I cut out sugar two weeks ago

[Jo]

Two weeks ago, I decided I would cut out obvious sources of sugar from my diet.i was eating way too much candy, baked things, ice cream, chocolate and I didn’t seem to be able to moderate it. I wasn’t binging but I was kind of nonstop. I ate my way through a big bag of jelly beans by having 3 or 4 every time I walked into the kitchen that Saturday. At the end of the day, I was horrified and I decided to stop.

Sunday was my first day without real sugar. I noticed it a few times when I would reach for something and then had to stop, but I found myself snacking less and overall it wasn’t too bad.

Monday morning, I woke up more easily and was less tired getting out of bed. Tuesday evening, I noticed that the rash on my arm was healing. And the following Sunday, I was surprised by my period. I usually know it’s coming because I get pms etc. Not this time.

now, two weeks and a could of days in, Ive lost 2 pounds without trying to moderate my food. I need to lose more, but I’m thrilled with the start. I honestly wasn’t expecting this, but I feel so much better. It’s been a little hard a couple of times (Easter candy!), but not in a way that makes me feel tempted to go back. I’m sleeping better, I have better energy, and now I only eat when I’m hungry.

i don’t think my results are typical, but then I think I have (and have always had) a pretty bad reaction to sugar. I just doesn’t work for me.

i have two questions: 1) I cut out obvious sugars, have kept a couple of slightly sugary things (fage yogurt, the lower sugar kind, but with fruit) and the occasional piece of fruit. I’m not worried about hidden sugars (jarred spaghetti sauce etc). Are there any benefits to me cutting out the other sugars?

and 2) I’ve also cut out artificial sweeteners. I think because I can’t trust my body to react well to excessively sweet things, whether they have actual sugar in them or not. Does this make sense or am I being overly cautious? I’ll probably stay away from artificial sweeteners no matter what, but am I missing out in not using honey etc?

if you’ve quit sugar, what was it like for you? Did you maintain it? And is there anything else I can look forward to, other than better sleep and energy, no pms, easy weight loss, and clearer skin? (Not that those aren’t enough!)

[wambam]

1. I don’t think so. At least that’s been my experience. Once you cut out the major sources, the small stuff like that is negligible. The stress of finding tomato sauce or whatever with zero sugar is worse than just eating the tiny bit.
2. I don’t worry about it. I use honey in my tea. I used to be really concerned about these kinds of things but now the effort-reward factor is just not there.

[sadlebred]

I wouldn't worry about natural sugars like what is in fruit or vegetables. There are so many other GOOD things like fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc. in them that they are very healthy. It's impossible to cut out 100% of the sugars in your diet, but it sounds like you've cut out the big ones.

[mrshandy]

Great job! I did this over 4 years ago and it was a really good way to reset. This post has inspired me that I need to give it up again. I'm going down the slippery sugar slope again. I'm not marathon training anymore so I can't put whatever I want into my mouth and run it off.

I wouldn't do artificial sugars. I rarely eat them and whenever I do I feel crappy. They really don't have a place in our diet IMHO.

[Wines Not Whines]

I need to do this, too. I’ve gained 5 pounds because I’ve been eating too much junk, especially sugar.

[minzy]

Apr 27, 2019 10:20:41 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

I need to do this, too. I’ve gained 5 pounds because I’ve been eating too much junk, especially sugar.

I should cut sugar, too. I’m thinking about attempting screen-free week (Apr 29-May 5) and might just add sugar in with it to make myself really miserable, lol.

[goldengirlz]

Many food labels separate out added sugar from naturally-occurring sugar. I try to stick to the WHO recommendation (which is half the FDA’s) of no more than 25 grams of added sugars daily. To answer your first question, I would say it depends. If you stay away from processed food as much as possible, you don’t have to worry about small amounts in the processed foods you do eat — but, conversely, if you eat a lot of processed food, it’s easy to go over the dietary recommendations without realizing it. I don’t limit fruit.

I try to stay away from artificial sugars because the research about them isn’t great — at the very least, they tend to make you hungrier than if you just had a small amount of the real thing.

[Jo]

Thanks, everyone. You’ve all confirmed what I’v been thinking. I’ll keep away from artificial sweeteners and not worry too much about the small stuff.

2 more quick sugar-free updates: my skin looks better somehow - less dry, more balanced.. I don’t quite know how to describe it, but it’s better. And I can now tell the differ nice between hunger and thirst. I’m drinking more water (because I want to, not because I’m trying) and sometimes when I walk into the kitchen it’s because I want a glass of water, not to grab another snack. Neither of these were things I was expecting, but I’ll take them!

Quick question: if you’re sugar-free, what do you do about fruit? Eat it, avoid it, eat some kinds but not others?

[Wines Not Whines]

Jo, The only way I can cut out sugar is to eat fruit. Fruit satisfies my need to eat something sweet after dinner.

[sadlebred]

Fruit has so many OTHER good nutrients + fiber in it, I wouldn't worry about it.

[cuadrado]

Apr 22, 2019 8:39:45 GMT -5 Jo said:

i have two questions: 1) I cut out obvious sugars, have kept a couple of slightly sugary things (fage yogurt, the lower sugar kind, but with fruit) and the occasional piece of fruit. I’m not worried about hidden sugars (jarred spaghetti sauce etc). Are there any benefits to me cutting out the other sugars?

Congratulations on making so many positive nutrition changes

One thing I wanted to mention for a long-term thought is that a lot of the concern about sugar in general is centered around added sugars (what you referred to as hidden sugars), since those are typically higher in processed products and they're linked to so many health issues. I am sometimes astounded at how much added sugar is in jarred and processed products like sauces, crackers, cereals, etc. 

I'm a dietitian and what I see a lot with my clients is people completely depriving themselves of all sweets but still consuming excessive amounts of added sugar from regular processed products. I recently did a nutrient analysis for a client who said she had cut out all sweets, and it turned out she was consuming >100g added (not natural) sugar daily just from her other food intake. You don't need to be worried about the naturally occurring sugar in fruit and dairy. New nutrition labels are required to separate out added sugar and natural sugar so that it's easier to tell the different. The regulations haven't gone into effect yet but some brands have already started doing this. If they haven't, I would recommend looking at the ingredient list to see where sugar falls. Ingredients are listed in order of greatest to least by weight. You can also look at the nutrition labels of a plain yogurt to a sweetened yogurt and compare the differences in grams of sugar. This is the difference between natural and added sugar.