Submitted by Nightblade81 t3_11vfsvd in LifeProTips
Sugar addiction is a crippling problem globally, and criminally under-discussed.
Aside from replacing sugar, particularly refined sugars, with substitutes such as stevia, what are the best ways to help give up sugar?
Yes I agree, it’s best to cut down slowly, letting yourself adjust. If you just cut it out abruptly you’ll find some things boring, have cravings and probably backslide.. when I’ve tried to do it quickly I end up giving in to a craving and gorging on something. After slowly lowering it I now hate really sweet things I once loved.
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Own it. Worked for me. I even take my coffee without sugar. And I take espresso.
Don’t go mad about it, either. If one day you have a piece of cake, that is fine. What you normally want is to stop the abuse, not cut it off altogether like you would with a drug.
You can occasionally use a drug as well as one would enjoy a piece of cake in your scenario.
I love cold sweets at night. Chocolate from the fridge or ice cream are two of my major weaknesses. As others have said, processed sugar is dangerous stuff. Lately, I've been keeping lots of fruit in the fridge. Berries, oranges, apples, etc. When I get a craving for cold sweet stuff, I'll make a simple smoothie of plain yogurt, unpasteurized honey, and fruit or I'll cut up an orange or two. Quick, simple snacks that help fight the craving. I did this a few years ago and managed to entirely get rid of processed sugar for 3 months. It felt so good! I had so much energy every day, it was incredible.
You also need to watch out for sneaky sugar. Read the labels. Just about every processed food has sugar or fat added. If it says low fat, it probably has sugar added. Things like flavored yogurt which are advertised as "healthy" can have insane amounts of sugar. Concentrated fruit juices are another bad one. While one orange is healthy, drinking the equivalent of 4 of them in a big glass of concentrated orange juice is bad. Condiments like ketchup, some salad dressings, and BBQ sauce also have crazy amounts of sugar.
If you're reading food labels and you see that something contains 20g of sugar per serving and that's 30% of your daily recommended intake, just ignore that. The gov't guidelines are very skewed thanks to special interest groups lobbying the gov't.
As you get older, your risk of developing diabetes rises dramatically. Developing good eating habits when you're younger gives you some of the tools you need to live a long and healthy life.
Stop buying it and anything that tastes like it. Don't replace it with something that tastes similar because that's only going to keep the cravings going.
Take it one day at a time. Wake up and tell yourself "today I won't eat anything sweet" and focus solely on making it through that one day.
Then wake up the next day and do it again.
When you fall off the wagon, apologize to yourself, accept you did it, and continue to avoid it. One mistake won't break anything, but saying "well I already ate a cupcake so I might as well eat five more" is absolutely what will break you down.
Not sure I can actually answer, but I am totally addicted to sugar to the point of T2 diabetes. When I was officially diagnosed a couple of years ago, I just quit and changed my life. No refined sugar and basically minimal carbs to the point I am in complete remission. How I did it, not sure. I just decided that having a decent remainder of my life far exceeded the pleasure I got from sugar and all the other things I ate which gave me joy. I went from being obese to well within normal range. I feel better and sleep better. It's an active decision and requires you to just make it happen.....
Do not go for sweeteners instead.
Just start cutting down gradually. You can start by diluting your coke/soft drink with sparkling water.
Stop adding it to things. You might need to slowly reduce but over time your taste buds will change. Switch processed treats with fruit and home made treats.
Eventually you will rarely crave it.
I previously had such a sweet tooth. Over many years of yo-yo dieting I eventually stopped incorporating it into my everyday and stopped binge eating sugar. Occasionally I have a big craving which I allow but sugar isn’t my go to comfort food anymore. I’d much rather a salty snack.
Slowly give it up, mine still yoyo about it, unfortunately I can't stop eating rice, but i try me best to avoid it if i can, but sometimes you just want to drink something a bit sweet here and there, you can try replace it with actually good sweetener that doesn't spike your insulin level, but slowly give that up as well, its hard work, but worth it if we don't use any sugar or sweetener in our food and drinks.
