I had been on this weight loss/fitness/clean eating journey for 2 months when I realized that something was holding me back. Something was derailing my diet, causing me to have less stamina during my workouts, and even affecting my mood at home. What was it?
A sugar addiction.
Sounds like a good thing, right? I've been an admitted “chocoholic” for year now, but my addiction hadn't been just limited to chocolate. Oh no, everything from caramel, to jelly beans, and even muffins were part of my addiction. But learning how to stop eating sugar would not be so simple.
And why did I care?
I was happily eating my way through life. Living from meal to meal. I would try to control my calories, but then the craving would start up and I was helpless, my eating was out of control. I could work out all day long, but there came a point when I just wasn't losing weight, when I realized that I had to break my sugar addiction.
Sugar, I'm breaking up with you….
I decided on the cold turkey method, knowing full well that the headaches and mood swings would be intense.
I decided to make at least 7 days, no matter what, with no desserts, no candy, no sugar other than was what regularly found in my eMeals Clean Eating Meal Plan. I wasn't going to scrutinize every label for sneaky sugars, but I was going to avoid every obvious instance of sugar in my diet, no matter how hard.
Once I made it 7 days, I knew that I would want to continue, but I didn't set an end date.
Why no sugar?
- Added sugar contains zero essential nutrients: they contains bunches of calories but absoutely nothing that nourishes and feeds you body. Nothing that makes it stronger. It's just empty calories.
- Added sugar can overload the liver: Sugar is made of two things: glucose and fructose. Glucose is perfectly natural and is found in every living thing on the planet, including humans. Fructose, however, is not produced by our body, and we do not need it to survive. To make matters worse, fructose can only be metabolized by the liver, which is where it is stored as well. However, if you eat fructose in large amounts the liver metabolizes it, but then finds itself full. When the liver is full of metabolized fructose and it can't store any more, it then turns that excess fructose into fat.
- Fatty Liver Disease: this disease causes you liver to shut down, just like in an alcoholic. But instead of alcohol causing the liver to shut down, the fat stored around the liver, that came from excess fructose caused it.
- Can cause insulin resistance: Insulin allows glucose to enter cells from the bloodstream so that it can be used as energy. Having too much glucose in the blood can cause the insulin to not be able to keep up with it, and then the cells to become resistant to it. This can lead to metabolic syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even Type II Diabetes.
- Insulin resistance can cause Type II Diabetes: When your cells become resistant to insulin, the pancreas makes more of insulin. As the insulin resistance gets worse, the pancreas cannot keep up with the demand, blood sugar levels soar sky-high, and Type II Diabetes sets in.
- Sugar can give you cancer: Since we already know that consuming excess sugar can cause high insulin levels, let's dive a little deeper. Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled growth and rapid multiplication of cells, and insulin regulates this growth. For this reason, many leading cancer experts surmise that high insulin levels are definitely a contributing factor to cancer. Therefore, eating sugar can cause cancer.
- Sugar promotes fat creation in the brain: In a study, one group of subjects drank a fructose sweetened drink, and the other group of subjects drank a glucose sweetened drink. After the test, the group that drank the fructose rink had much less activity in the satiety center of the grain than the glucose test group. The fructose group also reported feeling hungrier. Over time, being less satisfied can lead to taking in more calories, leading to fat creation.
- Sugar is addictive: When you eat sugar, your brain gets a massive dopamine surge, similar to the rush you get when you take addictive drugs.
I broke up with sugar…
For 14 days I went cold-turkey with no desserts, no candy, no sugar drinks, no nothin'.
I'm not going to lie, the first 3 days were hell. I was living on headache meds (and I don't like to take meds, ever!), my energy was in the toilet, and I kept waking up at night sweating like crazy. I kept up my 2-a-day workouts, knowing that they would help me detox from the sugar, no matter how much I really didn't want to do them.
But then, on day 4, it was like the cloud lifted.
I became more focused, had more energy, slept soundly, and my clean food choices started to actually sound appetizing. Sure, I still wanted sugar, but on day 4 I finally knew that I would make it all the way to 7 days.
14 Days Later…
As of yesterday, I have been “off” sugar for 14 days and I've never felt better! I'm still doing 2-a-day workouts, but I'm more focused, I wake up refreshed, I have more energy, and I'm making much smarter choices when it comes to food.
I do still have a serving of fruit every day, but somehow, the fruit tastes sweeter to me than it has in a long time.
A Milestone…
I knew that I was hooked on this “no sugar” thing on day 14. The hubs and I were heading back from the gym after both of our 2nd workouts of the day and we desperately needed something to drink. Thank god for $0.79 QT drinks! We stopped and I wanted unsweetened tea, but the hubs needed something sweeter. So, we compromised, and I filled the 32 oz cup with 26 ounces of unsweetened tea, and 8 ounces of sweetened tea, paid, and headed back out to the car to share.
Hubs took a drink, pronounced it “not sweet enough” and then handed it to me.
And when I took a drink, I nearly spit it out.
It tasted to incredibly sweet to me that it didn't taste good. I really just wanted some water, no sugar
There are also smaller changes, like I have less thirst. Before breaking up with sugar I was thirsty all day, every day, even though I drank between 1 & 1 1/2 gallons of water every single day. It was bad enough that I actually went to the doctor to get tested for diabetes. I wasn't diabetic, but my intense thirst told me that something was very wrong with my body, which also led to my decision to quit sugar.
Finally, I've noticed a difference in my food choices. No only does healthy food taste better to me, I am more clear-headed about my food choices. I can be hungry and not go on a sugar binge. Instead of getting the “I need to eat right this second or I'm going to die” feeling, I can stand in front the refrigerator, debating about what to eat and think instead about what will nourish my body, whether I need protein or carbs based on my most recent workout, and can assemble a balanced meal that feeds my body the nutrients and minerals that it needs, rather than eating food that helps shut my liver.
