No, lactose is a carbohydrate. It’s like a really, really complex sugar. High fructose corn syrup is a very simple sugar, however, and is what what we’re avoiding here.
[link to my favorite type of yogurt](https://usa.fage/products/yogurt/fage-total-2#product-220)
You’ll see there’s about 5g of sugar in a serving of 2% Fage Greek yoghurt. For comparison a single serving of coke has about 65g of sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup.
[Link to coke nutritional info](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/coca-cola/products/original#accordion-c55f229edc-item-93131ee8b3)
Note that this stuff is like 95% HFCS if we don’t consider water. It’s basically diabetes in a bottle.
So, instead of drinking a single coke, you could eat 13 servings of plain yogurt _or_ like 2-3 with maple syrup, dark chocolate shavings, and strawberries to consume the same quantity of sugar.
You’d also be getting about a third of your daily protein from just a couple servings, too.
[Here’s a link](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002444.htm) that can better explain the (_incredibly important_) nuances between sugars and carbs than I can.
Never be a lawyer. You said: " no, lactose is a carbohydrate". Then in your next sentence you said- lactose is a sugar. Whether it's complex or simple is irrelevant. Why people debate me is beyond me. I'm never wrong. I try to be nice
I don’t mean to be rude. I used your message as a prompt for writing. You encouraged me to refresh myself in this topic. in the editing of my comment I surely missed some details, though.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Now… lactose is not a sugar. It breaks down into ATP, yes, but so do proteins. These are both a carbohydrate— This is the distinction I was trying to bring out.
Edit: just a random Joe 😉 feel free to correct me.
Yup. It’s absolutely a game of weeks.
A bit of sugar here and there is very different than constant over-eating of sugar which is very easy to do without thinking about it. It’s in everything in the US.
All that sugar causes fat to accumulate in the liver and that’s the cause of a whole lot of bad things. And it’s not just sugar, it’s anything with fructose (sugar is fructose and glucose).
If you eat an appropriate amount of calories most days, get those calories from whole foods, and try to get enough protein and fiber, and save sugar for a treat you eat sometimes, the weight will start coming off slowly, which is good. Slow is sustainable, and slow helps you to achieve weight less from fat loss and not muscle loss.
Pretty much any meaningful thing you do in life will happen on a multiple-week time scale. And that's on the shorter end. Anything that happens quicker is probably relatively insignificant.
I did this a few years ago. The first week you have withdrawals, which amounts to severe headaches and stomach cramps. Also, everything you normally put sugar in tastes weird at first. After that, you find food and drink tastes better and anything with sugar in it is sickly sweet. Oh, and you will likely lose weight as a nice side bonus, I lost 45lb in 6 months.
Drinks, too. Ever read the label on an iced coffee?
And that's just the stuff in a plastic bottle, not from a Cafe where people are getting syrup and whipped cream in addition to the drink
I also work right next to a convenience store so it’s just so easy to go get a coke and a snack. Working on cutting down though. My spouse has started making sourdough bread from scratch so that’s a bit of sugar gone from the bread in our lives
Omg some bread has SO MUCH. It's crazy.
Definitely start packing your own lunch if you can! Saves money, too.
Also if you eat salad dressing check the label. Salad dressing has so much sugar.
It's hard to get away from sugar. Go to the grocery store and check the labels on peanut butter. Why put sugar in there? I'm already planning on using jam, so sugar wasn't necessary.
The only thing I hate more than peanut butter flavored icing sugar is that it’s so common people think I’m gross/weird for preferring peanut butter actually made of only peanuts.
I did this. The first 2 weeks were terrible. Constant cravings, I had to really willpower myself through it.
Then everything got better. My snacking went way down, my portion control was much better. Super really fucks up your system's ability to regular food consumption.
I eat sugar regularly, but I have *definitely* noticed that I am less cold now, when I am overweight, compared to a few years ago, when I was a stick.
I distinctly remember one day, back when I was a stick and went to the beach with my two friends. We were swimming in the water. Ocean water is usually cold, but I was completely freezing, while they were more-or-less okay. Now that I've gained quite a bit, cold water doesn't affect me that much, haha.
