Anyone out there detox'd their body from sugar?
- Thread starter RhiannonW
- Start date
I've cut out refined sugar before and found the best way is cold turkey. If I didn't have any sugar, I didn't want any. I would use Splenda in coffee or on Kashi in the a.m.
Unfortunately I found if I cheated, I'd really start craving it again (like at Halloween). I just told myself that I'd feel better without it and I really did notice an improvement. I've started again this week... also drink lots and lots of water.
Hope this helps a little!
Brenda
Unfortunately I found if I cheated, I'd really start craving it again (like at Halloween). I just told myself that I'd feel better without it and I really did notice an improvement. I've started again this week... also drink lots and lots of water.
Hope this helps a little!
Brenda
I agree with Brenda. Once you've laid off on the sugar, keep away because you'll "relapse". I am not totally off sugar. I know there's sugar in the soy milk I drink and the power bars I eat (some have so much more sugar than others, so check the label). But I've been able to cut out a lot of it. I use Splenda in my coffee and oatmeal, and when I'm craving for something sweet I reach for fruit, usually grapes or apples. When I want something chocolatey, I make some hot cocoa. Lite, of course. I don't know if that helps you but these have worked for me.
Pinky
I am not totally off sugar. I know there's sugar in the soy milk I drink and the power bars I eat (some have so much more sugar than others, so check the label). But I've been able to cut out a lot of it. I use Splenda in my coffee and oatmeal, and when I'm craving for something sweet I reach for fruit, usually grapes or apples. When I want something chocolatey, I make some hot cocoa. Lite, of course. I don't know if that helps you but these have worked for me. Pinky
C
Carol_is_fit
Guest
Yep. Cold turkey is the only way I can do it too. I still get cravings, but if I don't give in to them, they eventually go away. I drink lots of water when they hit!! Good luck!!
Carol
Carol
MRSchultz
Cathlete
I'd have to agree with this smart group. I've just started doing that the past few days and it's been a struggle at first, but if you just decide you aren't going to have ANY AT ALL, it's easier to say no.
It reminds me of something my dad said to me when he quit smoking. (FIRST, I don't smoke and don't have any idea how hard it is to quit, this is STRICTLY my dad's opinion so I don't want anybody to get defensive, K?) He was a big guy, overweight and smoked. When he decided to quit smoking he simply quit cold turkey. He had a few bad days here and there, but he told me that it was easier than losing weight because you can live without smoking, but you can't live without eating. It put the sugar in perspective for me, I can live without sugar so just set your mind that you don't need it to live.
OK, did that make sense at all to anybody or am I just babbling away this evening?!?!!?! ;-) ;-)
Cheers, Marcia
It reminds me of something my dad said to me when he quit smoking. (FIRST, I don't smoke and don't have any idea how hard it is to quit, this is STRICTLY my dad's opinion so I don't want anybody to get defensive, K?) He was a big guy, overweight and smoked. When he decided to quit smoking he simply quit cold turkey. He had a few bad days here and there, but he told me that it was easier than losing weight because you can live without smoking, but you can't live without eating. It put the sugar in perspective for me, I can live without sugar so just set your mind that you don't need it to live.
OK, did that make sense at all to anybody or am I just babbling away this evening?!?!!?! ;-) ;-)
Cheers, Marcia
Totally agree - sometimes I get so frustrated eating cleanly and think I'm going to have to do this for the rest of my life!x(
It's a sacrifice worth making, though.
Pinky's also right - I eat some foods that have sugar in them (protein bars, etc), but cut out processed foods mainly (think Fruity Pebbles). Fruit and water are good substitutes and sometimes after dinner when my cravings are really high I'll have a sugar free frozen fruit pop.
It's a sacrifice worth making, though.
Pinky's also right - I eat some foods that have sugar in them (protein bars, etc), but cut out processed foods mainly (think Fruity Pebbles). Fruit and water are good substitutes and sometimes after dinner when my cravings are really high I'll have a sugar free frozen fruit pop.
Let me say first that your Dad is TOTALLY correct. I did stop smoking. No easy feat.
On the sugar note, I can agree with the cold turkey stance. I fell off that wagon a while ago and it is tough tough tough. And when I eat sweets, I really really eat alot of them.
Now I know there are many here who believe "all things in moderation"
And my intellect WANTS to believe that BUT I have a thought (if unscientific) about some people and sugar.
I used to drink quite heavily. Mainly beer and then wine. When i drank, I did not eat very many desserts and I rarely missed them. When I ate them I did not binge. By choice I decided to completely eliminate alcohol (I tried the moderation thing here and it simply DID NOT WORK) When I became a non-drinker, my dessert cravings and binging reappeared.
Is there a connection here? Could my hmmm alcohol addiction be related to my sugar addiction and therefore moderation simply won't work? Or is there a physiological connection but the hmm lack of control is a psychological issue.
If it is a physical issue, well total elimination is the answer. If it is a psychological issue then How can I modify my thinking so that I can enjoy an occasional small dessert and not 'fall off the wagon'
Oh and by the way, maybe if it is a psych thing (am I an addictive personality?) then cold turkey is the answer here to. I say this because as a former smoker I know that the physical addiction was gone quickly but the psychological addiction remains. I know if I had ONE puff of a cig, I would be a smoker again (I haven't smoked for 17+ years)
Hope I explained myself...
Any thoughts?
-joy
On the sugar note, I can agree with the cold turkey stance. I fell off that wagon a while ago and it is tough tough tough. And when I eat sweets, I really really eat alot of them.
Now I know there are many here who believe "all things in moderation"
And my intellect WANTS to believe that BUT I have a thought (if unscientific) about some people and sugar.
