~Spring Kicking Sugar Support Thread! ~

[BurtsGirl]

There looked to be a big interest in a support thread for kicking sugar so I thought I'd go ahead and start one. Please feel free to join us daily, weekly, or whenever. The purpose of the thread is for support in kicking sugar be that totally sugar free, limiting your sugar intake, or cutting out certain foods. We'll all have different boundaries, methods, and goals which I hope we'll discuss here.

I'd like to encourage those who are already living sugar-free or have limited their sugar to also join us as your BTDT advice would be so helpful.

I hope this thread will serve as support and encouragement for each of us and we move toward our goals or try to maintain them.

[BurtsGirl]

OK so I guess I'll start. I am certainly addicted to Sugar and am in much need of support if I'm going to kick it. I don't have a full blown plan on how to do that just yet but I think gradually is going to work best for me. I need to kick the candy and baked goods first and foremost because that's where most of my issues stem.

More later...got to go get some lunch.

[oceane]

thanks for starting this rachel. I guess I am trying to limit my sugar intake. my primary reason is that I crave it a lot, and actually notice I get nervous when I'm around sweets, and I also try to even out my cycles and have read that limiting my sugar intake might be helpful. so there!
my "no sugar" days will mean: no sweets, cookies, cakes, bars, chocolate. It will not mean no added sugar as in fruit soy yogurt or some sauces. just clarifying that.

yesterday was a no sugar day! : (I'm using this to convince me it's yummy w/o sugar, too! )
today isn't over yet, but i'm hopeful.

[abomgardner417]

:::

YAY! I'm so excited! Thanks for starting this Rachel.

Ok. So, I too will be avoiding mostly baked goods, chocolate, and candy right now. I try not to feed my kids much with HFCS in it, I just need to follow that rule myself! But I'm content to give up the obvious sugars now and work on the rest later.

It's so great to have this because now I'll be accountable and will be sooo embarassed if I have to come on here and tell you guys I failed! Not only that, but with Easter around the corner I will need a ton of support.

Good luck everybody!

[bootini]

Back in January I did Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox which removes wheat, dairy and sugar from your diet for three weeks (among other items). His does not involve taking supplemenets or "special" drinks. I did it mostly to see if I react to wheat as I tested positive in an allergy test.

Much to my surprise, the 3 weeks did a "reset" on my system and I did indeed not crave sugar at the end. I am a confirmed chocoholic, and other than some cake on my son's birthday Feb. 2 and a couple of truffles at Valentine's, I have remained sweet treat free!

I did introduce wheat and dairy back into my diet but only whole grain, sprouted grain and organic dairy. Fruit is also back, which he severely limits during those three weeks.

And to boot... 12 pounds melted off! If I could only get the last 10 to melt...

[crunchyconmomma]

subbing, b/c as an-on-my-way-to-skid-row addict, I join every one of these threads and have been really down on myself for how out of control I have gotten again. Some success in the past - cold turkey, high protein was really helpful. Also did a food addiction 12-step for a time - Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, but that was really extreme - cultish, really.

[BurtsGirl]

You guys are so welcome! Thanks for joining me.

So to pick back up where I left off. My goals right now are to avoid the obvious sugar exactly as oceane said here:

my "no sugar" days will mean: no sweets, cookies, cakes, bars, chocolate. It will not mean no added sugar as in fruit soy yogurt or some sauces. just clarifying that.

I eat way too many sweets and my cravings are getting the best of me. I'm also starting to get headaches a lot and I think it might be from the sugar rush, but not sure. I have started journaling what I'm eating and at what times just to get a general idea of when my cravings are hitting me hardest and also too see just how much sugar I'm eating. Yesterday was scary! My motivation is not to lose weight, although it really wouldn't hurt my feelings, but to just be able to get my body back to a balanced, natural state.

I plan to take it one day at a time. I'll be journaling a little while longer and trying to limit sweets over the weekend and plan Monday as my first no sweets day. So looks like I found my plan.