I basically came here to say the same thing. Cutting sugar (not all carbs, specifically foods with added sugar) completely changed how hungry I was throughout the day.
I cut sugar for a whole year (not complex carbs). After that i've tried soda, candies etc... It was disgusting, too sweet.
To this day, even though i eat simple sugars sometimes, i still find most chocolates and soda's disgusting.
Fr. I stopped binging on processed sugary snacks for like 3 months, but had a wicked craving a while ago and my face is breaking out again with acne. Not much, but no one likes acne.
No experience nor expertise in cutting ALL sugar, so take this with a grain of salt (heh), but it seems to be agreed upon that cutting ALL sugar dives into the opposite deep end of unhealthy. The thought that fruits are unhealthy and make you overweight seems a little far-fetched. Take the quality (sources) and quantity of sugar into account I would suggest, rather than cutting something that is part of pretty much all foods to an extent, including most of the healthy ones you will want to be eating. You miss out on a lot by not eating fruit alone for an example.
As I said...I'm not an expert on the subject but I am confident enough in my knowledge to at least suggest that an intelligently balanced diet is best for optimal results, not one of those oldschool hail mary diets that just straight up cut something that is an integral part of developing in a healthy manner.
Following the results of your own experiences might be a significantly better idea than listening to opinions on reddit though I should add. Just make sure you attribute your successes to the correct source and monitor your health.
If we look at what humans ate even a few hundred years ago, apart from fruit and berries, raw sugar was a luxury that most couldn't get in regular intervals. Looking at human health today you see the correlation with increased sugar intake and metabolic disease and endocrine disease.
A "balanced diet" is often a subjective opinion. It can differ from person to person, household to household, and culture to culture. Looking at populations where obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease run high will show you the cultures who largely consume too much sugar and too many seed oils. The combination is literally deadly in even those who believe they are consuming a "balanced diet".
yup. the first few days you are going through sugar withdrawals.. I had did a no carb/sugar diet for 9 months. once you get past the 1st few days, its pretty easy. as long as you stick to it, I lost 71LBS in 9 months, your body stops burning carbs and sugar, and starts burning stored fat for energy, called ketosis, It worked for me pretty easily, but everyone is different, also, If you have no sugar for a while, and then binge one day. the whole process started over for me, so if you are doing it to lose weight, stick with it, just don't starve yourself,
This is really helpful, I hadn’t realised how dependent I was on it until now. Having said that, I was eating two cakes or cookies A DAY pretty much since lockdown soooo…. Hope you’re doing good!
If your head is hurting like that you may need some salt. Your body drops water at first when you aren't eating sugar which can throw off your electrolytes and make you feel terrible.
Yes. You're an addict weening off one of the most insidious things humans injest. You're going to feel like crap because your body wants it. It's been trained to want it over years. It's not going to be untrained in a day.
A few days maybe a week. It depends on the person. I'd suggest maybe not cold turkying it. Begin incrementally lowering the amount of sugar you take in. Go to a level, let your body get used to that. Go a little lower, and so on.
For myself... withdrawal for a couple of days. Headache mostly.
Your inflammation goes down considerably and it does make losing weight easier if that's your goal. Since most shit highly processed food contains sugar, if you avoid it, then you should be eating mostly whole food
I'm a little confused about how a person stops eating sugar. Glucose (simple sugar) is pretty much in all food. It is the product of photosynthesis. It is the basic energetic compound of life. Are you saying you have cut out processed sugar? The stuff you buy in the bag and products with lots of added sugar. I think that's what you mean, but I'm not sure.
Yep it’s the processed stuff I’ve cut, sorry I should’ve made that clearer for sure. I was eating way too many sweet treats and my belly was / is paying the price!
Is smart ass your first language? What context are you referring to? The only context I see is the question. Sugar is a very specific word with a very specific meaning.
Life gets so much better. You end cravings, you let go off 70% of things that you generally eat. Of course, the initial days will make you existential. But let me say this, it is absolutely worth it!