I used to drink quite heavily. Mainly beer and then wine. When i drank, I did not eat very many desserts and I rarely missed them. When I ate them I did not binge. By choice I decided to completely eliminate alcohol (I tried the moderation thing here and it simply DID NOT WORK) When I became a non-drinker, my dessert cravings and binging reappeared.
Is there a connection here? Could my hmmm alcohol addiction be related to my sugar addiction and therefore moderation simply won't work? Or is there a physiological connection but the hmm lack of control is a psychological issue.
If it is a physical issue, well total elimination is the answer. If it is a psychological issue then How can I modify my thinking so that I can enjoy an occasional small dessert and not 'fall off the wagon'
Oh and by the way, maybe if it is a psych thing (am I an addictive personality?) then cold turkey is the answer here to. I say this because as a former smoker I know that the physical addiction was gone quickly but the psychological addiction remains. I know if I had ONE puff of a cig, I would be a smoker again (I haven't smoked for 17+ years)
Hope I explained myself...
Any thoughts?
-joy
Joy's right- if you have a tendency to have an addictive personality its best to get rid of all sugar at once. I also quit smoking and found that when I fall off the wagon, I fall hard. Just remember the rewards and how much better you feel. I wish I could just have one peice of chocolate (or one cigarette) but I know it escalates into something bigger so I have to avoid it altogether.
It becomes a mind set and I tell myself daily "I'm just not going to do that today"...
It becomes a mind set and I tell myself daily "I'm just not going to do that today"...
Joy, here's something I found in this week's Time magazine:
"SWEET TOOTH, BIG TIPPLER? Having a sweet tooth may foretell more than a little extra padding around the gut. A new study found that people with a paternal history of alcoholism were 2.5 times as likely to enjoy sweets as those with no such history and may be at high risk for drinking problems down the line. The link may seem odd, but researchers say our reactions to alcohold and sweets are regulated by the same mechanism in the brain."
I believe sugar is addictive and the only way to keep it off your diet is to not keep anything seductively sweet in your pantry and fridge.
Pinky
"SWEET TOOTH, BIG TIPPLER? Having a sweet tooth may foretell more than a little extra padding around the gut. A new study found that people with a paternal history of alcoholism were 2.5 times as likely to enjoy sweets as those with no such history and may be at high risk for drinking problems down the line. The link may seem odd, but researchers say our reactions to alcohold and sweets are regulated by the same mechanism in the brain."
I believe sugar is addictive and the only way to keep it off your diet is to not keep anything seductively sweet in your pantry and fridge.
Pinky
Bobbi
Cathlete
Hi, everyone!
Great topic! This is what works for me. I use honey to sweeten green tea, usually one or two cups a day and only when it's cold because I like unsweetend (iced) tea during warm weather. I use honey for oatmeal as well and use 1 tablespoon of maple syrup on fruit for waffles when I eat them. I tend to avoid artificiaal sweeteners because I don't trust the chemical processing that produces them and I find they have an aftertaste. I want to make a point about cereals like Kashi ( my favorite is To Good Freinds cereal). It contains refined sugar in the form of evaporated cane juice. Unless the label reads unrefined sugar or unrefined evaporated cane juice, it's refined. Read labels. Even whole grained foods add sugar. Glucose, sucrose, fructose as well as the more obvious corn syrup are all sugars and they are everywhere. Myself, I have never tried to cut out all sugar because to do so is very difficult. I do try to minmize my consumption and as Kathy said eating a high fiber diet is an excellent way to do it. Eating whole foods, foods in their natural state, is also a good way to cut out refined sugars. I also don't forbid any food. I make sure my portions of high fat, high sugar foods are small and that my calorie consumption is not excessive. Kathy also makes a great point about protein. Combining protein, carbs and fat slows digestion and absorption of carbohydrate which keeps blood sugars level and reduces cravings beautifully! Good health to you!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/nosmile/peacesign.gif Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/nosmile/peacesign.gif
Great topic! This is what works for me. I use honey to sweeten green tea, usually one or two cups a day and only when it's cold because I like unsweetend (iced) tea during warm weather. I use honey for oatmeal as well and use 1 tablespoon of maple syrup on fruit for waffles when I eat them. I tend to avoid artificiaal sweeteners because I don't trust the chemical processing that produces them and I find they have an aftertaste. I want to make a point about cereals like Kashi ( my favorite is To Good Freinds cereal). It contains refined sugar in the form of evaporated cane juice. Unless the label reads unrefined sugar or unrefined evaporated cane juice, it's refined. Read labels. Even whole grained foods add sugar. Glucose, sucrose, fructose as well as the more obvious corn syrup are all sugars and they are everywhere. Myself, I have never tried to cut out all sugar because to do so is very difficult. I do try to minmize my consumption and as Kathy said eating a high fiber diet is an excellent way to do it. Eating whole foods, foods in their natural state, is also a good way to cut out refined sugars. I also don't forbid any food. I make sure my portions of high fat, high sugar foods are small and that my calorie consumption is not excessive. Kathy also makes a great point about protein. Combining protein, carbs and fat slows digestion and absorption of carbohydrate which keeps blood sugars level and reduces cravings beautifully! Good health to you!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/nosmile/peacesign.gif Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/nosmile/peacesign.gif
A few years ago I did this too with my daughter. YES cold turkey works best. At least for me it is so much easier to have NO sugar rather than a little. I've never been good at moderation so for me this made it easier.
Few weeks ago i was having a lot of sugar (halloween candy at work) - again after a week of this I gave it up and that was easiest.
Good luck
Few weeks ago i was having a lot of sugar (halloween candy at work) - again after a week of this I gave it up and that was easiest.
Good luck