Thread: sugar withdrawal :(

this is the fourth day that I didn't start the day with two teaspoons of white sugar and a generous shot of hazelnut creamer in the coffee (am using the agave)

the coffee tastes fine

but by evening time I feel like i have the flu ...whole body aches, mild but bothersome headache, depression, fatigue...sounds like sugar withdrawal symptoms. I don't have any other signs of infection, no congestion or sore throat in fact I strangely have the energy to do the 45 minute hill walks in the morning and then am ready to dance for an hour at noon. Am sleeping a bit better at night too.

it's just the muscle achiness

can anyone else share their experiences with sugar withdrawal?

What is REALLY cool is i no longer have the afternoon sugar cravings. I can look at ice cream and not feel tempted. Sugar hasn't been completely cut out by any means but I think the abolishment of the mountain of sugar used in the morning coffee has been a huge step

Three weeks of intense withdrawal with lots of the symptoms you describe. But the cravings went away and I've never looked back. Best thing I ever did for myself. Hang in there!

I think if you cut it out alltogether it's easier. Yes the first few days are difficult but the longer you go without it the less you miss it.

gawd three weeks? the irritability is the worst symptom i think

Are you continuing to eat whole, healthy foods to support your system while it's going through withdrawal?

And this is in hindsight but the withdrawal symptoms are less severe when you build up to removing the offending "drug" from your system. I.e., first cutting out processed sugars, and replacing with fruit and "natural" sweeteners, then removing altogether. This over a period of several days before cutting out the sugar altogether.

When I'm at Vipassana I go through processed/sweetened foods withdrawal. Difficulty sleeping, lightheadedness, etc. In addition to sitting for 11 hours a day but that could be what causes the muscle soreness, not the lack of sugar/processed foods. There are many reasons other than the obvious why this course is 10 days, for all that stuff to pass through your system and all...

4 days is quite impressive. Persevere and you shall succeed!!

Yay, Jess! hang in there. having lemon water constantly on hand & sipping all day seems to help me when I am trying to give something up.
Distraction mostly, I think- don't know of any actual clinical benefits of lemon water... (not that there aren't, just I don't know of any!)

& I, too, tend to wean instead of going cold turkey (but I would put what you described- cutting it from one part of your day at a time- in that category!)

it is day??? whatever??? at this point I'm not really even craving the morning coffee anymore.

the true test will be this week when I pms and if i can stay away from chocolate but again I don't feel the URGE to eat it.

Azhia yea i am eating pretty good.. morning yogurt with berries and Total cereal with sunflower seeds dumped on (unsalted), salad for lunch with protein of some sort, same for dinner..I don't feel the urge to snack on crappy things either

It's worth mentioning that I've also discontinued a prn (as needed) medication for sleeping..ever since I had post partum depression with Zack and with his sleep issues, which didnt help my insomnia..long story short I'm on .5 mg prn instead of 2 mg ...I've almost discontinued it completely

It feels insanely good to have a sense of control over cravings and what goes in the body. It's a confidence I can't explain

Oh..I also started on the Immunity Boost powder by BioImmune. I started mom on it too and she reports feeling better after a week of using it. stuff tastes like crap but i mix it with a couple shots of acai berry juice and chase it with lemon water..l;,

Are you carefully checking everything else you eat for hidden sugar, when you don't make your own salads etc.? That could mess up the plan - things like Chinese food, dressing or ketchup can have tons of sugar (esp. HFCS).

Good luck! And, if you're in the mood for sweet-tasting coffee: A good, black, real Italian espresso!

i love italian espresso more than life itself..l;,

I envy you Jesennia! I definitely need to kick my sugar habit. It seems like I can't go a day without eating something that is filled with sugar (i.e, chocolate, hard candy, ice cream). I really need help controlling my sweet tooth....

Andalee I am studying with someone who focuses on fibromyalgia and cancer treatment, she told me last night we most crave what we are allergic to..(doesn't apply to everyone but they see this often with fibro and cancer patients)

not that you have any of those conditions...

personally i found that kicking the morning coffee sugar made a HUGE difference in how i feel about sugar the rest of the day. do you start the day with coffee or sugar or both? many people need that afternoon boost with sugar. are you sleeping at night? when we lose sleep we crave carbs and sugar more

I am working with Mr. Takemoto and his wife..I know him and his family on a personal friend level. Had dinner with them last night and I always leave with a head full of new info. His wife is a Godsend. I think she can help my mom..

here's a link with info about him
ARNOLD TAKEMOTO

Sugar withdrawal was one of the most intense experiences I had... I had also a high fever, but I was also detoxing my body from other allergens as well (dairy and wheat) which was adding to the detox potency. It depends on how much toxins you have in your system (I had some serious bad food habits- urgh). I do recommend a decent liver cleanse to further flush the system.

If you choose a liver cleanse, it is good to have a holistic care provider keeping an eye on you (I had a naturopath chiropractor). After this, I did not crave sugar for almost 3 days (couldn't even look at it), and it helped me kick it all together. I added homemade vegetable soup into my diet and water/no caffeine teas to drink, to be gentle on my body while it adjusted. I added heavier foods back in slowly (I do eat some meats).

It takes a while to detox, and I learned to become and avid label reader. You'd be surprised what seems so 'natural' has hidden sugars, which when the body is at a heightened cleansed state - it will react STRONGLY. I remember taking a sip of a natural drink (which I later read that it had some fructose) and feeling immediately shakey and dizzy.

Luckily I had the support of my chiro, who would keep pushing me along saying, "aww you're still detoxing". It did get better. So hang in there!!

Originally Posted by jesennia

the true test will be this week when I pms and if i can stay away from chocolate but again I don't feel the URGE to eat it.

