Thread: Cutting out refined sugars, could use some encouragement

Well tomorrow I start cutting almost all refined sugars from my diet. The exception I am allowing myself is 1/2 tsp of brown sugar in my morning scottish oats. I could use some words of encouragement to help me get through the impending withdrawal. My diet is usually FULL of sugar. I am a dessert addict. Seriously. I am having anxiety attacks just thinking about it. Like a junkie worrying they aren't going to be able to get their fix tomorrow. Does anyone know how long sugar withdrawal takes? Someone tell me I am going to benefit from this.... ..l;,

Sugar withdrawl takes 3-5 days if you don't cheat. Snack on something non-processed (an apple or something else crunchy and low-sugar) every two hours, and find something to keep you busy so you're not thinking about food.

You can dooo eeet!! :)

eat a lot of fresh fruit and it shouldn't be too bad! when i was a kid, i'd eat sugar by itself, like take a spoonful out of the sugar bowl when my mom wasn't looking. i have a serious sweet tooth!

Well...Im in the same boat. Let me know how it goes, I have tried and failed many many many times.

I was a Hummingbird in a former life, I swear. Do you use Splenda? Its a great sugar substitute.

hugs to you!!!!

things i eat when i crave sugar: carrots, bananas, sweet potatoes, grapes...they can take the edge off

i was a hot coco addict of sorts...you can make good coco with either soy milk (plain) or rice milk, dark coco powder and agave nector to sweeten it...heat on low and stir.

I have been sugar-free (all forms of sugar, even Splenda) for 15 months now. It has been so good for me. The withdrawal took a little longer for me. The 1/2 tsp. of brown sugar on your oats might mess you up if you are really addicted to sugar (as I am). It's like the alcoholic can't have 1/2 glass of wine, or the drug addict can't have 1/2 of whatever... I'm not saying that you are addicted to sugar but if you are, complete abstinence is the only way I know to avoid cravings and relapses. It hasn't been easy but it's one of the best things I've ever done for myself. PM me if you want more info.

Good luck! I'm rooting for you.

i've been thinking of doing this myself so i applaud you!!! good luck!

The good thing is, the less sugar you eat...the less you crave!

Avoid Diet Sodas.

(((Hugs)))

Yup, leave it alone for awhile and you won't even miss it. The trick is keeping it from sneaking back into your life.

Definitely the brown sugar in the oats isn't worth it. It will start your day off craving the sugar.

Snack on things that are not sugary and don't eat anything too salty because that will make you crave sugar or chocolate. Eat lots of salad mix. ;)

I've been thinking about eliminating sugar from my diet too... I'll join you!

You can do it!!

I think it is helpful not to deprive oneself.
So go with things like blue agave nectar or Stevia in your oatmeal instead of the brown sugar.
I mean, if you're gonna cut it out of the diet, totally cut it out.
But leave room for sweetness that is needed for balance, and to avoid cravings.
As the saying goes: Everything in the extreme changes to its opposite.
And good luck!

I have half teaspoon of honey on my oats and pinch salt. just find it tastes yucky without. I think it should be OK cos the oats are so slow release. But I definately need fruit available for midmorning

can't help as I'm a sugar addict but....for the porridge put some ground cinnamon on top...and strawberries....it is HEAVEN and you won't need to add any sugar

Good morning all. Well, here it goes... Day 1! Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I might try putting some splenda or a banana in my oats, along with my usual walnuts. I want to add that I do plan on cheating a little for special occasions. Life is too short not to have a piece of my grandmothers pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, or a slice of birthday cake with buttercream frosting. I just hope I can get to a place where I am not craving jelly donuts and blueberry muffins all the time.

I am going to try hard to cut out refined sugars as well. After reading this thread, I know it is something I really should and need to do!

For me, it comes in waves - days when I eat a whole bar of chocolate and then long stretches of not even a little piece. During the summer, I tend to feel over-saturated with sweet things when I eat lots of apples and then yogurt mixed with the mango smoothie from Trader Joe, my own mango lassi, which cuts out the desire for ice cream. Maybe something like that could be helpful?