Rice? Please elaborate
Carbohydrates range from complex to simple. Fiber to sugar. Something like white rice is closer to the simple side, and breaks down into sugars upon digestion. Other more complex carbohydrates break down much more slowly, or in the case of fiber not at all, which eliminates the sugar load on your system.
So, the giving up of some rice could be the next step to giving up sugar, though even simple white rice will be much healthier than pure sugar.
For further information, you might look up "glycemic index" and "glycemic load".
I never entirely eliminated sugar, but I made quite a dent just focusing on one thing. I gave up drinking sugar. After a while I noticed that I actually do enjoy black coffee, unsweetened tea, and crisp water. In my opinion, it's a good way to start and see where it goes.
You forgot to mention that sugar is also a primary cataslyst for cancer. Start cooking for yourself, maintain a healthy diet; splurge on occasional, exercise frequently, and concenttrate of enjoying every things you experience.
Let yourself slip here and there. It keeps you from losing your mind.
actually, there's nothing better than getting something sweet from nature.
I think you're trying to cut back on Sugar,stevia and other processed sweeteners
Instead of relying on processed foods for sweetness, you could get a sweet taste from nature like fruits. when you make a meal, try adding some fruit juice for natural sweetness.
Add more carbs to your diet. It helped me.
Making sure I was getting enough protein and nutrients from my meals made me crave it waaayyyy less. Good luck!
I found that being able to plan cold turkey to start on a Friday worked, with an option (but not obligation!) for a long-ish recreational activity that can be followed by a keto-friendly meal. I say optional on the recreation because the first time I did it, I decided to sleep through the sugar headaches for Saturday. A key point to remember is that willpower has some relation to dopamine, so if you are in environments during the hardest push where you have to refrain from so many other things you want, it may affect your sugar cravings--but on the other hand, you can plan healthier replacements.
Keto diet works for some. Sugar craving will be gone within a couple of days :)
Lots of suggestions here will help you a lot, especially in the beginning.
I'd like to suggest something that helps in the long run, after you've already been able to cut your cravings down significantly.
Today I see sweets as something to mark special occasions. It's my birthday? I'll have cake. Just finished a demanding project? I'll have that chocolaty dessert. A loved one is celebrating a huge accomplishment? Let's go out for something amazing.
That is different from rewarding yourself for everyday tasks by cheating on a diet. That tough workout does not warrant a soda.
Speaking of which, I treat sodas as I treat milkshakes. They are a dessert. They are to be savored in special occasions. Water is perfectly fine for regular meals.
Coffee, cuts down the need immediately.
Also its 100% worth it. I was a chubbo weighing 100kg with risk of diabetes. I am now 89kg and lifting weights plus walking (jogging gives me a headache) to lose more.
If you dont want to rid of it, use fruits. Little banana, little apple, its not about sweetness, its usually dopamine. Fruit gives the sweetness, the dopamine, and the self-benefit of vitamins and eating healthy.
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I go the gum that kills the taste of sugar. You can find it on Amazon. It really works. There are also sprays and lozenges.
Sugar is also a toxin. It does quite a bit of damage to the human body. I found a high fat, low carb diet was the best way to get less sugar in my body.
I’m reading Allen Carrs easy way to quit emotional eating, which includes sugar addiction. His other book helped me quit drinking for good.
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Try to use honey in coffee or tea and get more fruits. That will cover the sweet tooth we all have. Occasionally a cake or some sweets won't hurt.
I stopped eating consuming sugar entirely for 3 weeks and didn’t notice a single thing. Unless you eat 2kg of sugar every day it seems the effects are not that big of a deal
Know that there is a 2-7 day adaptation period where you will CRAVE it but if you can get past this, the cravings will diminish by 99%.