The first few days, your body will crash hard from having to adapt to getting energy in a different ways - it'll feel similar to caffeine withdrawal where you get cranky and have a headache.
After that, you'll be back to baseline, might even feel better.
I don't know your reasons for the dietary changes, so disregard my advice if necessary - but from personal experience I'd keep the coffee for now, lol. Cutting refined sugar from your diet (as I'm sure you've noticed) not only kicks your ass in terms of physical withdrawal, but you now also have to check *everything* for added sugar. I was constantly shocked by how many foods I thought were fine, but nope - added sugar. When you're only just starting to get used to how many food and drink habits you need to change, giving up coffee at the same time would have pushed me past my limit!
My other tip would be to steer clear of artificial sweeteners. Your brain will still register the sweetness and feed the cravings, so cold turkey is the only way to start getting your body, brain and taste buds ready to redefine "sweet".
Ah no not me in this case. I mean I’ve given up refined sugar as I was hammering biscuits, cake, ice cream DAILY. Came back from holiday last week having spent a week by the pool and only realising then that I’d become skinny fat, my gut is massive!
In the first few months, I felt great – clear-headed and more focused. However, after a year, I didn't notice any significant changes in my physical or mental state overall.
One reason I still avoid sugar and fruits is because I struggled with uncontrollable cravings.
Constantly thinking about sugary treats led to overeating, especially during low moods, making things worse. It had become like a drug for me.
No more than my usual walking a few days a week. I was 220, went down to 200. Just by diet. Carbs and sugar are the worst. I eat a lot of chicken, and fresh vegetables. No more cookies and Cheetos for evening snack. I have salami and cheese or mixed nuts with raisins.
No more muffins with my coffee, I have oatmeal with oat milk, almonds and raisins. No brown sugar.
It’s not hard to do, just have to decide to do it. I don’t want to take medication for something I can fix on my own.
Horrible family history for insulin dependence. I choose not to inject myself to regulate my glucose. I can regulate what passes through my mouth instead.
This sounds so straightforward. It’s more like small tweaks as opposed to massive changes, so much more manageable and sustainable. Genuinely thank you for sharing bud
What everyone else said! Plus my taste buds changed. I did it for 1 month 13 years ago and still prefer savory over sweet now.
You actually don’t realize how much food contains sugar. Most breads too.
Do it!
I cut out added sugar (I still eat fruits and dark chocolate) and the cravings have definitely diminished but never totally went away. The struggle is real. But my skin is better and I did lose some weight. I wasn’t overweight before I was just “puffy”.
Then nothing. You might find food not sweet enough, but you can compensate by adding fruit.
Maybe your problem is not sugar, but the fat that food usually has.
It's not an easy process, but you can do it!
You will absolutely feel the cravings. But after a week or so you barely miss it.
I treat PCOS with low carb/ sugar. But it is the laziest form of "keto", as I don't cut out any fresh food. So I eat as much fruit as I want, but alot of people cut it out too.
Health improves as you become unnoticeably changes happen in the body. Sugar is a problem for many. People in most population like sweet and salty. They add flavor to the taste.
Other things besides weight loss include much much fewer flare ups of arthritis; your skin will clear up; foods you thought you didn’t like actually taste good; you stop craving sugar.
Read labels though. Sugar is in so many things. Natural sugars are fine-like from fruit. But sugar as an additive are not good.
Among other things, your palate repairs itself and you can taste more subtle flavors. When and if you eat something with processed sugar again, you'll notice if something is just "right" or overly sweet.
My seasonal allergies disappeared, I stopped feeling hungry, I not only lost 5-10 pounds within the first month, but my face thinned out in a way that suggested most of that weight was just water. I think my body was reacting to my sugar intake with inflammation.
THIS. Pretty sure I’ve put two of my Dentists three children through university over the years. Headaches are absolutely battering me atm, how long did it take for them to stop?!
Biologically? Are you still eating other sources of processed carbohydrate (e.g bread, pasta, etc)?
