Anonymous wrote:Oh come on. This has to be a troll. How to avoid sugar is extremely simple. Doing it.. not so much. Can you read? Labels are your friends.

Yes it is simple but not easy, at least not at first. As several posters have said, once you detox from sugar the cravings do go away.

I stopped sugar by replacing with fruit. It’s sweet and has fiber. Berries are the best!

Anonymous wrote:Protein. At least 20 grams at each meal, 30 is better. Lots of vegetables. If you focus on getting sufficient protein at each meal, don’t have any added sugar in the morning, and feed your gut biome with fruit and vegetables, you won’t have cravings.

What would be examples of good protein snacks?

A hard boiled egg??

I found this post because I am also trying to cut sugar. OP- any luck with it?

I stopped drinking this year but now I need to focus on sugar intake.

Suggestions:

Glucose Goddess book

Wear a CGM such as Levels or Signos. You'll see how your body is responding to foods that cause crashes.

Focus on healthy fat, protein, fiber.

Avoid artificial sweeteners - this makes me crash.

Look up podcasts by JJ Virgin and Mark Hyman - lots of episodes on this. Good luck

I've done Whole30 a couple of times to help with resetting around sugar. It is overly restrictive (for me) to keep up long term, but is really helpful in becoming more mindful about what you're buying and eating.

I also have a massive sweet tooth but don’t eat a lot of sugar. Your tastebuds really do adjust.

- I buy almost nothing with added sugar. I only buy unsweetened peanut butter, almond milk, yogurt, etc. The only thing I can think of is my granola and a fancy chocolate almond butter that I like, but even those are pretty low in added sugar.

- I eat a lot of fruit. This morning I put blueberries in my oatmeal and had an orange after lunch. Snack will be some dried apricots and cashews.

- I eat dark chocolate every day. I like to buy different kinds of fancy dark chocolate bars at Whole Foods. I have one or two squares and then that’s it. Usually after dinner.

- I stopped sweetening my coffee about 10 years ago. I add about a tablespoon of half and half. Now when I have sweetened coffee, I feel like I’m drinking a dessert.

- I still eat desserts, pastries, etc when I’m out to eat or if I’m at a coffee shop, but it’s once or twice a week.

Anonymous wrote:In your case OP, I'd cut out sugar entirely, except for whole fruit (not juice).

Your tastebuds are warped and desensitized, and like a drug addict, you're craving more to get that fix. When you stop eating sugar for a while, your tastebuds will get better about it.

But yes, you will go through withdraws. Substitute it with fruit. Even "sugary" fruit like apples and oranges, but eat the whole fruit.

+1 to all of this. Eliminate refined sugar entirely - or as much as possible, because many packaged foods and condiments have added sugar that you might not realize.

The drug addict comparison is accurate as well as your tastebuds changing over time. During the holidays I ate foods I do not normally eat and could really feel the effect on my body - and not in a pleasant way. It was a reminder that I don't want to go back to that way of eating. Ever.

Give your body a chance to heal and you will not regret it.

1) Figure out if you are a "cold turkey" or "gradual reduction" type of person
2) If cold turkey, remove sweets from the house - it's hard with kids, but do your best. Your kids will benefit from having reduced sugar in the house, too
3) If gradual reduction, try reducing the amount of sugar in your coffee, limit yourself to one sweet treat a day, and then stop.
4) If you're going to have a sweet, make sure it's worth it. For me, I only indulge in sweets that I make at home. I never do store-bought
5) If you are going to have a sweet, make sure that you have in only in combination with a protein and fat and fiber. This will slow down the rate of glucose intake in your body.

In your case OP, I'd cut out sugar entirely, except for whole fruit (not juice).

Your tastebuds are warped and desensitized, and like a drug addict, you're craving more to get that fix. When you stop eating sugar for a while, your tastebuds will get better about it.

But yes, you will go through withdraws. Substitute it with fruit. Even "sugary" fruit like apples and oranges, but eat the whole fruit.

When I eat healthy, the sugar cravings go away. Oatmeal for breakfast, salad with a protein for lunch, etc. If you’re craving a sweet, try hydrating first. If you’re still craving it, try protein and movement (do a 10 min exercise or stretch). And if you still want it, I would have a small amount. For me it’s not about eliminating, but not letting other things trigger eating sweets. Mine is definitely blood sugar related so I read up on how a diabetic should eat, and it helps. And once you break the habit, you don’t crave it as much because you feel better without it.

I also remember reading that really after four bites or so you’re not really tasting what you’re eating. I savor a few bites if I really want to try something, and then pass it on.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for these suggestions.

What does it feel like to quit sugar? I’m curious what I’ll go through if I’m able to do it. Or what changes you feel once you’ve weened off.

Go low-carb as a regimen for two weeks to see how you feel. When I did this, I used nuts as a snack to manage the sugar cravings, which have gone away entirely over time. There is a transition period, but I felt better in a host of ways after doing so. One really noticeable thing is how sweet everything is when you are off sugar—many breads, jarred pasta sauces, etc. are cloyingly sweet but you don’t notice when your diet is sugar-drenched.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for these suggestions.

What does it feel like to quit sugar? I’m curious what I’ll go through if I’m able to do it. Or what changes you feel once you’ve weened off.

I cut out sugar once when I had gotten completely out of control. I had started a new job that was very boring and the office always had baked goods and candy bowls everywhere. All I did was eat sugar for months so my baseline was pretty bad.

It was difficult enough for me that I truly understood the phrase to "white knuckle" through something for the first time. Eating something sweet was all I thought about all day long. It took about a week before that lessened and another week before I felt normal

I have the same problem and try to just allow myself fruit. Frozen blueberries or grapes trick me into thinking I’m eating candy, cantaloupe is the same.

Anonymous wrote:Craving sugar means you have insulin and/or blood sugar regulation issues. And/or that you overly restrict your eating. Which is it?

If the former, take walks after every meal, exercise more, and fast between meals.

If the latter, have balanced, satisfying meals and include at least one sweet thing early in the day.

You will never drop sugar/desserts forever if you like them. Fortunately you don’t have to. You just have to get out of the desperation mentality.

+1 it’s also the psychology of wanting what’s forbidden. I read that the best way to reduce your sugar intake is to regularly make your favorite homemade desserts, you’ll have some but not binge bc you can make it again, and you don’t choose the inferior but still sugary junk.