I disagree. I get completely off sugar when I gain weight. The quick way to success is 5 days completely sugar free. No sugar substitutes, no sugar free cola. It’s VERY hard the first couple of days, the mind stomach sugar romance is very strong, scary really when you understand how terrible sugar is for you. But I swear, when the craving is gone, it is completely gone. I walk past sweet things and cannot even remember why I liked it or ever ate so many freaking sweet things in a day.
Sparkling water helps me ease my craving for sugar. Find a nice fruity flavor and see what happens!
From a dietitian who counsels people on diabetes and weight loss everyday, start with reading Intuitive Eating. (Disclaimer, listen to your doctor over any advice online).
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I didn’t touch sugar for 7 years at all, no cheating. The first two months were tough. I had “withdrawal” because I ate a lot of it to medicate my feelings. During the first two months, instead of giving up, I did trauma therapy to finally deal with what I was running away from. I did more trauma therapy for those 7 years. I stayed away from artificial sweeteners too, and to be honest, after the 2 first months I didn’t care for it all too much. Fruit tasted like ice cream, sweet potatoes like cake. I completely adapted
I should add I’m now 5’5 and 138lbs. The thinnest I’ve been. I don’t have a problem with sugar anymore despite eating it here & there
This works for me, but your mileage may vary.
Kombucha. Specifically GT’s. Gingerberry seems to be best.
I have all kinds of non proven theories as to why it works, but it help me.
It is not sugar or calorie free, but it is not bad.
I went cold turkey and started keto and it worked for me. Felt awful for a few days, but also during that time felt I was all in so I had no excuse to try one thing etc. after a few days cravigs just went away and I suddenly craved potato or even chicken rather than chocolate. This was after having chocolate and other sweets every day for at least 6-7 years.
I did vegetarian keto and that worked for eliminating most cravings. Intermittent Fasting as well
Never buy it; reach for it & live with and accept the way foods taste without it
I am a seasonal runner, I run 5 days a week when the weather is above 15 degrees Celsius (march-October), during this time I am very strict with my diet. I am still currently adapting to not eating my favourite tasting foods but my yearly plan typically goes like this.
Adjusting portion sizes and eliminating the unhealthy snacks in early March. I will increase the amount I eat during my full meals. I don’t eat breakfast so I will do a large lunch/dinner which typically consists of a chicken breast, vegetables, and carb of choice (rice, potatoes). During running season I will add more veggies and carbs. Eating a little more during my meals helps offset the hunger a little bit more until the next meal, as well as gives me the energy I need to do my runs.
I stop buying the treats I like so much so they are not around, and when the cravings hit me I try to offset them by drinking a lot of water. The first few weeks are tough, the cravings are hitting me as I write this. But they do go away once your body adapts.
Not that weight is the only thing that matters but because I run a lot I like to start the season light. I typically gain about 10-15 pounds from November 1st to March 1st. This year was 15 pounds, I am down 5 pounds in 3 weeks solely off of the diet change (because it’s to cold to run still).
For me every diet plan I have tried before this one failed, I enjoy food, I enjoy sugar. I found it tough to just accept the fact that will never eat a muffin again and would inevitably break what ever diet plan I was following. This one let’s me enjoy my muffins for a set amount of time and then it’s back to being healthy.
To combat diabetes, my country discontinued Coca-cola in most of the shops, and replaced them with Coca-cola less sugar. I found the taste lacking at first, but now I find normal Coca-cola to be too strong for me.
You can try switching to the less-sugar alternatives of most of the drinks you're already drinking. And then slowly switch to the zero-sugar.
speculatrix t1_jcswwk6 wrote
It takes time to recalibrate your taste buds.
Cut down, reducing the sugar each day by a small amount, aiming to give up after six weeks. After a few months you'll actually dislike adding sugar to your tea and coffee.
I drink coffee and tea without sugar. I can taste it if my wife stirs her sugary tea and then mine!