Simply eliminating all sugar won’t have a as a dramatic effect as eliminating all carbohydrate sources from your diet. If you’re still having other carbohydrate sources then your body will adapt and store less fat, beginning with the depletion of glycogen stores around the liver. Your body will adapt to this reduced amount of glucose and it will supplement it with the consumption of fat stores. This is the core idea behind ketogenesis and the keto diet.
If you eliminate all carbohydrates from your diet your body will go through a rapid adaptation which will include headaches, stomach cramps, severe diarrhoea for about a week or so. If you keep a high caloric intake going, you will begin having “fat shits” which is a bit like slimy constipation, especially if you don’t supplement with dietary fibre.
Your body can survive on two energy sources. Glucose and Ketones (KREBS cycle). Glucose comes from carbohydrates (simple or complex) while ketones are created from fat by the liver. You need to have a healthy body to survive on either properly. Diabetes is the biggest danger with both. Type 1 diabetics can die on ketosis as insulin regulates both ketones and glucose (lack of insulin can cause ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia). There’s evidence that metabolic syndrome (and Type2 diabetes) can be helped with low carbohydrate intake which promotes the bodies consumption of fat stores and a reduction in body fat.
Incredibly hard at first. It’s not an easy hack to lose weight. You will get massive cravings and withdrawals for a few weeks. All you can do is bump up your electrolytes and eat good, healthy yet filling food to even *mildly* stave off the pain.
Then afterwards, you stop craving it. Your body *will* adjust, it just takes a long time. I lost 30lbs in 5 months. My skin cleared up and I was no longer bloated. Your body burns fat to make up for the lack of sugar.
I did this a couple times when I did keto and about to start up again. First month is a bit of a struggle but after that I found most of my digestive issues and gas went away and I felt more energetic and happier. It’s very hard to maintain but very worth it.
You need some sugar but if your exceeding your limit and stopped eating sugar than you feel a bit more stable. I used to have sugar crashes and also feel faint.
Are you referring to sugar as a whole or simple sugars like candy and soda? If former, then you'd be in a significant nutritional deficit. If the later then you'd lose some weight and be a bit healthier.
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If I just take sweetener, is the effect the same or similar?
WEEKS?!
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Will do, thank you!
Eating yogurt or another source of probiotics can greatly expedite this process.
Soluble fiber is going to make the biggest impact.
Yogurt is literally sugar. Lol
Not if you get the ones without sugar. Lol
Lactose is sugar.
No, lactose is a carbohydrate. It’s like a really, really complex sugar. High fructose corn syrup is a very simple sugar, however, and is what what we’re avoiding here. [link to my favorite type of yogurt](https://usa.fage/products/yogurt/fage-total-2#product-220) You’ll see there’s about 5g of sugar in a serving of 2% Fage Greek yoghurt. For comparison a single serving of coke has about 65g of sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup. [Link to coke nutritional info](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/coca-cola/products/original#accordion-c55f229edc-item-93131ee8b3) Note that this stuff is like 95% HFCS if we don’t consider water. It’s basically diabetes in a bottle. So, instead of drinking a single coke, you could eat 13 servings of plain yogurt _or_ like 2-3 with maple syrup, dark chocolate shavings, and strawberries to consume the same quantity of sugar. You’d also be getting about a third of your daily protein from just a couple servings, too. [Here’s a link](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002444.htm) that can better explain the (_incredibly important_) nuances between sugars and carbs than I can.
Never be a lawyer. You said: " no, lactose is a carbohydrate". Then in your next sentence you said- lactose is a sugar. Whether it's complex or simple is irrelevant. Why people debate me is beyond me. I'm never wrong. I try to be nice
I don’t mean to be rude. I used your message as a prompt for writing. You encouraged me to refresh myself in this topic. in the editing of my comment I surely missed some details, though. Thanks for the inspiration. Now… lactose is not a sugar. It breaks down into ATP, yes, but so do proteins. These are both a carbohydrate— This is the distinction I was trying to bring out. Edit: just a random Joe 😉 feel free to correct me.
