Evidence points to a link between high sugar consumption and Alzheimer’s risk. Managing your sugar intake earlier in life could help reduce your risk.

That info was very motivating to me.

https://www.healthline.com/health/alzheimers/sugar-and-alzheimers#alzheimers-risk

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.

It will depend on how badly you're addicted and how strongly you're motivated. For me, given my A1C prediabetes scare, I felt nothing but satisfaction that I could live without added sugar!

Intermittent fasting helped me put some boundaries around eating. Check out any vids by Dr. Jason Fung or the podcast his team does, The Fasting Method.

Plain Greek yogurt with some berries and almonds is a good snack, so is cottage cheese.

Anonymous wrote:

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??

Eggs are good, a cheese stick, cold cuts, cold leftover meat, low carb nuts (I have to do unsalted or I eat those compulsively too).

Eventually I moved to eating full meals and cutting out snacking, I think it has had health benefits for me.

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.

For me it felt like not being controlled by a substance.

I had to learn to manage emotions without stuffing them. I developed hobbies and richer relationships instead of focusing so much time and energy on the next "hit."

Not sure what your goals are, but when I was trying to lose weight I chewed a lot of sugarless gum and a diet soda a day. I rarely drink soda but a fun flavor of soda hit the spot. I know both are just swapping artificial sweeteners which may not be what you are looking for.

OP,

Have you gotten your A1C tested? With those habits, I'd be shocked if you weren't already pre-diabetic. Please first go to the doctor and get bloodwork, because if your A1C is elevated, you will need a real plan, not DCUM.

I used to drink sweetened tea several times a day, and eat lots of chocolate, but my son was just diagnosed with pre diabetes and this was motivation enough to cut the sugar. I now drink unsweetened tea with milk, and very rarely have chocolate, or anything with added sugar. I've added whole grain carbs into my diet: whole wheat bread instead of white, barley or brown rice instead of white, whole wheat pasta, etc. My son tries as well, but his college dining hall isn't well equipped to deal with unrefined carbs, so he's eating more protein and veggies, and fewer carbs, to lower his A1C.

If your family is fine with not having sugary things in the house, this is what's going to help you most. My husband unfortunately still brings sugar into the house, and sometimes it's hard to resist. He's so annoying!

I found this a really good guide

https://www.amazon.com/End-Your-Carb-Confusion-Customize/dp/1628604298

This may provide inspo

Sugar: THE BITTER TRUTH - Dr Robert Lustig
University of California Television
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for posting this, I was just about to. I was allowed unlimited access to sweets as a child and now have a full fledged sugar addiction with a strong family history of type 2. Nothing is working, I have zero willpower when faced with cake, cookies, etc. I just can’t control myself! One tip that helped that I saw on Reddit was to eat butter and toast when those cravings hit.

What??? The internet keeps telling me if I don’t give my kid unlimited access to sweets they will grow up and be totally addicted to it and have a weird relationship with food.

Probably better to use common sense as a guide re: parenting.

Anonymous wrote:I’m absolutely addicted. Immediately crave something sweet after lunch and dinner, have 1-3 desserts after both of those meals and something sweet (3-5 chocolate covered pretzels or something like that) as a snack daily. I sweeten my coffee daily too, my breakfasts are sweet.

Has anyone with similar habits had success breaking them?

First cut sugar in drinks and change breakfast to bacon and eggs. A high protein no sugar breakfast has been shown to be helpful in keeping blood sugar and calories lower for the rest of the day.

Once your gut microbiome changes the cravings will end. It may take a few days or up to 2 weeks.

The amount of sugar you are eating is linked to things like PCOS in women and ED in men, diabetes, NAFLD, mood and anxiety disorders, some cancers, heart disease and Alzheimer's.

Check out r/sugarfree for a community

When I found out I was pre diabetic, I went cold turkey. My health was enough to scare me. It wasn’t that hard once I started it, I took it like a badge of honor. I did this for 6 months before having sugar again. Now I don’t even like sweets, it tastes bad to me. You need to adjust your taste buds and you will naturally avoid sugar.

The Quit Sugar Summit has been helpful to me in the past, online and free.

Ready To Discover How To Find Freedom From Sugar, Emotional Eating, & Food Addiction In A Healthy & Simple Way?

April 22-28th, 2024

https://quitsugarsummit.com/2024-quit-sugar_summit_registration

The speakers are usually pretty good and I have gotten insight and tips.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for posting this, I was just about to. I was allowed unlimited access to sweets as a child and now have a full fledged sugar addiction with a strong family history of type 2. Nothing is working, I have zero willpower when faced with cake, cookies, etc. I just can’t control myself! One tip that helped that I saw on Reddit was to eat butter and toast when those cravings hit.

What??? The internet keeps telling me if I don’t give my kid unlimited access to sweets they will grow up and be totally addicted to it and have a weird relationship with food.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Agree on the detox. I really don’t consume refined sugar in my normal diet any more. I do use sugar products for endurance sport training and racing, and it’s the least desirable part of that experience. But it’s necessary to do the work. After a long workout of
3.5-4 hours, the last thing I want is more sugar. I usually want a big salad. Honestly.

I’ll randomly get an ice cream sandwich if I really dig myself into a hole and I’ll feel better, but won’t want anymore after that.