I'm giving up sugary foods

[toban]

I have a sweet tooth. My favorite food friend is chocolate. Chocolate chip muffins, cake, chocolate bars. I'm not so much into candy such as jelly beans.

I would like to lose some weight but another thing I noticed is sugary foods cause me to feel somewhat bloated.

This past week I've cut out sugar. There was a chocolate chip muffin in the fridge. I almost lunged at it lol. But then I told myself no, you have to eat healthy. So I grabbed a apple.

It's almost like you go into withdrawl lol.

I will allow myself to have a piece of cake or treat on special occasions (birthday, Christmas)

Since cutting sweets out this past week, I feel like I've lost a bit of weight (Not going near the scale yet).

So has anyone else done this? Do you notice a difference with your weight, moods or?

[Speckled28]

I'd be careful giving up all sugary foods in one swoop.....and I'm in no way trying to be negative but I've frequently heard (and experienced myself) that if you try to give up everything you enjoy you'll feel deprived and be less likely to succeed (and more likely to binge eat those foods).

I'm a huge sweets fan myself......and it's definitely a challenge to limit myself.......BUT I'm successfully still plugging away at my easter chocolates! lol I allow myself one small piece a day.....and by that I mean one piece that's comparable to a Hersheys Kiss. But sometimes I still have super cravings and gulp down an entire chocolate bar, lol......all in moderation.

I also try to satisfy some of my sweet cravings with fruits or veggies.....kiwis, strawberries etc etc. Or if you're not against the 'fake" sugars you can look into the "no sugar added" candies (but check the labels....sometimes no sugar added still means they had a ridiculous amount to start with!) .....fat free jello....fat free pudding even. You'll still be getting sugars from the milk, but you'll also be getting the calcium.

I also make Crystal Light and orange juice popsicles (not together, lol). I use the small holders? you can buy for frozen pops so that even if I'm using orange juice (which is fairly high in sugar) I'm only getting less than half a cup per freezie pop. (I also use the lower sugar 50 calorie juice.....but from what I've seen on here many people think it tastes horrible? lol)

[sweet sparrow]

I tried it years ago for about a week. I was CRANKY and could really notice a difference in mood!! There were huge craving throughout the day and at the end of the week I think I drank a massive jar of jam.... Over the years, I've made adjustments here and there and have been better at choosing natural sugars, but that doesn't mean I don't allow myself candies and treats whenever I'd like. I can pass on sugary cereals and most candies, but if it's an import or Lindt chocolate, I don't say no. Certain sugars are better than others, but if it's a special event, I'll make an exception if it's worth it.

Since then, I've found great fruits that fuel my cravings, like high sugar grapes, apples, dragon fruit, mangoes, .....

I know I'm a total sugar junkie, so I can never really eliminate it out of my foods. Now if I can only find a good replacement for my potato chip addiction!

[Jnazurk]

I think you need to just go natural, but without cutting out 100%. I think wholely about my choices now. Am I really craving candy, or would my body rather have fruit? Am I really, really going to die without ice cream or can I put it off? Does my body really want something foreign that doesn't have any nutrition or is it my brain that wants the fix? Do I really want to spend calories on this, is it really worth it? If I'm truly dying for ice cream, chocolate, I will have it. But, what I have found is once I stop having it for a while, I stop craving it so much. And it's really hard the next day to not have more if I do give in. So, if I remind myself how hard it will be to give it up again, it's not worth it to eat it.
Once your diet fills up with water, fruit and veggies, there isn't a lot of room left. And, if I'm craving crap, I will also tell myself thAt if I'm SO hungry, eat an apple first. If I don't want the apple, then I'm obviously not hungry.

[MrsSunshine]

im right there with ya.. its not easy.. and if you try to just give it up cold turkey your going to crave it 10x more.. its all in moderation.. also when it comes to chocolate the higher the % of cocoa the better.. if you handle the 'chalky' taste.. its all good.. freeze a bar. break if off have bits here or there.. ive also found drinking ice cold lemon water helps with cravings.. it keeps your body hydrated.. and helps with the cravings, flushs our your body. fills you up. ive also noticed occasionally if im craving chocolate i have almonds.. and voila it goes away.. eating smaller meals more often every 2-3 hours really helps. keeps your sugars level and prevents the 'i need chocolate NOW' affect from happening.. as of tomorrow.. im going to restart my eating style/weight loss journey.. going for 20-30 lbs in the next 6 weeks to a year.. i'll be happy with 15 in the next month or so. im def. worth it and so are you.! were all here if you need to vent

[toban]

I just read through all three of the responses. Great advice. Thanks! What everyone said makes perfect sense. I have found if I fill up on fruits or other good foods I do feel fuller. Today I had two squares of chocolate and felt satisfied. Instead of wolfing the whole bar down. I will allow myself at times to have a piece of cake or chocolate in moderation. I do believe if I totally eliminate all sugar I may get such a craving and binge.

[lecale]

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[CouponasaurusRex]

Consider reading the book "Wheat Belly". I had the same problem and that book helped me tremendously.

[pamjcoupon]

I actually recently (3 weeks ago) cut out 90% of sugar and bad carbs. I have been trying to lose the last 10lbs for a long time and just couldn't do it. I am not really a chocolate fan but I love ice cream and chips and pasta! I do agree with everyone that you should do baby steps, however, if you allow yourself a small piece of chocolate a day, your body is going to crave it everyday and not just chocolate but other sugar as well, even high sugar fruits. If you ate 5 apples in a day that is way too much sugar. Going cold turkey is definitely hard, but after about a week, your cravings will go way down and almost disappear. Also eating starchy things like bread, pasta, white rice are all high in sugar and spike your sugar levels and that will make you crave sugar too! Obviously I am not perfect and don't eat perfect everyday; (I had tacos and salsa on the weekend) however, I try to eat tons of vegetables, lean proteins and very limited carbs (only whole wheat when I do). Keep cut up celery and cucumber in your fridge and whenever you want to eat, just eat those. I have been doing this 1 month and have lost 5 lbs already.
good luck on your journey.