where are the (trying to be) sugar free mamas? - Page 3

[mandib50]

i'm just wondering how you make it affordable to bake with raw honey, pure maple syrup and stevia. i love to bake but the cost of at least the stevia and maple syrup is a deterrent for me. i don't even know if i can find raw honey around here.

last week, wasn't great, wasn't terrible either but i'm back on track today.
mandi

[member]

Eek. I've fallen off the wagon and my body is mad as all get out. I've had the worst headaches followed by my period cramps getting worse. Sigh. No more sugar for me!

[newmainer]

SG, there is always another day. That's what i tell myself. I've been barely holding it together myself, and some honey or maple syrup has been in my diet everyday. But, its a lot better than where I used to be at, and I manage to hold off on eating chocolate, so that's something I can write home about
hang in there!!

[arcenciel]

Mommy&Will - I've found that you can wean them off anything once you are determined enough. It's just a question of finding a time when you are ready (i.e. feeling strong enough) and then going for it. You could try restricting it first to one certain time a day. Reduce the amount you buy and then when there isn't any he can't eat it. Give him some choice but stick to what you decided was reasonable.

Or else just go cold turkey and don't buy any for a while!

I've been doing much better at avoiding sweet things with refined sugar in them than I thought I would. I'm still having quite a lot of honey as a replacement, which I'm hoping to reduce in the long-run, but it's helping to keep me off the bad stuff so I don't mind. I only "slipped up" once because I visited a customer who had made a pear tart especially for me! So I could hardly refuse.

I'm really having a hard time avoiding the hidden ones though. Saved a fortune on my groceries this week, I only hope we actually have enough food to eat!

I've found a recipe for my bread machine that uses honey instead of sugar, but when I get round to it I'm intending to try the NT sourdough...

Good luck!!

[member]

Thanks, Newmainer. So far so good today.

[MamaE]

Can I still join? I know I'm a bit late here, but I've been lurking and wanting/trying to give up sugar for months (years?) now. I got inspired here and decided to start with just kicking refined sugar - thanks for this thread - you guys have inspired me!

I made it 5 days easily, but then caved and am back on ice cream now. : That is one of my greatest vices - the candy, I can live without, oh, except for dark chocolate, which I don't plan to quit because I can control my habit.

So, here are my main problems:
1) I need to get off ice cream. I made my own a few weeks ago with maple syrup (I have an ice cream maker), but I don't know if I can control any sort of ice cream habit, natural sweeteners or refined ones. What can I substitute?

2) I am a bake-a-holic. Yes, I've been baking with blackstrap molasses and Rapadura, but do I really need to bake something every day? Cookies, brownies, you name it. It's got to stop!

So, I'm here for help and support, if I'm not too late to join!

[arcenciel]

MamaE, it sounds like you have a serious habit to kick! I don't think it's ever too late. I was really horrified when I decided to give up and I realised just how much sugar I was eating, in everything.

It feels like a whole life-change because you really have to think about everything you ever buy, and for me it's habits like going out for a coffee or a drink, or anything. I don't really enjoy coffee or tea that much without sugar, and if I can't eat a cake with it, what's the point in paying good money to sit somewhere and not enjoy a coffee? Also, dh and I had a child free day on Saturday and went to a bar after a film. I was driving so I didn't have any alcohol and in the past I would have had a coke, but sitting there drinking water just didn't have the same appeal!

I'm working up to taking the kids off sugar now, but they're not keen! For the moment I've stopped buying breakfast cereals except the "healthiest" which do have sugar in them but which hopefully they will ultimately miss less. I bought fruit instead of cookies and they were pretty happy to eat that in the middle of the day instead.

Dh thought he was being nice when he bought a giant pack of M&Ms for me last week, but it is sitting in the kitchen tormenting me. I think I have to get rid of it. It's the only thing that's really made me feel like giving in. Nearly 2 weeks now and I'm convinced it's important to give it up completely and get it out of your system so that you need it less.

keep it up.

[sweetpeasmom]

I'd love to join ya all too.
I started cutting out sugar last year when I was ttc. I did pretty well, my main downfall was coke. Then when I got pregnant, I craved sugar so much. Well I caved. Now I am starting again. I don't buy soda no more. Just trying to drink water and some occasional 100% juice. My dd is also been sugar free most of her life. She had a cookie once though, didn't care for it too much. My biggest obstical now is baked goods. I love baked goods. Been trying to cook some sugar free things but they just don't come out good. So if anyone has any good recipes or books that have recipes in them, can you please share

[Mommy&Will]

I really feel that when I get the right fats in my diet, my cravings really wane. Get some flaxseed oil and put it in your smoothies. When really craving sugar, I make a smoothie with a banana, strawberries, cranberry juice, flax oil and almond milk (get the no sugar added almond milk). Yum!


