Last March I decided to give up sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice--basically all that white stuff. I went cold turkey and it was very difficult for about two weeks, maybe a bit less. I had headaches and cravings and all I wanted was angel food cake and mashed potatoes. It was terrible because I had such a long-term addiction to sugar.

Once I got past those two weeks, however, wow my whole world blossomed. I had more energy and lost weight and didn't have slumps in the afternoons. I slept better and focused more. I've modified things a bit, but I still shun sugar. I got used to it. I don't particularly like plain yogurt, but I do like making smoothies with fruit--either fresh or frozen (no sugar added berries and peaches). I eat lots of greens and sweet potatoes, avocados, fish, turkey, and chicken and occasionally beef. I used to love making and eating my own bread, but I don't miss it now.

What I'm saying is that you might really want to give yourself a break from sugar. I gave myself a 30-day trial period at first, thinking that I would just make one day, sometimes one hour, at a time. Of course, I never kept (or keep) sugar in the house. It didn't take 30 days; by 12 I was feeling great and at the end of 30 I had lost five pounds. Losing weight wasn't my intention, but it is a welcome benefit. I was more concerned with my health. If you do it, it's important to remember that giving in to sugar during that hard period will just set you back. A drastic change like that might not work for you, but I wanted to share my story in case you were interested sometime down the road.

My trouble area is breakfasts. I still need to figure out breakfasts without cereal or bread. Smoothies usually work great, but I get hungry again by 10, so I think I need something more substantial. I never liked oatmeal so I'm just as happy to not have to eat it.

ETA: fats are good. I eat avocados, as much olive oil as I want, a bit of butter (but since I don't eat bread, what's the point?), cheese, and cream in my coffee. And 2% or whole milk and yogurt.