Good luck!

like everyone said, don't deprive yourself, just don't go overboard....i find dried fruit and honey with a splash of half n half are my yummy additions to oatmeal, and like others, fruit n such as a snack........i've cut down my sugar intake for oh, about 3 months now....i have one HELL of a sweet tooth, but now, after only 2 weeks of the cut down (which includes limiting, but not getting rid of, alot of the carbs we eat too much of), i notice my usual sweeties have gotten TOO sweet.......cloying actually.....i'll have some dark chocolate every now n then (full of antioxidants) and one piece of chocolate cake will do me for a week..............the cravings do go down.........it will be dealable....and the occasional sweet snack wont put you into a sugar-binging tailspin........give it time

Sweet vegetable tea should also stave cravings for sweet things:

chopped carrots
chopped onion
chopped any kind of squash or dried daikon
boiled for 20 minutes in same amount of water
drain and sip throughout the day
good if you're craving sweets in the evening before bed

I think if you are going to do this and succeed, you need to look very carefully at the rest of your diet. You might want to follow a low glycemic index diet for a couple of weeks. Don't forget all the stuff that is, for all intents and purposes, just like sugar. Most cooked white potatoes and white breads have the same glycemic index as table sugar. Depending on the amount of amylase (starch-digesting enzyme) in your saliva, these could have even a *highter* glyclemic index than sugar.

Also, if you eat large servings of "good" carbs all at one sitting, they can put the same glycemic load on your body even if they are lower GI foods. For example if you sit down and eat 2 or 3 cups of pasta, well it is going to have a similar effect as sugar.

Try to make sure every meal you eat has protein, fat, and good carbs. For example, just eating scottish oats and fruit in the morning may set you up for cravings, especially if you eat a large serving. Why don't you try 1/2 cup of the oats with the walnuts, an egg, and a piece of fruit.

yea !..you go girl, ...next step....dump all white food, it is low to no fiber !
i buy all food 3 gr. or above in fiber content

I cut out all refined sugars in my diet when I found out that I'm a borderline diabetic. After about 4 or 5 months, I'd dropped almost 30 pounds and was down to a size 2. I'm 5'7" so this is actually too skinny for health. I had to eat some cheese and nuts to regain some of the weight I'd lost.

Anyway, eventually I stopped craving sugar. Now I seldom crave it.

I felt great though! I had more energy and could concentrate better.

Hope that helps!

Oh man! I made a yummy desert the other day! I used canned peaches (in lite syrup)- put 1 cup of peaches in a frying pan, added about 1 tbs of the lite syrup, 1/2 tsp of lite brown sugar, and boiled it until it became caramelized! and then added 1 tsp of coconut (not necessary)...Almost like peach pie! I don't think the brown sugar is even necessary

I find that warm fruit makes it taste more like desert! Haha, I love grilled pineapple, so I thought I'd experiment.

I'm a desert fiend too, my only downfall when I'm on a diet. I'm now seeing a dietitian and personal trainer to try to get myself on track. It's taking a bit of time, but I guess the longer it takes to lose the weight, the more likely you are to keep it off.

I think i crossed over. My metabolism is starting to die down...I'm getting older :( Haha. No, but seriously, I used to gain and lose weight so quickly (could drop 10lbs/week with hardcore workouts), now its not so easy.

Sedonia, I definitely agree with the low glycemic index idea. I used to follow that diet all the time and then I got derailed somehow about a year and a half ago. However, I don't think I could eat all that food at breakfast! Maybe just the egg, or just the fruit or just the oats How does one manage to eat all three at the same time without getting bloated? I really am a grazer, so I never eat much at one sitting unless it is a special occasion meal. BTW, it's mid morning now and I wish I had a jelly donut. *must*think*of*something*else*!!!!!

Refined sugar gives me the wibbly wobblies now - i do'nt think people should be cutting out all refined sugar - as soon as you say 'no' to something it will be a surefire way of thinking about that thing all the time!! unless of course you have diabetes then obviously you have to be careful...

I only eat brown bread, brown rice, brown pasta etc, and I rarely ever drink fizzy drinks (drink water most of the time), and eat fruit and stuff. i love chocolate though and will eat that sometimes! I think do everything in moderation so that you don't aim for something thats not possible for you. Baby steps and good luck!!

Headache!

Originally Posted by stardancer

However, I don't think I could eat all that food at breakfast! Maybe just the egg, or just the fruit or just the oats How does one manage to eat all three at the same time without getting bloated?

{shrug} I don't know, but half a cup of oats, one egg, and a piece of fruit would not be a heavy meal for me, and I eat 5 times per day.