But who am I to talk.... I had oatmeal cookies (with maple syrup) yesterday. But at least I passed up the sugar laden birthday cake at my sister's this weekend. lol. It actually looked gross to me.

[newmainer]

i feel like i've turned a corner a little bit. I was scouring the grocery store looking for a sugar free treat of some kind and almost got a Rice Dream bar, but there are still sweeteners in it- rice syrup, etc...I thought to myself, this is just a different demon. So, i didn't get it. yesterday I made some cookies from one of the sugar-free books I got from Amazon (it was $.60!!) and they are only sweetened with mashed banana. I substituted wheat for white flour and used organic cocoa powder (non sweetened, of course) instead of carob. They turned out pretty good. Perfect for when i feel munchy and want something sweet, but they aren't too sweet. I realized that part of sugar-free baking is getting my palate to be satisfied with lightly sweet and not the overwhelming sugar taste I was used to.

MamaE- if you go back a page or so, I think I mentioned something about fruit sweeetedn baking books that are out there. the one i got is called _Sweet and Sugar Free_ and its pretty good. There are a lot on amazon, and they're pretty cheap.

[heldt123]

Trying and failing!! I've wanted to be sugar free and raise my son that way, but it is impossible with a husband who brings home candy, doughnuts, and sugary snacks all the time. I have amazing self control in the store, but absolutely no self control when it is in the house. And then try to not give it to your kids when you are eating it! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!! The only way it would ever work is if I moved out of the house and lived on my own. Good luck to the rest of you!!

[arcenciel]

heldt123, I know what you mean about dh. I'm gradually persuading mine to only eat sweet things in the office, or in the evening after the children are in bed - he has his own dark chocolate which the rest of us don't really like which he can have at home. The rest he can have in work time. He doesn't need to have stuff at home, and that way I can do what I want with everyone else's diet.

Except that of course my oldest is now 6 and they have their own opinions and ideas on the subject and I wish I'd done it when they were younger! My dd is 15 months and she will eat what I give her. Even my ds who is 4 is quite adaptable to what I give him, but my 6 year old remembers too much!

Still, it has made a huge difference, just in 2 weeks, that I am not eating so much sugar and I am finding it so much easier to say no to them, so while they are not sugar-free, they are already eating much less junk.

My next step is to try some sugar-free baking. I'm really finding that if I eat well (good meals) then I don't miss the sugar, but if I get hungry in between because I didn't eat a proper meal then I really start to crave. There's a good banana bread recipe in the NT cookbook which I'm looking forward to trying. I figure if I have some sugar-free but sweet snacks the boys will be easier to "wean". That's the theory anyway!

I guess I feel like an alcoholic because I know that if I give in at all then I won't be able to stop myself anymore. I can't just say "one bag of M&Ms" because if I eat them then I will be off the wagon and that will be that. So I'm holding out.....

[MamaE]

I'm still here. Day 1 again for me. :

I know I can do it though. I've made so many baby steps over the past year that I think this is it for me. Trans fats are gone, refined grains and flours are gone, I know I can kick refined sugar and cut back on all sweets, natural or not.

DH has agreed that we are done with ice cream. If I want it, I'll be making it at home and using maple syrup or honey - this will be a treat, once a month?

I still have some Rapadura brownies hanging around - I ate one today and decided I can have one a day until they are gone and then, there is a moratorium on goodie baking at my house. I am going to take up bread-baking for a while and see if that fills the gap. I just find baking to be so therapeutic - I can't give it up altogether. I've got sourdough starter brewing and it'll be ready for bread next week. (NT) I'm excited.

A yummy dessert I had tonight - frozen organic cherries and blackberries topped with plain yogurt

Just curious if anyone else has kicked a baking habit - any tips?

And, one more question, anyone read or reading Sugar Blues? I am almost finished and it's scaring the heck out of me. I definitely need scare tactics to help me finish kicking my habit! When I get some time, I need to do a search for scary links on sugar. Here's one I found at MDC a while back:

http://seasilver.threadnet.com/Preventorium/sugar.htm

Darn, I can't open it right now. Hopefully it'll work for some of you. If not, I'll double check it later.

[kimmysue2]

Okay I am back been reading the responses but no time to post (I should be doing my homework right now)

Any way I was bad on my birthday (14th) but hey it was the Cheesecake Factory you can't go there (unless you hate cheesecake) and not get any. BUT I was good in the sense that we all shared one piece of cheesecake.

My Dear sweet husband got some store cookies and a couple other sugar items but I made him take them to work, well the pop tarts are still here but I HATE those so they are safe.

Bananas which I am not fond of seem to be sometime I like.

I do treat myself to ONE Mt Dew on the weekend and that really helps me to not cheap with any other sugar.

[littleteapot]

Originally Posted by mandib50

i'm just wondering how you make it affordable to bake with raw honey, pure maple syrup and stevia. i love to bake but the cost of at least the stevia and maple syrup is a deterrent for me. i don't even know if i can find raw honey around here.

