Have You Completely Stopped Eating Sugar? Did Your Body Feel Any Different?

[sage2021]

I completely stopped eating sugar of any kind about 2 weeks ago.
The only difference was I lost 6 pounds.

I don't know why sugar is so bad for us.

[Massageman]

I have eased down, but trying to stop eating "sugar" is fruitless (no pun intended). There are well over 50 "names" for sugar. Here is a rough draft of part of an article I wrote on the subject of the myriad of names for sugar---

Agave nectar
Barley malt syrup
Beet sugar
Blackstrap molasses
Brown rice syrup
Brown sugar
Buttered syrup
Cane crystals (or cane juice crystals)
Cane sugar
Caramel
Carob syrup
Castor sugar
Coconut sugar or coconut palm sugar
Confectioner’s sugar (or powdered sugar)
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup or corn syrup solids
Date sugar
Demerara sugar
Dehydrated cane juice
Dextrin
Dextrose
Evaporated cane juice
Florida crystals
Fructose
Fruit juice or fruit juice concentrate
Glucose

Golden sugar
Golden syrup
Grape sugar
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Icing sugar
Invert sugar
Lactose
Maltodextrin
Malt syrup
Maltose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Muscovado sugar
Palm sugar
Panela sugar
Rapadura
Raw sugar
Refiner's syrup
Rice syrup
Saccharose
Sorghum or sorghum syrup
Sucanat
Sugar
Sucrose
Syrup
Treacle
Turbinado sugar
Yellow sugar
Xylose

You'll notice that the words “syrup,” “sweetener,” and anything ending in “ose” can usually be assumed to be sugar. If the label says “no added sugars,” it should not contain any of them, although the food may contain naturally occurring sugars (such as lactose in milk).

Sugar Alcohols

A lot of "sugar-free" foods have ingredients called sugar alcohols in them. These include ingredients such as maltitol and sorbitol. Sugar alcohols aren't sugar and they are not alcohol; they're a sugar substitute and not considered added sugar.

Ingredients ending in "ol" may be sugar alcohols. If you are watching your sugar intake to manage a health condition, get more information about the specific ingredient (and how it might affect your health) before consuming it.

[Massageman]

Thanks for the MHO!

[exitseven]

I gave up Pepsi and dark chocolate M&M s in January so that was the majority of my sugar consumption. I have lost 10 pounds an would like to lose another ten.

[Smileygirl2000]

Omg dark chocolate m &m are my weakness 😫

[exitseven]

@Smileygirl2000 I used to buy the 50 pound bags at BJs.

[Smileygirl2000]

😆🤣 did you devour the entire bag in days?

[exitseven]

@Smileygirl2000 no, I generally make a BJs run every month and stock up.

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO

[Tarifa]

Sugar is bad for us because any surplus gets stored as fat. The human body takes the energy it needs from the food we eat. In our western society, food is always available. The "fridge" is always full. We have a built in mechanism where surplus is stored in case things go bad. It's a pure survival mechanism. We can go without food for days on end.

As we constantly add carbs and sugar to our intake, and usually eat every 6 or 8 hours, the fat we stored never gets tapped into. It just stays there. The "fridge" never gets empty enough for our body to say: OK, I need a different energy source, let's break down the fat reserve.

The problem is that sugar is present in just about anything we have. Not just sweet stuff like ice cream and cakes, but in just about anything. The food industry adds sugar, so our unconscious self will crave for more. Regular tomato ketchup for instance contains about 27% sugar by weight. This means 27 grams of sugar are present in every 100 grams of ketchup. And we just want a sauce based on tomato.

To answer your question, yes, reducing sugar intake can have an effect on you losing weight. It's a bit more complicated than that, you need to add some exercice and ideally intermittent fasting. And it still gets more complicated if you add hormones and your body's response to blood sugar levels to the equation.

[FreyaRed]

Yes, avoided sugar a while but it's pointless since starch and flour containing foods are like sugar for metabolism.
Of course drinking sodas with insane amount of glucose syrup is long term suicide but eating a spoon marmalade or a sweet piece of cake from time to time isn't a crime.