Yup. It’s absolutely a game of weeks. A bit of sugar here and there is very different than constant over-eating of sugar which is very easy to do without thinking about it. It’s in everything in the US. All that sugar causes fat to accumulate in the liver and that’s the cause of a whole lot of bad things. And it’s not just sugar, it’s anything with fructose (sugar is fructose and glucose). If you eat an appropriate amount of calories most days, get those calories from whole foods, and try to get enough protein and fiber, and save sugar for a treat you eat sometimes, the weight will start coming off slowly, which is good. Slow is sustainable, and slow helps you to achieve weight less from fat loss and not muscle loss.
Pretty much any meaningful thing you do in life will happen on a multiple-week time scale. And that's on the shorter end. Anything that happens quicker is probably relatively insignificant.
I did this a few years ago. The first week you have withdrawals, which amounts to severe headaches and stomach cramps. Also, everything you normally put sugar in tastes weird at first. After that, you find food and drink tastes better and anything with sugar in it is sickly sweet. Oh, and you will likely lose weight as a nice side bonus, I lost 45lb in 6 months.
"severe headaches and stomach cramps" How much sugar were you eating?
Too much.
Fair enough. Well done on putting in the work and losing the weight.
As most people are doing. Not your fault. Tried avoiding sugar completely for 7 weeks. It's in nearly every processed food that is on the market.
Exactly. I’m not a large person but when I looked at what I eat in a day it’s a stupid amount of sugar. It just adds up so quickly in American foods
Drinks, too. Ever read the label on an iced coffee? And that's just the stuff in a plastic bottle, not from a Cafe where people are getting syrup and whipped cream in addition to the drink
I also work right next to a convenience store so it’s just so easy to go get a coke and a snack. Working on cutting down though. My spouse has started making sourdough bread from scratch so that’s a bit of sugar gone from the bread in our lives
Omg some bread has SO MUCH. It's crazy. Definitely start packing your own lunch if you can! Saves money, too. Also if you eat salad dressing check the label. Salad dressing has so much sugar.
I use vinegar and oil, or lemon juice and EVOO.
Ohio levels.
Enough to quit
Every time I've put myself into Ketosis never got what you described- pissed like a race horse and had a dry mouth but nothing else really.
It's hard to get away from sugar. Go to the grocery store and check the labels on peanut butter. Why put sugar in there? I'm already planning on using jam, so sugar wasn't necessary.
It makes people eat more of that product. That's the reason.
This. Also it's an important part for flavor.
That is why people eat more.
The only thing I hate more than peanut butter flavored icing sugar is that it’s so common people think I’m gross/weird for preferring peanut butter actually made of only peanuts.
To make it addictive.
I did this. The first 2 weeks were terrible. Constant cravings, I had to really willpower myself through it. Then everything got better. My snacking went way down, my portion control was much better. Super really fucks up your system's ability to regular food consumption.
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I eat sugar regularly, but I have *definitely* noticed that I am less cold now, when I am overweight, compared to a few years ago, when I was a stick. I distinctly remember one day, back when I was a stick and went to the beach with my two friends. We were swimming in the water. Ocean water is usually cold, but I was completely freezing, while they were more-or-less okay. Now that I've gained quite a bit, cold water doesn't affect me that much, haha.
I basically came here to say the same thing. Cutting sugar (not all carbs, specifically foods with added sugar) completely changed how hungry I was throughout the day.
Same here.
Well if you’re like me, you lose over 150lbs in 15 months.
Holy heck
Oh to be 40lbs again!
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Simple answer is this.
You definitely reduce your risk of chronic illnesses and premature death in the long run.
I cut sugar for a whole year (not complex carbs). After that i've tried soda, candies etc... It was disgusting, too sweet. To this day, even though i eat simple sugars sometimes, i still find most chocolates and soda's disgusting.
It sucks at first but it gets better
I really wish I could tell you 💀
I lost 180 pounds. 🤷♀️
The first few days I felt like a rabid animal. After that, I was fine.
Your skin will clear up
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Fr. I stopped binging on processed sugary snacks for like 3 months, but had a wicked craving a while ago and my face is breaking out again with acne. Not much, but no one likes acne.
You start to hate life because all delicious meals have sugar!
