Anybody ever gone the No Sugar route?

I was wondering if anyone has ever done the no sugar thing. Is it hard? Did you have good results? Feedback would be great.

-schnoodledoodle

Hello,

It does work but it sucks! Not only is sugary food calorie dense, but it causes an insulin surge which causes fat to be laid down. I tried cuttting sugar out totally, sure I lost weight but I also felt a life without chocolate is not really a life at all. Now I add sweets into my calorie allowance.

Cx

I don't have a sweet tooth, fortunately, but know a lot of people that have gone the no sugar route.  If you treat it as a kind of 'retraining' rather than something that's going to be forever then it makes it more manageable.  

The first week is pobably the most difficult... Helps if you don't cut your calories but simply change foods to being zero sugar, zero sweetners and zero refined starches.   (Important to do all three)  Fill up on vegetables, get sweetness from fruit, drink water or unsweetened tea and don't skimp on the other foods!!  By the end of Week 1 you'll find that the cravings have subsided considerably.

Week 2 and 3 you can start to trim the calories a little.  Make sure you eat regularly so that you don't get the blood-sugar lows that lead to sugar cravings.  If you do exercise, eat more for the same reason.   If you feel hungry, have a savoury snack rather than trying to 'tough it out'.

By the end of Week 3 you should find that your sweet tooth is dramatically reduced.  Sweet foods when you try them now taste very sweet, too sweet even, because your taste-buds are no longer sugar tolerant.   You'll be out of the habit of having sweets at certain times... a big factor.  You'll be happy with a small amount and be able to stop there.  If ths is the case then you can add occasional sweet treats back into your diet but be more in control.  If that's not the case, go another week without sugar and then see if things have changed.

The people I've known that have done this have then found that weight-loss becomes much, much easier without the constant nagging cravings for high-calorie, sugary foods.  Some have gone off sugary foods altogether.

I'm dramatically cutting down my processed sugar intake. When I've done it in the past, it cuts my cravings. I fell off the wagon and became a processed sugar addict, but now I'm limiting myself to one treat a week- and if I slip during the week, I don't get that reward. I haven't cut out sugar substitutes, because I do a fair amount of baking, but I use them sparingly.

I haven't been able to completely cut out sweet deserts yet (I am addicted to chocolate) but I have started slow and had some success.  It was easiest for me to start but cutting out all beverages with any sugar in them.  Depending on what you normally drink, you would be shocked at how much you can reduce your sugar intake by doing this.  I used to drink a decent amount of gatorade and OJ for example, but now I stick to flavored waters (like the crystal light flavored green tea packets or the aquafina alive berry pomegranate, etc).  I live in SC, but I was able to give up sweet tea over a year ago and now enjoy unsweet tea.  When I go out drinking, I stick to vodka and water rather than vodka cranberry and avoid shots.  I have even started to like black coffee or coffee with just a little skim milk.  Now, anytime I taste a sweet drink it tastes waaaaayy too sweet and I don't like it all.  As far as deserts, I just can't keep them in the house or else they are gone!  I still indulge when I am out to eat with my boyfriend or on special occasions...

I have gone no sugar before, I DONT HAVE A SWEET TOOTH AT ALL, but when I gave it up, I felt like a drug addict or something, i wanted to wrestle someone for some pie, and I don't even like pie. Now I can take it or leave it, I am a savoury food addict...

Do you think if I only ate sweet foo for 3 weeks I could kick the savoury habit??? :P

You could kick salt for 3 weeks and that makes a massive difference....

I can't eat sugar for medical reasons & it has definitely changed my tastes. Even cauliflower and broccoli taste sweet to me now!

My body doesn't tolerate sugar alcohols, so I use Splenda and Davinci's sugar free syrups. Purists shun artificial sweeteners, but to each his/her own. You can replicate anything to be sugar free. There are exhaustive recipes online. The only thing I've ever "missed" is the crispy topping on creme brulee, but I've eaten enough creme brulee in my lifetime that I can recall fond memories.

I don't agree with gi-jane that there is some Week based formula for cutting sugar or calories. Just do what you feel is right.

Remember fruit is sugar and it will cause an insulin spike too. If you eat fat with fruit (like whipped cream) it will help your body adjust more gradually.

My general rule for sugar cravings is to eat protein and fat when I have them, and indulge my sweet tooth when I'm not having them. I do this simply to avoid overeating. Sometimes, of course, especially TTOTM, I cave & disguise my protein as sweet by adding splenda to eggs or another "sweet" protein snack.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I am an absolute sugar addict and the only way I can keep myself in some semblance of sanity is to avoid sugar entirely.  That includes honey and artificial sweeteners as well.  The one thing I do allow myself is stevia in my coffee or tea (and occasionally on my oatmeal.)  If I let my guard down, it doesn't take long for me to fall into the trap again - one small taste today leads to an uncontrollable binge a couple of weeks down the road.  And one binge leads to another, and another and another.

Having said all that, I've been off sugar now for 2 1/2 months (I did it for 7 months in 2007) and I feel great.  I've lost 12 pounds just by swearing off the sugar.  When I'm looking for a sweet treat I'll have some frozen berries in a couple of tablespoons of light cream.  (As Carleyrapp mentioned, eating them with a bit of fat helps avoid the insulin spike).  Was it hard?  Pretty much so for the first week, by the second week not as bad, and by the end of the third week I really wasn't missing it at all. 

Now if I can only tackle the emotional eating....

It's so funny that you posted this today because I've just decided to kick sugar. I never realized how much of my food has sugar in it. Today was my first day and I do feel a little bit of a difference. My family has sugar issues and I don't want to end up diabetic or insulin resistant like a good portion of my family. I realize it could still happen but at least then I can say I did everything I could! :)