[bhawkins]

Yeah! I need to break the addiction SO bad. I'm so glad to have a support group. Like some of the others, I'm just going to first try to cut out obvious sugar in my diet, mainly in the form of baked goods and chocolate. I would really like to cut out all sugar, but I feel as though I should be realistic. I plan for my first sugar-free day to be next Wednesday. I know that may seem a long way off, but I'm having a big get together next Tuesday and I don't want to get started just to see myself fall off the wagon. I'm thinking that after that I'll have nothing standing in my way except myself

[Bailey]

What a great idea! But I think I'll start tomorrow...its my daughter's first birthday today and I just made cheesecake

[Bailey]

So I have a question...if I go completely sugar free, what do you do for birthday's/special holidays like easter? What kind of things are good low sugar/no sugar recipes? Our extended family revolves around birthday's and special events and get togethers and I see that this will be the biggest struggle for me. I can control what I make in my house but not in others. But I also recognize for me what a slippery slope sugar is...and too much makes me really grumpy and a bad parent. I believe I can do better.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Bailey

So I have a question...if I go completely sugar free, what do you do for birthday's/special holidays like easter?

I think it really depends on what sugar free means for you. For me it means "refined sugar free", I still eat honey, which opens a lot of options. If you're completely sugar free, how about stevia, xylitol, etc.?

Mostly for sweets I'll make custard, ice cream, cheesecake or almond pound cake (I'm grain free as well). All of those except the ice cream could be made with stevia.

If you're cutting out all sweets, for the first few weeks of detox, I really recommend avoiding all sweets including honey, dried fruit, maple syrup and even stevia, as well as refined grains (white rice, flour, etc.). Stick with whole foods through the detox period. Once past that, honey, stevia and dried fruits can be added, if you are careful with portion control. Maple usually is a good idea to wait a bit longer.

For no sugar "desserts", my best recommendation is to find a sweet fruit (pear, banana, strawberry, etc.) and top it with some fresh whipped cream (not the stuff in the can) that has been whipped with a little vanilla extract and sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon or cardamom. Those are flavors (vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom) that convince our brains that this is something sweet even if it's not all that sweet. Add a handful of chopped nuts to your fruit and cream for some texture if you like. This is what I relied upon when I first went sugar free. Don't use a tart fruit like out-of-season raspberries, they really need sweetening. The interesting thing is that when I eat this in front of other people they always comment on how good it looks, and I've had several people comment that they'd rather have that than whatever's being served.

[Bailey]

Thanks for the ideas, Cristeen. And you know, it is true that I would rather eat a bowl of fruit with whipped cream than cake or something similar. Its just that I don't think of that initially. I think so much of it is changing your mindset and habits to reflect different foods. And yes, I mean more "refined sugar free" than absolutely no sugar. I'm hoping to be fairly strict in the beginning to to set some good habits while still using the honey/maple syrup for some baking....but not too much

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Bailey

I think so much of it is changing your mindset and habits to reflect different foods. And yes, I mean more "refined sugar free" than absolutely no sugar. I'm hoping to be fairly strict in the beginning to to set some good habits while still using the honey/maple syrup for some baking....but not too much

My DH and I were just discussing this not 10 minutes ago. We were invited to a friend's house for dinner tomorrow night and he was almost in a panic about what to feed me. He was so busy concentrating on what I can't have that he couldn't see what I can have. Once you start concentrating on the "cans" instead of the "can'ts", it becomes much easier. Most of the time it's a no-brainer for me anymore.

I will warn you to be careful with the maple syrup. For me at least, it is much worse than honey in stimulating cravings and binge eating. I stick to baking it into something for the most part. I also recommend going with a stronger flavored honey if you can find it. The stronger the flavor the harder it is to binge on, IMO. I use mesquite which is a good full-bodied honey, and I've found because of the flavor I can use less of it than a lighter honey... not because it's sweeter but because the flavor comes through and convinces my brain that it is sweeter than it actually is. In really sweet things like ice cream the flavor gets cloying after a few bites, so I can't eat very much of it.

[nym]

I am here to join you all. I need the support and encouragement!

I am done day 2 of being sugar free. I have had some orange juice, cut with seltzer, but no coffee (I drink it with cream and sugar), no muffins or donuts, no bread, no sweet anything but some grapes and bananas.