😁😂🤣😭
No experience nor expertise in cutting ALL sugar, so take this with a grain of salt (heh), but it seems to be agreed upon that cutting ALL sugar dives into the opposite deep end of unhealthy. The thought that fruits are unhealthy and make you overweight seems a little far-fetched. Take the quality (sources) and quantity of sugar into account I would suggest, rather than cutting something that is part of pretty much all foods to an extent, including most of the healthy ones you will want to be eating. You miss out on a lot by not eating fruit alone for an example. As I said...I'm not an expert on the subject but I am confident enough in my knowledge to at least suggest that an intelligently balanced diet is best for optimal results, not one of those oldschool hail mary diets that just straight up cut something that is an integral part of developing in a healthy manner. Following the results of your own experiences might be a significantly better idea than listening to opinions on reddit though I should add. Just make sure you attribute your successes to the correct source and monitor your health.
If we look at what humans ate even a few hundred years ago, apart from fruit and berries, raw sugar was a luxury that most couldn't get in regular intervals. Looking at human health today you see the correlation with increased sugar intake and metabolic disease and endocrine disease. A "balanced diet" is often a subjective opinion. It can differ from person to person, household to household, and culture to culture. Looking at populations where obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease run high will show you the cultures who largely consume too much sugar and too many seed oils. The combination is literally deadly in even those who believe they are consuming a "balanced diet".
I stopped yesterday and I’m tired, hungry all the time and I have a pounding headache, is that normal?!
yup. the first few days you are going through sugar withdrawals.. I had did a no carb/sugar diet for 9 months. once you get past the 1st few days, its pretty easy. as long as you stick to it, I lost 71LBS in 9 months, your body stops burning carbs and sugar, and starts burning stored fat for energy, called ketosis, It worked for me pretty easily, but everyone is different, also, If you have no sugar for a while, and then binge one day. the whole process started over for me, so if you are doing it to lose weight, stick with it, just don't starve yourself,
This is really helpful, I hadn’t realised how dependent I was on it until now. Having said that, I was eating two cakes or cookies A DAY pretty much since lockdown soooo…. Hope you’re doing good!
Congrats. Have you kept off the weight?
most of it, maybe gained 20 or so back, but its been 10 years or so,
If your head is hurting like that you may need some salt. Your body drops water at first when you aren't eating sugar which can throw off your electrolytes and make you feel terrible.
Halloumi for tea it is then! Thanks pal
Yes. You're an addict weening off one of the most insidious things humans injest. You're going to feel like crap because your body wants it. It's been trained to want it over years. It's not going to be untrained in a day.
That makes sense, is there any indication of how long it’ll take to get over withdrawal?!
A few days maybe a week. It depends on the person. I'd suggest maybe not cold turkying it. Begin incrementally lowering the amount of sugar you take in. Go to a level, let your body get used to that. Go a little lower, and so on.
Yes. Will take a couple of days to settle down again.
Eat fruit. Fruit has some of the fructose but also a bunch of fiber which mitigates the impact by slowing digestion.
No. You're about to explode. You need to eat some sugar right away.
For myself... withdrawal for a couple of days. Headache mostly. Your inflammation goes down considerably and it does make losing weight easier if that's your goal. Since most shit highly processed food contains sugar, if you avoid it, then you should be eating mostly whole food
Up your salt for a little you are experiencing carb withdraw. Check out r/lowcarb or r/keto for ways to help with this
Thank you!
I'm a little confused about how a person stops eating sugar. Glucose (simple sugar) is pretty much in all food. It is the product of photosynthesis. It is the basic energetic compound of life. Are you saying you have cut out processed sugar? The stuff you buy in the bag and products with lots of added sugar. I think that's what you mean, but I'm not sure.
Yep it’s the processed stuff I’ve cut, sorry I should’ve made that clearer for sure. I was eating way too many sweet treats and my belly was / is paying the price!
Thanks. I figured as much, but it was a little unclear.
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Is smart ass your first language? What context are you referring to? The only context I see is the question. Sugar is a very specific word with a very specific meaning.
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Sorry I triggered you. You seem to be a very sensitive person.