You don't use nearly as much as you would white sugar.
Honey is very expensive either way, so I don't use it much. Fruit purees you can make yourself and that ends up being very cheap.

My hub bought a package of 100 packets of stevia for around $8 and ALL I use it for is baking and coffee. If a recipe calls for sugar, I go here (http://www.cookingwithstevia.com/ste...ion_chart.html) for the conversion and then use half the amount called for. Often even less then that. Any more and it tastes WAY too sweet. Stevia is much sweeter then sugar.
That one box of 100 packets has lasted us about 3 months so far, and all we spent was $8.

[littleteapot]

PS. Those of you looking for an ice cream alternative. Try RICE DREAM! :-D

Rice dream smoothies are the best, too!

[MamaE]

Just checking in. I'm sailing through Day 4 - I think I'm going to make it this time. I feel great, better than I have felt since the last time I kicked sugar. Hmm, hope it lasts this time! One good omen, I've resisted the Haagen Dazs ice cream DH brought home 2 nights ago (after our agreement to give up ice cream ). I never turn down ice cream, so I'm getting ready to say that Sugar Blues changed my life, but I'd like this to last for a month first. The longest I've ever been refined sugar free is 2 weeks. I've got a ways to go!

[bebe luna]

I've been trying to stay sugar-free, or at least very low sugar, for about 7 years now.
It all started when I began having some extreme yeast issues (food sensativities, chemical reactions, numerous health issues, etc).
I first went on the yeast-free diet, which is very low carb/low sugar. I lost unwanted weight, got energy back, and felt better than ever... all my mysterious symptoms went away...
So after some modifications and research, I have remained on a very low sugar/low carb diet.
I do make allowances for some fruit, and do have a bit of grain every once in a while. I save sweet treats, bread, pasta, etc for "special" occassions.

I find that eating enough fat and taking B vitamins really helps w/ sweet cravings.

I also try and get creative w/ meals. Such as tonights dinner:

saute cut-up chicken breast in olive oil and garlic
add thin slices of red and yellow bell pepper and spinach leaves
after a couple minutes, add artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and a bit of rosemary
sprinkle in balsamic vineger and crushed red pepper
saute for another 2-3 minutes
add sea salt to taste, top w/ blue cheese crumbles,
garnish w/ fresh parsley and greek olives

It's low starch, low sugar, adequate protien, fat, fiber, and nutrients... very satisfying and not boring!

As far as having sweets in the house... I just don't buy them. Well, I do get my kids fruit, dried fruit, and granola bars... and they do have buckwheat pancakes or waffles w/ maple syrup once a week, but otherwise sweets are saved for special treats, like birthdays and holidays.
My dh is a sweet fiend (pepsi, chocolate, snack bars, etc), but we have an agreement that he can eat however he chooses, but cannot bring it in the house!

[brooklyngirl]

Glad to find this thread

I've been on a strict elimination diet for fifteen days (no dairy, wheat, eggs, soy,-the list goes on and on) . I'll be on it for 13 more days and then I plan to reintroduce foods one at a time and note effects. I was having health issues and I really felt like I needed to take charge of my own health. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

I have some questions/comments.

Those that were having issues with yeast-are there any books you would suggest?

Rice Dream/Fruit smoothies are so yum and they don't make me feel sick.

I find that since my diet has been so limited I've been really aware of the taste of what I'm putting in my mouth. Foods I may have otherwise covered with dressing or something else.

I do miss baking but I am hoping that I can make changes in my recipes (or find new ones) so that I can do that again.


Isn't it amazing how many things have some forms of sugar in them? My European friends always commented on how sweetened everything is here and I never really understood their meaning until I went shopping for this diet.

[arcenciel]

I'm still hanging on. I threw the M&M's out - opened the pack and tipped them in the garbage cos I just didn't trust myself!

I got sick over the weekend - stomach flu and I didn't feel there was anything I would ever want to eat again without sugar. I'm coping with the "sweet things" but I0m finding it hard to adjust out the things with the hidden sugars. It's such a whole lifestyle change. Not just for sugar. I've had to make some compromises and for the moment I'm igniring the fact that most of the bread I buy has sugar in it. I don't want to go back to sugar just because I need bread!

I'm still doing babysteps with the children. We used to get soda as a treat on weekends. Now I've decided that fruit juice can be that treat instead. Also fruit is starting to take the place of cookies and Î'm still buying really plain breakfast cereal which does have sugar in, but I don't let them add any and they sometimes want to try alternatives since it's so boring.

I like the idea of dh not bringing it in the house. He has a chocolate stash which he is not allowed to eat in front of the kids, but sometimes they se it, or catch him eating it. He's usually cooperative if I say he has to share anything they see him eating!