sugar withdrawal experiment

[Thorn]

Been there. Still am there. For me, the turnaround point was my cholesterol level. I am a vegetarian and my cholesterol level was high enough that the doctor was threatening to put me on pipe cleaner drugs. When I went through my diet, I realized that all of the avoidable sources of bad fats were in desserts <sob />. I *love* desserts--skip the meals, just give me the dessert!

At the same time the study came out that red wine had a lowering affect on cholesterol. So, I substituted a glass of red wine every night for my dessert. Sure, sometimes I splurge and still have dessert; sometimes I just break a little had have a piece of dark chocolate; but many nights "dessert" is just my red wine.

My cholesterol is now under control, but the really wierd thing now that we've been doing this for more than a year, is that I'm able to walk past the sweets. The first time that happened, I was surprised, but now I routinely bypass the sweets table at work (oh, those coworkers and their tempting doughnuts).

I may not have kicked the habit, but, oddly, it seems to be fading. I still enjoy the sweets, but on my terms, not theirs. So, I think there is hope.

[han-grrl]

I have cut out processed foods including stuff added with sugar from my diet since June

I have noticed:
I dont need to add sweetener to coffee or tea any more
I can cut the sweetener out of baked goods that i make by more than half and use maple syrup or honey or sweet potato or pumpking, and they still taste good to me.
when i do have a taste of dessert, i find they are crazy sweet.

i still love chocolate, and dark chocolate works for that craving.

i can maintain my weight much more easily.

My skin is clearer and i am much less reactive emotionally.

i think that's it...

[wannaduacentury]

Oh I've had a major chocolate craving lately. I'm going to have to go on a chocolate diet. That is. Buy a big block of dark chocolate and eat one small block of chocolate a day. I also crave chips a Pace picante sauce. I don't know why. They really can't be good for you, but they sure taste good. I was in the grocery store the other day and reading the labels on snack crackers. made we want to walk away. I need healthier snacks.

[mtbdarby]

Wow Solveig, did we grow up in the same house? I have come to learn that it is now my "comfort food" this sweet/dessert thang that I automatically turn to when stressed or bored. I tend to drink a diet coke to control my sugar cravings, but have found if I eliminate both sugar and the dc, I feel loads better. Tough part is actually doing it, and I now it's time again. That first week sucks but I need to start. I've eaten all the chocolate in my house and the dc is down to just a couple - I'm ready!

[chickwhorips]

i crave sugar with my lunch for some reason. i think its my midday slump and my body wants a boost. i notice when i don't have sugary stuff i feel much better. right now i'm on the bottom end of that sugar high and i hate it. i know if i don't eat it i feel much better, but it tastes so good.....

[KnottedYet]

Dark chocolate is my friend. I buy it often, keep it in the house at all times. It's a staple, like eggs or cheese.

Whenever I want it, I eat a square or two slowly. Nice thing is that the dark chocolate is so much more satisfying than milk chocolate or caramel. (caramel is my other HUGE favorite) So I don't end up eating too much so I don't do the blood-sugar rollercoaster, and I never feel deprived because I always have it around.

If I feel deprived, I binge. Blood sugar goes up, then it crashes, then I binge more to get it back up... So, the secret to my success (55 lbs down, 5 to go) is not to ever let myself feel deprived.

And ride my bike. For some reason, if I'm getting exercise I don't yearn for candy/desserts.

[Bikingmomof3]

KnottedYet-we have similar staples.

[tattiefritter]

Wow Solveig, did we grow up in the same house? I have come to learn that it is now my "comfort food" this sweet/dessert thang that I automatically turn to when stressed or bored. I tend to drink a diet coke to control my sugar cravings, but have found if I eliminate both sugar and the dc, I feel loads better. Tough part is actually doing it, and I now it's time again. That first week sucks but I need to start. I've eaten all the chocolate in my house and the dc is down to just a couple - I'm ready!

mtbdarby, I found that Diet Coke was worse for me than sugar. I originally thought it was the caffeine and switched to caffeine free but that was just as bad. I cut it out completely as I decided I didn't want to take in any more fake sugar in my diet and have felt loads better. I've had no diet coke for 5 months and have basically avoided all artificial sweeteners as much as possible. It actually didn't involve that much change to my diet but I stopped a couple of things: sugar free gum, sugar free squash for flavouring water in Camelbak, change of recovery drink to one that doesn't use aspartame or any artificial ingredients. I also read labels more closely now and don't buy anything with either Aspartame or AceK.

If I have a craving for sweets and/or fizz (which I do at the moment as I'm PMSing I'll have a little full fat coke if I have to give in to the craving, it ticks lots of boxes for me, none particularly healthy though ). My appetite is more stable now, as are my moods and energy levels. I have real sugar occasionally but often find things like milk chocolate, cakes etc too sweet. My caffeine tolerance has completely disappeared though, one small cup of freshly brewed coffee is really amusing for me I whizz around the place (too much makes me crash badly later though).

[SalsaMTB]

Hello, my name is jennifer, I'm 26yrs old and I too am a sugar addict.

I was just talking about this a few days ago with my husband. We're both sugar addicts. The past week I've made a serious effort to eliminate all unnecessary sugar, and it has been tough. I can honestly say though, the last few days I've been very alert first thing in the morning and throughout the day. I feel healthier and seem happier. My husband isn't quitting cold turkey, but he is trying to reduce his intake. Like you, growing up, he ALWAYS had sweets in the house. When he got to college, he thought it was strange not to have a cake in your fridge every single day. Up until recently, he had sugar cereal in the morning, a dessert w/ lunch, and cookies before bed. He just eliminated sugar cereal this week, still has the lunch dessert, and ran out of cookies so he eliminated that.

It's hard, real hard to quit. I used to be a smoker and this sugar addiction is much more difficult to quit than smoking ever was. I've found if I eat more fruit and nuts it helps with the urges.

[mimitabby]

ah, sugar.
why do i feel like i need sugar after a nice meal?
it's so strange.
doesn't have to be a lot. a piece of candy.

but like Knot, I dole out very dark chocolate to myself and eat it very slowly.
i gave up sugar for a year once, but it was 24 years ago, and i was tired and miserable with two small bouncy boys...

[Bluetree]

I have been able to eliminate almost all sweets from my diet over the last ten years. My taste buds are now so accustomed to it that any kinds of sweets - from cookies to desserts to candy - make me feel ill. I can't remember the last time I had a piece of cake, a couple of years ago at least.

To cut out the sweets, I did one major thing... I decided to live alone... and if there were no sugars in the house, there were none to eat. I keep absolutely NO soft drinks, desserts or packaged sweets in my house. I don't buy any sweets, and if some are given to me as gifts I just pass them along to friends or clients. Or I just throw it in the trash... immediately. Out of sight, out of mind. Occasionally, if I have a sugar craving I can satisfy it with a fruit roll-up (organic, 39¢ at Whole Foods), raisins or even a Cran-Razz shot block.

I do have one BIG exception.... Fresh ground coffee with flavored Coffeemate in the a.m. Honestly, I don't know if it's the caffeine or sugar, but it's my dietary vice I don't want to give up. (Okay, I do the half-caff brewing now). Mmmmmm I can smell it now.