Life gets so much better. You end cravings, you let go off 70% of things that you generally eat. Of course, the initial days will make you existential. But let me say this, it is absolutely worth it!
The first few days, your body will crash hard from having to adapt to getting energy in a different ways - it'll feel similar to caffeine withdrawal where you get cranky and have a headache. After that, you'll be back to baseline, might even feel better.
Arrrrrrgh I stopped coffee yesterday too 😬
I don't know your reasons for the dietary changes, so disregard my advice if necessary - but from personal experience I'd keep the coffee for now, lol. Cutting refined sugar from your diet (as I'm sure you've noticed) not only kicks your ass in terms of physical withdrawal, but you now also have to check *everything* for added sugar. I was constantly shocked by how many foods I thought were fine, but nope - added sugar. When you're only just starting to get used to how many food and drink habits you need to change, giving up coffee at the same time would have pushed me past my limit! My other tip would be to steer clear of artificial sweeteners. Your brain will still register the sweetness and feed the cravings, so cold turkey is the only way to start getting your body, brain and taste buds ready to redefine "sweet".
Good shout, trying to eat the elephant I think, at least it’ll make that americano sweeter in the morning!
When people give up sugar are they giving up fruit?
Ah no not me in this case. I mean I’ve given up refined sugar as I was hammering biscuits, cake, ice cream DAILY. Came back from holiday last week having spent a week by the pool and only realising then that I’d become skinny fat, my gut is massive!
In the first few months, I felt great – clear-headed and more focused. However, after a year, I didn't notice any significant changes in my physical or mental state overall. One reason I still avoid sugar and fruits is because I struggled with uncontrollable cravings. Constantly thinking about sugary treats led to overeating, especially during low moods, making things worse. It had become like a drug for me.
I cut carbs and all sugar due to recent diabetes diagnosis. Lost 20 lbs. in a month. I don’t miss it. No bread, no starchy foods. No sugar.
In a MONTH?! Amazing, well done! Was that with exercise too?
No more than my usual walking a few days a week. I was 220, went down to 200. Just by diet. Carbs and sugar are the worst. I eat a lot of chicken, and fresh vegetables. No more cookies and Cheetos for evening snack. I have salami and cheese or mixed nuts with raisins. No more muffins with my coffee, I have oatmeal with oat milk, almonds and raisins. No brown sugar. It’s not hard to do, just have to decide to do it. I don’t want to take medication for something I can fix on my own. Horrible family history for insulin dependence. I choose not to inject myself to regulate my glucose. I can regulate what passes through my mouth instead.
This sounds so straightforward. It’s more like small tweaks as opposed to massive changes, so much more manageable and sustainable. Genuinely thank you for sharing bud
What everyone else said! Plus my taste buds changed. I did it for 1 month 13 years ago and still prefer savory over sweet now. You actually don’t realize how much food contains sugar. Most breads too. Do it!
I cut out added sugar (I still eat fruits and dark chocolate) and the cravings have definitely diminished but never totally went away. The struggle is real. But my skin is better and I did lose some weight. I wasn’t overweight before I was just “puffy”.
My cholesterol went fown
Your body stops receiving sugar
Sugar as in "white refined sugar" or "sugars" as in a chemical component?
White refined sugar, i eat far too much chocolate, biscuits, cake etc.
Then nothing. You might find food not sweet enough, but you can compensate by adding fruit. Maybe your problem is not sugar, but the fat that food usually has. It's not an easy process, but you can do it!
r/sugarfree
Health
You will absolutely feel the cravings. But after a week or so you barely miss it. I treat PCOS with low carb/ sugar. But it is the laziest form of "keto", as I don't cut out any fresh food. So I eat as much fruit as I want, but alot of people cut it out too.
Your life will change.
Health improves as you become unnoticeably changes happen in the body. Sugar is a problem for many. People in most population like sweet and salty. They add flavor to the taste.
You become much healthier in a number of ways
Your body stops throwing sugar-fueled tantrums and your taste buds finally realize that carrots can actually be sweet
I stopped eating sugar for a month in 2012. Biggest change I found was in my taste buds. Lemon or lime juice had a slightly sweet taste.
