctos]

I was once addicted to sugar too. Good for you for realizing you need to stop! It certainly is draining, and for me it was also fattening.

It is going to take a certain amount of sheer willpower and pain as you go through "withdrawal". But what helped me was substituting less-bad things for soda, sugary snacks, etc. I had heard that when you crave sugar you really need protein. So when I was dying for a sugary pastry at 4 pm, I would let myself have a savory treat - it could still be unhealthy and delicious, containing white flour, etc. but the main thing was substituting a different taste when I craved sugar. I also tried to get a little protein in the snack - cheese or meat or nuts. I'm talking hot-pocket, slice of pizza, chili nuts - junky crap anything as long as it wasn't sugary. I tried to make it as easy for myself as possible. Then I would have satisfied the junk food craving and I would be full and able to resist the sugar craving. And slowly I weaned myself off the need for the sugary taste. Once you no longer crave the sugary taste, it's easier to then shift your snack choices to something healthier, like a cheese sandwich, hardboiled egg, non-flavored nuts, even veggies with dip or something

Also, try substituting juice (the no sugar added kind) for soda. You can combine it with half mineral water too if you want the fizziness. It's true that juice is full of sugar too, but it's still better for you than soda and will take care of the need for a sugar hit in beverage form. Then when you're used to not drinking soda you can slowly cut down on the juice and/or switch to whole fruit.

Herbal tea (there is a huge variety out there!) with honey is also good if you want something non-caffeinated, warm and sweet but not full of refined sugar.

Just keep at it and soon you will get used to not drinking soda, etc. When your inner self whines for a hit of sugar, be your own parent and don't let yourself have it, for your own good! Good luck!

[Magelet]

Sugar cravings are often also a sign of needing more healthy fats (like butter, lard, tallow, chicken fat, coconut oil, olive oil). Once I had been eating enough healthy fat for about a year, I discovered my sweet tooth had disappeared. I can eat sugar occasionally, but I don't really want to much of the time. And when I do, it's not that hard to limit myself to a little peice, because it tastes SO sweet.

Before my sweet tooth disappeared, I went cold turkey. No refined sugar in the house. No anything with refined sugar (cane sugar, beet sugar, corn syrup, anything). honey, maple syrup, molasses we had in the house to use. Sometimes I would have dessert when I went out to dinner or at someone's house, and as long as I only had a little bit, and only 1 day in a row(and only with 1 meal), NOT 2 days in a row, I would be ok going back. If not, I went through withdrawl again.

I didn't personally find that small quantities of unrefined sugars were problematic for me, and as I ate less sugar, my sweet tooth did cut back. I started eating a lot of unrefined sugars, but could pretty easily cut back on them. Desserts with refined sugar started tasting too sweet pretty quickly as well. It's hard, very hard, and I'm not sure I could keep up with going through withdrawl after birthdays and holidays and such for years and years. However, "catching up" on my fats helped SO much, and I have such a good relationship with sugar now, I feel like.

[Mama Metis]

For me, I noticed that the more sweet stuff I ate/drank, the more I wanted. I stopped the vicious cycle by reducing my intake of really sweet stuff, like soda and candy, and went from there. The more I cut out, the less I really wanted. I think our taste buds get used to the sugar overload. Now days, even a little sugar in my tea is too sweet for my tastes. I drink it plain and genuinely enjoy the flavors of the tea leaves and herbs. I say cut out the sugar and maybe you won't even miss it!

[mi_amor]

Originally Posted by Mama Metis

For me, I noticed that the more sweet stuff I ate/drank, the more I wanted. I stopped the vicious cycle by reducing my intake of really sweet stuff, like soda and candy, and went from there. The more I cut out, the less I really wanted. I think our taste buds get used to the sugar overload. Now days, even a little sugar in my tea is too sweet for my tastes. I drink it plain and genuinely enjoy the flavors of the tea leaves and herbs. I say cut out the sugar and maybe you won't even miss it!

Same here! I had to stop buying pop, chocolate, candies, cookies, cereal, etc. and started putting honey in my tea and maple syrup on my oatmeal instead of brown sugar. After doing that for a few weeks, I really didn't miss sugary stuff too much. And when I did eat something sugary again, like store bought cookies, I was turned off because it tastes so artificial and way too sweet!

I also found that if I did eat a sweet, I wanted more and more. So now I'll have an occasional treat, but I won't buy a package of pop because I can't have just one. (Pop is my weakness). But juice and fizzy water is a good compromise.

Maybe you could try plain peppermint tea? It gives me energy for the day! I didn't used to like tea, but I like it now. Licorice tea is nice and sweet too.