Day two with no sugar. Will my head explode??

[solobiker]

Hi there RM, how is it going for you? I have started to cut back on the sugars, luckily I usually don't eat too many to begin with. I am not a cookie or cake fan so I don't eat those at all. For me it is the chocolate which draws me in. I was also drinking juices which has a ton of sugar in it. well this week I only had two mini chocolate bars have not had any soda at all. I did have 3 glasses of natural juice. Are you trying to cut back on sugar/sweet items or sugar including what may be in crackers/pretzles..etc. I have found even in the non-processed snack type of foods there is still sugar. I don't think I can cut out all of that from my diet or maybe I could. I stick mainly to whole wheat type of bread/pita pockets. Hope you are doing well.

[Running Mommy]

Still hanging in... Almost a week now.
Oh wait. I was in a jam and had a bottle of gatorade yesterday
Yesterday afternoon I developed some stomach distress while at the shop. I had to go straight to the bmx track to watch RS race, and I realized that I was really dehydrated. Like BAD. So I decided that even though it's all sugar, I needed to have a bit of gatorade to help replinish everything that was leeching from my poor body. UGH
Didn't help that it was around a hundred degrees and 70+% humidity..

[tulip]

W-A-T-E-R

Drink water all day long and it will help reduce sugar cravings as well as keep you hydrated.

I do drink gatorade (cut in half with water because it's too sweet) on my rides, but I drink water all day long. I keep a big mason jar filled with ice and water with me all the time.

[deeaimond]

when I crave juice, I got for apple spritzers. There is no sugar added and its fizzy and apply. Its not the fake sweet soda stuff but the german stuff... Apfelschorle or Apfelsaft. I wonder if it comes in other fruit flavours though... or if u can get it easily in the US...

But yes. Cutting out the sugar makes a big difference. I'm glad you're taking this step in your life. And as the Chinese say, 'Jia You' which literally translates into 'add oil'. something like... more power to you!

Don't give in to the sugar monster!!!! I'm right behind ya!

[Melalvai]

It's been a year since this thread was active. How is everyone doing who had been off sugar a year ago?

I quit sugar right before Thanksgiving. I know, bad timing. Here's what happened.

My friend was hospitalized with blood clots the same day I had a doctors appt. She had been on hormones to control endometriosis. I was visiting the doctor because my monthly symptoms are getting out of control (no uterus, but I have all the rest and then some). The doctor had talked me into trying Yaz. That's when I heard about my friend's blood clots.

All hormones raise the risk of blood clots and I asked:
Have I tried EVERYTHING else? (no)
Is my quality of life THAT bad? (only 2 days a month)
What else can I try?

A little web research, actually I knew the answer before I got to google, caffeine & sugar gotta go. If that isn't enough, red meat, dairy, wheat (look at the Endo Diet).

I've been 3 weeks without caffeine or sugar. Every time I start to crave it, I talk to my friend--she's walking with a cane now. She's 26 years old. She'll be on blood thinners for a year.

I'm drinking a LOT of smoothies. I've invented a few, particularly some hot drinks because the only hot drink I can have is tea: apple + walnuts + milk, blended and then heated. Cooked sweet potato + nutmeg + milk, blended & heated. And today, peaches & milk, blended & heated.

Bananas and Naked Juice are my new comfort food. Naked Juice is expensive, so is fresh fruit, coke & oreos are cheaper, but I don't mind the expense. I'm learning a lot about Glycemic Index.

[Bike Chick]

Wow, Mela! That has to be a tough one! You are one heck of a woman!

I hadn't seen this thread until your post. I saw a picture of myself today and realized that my scale is not broken and my dryer isn't shrinking my pants, I'm really overweight and it's time to get serious. I work out (swim, bike, run) and eat healthy but the weight does not change. I need to lose 20 pounds and after reading all these posts I am wondering if it's the carbs that are my enemy.

[arielmoon]

The biggest thing is how your taste buds change over time.