I went to a raw foods class and walked away in love with this concoction, *especially* heavenly on raspberries: agave syrup (or honey but I'm an agave convert), cacao powder (I use raw, but try whatever you have), coconut oil and a touch of sea salt. I'll have to look up the measurements I used but it is SO good, so rich, so decadent and easy. It can be warmed for use with fruit or spread out and refrigerated to become more like a candy bar (though it needs to be eaten somewhat quickly as the coconut oil warms and softens).

Originally Posted by maranajla

I went to a raw foods class and walked away in love with this concoction, *especially* heavenly on raspberries: agave syrup (or honey but I'm an agave convert), cacao powder (I use raw, but try whatever you have), coconut oil and a touch of sea salt. I'll have to look up the measurements I used but it is SO good, so rich, so decadent and easy. It can be warmed for use with fruit or spread out and refrigerated to become more like a candy bar (though it needs to be eaten somewhat quickly as the coconut oil warms and softens).

Sounds yummy- but I wanted to point out that honey (tho natural & raw if you can find it) is just about as high on the glycemic index as refined white sugar, & not necessarily helpful if you are trying to reduce sugar in your diet. I haven't investigated agave syrup yet.

I sweeten a lot of stuff (like oatmeal) with dried fruit that at least carries fiber & other nutrients with it (especially iron- I am generally low on iron & apricots & dried currants are great for that!) and some things work with stevia, but generally just reducing the sweet items I eat in general. If I'm going to make cookies anyway, nothing quite works like sugar. I just don't have cookies often ..g.: 'course hubby thinks I'm weird anyway 'cause I don't always have the patience to MAKE the cookies & just eat the baking chocolate straight- definitely not for everyone! vitamin B supplements also seem to help with my chocolate cravings.

Originally Posted by Lara L

Sounds yummy- but I wanted to point out that honey (tho natural & raw if you can find it) is just about as high on the glycemic index as refined white sugar, & not necessarily helpful if you are trying to reduce sugar in your diet. I haven't investigated agave syrup yet.

Agreed~ I mentioned honey in case someone doesn't have access to/doesn't care for agave, or if they don't really care about sugar and just liked the recipe. ..g.:

Originally Posted by maranajla

Agreed~ I mentioned honey in case someone doesn't have access to/doesn't care for agave, or if they don't really care about sugar and just liked the recipe. ..g.:

Totally agreed (& like I said, your recipe sounds yummy & super easy too!)
& I do think honey has other benefits not present in refined sugar, just wanted to point that out since there is that prevailing idea that anything 'natural' is automatically 'good for you' & I didn't want anyone to sabotage themselves unknowingly

& just checked an online glycemic index- agave syrup comes in around 27- pretty darn good! I'll have to go see how expensive it is now...

Originally Posted by Lara L

Totally agreed (& like I said, your recipe sounds yummy & super easy too!)
& I do think honey has other benefits not present in refined sugar, just wanted to point that out since there is that prevailing idea that anything 'natural' is automatically 'good for you' & I didn't want anyone to sabotage themselves unknowingly

& just checked an online glycemic index- agave syrup comes in around 27- pretty darn good! I'll have to go see how expensive it is now...

Thank you for all the information~ very good to have, and very thoughtful of you.

(Whole Foods has agave on sale right now. ..g.:)

agave is sold at Trader Joe's as well... I went back and bought two more bottles today and am getting mom to make the switch

that recipe sounds wonderful! wonder if you can substitute agave for honey? wouldnt hurt trying :)

PMS has hit ..my cravings are nothing like they have been in the past. i don't get that feverish need for sugar. it's weird.

Originally Posted by jesennia

that recipe sounds wonderful! wonder if you can substitute agave for honey? wouldnt hurt trying :)

PMS has hit ..my cravings are nothing like they have been in the past. i don't get that feverish need for sugar. it's weird.

Hurray! Good for you Jess! I gave up sugar in my coffee last year and all sweetners as well. I had a rough week- lots of nightmares too. But within a month I dropped 5 pounds because I wasn't craving sweets anymore! No joke, now I crave veggies all the time! Geeky, isn't it?

Originally Posted by jesennia

that recipe sounds wonderful! wonder if you can substitute agave for honey? wouldnt hurt trying :)

I use agave as I don't generally eat honey and I thought it tasted just as good as when the raw chef made it with honey. I use agave on my rice cakes, waffles, shakes, everything~ now that I've found it, I can't imagine life without it. (Which makes me sound like a sugar whore, though I actually don't eat many sweet treats.)

Originally Posted by jengal55

Hurray! No joke, now I crave veggies all the time! Geeky, isn't it?

I crave veggies, too!!..l;, My theory is that you crave what you eat.

I quit sugar and coffee 3 days ago too! Also started working out pretty hardcore. I was feeling soooooo irritated, tired, achey and wrung out. This afternoon I had a protien shake and I feel like a new woman. It's probably the workouts that have me needing it but you might want to try adding a little extra protien. I felt like a plant coming back to life after no water for 3 days, it was a really dramatic change.

Hang in there Juli..life gets better. I feel like I've broken a 19 year long chain addiction to sugar.

The best part is feeling like there is a sense of control over choices instead of having that glazed zombie like urge to pour sugar in the veils.

Suck down major sweet fruits when you just need something. I'm always amazed how sweet and sugary a mango, papaya or persimmon tastes. I'm drooling already.

Originally Posted by BELLA_BELLA

Suck down major sweet fruits when you just need something. I'm always amazed how sweet and sugary a mango, papaya or persimmon tastes. I'm drooling already.

Better to combine your fruit snack with a protein like yogurt or nuts, so your blood sugar doesn't spike and then drop.