argh!!! sugar withdrawal!!!

[Rosebud1]

I have read some other threads on this topic here, but I just want to say that I am on day 6 of a sugar fast and it is so difficult!

Sugar is such a drug!!!! And I am very compulsive about eating it. My husband doesn't fully understand, I wonder if women are more addicted then men in this regard.

I am trying to keep my motivation going by reading articles on how bad sugar is for you. I am trying to substitute healthier foods. One positive is that I am eating less processed foods (so many things have sugar listed in the ingredients) and also way less bread. I am not drinking alcohol. I'm still macking the fruit though. I have noticed that fruit tastes soooo sweet now.

If you have tried to forgo sugar, did you give up sugar forever? Were you able to return with more moderation? When should I start feeling fabulous and that it was all totally worth it? : )

Argh!!!

[sophiesgrandma]

I love sugar especially the good milk chocolate kind. Oh course I love cake, cookies, ice cream etc. I am addicted. I try not to overdo too much but at times, I do. When I get totally disgusted with myself, I omit sugar and eat lots of fruit which is very satisfying to me but eventually I go back to white sugar. I wish I could stop. I eat healthfully aside from that. Lots of veggies, fish etc.
I will be watching this thread to look for tips on how to cut out white sugar and feel good doing it.

[escher]

I've been off sugar since January. It was hard at first, but has gotten MUCH easier. I think it took a couple of weeks for me to start to feel like it wasn't a constant struggle. For me, it is important to also avoid refined flour--I have noticed that if I eat white bread or pasta, I suddenly start to crave sugar again. I've also found it very helpful to carry extra snacks for myself, since sometimes for me part of wanting something with sugar in it is just hunger. I do think that I feel much better (physically and emotionally) without eating sugar. I'm doing it because I'm TTC, so when I started I wasn't planning to do it forever. However, the experience of seeing how much better I feel without sugar is making me wonder if I will keep doing it longer than I had planned. Good luck!

[lakeruby]

Wow! Day 6!! That is awesome. You are my hero! I don't eat that much sugar, but I would love to quit it entirely. You will be so much healthier. I bet you will stop craving sugar in a few more days. Have you tried increasing other healthy foods like green smoothies? I've read that drinking green smoothies can help people quit sugar addictions...
Best of luck to you!

[Rosebud1]

Op

Okay, confession time. It is day 8 or so and I just broke my fast. I had a very small piece of chocolate I was given for Mother's Day. I didn't cave, I just found I was becoming obsessed with my obsession, and it just did not seem balanced. I was able to have this small amount and feel pretty satisfied.

My goal now is to be, oh, 90% sugar free. If I am going to eat sugar, then it will not be daily, and I am going to have it in something gourmet and fabulous, not in bread or in processed foods. I have noticed a huge reduction in my consumption of processed foods through this whole endeavor, but frankly I don't envision myself never eating a cookie ever again, or never baking a dessert. My strategy for baking is to give most of it away (to eager neighbors!) immediately so I am not faced with an entire tray of brownies to myself, etc. That was my downfall last week.

I am hoping that this major reduction in consumption will positively impact my health.

[Shantimama]

I have been pretty much sugar free for several weeks now and it feels great. I eat the occasional small square of very dark chocolate and I eat lots of fresh fruit - no juice, though. The first few days were rough but I was already feeling terrible so I found it a little easier to stand the withdrawal.

As long as I eat plenty of protein and drink a lot of water I don't crave sugar at all any more. I found it much easier to do this when the spring weather came (even though it left again ) than in the middle of winter when I last tried.

[Rosebud1]

Protein, yes. I also noticed that I needed more fat during this time. My compermise has been sugar free whole fat yogurt with frozen fruit added in. You get the pleasure of natural sugar and fat that way, and it is satisfying but healthy. And better for you than ice cream.

[Magelet]

!!!

I've been mostly sugar free for a long time (a year? maybe a little more?. I've fallen off the wagon for a few days-a week here or there in the last year, but for the most part, I'm doing well.).

I agree about lots of fat and protein. I didn't try to restrict natural sugars (fruit, honey, maple syrup), though I tried to reduce them and I found that as I eliminated refined sugar (and most but not all refined flour), and increased fat, I didn't want as much of them.

In terms of "never eating a cookie again", you can, just use... care. I found early on (after maybe 3 weeks of absolutely no refined sugar) that I could eat 1 small dessert (if that was the ONLY refined sugar availible, I had no OFF button, so if I had a tray of brownies, they would not make it to the neighboor's house. If I had a refined sugar desert two days in a row... that was it, I had to detox and go through the cravings again.

Now, having eaten lots of fat for a long time, I *can* eat a little more refined sugar without needing to detox again. I have a very very small, barely effective off button. For instance, my mom sent us home with 2/3 of a 9 in pan, 4 in high birthday cake for my birthday (yikes!). I have been nibbling at it, but I haven't had to detox again. I don't feel well from eating so much sugar, but I can have just one peice (If DP cuts the peice and I don't see the whole cake), and I can eat sugar two days in a row without needing to redetox. I don't feel well, and can feel the effects of the sugar, but I *can* eat some. (If you don't have a high fat intake, I'm not sure this would work. I've had a 30-50% of calories from fat intake for... a year now. My sweet tooth/ability to resist sweets/less need to detox from sugar didn't kick in til I had been eating that much (healthy) fat for about 9 months.

hth

[Rosebud1]

question

Magelet,

What kind of fats are working best for you?

I find I am relying on whole fat yogurt, peanut butter and nuts pretty heavily. I don't want to go too dairy crazy though. I don't want to replace my sugar issue with mountains of dairy.

I also find I have to have some fat and protein at every meal so I am even keeled throughout the day and less likely to go wild.

[Magelet]

let's see.... I usually have whole milk with an egg yolk, or eggs cooked in butter, or oatmeal with cream and whole milk for breakfast.

I eat lots of dairy, I was eating a lot of peanut butter when I stopped eating sugar (just haven't had it around the house lately, I think it's a great food), coconut oil either mixed with pb for "dessert" or in cooking, lots and lots and lots of butter, fattier meats, any chicken and duck fat I can get my hands on...., we also go through a ton of olive oil.

for the most part, it's all dairy. I eat about 3/4 a lb of grassfed butter a week. plus plenty of coconut oil, olive oil, chicken fat, duck fat, beef fat (not a ton of those last three, because we eat a lot more dairy meals than meat).

[Dingletwitz]

Originally Posted by Magelet

I had no OFF button

ooooh! That's me! I was doing pretty well with not binging on the stuff, and then it was time to bake for a wedding cookie-table. I started too early! It looks like I'll have to repeat the baking for the THIRD time as I just.couldn't.stop with the freaking cookies.

it has worked for me in the past to have none in the house. No sugar, no flour, no noodles, no bread, no baking supplies. I got rid of my kitchenaid mixer because it dawned on me that I didn't use it for anything healthy. During my last downsize I got rid of cookie sheets and baking pans too, and this helped a lot.

I'll be with you, my friend, as I reboot after this last wild ride.