Sugar Free Roll Call

[Eloise]

Hey Lifechange! Cool to read your posts.
The only comment I have is that I was a lot like you too.
I started a yoga practice in January and horse riding. Together they are chipping away at my anxiety levels allowing me to get my eating under control. I continue to slowly loose weight and I actually quit the gym. My knees are relieved!
I have really been able to tackle my anxiety and night eating.
So, keep at it! Just like the alcohol we just can't give in or give up!

[lifechange]

Hi friends!
Still trying with the SF life.. I had a few set backs when I had big cravings for alcohol. I didn't go super overboard, but it was more than I wanted.. The trainer guy at the gym gave me Lglut for muscle soreness.. he recommended 5g twice a day. He also put me on a nutrition plan which is exciting! No carbs after 4pm and good carbs ahead of time. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping the glutamine will also help with the sugar/alcohol cravings I'm still sometimes prone to.

How are you all doing? Enjoying the summer, I hope..

[lifechange]

Beginning day 2 SF!!! Yay!

[Eloise]

Doing great here lifechange, well except for the headaches. Working on this though.
I admit It helps a lot not to have the sugary snacks I cannot wait resist in the house.
We do have ice cream and coke though for my husband. Me, I cannot resist chocolate chip cookies- stuff I make for the kids for snack, so i cook with honey and if I want one or two I do not beat myself up.
No bad carbs after 4 is a good suggestion, thanks!
I will continue to allow myself oranges, apples, mangos, berries whenever I want though.
Glad things are progressing in the right direction for you.

[Eloise]

Hey guys... Writing to report I had some rather noticeable sugar cravings yesterday.
Guess what I did? I sat it out and it passed.
No running out to make sure I have something in case it strikes again.
It is that time again and I have new medicine for the migraines and it isnt perfect but better than last month.
This was my worst drinking time, around my period. No wonder, these hormones are enough to make a monk nuts. Trying to stay mindful & calm, two yoga sessions yesterday.
Horse this morning.
Starting the day headache, sugar & wine free!

[Dutch1988]

I was interested in going sugar free, and eat half a carton of ice cream every night practically. I am going to give this a shot, and this will be my first day trying to cut sugar, is there a amount I should be trying to stay under? Like a certain number of grams? Any tips on reducing cravings? My goal is to wake up with energy, and I don't think eating a jug of ice cream is helping me.

[NoSugar]

Hi, Dutch. This is from the World Health Organization:
4 MARCH 2015 ¦ GENEVA - A new WHO guideline recommends adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake. A further reduction to below 5% or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day would provide additional health benefits.
The original report strongly recommended 5 g/d of added sugar (not including that in e.g fruit, unsweetened dairy) but that was nixed by the U.S. . Protection of the U.S. sugar industry is the main sticking point in some ongoing trade negotiations, also.

Like with AL, when you stop consuming it, you stop wanting it. Their brain metabolisms are similar, which is why so many people get a sweet tooth when they quit drinking - the brain is seeking the same reward. L-glutamine helps with both sugar and AL cravings.

All the best, NS

[Eloise]

Good luck with this Dutch! I can honestly say it is worth the effort.
Try and eat lots of fresh fruit, not dried, in the beginning. Bananas were my choice the first few months...

[lifechange]

Hi SF'ers!

NS, that's a crazy low amount of sugar compared to what most people are eating! My eldest has become an expert on reading labels and she has the grams figured into teaspoons in a matter of seconds so that she can visualize it. She's 13 and it's especially hard at her age to find substitutes, because the kids eat tons.. but frozen bananas in the food processor make an amazingly creamy "ice cream". Then with a shell made of cocoa powder, coconut oil and a bit of maple syrup. Do you think it's necessary for kids to limit the amount of sugar they're eating if it's coming from a natural, organic source? She has an incredible sweet tooth and eats tons of fruit, bars (fruit sweetened), marmelade, some honey, etc. and doesn't get any of the mood swings she did with the processed sugar. Some people (including my partner) have suggested she might have any eating disorder (!) because she's so strict with not eating the stuff.. I just think it's so cool that at her age she can make a decision, which she knows is good for her, and stick by it regardless of the peer pressure.. Any comments would be welcome..

Dutch! good to see you here. What has been helping me the most is making sure I'm full with good foods! For the past 1.5 weeks I've been trying to eat my carbs before 4 and have been eating some fresh fruit + maple syrup with my oatmeal mornings-- then some berries with yoghurt before bed.. and I've felt better/fewer cravings than I had in a looooong time.

Eloise!! I had that recently, too, when I was grocery shopping I wanted to buy some chocolate.. and I just looked at it, thought about how it would make me feel and walked on.. so quickly was the craving also gone. It was like with alcohol.. as soon as my brain was very clear that it wasn't an option, the craving went away and I forgot about it. Of course it isn't always that easy, but I do think that having the strong mind set, plus not being too hungry help a lot in the same way as with AL. I'll also ditto what you said about that time of the month! ughhh.

[NoSugar]

Hi, LC

It doesn't sound like your daughter is restricting her calories too much or exhibiting other signs of an eating disorder. Maybe she realizes she just feels better when she doesn't eat sugar. Many people do. Plus, she is consuming a considerable amount of natural sugar from the fruit. Given that there is no carbohydrate requirement for humans, much less a required sugar intake, I personally wouldn't worry about it and would trust her to eat in the way that makes her feel best. You can keep your eye out for disordered eating behaviors given how common they are, especially in adolescent girls.

[Dutch1988]

Well I blew it the past two days! I must have unwittingly substituted sugar when I stopped drinking alcohol because I had this undeniable craving as soon as I would usually feel like drinking in Sunday. Going to try this again, no sugar in the house this time! My go to is ice cream so as long as that isn't around I think I can make it. I have been feeling so depressed/anxious coming back from vacation, I think it's just the Hawaiian blues.

Day one no processed sugar, I can do this!

[Dutch1988]

Well I blew it the past two days! I must have unwittingly substituted sugar when I stopped drinking alcohol because I had this undeniable craving as soon as I would usually feel like drinking in Sunday. Going to try this again, no sugar in the house this time! My go to is ice cream so as long as that isn't around I think I can make it. I have been feeling so depressed/anxious coming back from vacation, I think it's just the Hawaiian blues.

Day one no processed sugar, I can do this!

[Eloise]

Yes you can do it Dutch, but be patient with yourself as it does take time.
Once I stopped trying to be perfect it came together for me.
I think it took 4-6 months or so and then I started to bake with honey and allow myself the occassion honey cookie and voila! No more sugar cravings, or at least they became rare and I stopped thinking about what I could not eat and enjoy what I could.

[Dutch1988]

Okay, I made it through a short day of work yesterday, officially a day 2 for me. Has anybody read wheat belly? I was wondering where my sour dough pretzels stood in all this? Is there a good snack anyone can recommend that I can eat at night when cravings strike? Cutting back on the ice cream and sugar I am losing quite a few calories, and I don't want to just eat a canister of pretzels, but sitting down eating humus with veggies isn't exactly exciting or tasty either. Thanks for this thread, I am hoping to start feeling better here soon!

[Eloise]

Get yourself some LGlutamine Dutch.
And maybe something like Gaba? Eat fresh fruits instead of junkfoods, you will find you are calmer and have fewer cravings. Good luck!