How long does it take for sugar-free eating to "kick in"?

[Smokering]

I want to give sugar-free eating a decent shot this year, mostly out of curiosity (and a bit of Sally Fallon-induced guilt!). If you've done it:

1. How soon after giving up sugar did you start to notice any changes (mood, health, energy etc)/

2. How long did it take the cravings to stop? :p

If it benefits us we might make it a permanent change, but I'd like to get a ballpark figure for how long a fair trial run might be. Six weeks?

[MamaChicken]

I did this as part of a diet. I had a balanced amount of fresh fruit, veggies, and meat. No other carbs at all. I had bad withdrawal symptoms for 3-4 days and then started feeling better. By the end of one week, I had energy increase and my headaches disappeared. I noticed sleeping a bit less, but feeling less drowsy during the day. I stayed on this for about 6 weeks.

The holiday season started and I have lapsed. I really feel it. Bloated, gassy, fatigue, irritable, etc. Yesterday I did good, no refined sugar and felt amazing all day. Relapsed today and here I am with a tummyache, very tired, and feeling depressed.

I am not tolerating the sugar well at all. I will try to go back starting tomorrow. I need the willpower to feel fantastic! 

[MamaChicken]

Oh! Most of the cravings were gone with the withdrawals, a small amount remained the whole time. Usually I could just distract myself and be done with it. 

[Smokering]

Do you find now that carbs are as bad as refined sugar? Like, if you had a piece of bread or some pasta, would that be as bad as eating a chocolate bar?

Honestly, I have a harder time with the thought of giving up my yummy homemade bread than giving up sweets!

[bonichka]

I would love to hear more responses on this as well.  I had cut out sugar & flour.   Among other reasons (mood, sluggishness), I have a weight problem, and the concept of addiction to these items sounded like it might be a big part of my problem.

I definitely noticed a difference in my mood, etc.  The cravings were gone pretty quickly.  But I made sure to have plenty of healthy options in the house.  After about a month, I made some cookies for Halloween, ate some, and lost control for a bit.  I got back on track within the week.  After that I was doing well with it until the week before Christmas.  Again there were more temptations around, and fewer healthy options.  So, I think if the whole family is on board, it would be much easier.

Good luck with this!

Bonnie 

[MamaChicken]

I don't think all carbs affect me the same. Most of my ill-effects seem to come from the blood sugar spikes and crashes. I do very well on whole grains and some natural sweeteners, like agave syrup. You can check out info on glycemic index/loading for more about that.

I do think the initial detox should probably cut all this out though, and then slowly add back in. For me, having a list of allowable foods was the easiest way to go. Sugar is hidden everywhere! I read labels on my spices, and lots of the blends have sugar.

I did 3 protein, 2 fruit, and 4-5 low-starch veggie servings per day. No dairy, no grains. I pre-cooked portions to make life easier since I am feeding 4 kids who are not on the same restrictions.