I've been sugar free for 6.5 days now - no sugar added to anything and only eating food with sugars = less than 3g per 100g. It is so hard! It really makes you think about how addictive sugar really is and I've noticed how many foods contain it, even foods you wouldn't think would.....Anyone else trying this? I'm hoping to break my addiction, lose some weight and feel calmer!
I've gone very low-carb (not just for weight loss, although that wouldn't come amiss). This necessitates cutting out sugar. I've done about a month and am not only feeling good, but am recovering from a chest infection faster than I would have thought possible (shamanism helped).
What I have found is that the slightest bit of sugar - I'm not eating fruit, of course, but did have a pear about 2 days into this, - and I crave a great deal more. The craving lasts about 18 hours.
Good luck with this. Sugar (particularly refined) is unnecessary for us.
Well done both of you! You probably know that sugar hinders healthy functioning of our immune system. I dislike finding some savoury, cooked foods having an unwanted sweet flavour.
I've gone very low-carb (not just for weight loss, although that wouldn't come amiss). This necessitates cutting out sugar. I've done about a month and am not only feeling good, but am recovering from a chest infection faster than I would have thought possible (shamanism helped).
What I have found is that the slightest bit of sugar - I'm not eating fruit, of course, but did have a pear about 2 days into this, - and I crave a great deal more. The craving lasts about 18 hours.
Good luck with this. Sugar (particularly refined) is unnecessary for us.
Good that you are feeling better. I find that going sugar free means you end up eating fewer carbs but am quite wary about going properly low-carb, think I might just reduce them a little. I've been researching away trying to find out more about low carb diets and came across these two pieces which I think are interesting:
http://www.larabriden.com/gentle-carbs-for-gaba-cortisol-and-adrenal-health/#more-650
I wouldn't suggest dropping carbs completely (or at least, drastically - I'm trying to keep below 30g a day) for everyone.
If you reduce any one of the groups (carbs, fat, protein - let's ignore alcohol for the purposes of this.) then you increase the others, so that low-fat automatically becomes higher carbs + protein and low-carb automatically becomes higher fat + protein. I'd find the two articles more interesting if there were more details about the fat and protein that the writers are eating - and what kinds of fat.
My diet at the moment is about 8 - 10% carbs, about 25% protein and the rest fat, at least half of which is saturated.
My main aim is to see if I can raise my HDL cholesterol (and lower LDL cholesterol). It's a personal experiment, based on a lot of reading, and will probably sound crazy to many people. Hey, ho.
Keep it up with the sugar. As Yudkin said, it is pure, white and deadly!
Yes, can totally relate to the idea of a personal experiment, I'm doing the same. We are all slightly different after all, biochemically speaking, and you need to find out what suits or works for your own body. I am still suffering with sugar withdrawal symptoms but one thing I have found is that I feel sharper mentally, it is like a brain fog has lifted. Could do without the incessant hunger though.
Yes, can totally relate to the idea of a personal experiment, I'm doing the same. We are all slightly different after all, biochemically speaking, and you need to find out what suits or works for your own body. I am still suffering with sugar withdrawal symptoms but one thing I have found is that I feel sharper mentally, it is like a brain fog has lifted. Could do without the incessant hunger though.
This sounds hard, but give it a couple of weeks. Try upping fat and protein - both more filling than carbs. And good luck with it.:)
I have been sugar-free for years now. Result: the arthritis in my hand and knee has gone completely. Many more things of course, too many to mention: hardly any colds or flus for instance.
I gradually cut down if I remember well: never sugar in my drinks, I did not drink soft drinks anyway.
I have discovered some sugarless biscuits which have apple juice in them, and date syrup etc., instead of artificial sweeteners. They are my standby, I go through more of them than I want to ... But they help when I really am peckish. Don't go the artificial sweetener path, for more than one reason!
Now I find everything too sweet, if I accidentally have a normal biscuit or so. I soak and cook apricots and have them with yoghurt, or custard without sugar. I often drink hot water with a little bit of milk and honey.
The only trouble I have is with chocolate, but since I got a kidney problem a year ago I have been off that too. The important thing is, for me, to have something which I can eat when I need to, like the sugarless biscuits (called Billys) or halva, or crackers with organic molasses. Nuts and seeds are very good, and dates and figs, I always have those in the house.
If its just about going without sugar, you DO get used to that, but I dont know about the hunger! I make sure I eat well otherwise, plenty of butter and good fats. See also a conversation I started with you just now!
This sounds hard, but give it a couple of weeks. Try upping fat and protein - both more filling than carbs. And good luck with it.:)
Yes, thanks, that seems to help a bit.
I have been sugar-free for years now. Result: the arthritis in my hand and knee has gone completely. Many more things of course, too many to mention: hardly any colds or flus for instance.
I gradually cut down if I remember well: never sugar in my drinks, I did not drink soft drinks anyway.I have discovered some sugarless biscuits which have apple juice in them, and date syrup etc., instead of artificial sweeteners. They are my standby, I go through more of them than I want to ... But they help when I really am peckish. Don't go the artificial sweetener path, for more than one reason!
Now I find everything too sweet, if I accidentally have a normal biscuit or so. I soak and cook apricots and have them with yoghurt, or custard without sugar. I often drink hot water with a little bit of milk and honey.
The only trouble I have is with chocolate, but since I got a kidney problem a year ago I have been off that too. The important thing is, for me, to have something which I can eat when I need to, like the sugarless biscuits (called Billys) or halva, or crackers with organic molasses. Nuts and seeds are very good, and dates and figs, I always have those in the house.
If its just about going without sugar, you DO get used to that, but I dont know about the hunger! I make sure I eat well otherwise, plenty of butter and good fats. See also a conversation I started with you just now!
I'm making sure that I don't have ANY form of sugar - no date syrup, honey etc., just to break the addiction and craving for it as I'm basically a sugar monster! 🙂 Eventually I plan to have dextrose or rice malt syrup as apparently these cause fewer problems when processed by your body. Wonder what I was thinking starting this just before Easter though, must be mad.
You were thinking of Lent perhaps?
No, there is no excuse for me! At least I got through Easter sugar free 🙂
Very well done!!!
Yes ive reduced my sugar intake within the last 10 weeks as im doing a free healthy eating plan called your shape. Its taught me so much and yes the amount of sugar that is added to our food. Best option is to cook all your own food.
Good luck with it all and once youve gone cold turkey it does get better. Well done for being so good at easter, as i found this really hard.
P.s I normally eat tonns of chocolate.
Yes ive reduced my sugar intake within the last 10 weeks as im doing a free healthy eating plan called your shape. Its taught me so much and yes the amount of sugar that is added to our food. Best option is to cook all your own food.
Good luck with it all and once youve gone cold turkey it does get better. Well done for being so good at easter, as i found this really hard.
P.s I normally eat tonns of chocolate.
Well done!:)