Sugar is rare in nature, some fruits contain it, honey... but finding high sugar foods in nature is very time consuming and seasonal. Generally natural food doesn't contain much carbs and if those carbs need to be digested a while to get energy free from them. There is no 0,02 mm fine flour in nature or potato starch in shape of fine powder.
This changed with Agra revolution 5k years ago and domestication of grains. Our bodies didn't evolve that fast so lot of people can't handle high amount of easily accessible carbs in highly processed foods. Sugar belongs to this category of carbs which give body instantly high amount of energy most of us don't need.

[FunkyMonkee]

I should but, I don't think I could. It's been a HUGE staple in my life since I was a kid!! It didn't help that grandma made her own Christmas and Easter candy and let me have some any time I wanted it!
Sugar makes your body more acidic. Cancer loves sugar and can only survive in an acidic environment. Cutting out sugar and eating lots of greens should keep you cancer free and at least help to (if not completely) get rid of it, if you have it. However, I recall hearing that eating lots of oranges will cure it but, aren't they loaded with a kind of sugar?

[Smileygirl2000]

No I haven't completely stopped. Depriving yourself will cause you to "yoyo" and "binge eat" . I have sweets but in moderation and I usually go for organic sugars or low sugar intake.

[sage2021]

@Smileygirl2000

Well I don't yoyo or binge eat. I have never been a binge eater though. Just the opposite. I don't really care much about food.
But what I really miss is my coffee ☕ every morning. I put 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar in my coffee and don't like coffee without sugar. That's what I'm struggling with.

[Smileygirl2000]

When I say "yoyo" I mean when you decide to actually have a sugar treat you will gain the 6 pounds back. Because you've completely cut out sugar. So if you go back your weight will go up.

[Tarifa]

I rarely have coffee or tea, but I cut back from 1 teaspoon to half a teaspoon. If it's an unconscious thing, you can easily remedy it: get a really tiny teaspoon and keep that where you have the sugar. You're playing a trick on yourself, you're doing it consciously, but we are creatures of habit. It will soon become second nature.

[Smileygirl2000]

I mainly drink tea. Coffee does something to my stomach

[docster]

I cut down from 2 regular sodas per day, to 1. I felt more energetic. It's hard to eliminate the last one since it's what I look forward to the most each day. If it wouldn't go flat, I'd consider cutting down to 1/2 a can per day.

[Tarifa]

Don't drink soda when you're thirsty, as it will be difficult to control. Drink 2 glasses of water before you get the soda. The water quenches your thirst, the soda quenches your craving.

[NathanDavis]

not completely, no... but partially, yes

but it was because of some health issues, so... obviously, it make a great and positive difference

[Alex-Snow]

I really try to minimize the amount of sugar I eat. But it seems like it is in everything. When I make my own meals or shop I read the labels. But in college I eat cafeteria food which I'm sure has too much sugar and salt in it.

[thegreenyogi]

I have completely eliminated added sugar from my diet and I definitely feel better and healthier. Paradoxically I have more energy.

[Sunshinelips]

I never stopped completely but I reduced it and I lost weight which made me feel weak.

[RareBreedOfMan]

I should stop putting sugar in my body cause I'm a Diabetic. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[ohsheeT]

Sage do it at least 3 month
and you will not believe the difference you feel

[ohsheeT]

And don't forget about all the foods that break down into sugar

[Smileygirl2000]

Yep, I do it in moderation. Otherwise it will result in binge eating

[HellOnHeels0]

Yes I cut it gradually. I feel better. Only sugar I’ll eat is fruit.

[AgentG111]

I've known numerous people that did and they actually did very well.

[lilBigPotato]

I avoid sugary drinks but I don't avoid sugary completely.

[MrChinaski]

No. But I have a very low sugar diet based on taste alone.

That stuff will kill you.

[DonaldDarko]

Sugar isn't bad it's a case of too much of it.

[kinks1951]

In a few days it will quit craving sugar

[Pretendingtobesweet]

I only take Splenda

[sage2021]

@Pretendingtobesweet

Stevia is the safest sweetener. Splenda and the other ones have aspartame in them, which is a neurotoxin and not good for you.
Aspartame goes by other names but it's the same thing and isn't healthy at all for us.

[DreamCrescent]

monk fruit is another option, too

[Smileygirl2000]

Yep I love monk. The authentic kind is more expensive than Stevia tho

[Pretendingtobesweet]

@Smileygirl2000 oh yeah? Thank you

[xawyx-3]

Nope, never have.

[Alexson_stormzy]

No... Not really at all

[mat566]

Never tried it