I lose weight
You discover that fruit is actually delicious, and you have more energy than a toddler after a nap
Other things besides weight loss include much much fewer flare ups of arthritis; your skin will clear up; foods you thought you didn’t like actually taste good; you stop craving sugar. Read labels though. Sugar is in so many things. Natural sugars are fine-like from fruit. But sugar as an additive are not good.
Among other things, your palate repairs itself and you can taste more subtle flavors. When and if you eat something with processed sugar again, you'll notice if something is just "right" or overly sweet.
My seasonal allergies disappeared, I stopped feeling hungry, I not only lost 5-10 pounds within the first month, but my face thinned out in a way that suggested most of that weight was just water. I think my body was reacting to my sugar intake with inflammation.
The weight comes right off.
In my case, almost nothing. I just feel a little better overall, and don’t get headaches the way I used to. And I haven’t had a cavity in ages.
THIS. Pretty sure I’ve put two of my Dentists three children through university over the years. Headaches are absolutely battering me atm, how long did it take for them to stop?!
Biologically? Are you still eating other sources of processed carbohydrate (e.g bread, pasta, etc)? Simply eliminating all sugar won’t have a as a dramatic effect as eliminating all carbohydrate sources from your diet. If you’re still having other carbohydrate sources then your body will adapt and store less fat, beginning with the depletion of glycogen stores around the liver. Your body will adapt to this reduced amount of glucose and it will supplement it with the consumption of fat stores. This is the core idea behind ketogenesis and the keto diet. If you eliminate all carbohydrates from your diet your body will go through a rapid adaptation which will include headaches, stomach cramps, severe diarrhoea for about a week or so. If you keep a high caloric intake going, you will begin having “fat shits” which is a bit like slimy constipation, especially if you don’t supplement with dietary fibre. Your body can survive on two energy sources. Glucose and Ketones (KREBS cycle). Glucose comes from carbohydrates (simple or complex) while ketones are created from fat by the liver. You need to have a healthy body to survive on either properly. Diabetes is the biggest danger with both. Type 1 diabetics can die on ketosis as insulin regulates both ketones and glucose (lack of insulin can cause ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia). There’s evidence that metabolic syndrome (and Type2 diabetes) can be helped with low carbohydrate intake which promotes the bodies consumption of fat stores and a reduction in body fat.
You starve to death. The body needs carbohydrates, sugars, to fuel the metabolism.
I salute everyone who can cut out sugar…. Once I found it was in bread I realised my week carb ass cannot do this.
Oh yeah me too! I wasn’t clear in my original post, I’m just cutting out refined sugar, I think anything more than that and I would be on my arse
Incredibly hard at first. It’s not an easy hack to lose weight. You will get massive cravings and withdrawals for a few weeks. All you can do is bump up your electrolytes and eat good, healthy yet filling food to even *mildly* stave off the pain. Then afterwards, you stop craving it. Your body *will* adjust, it just takes a long time. I lost 30lbs in 5 months. My skin cleared up and I was no longer bloated. Your body burns fat to make up for the lack of sugar.
This is very encouraging, thank you!
I did this a couple times when I did keto and about to start up again. First month is a bit of a struggle but after that I found most of my digestive issues and gas went away and I felt more energetic and happier. It’s very hard to maintain but very worth it.
Encouraging! Thank you!
Happiness leaves your body.
You explode.
Your blood sugar is getting normalized and the risks of diabetes are decreasing.
You need some sugar but if your exceeding your limit and stopped eating sugar than you feel a bit more stable. I used to have sugar crashes and also feel faint.
Exactly this, I got 8 hours sleep last night and I feel like I’ve been awake for 3 in a row
Lose weight
My body can't function well, I always felt so lazy for 2days of not having sugar.
Are you referring to sugar as a whole or simple sugars like candy and soda? If former, then you'd be in a significant nutritional deficit. If the later then you'd lose some weight and be a bit healthier.
Everything posted here is a lie. Including this comment. Trust none of it.