I cut refined sugar out of my life in 1996. I have made other healthy changes since then but that was the start of my health kick. I did spend a few years craving the candy in the dish that was placed in front of my desk but I no longer am tempted by things that are not healthy. They have no business going in my body.

In January I will celebrate my second year as a vegan and it feels great!

[solobiker]

The biggest thing is how your taste buds change over time.

I cut refined sugar out of my life in 1996. I have made other healthy changes since then but that was the start of my health kick. I did spend a few years craving the candy in the dish that was placed in front of my desk but I no longer am tempted by things that are not healthy. They have no business going in my body.

In January I will celebrate my second year as a vegan and it feels great!

That is great!! It is my goal to continue to decrease my intake of refined foods with the ultimate goal of removing them completly. I

[Melalvai]

I hadn't seen this thread until your post. I saw a picture of myself today and realized that my scale is not broken and my dryer isn't shrinking my pants, I'm really overweight and it's time to get serious. I work out (swim, bike, run) and eat healthy but the weight does not change. I need to lose 20 pounds and after reading all these posts I am wondering if it's the carbs that are my enemy.

I nearly reached my "ideal" weight after my bicycle trip (744 miles in 11 days, solo!) in early May, but since then have put back on a full 15 pounds, more than the amount I lost, plus I'm sure I converted a lot of that muscle back to fat. I'm back to teetering on the normal/overweight line on the Wii.

The biggest thing is how your taste buds change over time... I did spend a few years craving the candy in the dish that was placed in front of my desk but I no longer am tempted by things that are not healthy.

I indulged in one coke yesterday, my first since before Thanksgiving. It didn't taste like I remembered at all!

The reason for the "slip" was because the night before there had been a bowl of M&Ms. I surrounded myself with orange and apple slices and a bowl of nuts, but I kept looking at the M&Ms! The M&Ms were LEFT AT OUR HOUSE so I gave them to my daughter, but while she was at school I kept thinking about them. Finally I decided that I would allow myself one handful and a coke, but I made myself wait until right before my bike ride, so that the exercise would mitigate the sugar rush.

I'm trying to replace the sugary snacks with fruit and fruit juice as my treats, so that if I indulge, I'm indulging in fruit juice or an extra banana, rather than viewing coke & snickers as my special treat. With the exception of yesterday, that's worked pretty well.

[tribogota]

I have tried every day for the last 10 days to get through ONE single day without sugar. I don't need to lose weight but I am hypoglycemic so sugar messes with everything in me. Haven't made it through one day yet though...sigh, but I have eaten less, I have been drinking coffee when I crave sugar, takes the craving away, but of course not sleeping as well (duh, maybe I'll go buy decaf today).

[cylegoddess]

I get bad reactions with sugar( immune system crashes - sugar is BAD for me), and shingles.
So, when I gave it up, I thought I would die!! I was working in a candy shop, mind you.
This is what I did.
Stevia( buy it at health food shops) in tea( I use roobois, as I cant have black tea). It also helps regulate your blood sugar and is so much sweeter than. Plus, since it isnt a' fake' sugar, it doesnt make you crave calories( as the others have shown to do - even MAKE you gain weight).
I keep apples in the house at all times. And carrots.
Sometimes( very rare) I will have a diet soda, if I am at a party or something and everyone is loading up on cakes and such.

But mostly, I thought of what it does.It cross links your proteins, which MAKES YOU AGE FASTER> wrinkles and all!! No way!!

[Melalvai]

tribogota, you might try cutting back on sugar gradually rather than giving it up all at once.

Or find a friend who has had life threatening health problems that could be yours, but you could reduce your risk or symptoms by cutting back sugar. Then ask her to tell you frequently how bad her life sucks!

I've been amazed at how many foods we automatically make with sugar, that don't need it at all. The wassail I made yesterday without any sweetener was absolutely delicious. It was the same recipe as any other wassail but no brown sugar, or honey, or sugar. Apple cider, cranberries, cinnamon sticks and cloves.