Already I feel somewhat better. I am battling a headache and some serious bitchyness, but that is to be expected. I dont feel as bloated as I usually do, and the biggest thing for me, is that I dont have that addiction to carbs and the never ending eating that I do when I eat sugar and a lot of carbs. I can actually go all evening without feeling that need to scavenge for something to eat every 15 minutes.

I am planning on not eating any sugar for the first month or so. I am not worrying too much about it in certain things, tho I cut out all sauces and stuff like that. I will be cutting out grains and breads next week, but not stressing about those too much right now, although I havent had any except some rice in sushi..

I need to change my diet and my life. I have severe exzema that in soo intense right now I can barely make a fist, as my skin cracks. I also have a ton of other issues and I am hoping to help myself with diet.

[UnschoolnMa]

Just lurking a little bit...

[mamamilkers]

I have given up sugar before, but now I am having the hardest time with it

Last November I made a commitment towards better health and weight-loss and have been making fantastic progress overall. Mostly I avoid treats, but will indulge every once in a while.

This last week my DF was out of town and I just kept convincing myself all of these little treats were okay, I "needed" them! Now, though, I'm having the hardest time stopping I totally broke in to my girl's Easter candy and have finished almost a whole bag of jelly beans, have had cookies, chocolates, you name it. I'm craving the sugar soooo badly now! I can't stop thinking about having more treats!

So, I want to join you all. I don't know how to get over this initial hump, though. What are your suggestions?

[abomgardner417]

Well, I've really done it now! I fell off the wagon. Only 3 days under my belt and now I have to start all over . I'm definitely an emotional eater. We had a really bad weekend with the twins and my husband and I were at the end of our rope. We dropped them off at grandma's and went to get ice cream.

So I'm just here to tell you all who have gone cold turkey that IT's NOT WORTH IT! DON'T DO IT! DO NOT GIVE IN TO THE CRAVINGS!

So here's me putting it behind me and starting over again on day ONE. Crap.

Mamamilkers, perhaps I'm not a good one for advice right now, but since you've already quit sugar before at least you know you can do this! Despite my screw up, the best way for me is just cold turkey, but I think you really have to be sick of the way sugar is making you feel and really get it in your head to stop on a certain date.

One thing that's helped with the cravings (until today!) is to cut an apple in fourths, stick two cloves in each slice, simmer them in a little bit of water until they're soft and then take out the cloves and sprinkle w/ cinnamon. This is so so good and full of fiber too.

[nym]

I am at the end of day 4 and still going strong. It has been going pretty good, not very many cravings and the ones I do get I am foiling with lots of fats, meats and veggies.

Dinner tongiht was meat (beef, shredded carrot, peppers, onions herbs and spices) stuffed cabbage slow cooked in tomato sauce and fresh french beans sauteed in butter and garlic. Awesome!

[UnschoolnMa]

I'm cutting down on sugar, but not cutting it out exactly. Maybe.

I use too much, and I realize it was becoming a problem so I know I need to do something. I do love to bake and I love coffee and hot cocoa and chocolate and etc. I'd like to bake with a healthy, low carb/low blood sugar affecting sweetner. I'm trying to get totally away from Splenda and the like.

I had some kind of sugary cereal lastnight, but I've not had any sweetened tea or coffee in a week. That's a huge deal for me.

Late night is the freaking worst! I get so sweet carb crazy. :

[BurtsGirl]

abomgardner417 - This process is so hard. I can imagine I will never be prefect and I'm not really trying to be. Just take it day by day and you should be so proud of yourself for picking yourself back up and moving forward!

nym- Woot for 4 days! That's awesome!

UnschoolnMa- Glad to have you join in! :

I am still phasing out. I've realized that I just don't have it in me to go completely sugar free but I am trying to limit it as much as possible. I agree that nights are bad. Anytime I get bored I want something sugary and it's just horrible. I totally go on auto pilot and that's scary. I'm hoping to get some boiled eggs done up tonight so I have something yummy to snack on with some protein in it. I've also bought some dry roasted cashews for some added fats.

Good luck day everyone!