Going Forward….
I don't have a defined end date for going back on sugar, and even when I decide that the time is right, I won't be “back on” sugar like before. Instead, I'll be intentional about avoiding sugar in my everyday diet, while still allowing myself small treats.
It will probably be a while before I start to re-introduce sugar into my diet, and in the meantime, I'm going to be working even harder to lower my sugar intake. Added sugar exists in so many of the foods we eat, even foods that are considered “clean.” and slowly but surely I'll be whittling those out of my diet. I've already started to read labels more carefully, and make slow small changes.
Have you given up sugar? How long did it take you? What recommendations do you have?
Welcome to my Fit Mom Journey
Tosha says
January 1, 2016 at 8:46 pmInspiring story. Thank you for sharing. Will try the no sugar thing. Will let you know how I do.
Devon says
January 4, 2016 at 1:30 pmI’m scared I can’t do the cold turkey thing. With my young son home for me to take care of, Im worried I’ll cave because headaches etc and hard to deal with, with a 2 year old.
I see you have a little girl. How did that go?
Rebecca Ga says
January 23, 2016 at 10:02 amThanks for sharing your journey. I am on day 7 of no sugar. The cravings are mostly gone now, but still come frome time to time. I think I want to save sugar consumption for special occasions only, e.g. birthdays and Christmas . I started telling myself that “I don’t eat sugar”, instead of ” I can’t eat sugar”, ant that mantra has really helped me.
Sarah says
May 17, 2016 at 8:26 pmThat’s a really smart way of thinking. It puts you in charge instead of the addiction. Makes a huge difference just thinking about things differently 🙂
Shayla says
February 10, 2016 at 12:35 pmDoes this include sugar alcohol, sugar substitutes, and the natural sugars found in fruits?
Doris says
February 20, 2016 at 7:44 amI live how you approached this! It’s realistic and I think I can do it! Thanks for the inspiration ?
Sherry Ellison says
February 24, 2016 at 8:22 pmThanks for the inspiring story. I, too know that I am addicted to sugar. I always feel the need for something sweet to eat after meals. This article has motivated me take the challenge of quitting sugar also. Thanks for the motivation!
Jenna says
March 13, 2016 at 3:06 pmThis is so inspirational. I am always trying to try going off sugar, but now I think I have the motivation to do so. Thank you!
Mary says
March 27, 2016 at 2:12 pmI can relate to the article and often do the cold turkey thing I’ve done it for 7 days at a time and twice for 9 days .its true first few days are hard but then it’s like your mind and body switches on to crave healthier options you feel more in control and happier. I think the idea of only having a great on special occasions is a great idea and will try that for a long term effect . I hope all readers will not stop trying to reduce or cut out sugar.the benefits will far out way the sugar moments !!!
Good luck :))))
MadziaK says
March 28, 2016 at 7:47 pmBravo! That must have taken a lot of determination! I will try it as I am in the same situation, working out on a regular basis, however my food habits, ESPECIALLY sugar intake does not allow my body to become lean.
Than you for sharing!
Karen Del Tatto says
April 5, 2016 at 12:53 pmIt’s so interesting that I would find your blog post today. I am over 50 and was researching how someone my age can lose weight effectively. I have learned soo much!
At my age, I need to eat metabolism boosting foods and cut back on wheat flour, soy flour, unbleached flour, pre-packaged foods and even all the foods that claim to be low fat, but replace that fat with artificial sweeteners and preservatives creating all sorts of hidden sugars.
I recently learned that sugar is six times more addicting than cocaine and the best way to quit is cold turkey.
To make this lifestyle change manageable, they are suggesting to start out with one small actionable item. For me it is consuming 20 grams of protein within 20 minutes of waking up, ie.: eggs, organic bacon, nuts and a piece of metabolism boosting fruit. I also am drinking lemon water first thing as a way to help detox.
I can remember going off of sugar years ago and experiencing just what you did where things just tasted too sweet and I couldn’t handle it.
It’s important at 55 for me to be as healthy as I can for my precious granddaughter and everyone else who cares about me. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your journey!
Britney says
April 12, 2016 at 3:19 pmWow, I’m convinced now that I really should at least limit my added sugar intake because like you, I consider myself a sugarholic. The benefits to cutting out sugar sound great though, so it’s worth a shot to cut it out!
Zej says
May 11, 2016 at 3:04 pmI have been too reducing my sugar intake for a while now. Reading your story sounds so familiar , especially the fact that I can’t eat or drink particular foods as they are too sweet . My mum gave me a lemonade to drink , and I spit it out ;() too sweet ;)))))
Rhonda says
May 12, 2016 at 9:41 pmI gave up sugar Oct 18, 2015. I joined a gym in April of that year and loved it but I had only lost about 6 lbs. I was still eating anything and everything I wanted, including fast food. I started reading about going sugar free and I did it cold turkey. I never had a headaches, did have diarrhea on day 4 and felt achy on day 5. After that I had it made, and I have lost 41 pounds, I eat low carb and I feel great! I will never eat sugar again! I workout everyday, I love weight lifting and I can do anything my grandsons can! You can do it!! Come on go sugar free!
Shelley says
May 15, 2016 at 1:34 pmI am increasingly inspired to do this sugar-free lifestyle, and your story is helpful. I have cut down quite intentionally on sugar and simple carbs already. I find that many things are too sickly sweet and not enjoyable now, but I’ve never been totally off sugar. When I have a “binge-on-sugar and breads” type of day, (yesterday, unfortunately) my digestive system rebels and it is just not worth the painful stomach ache, embarrassing gas, and poor sleep. I don’t know why I do it anymore. You and I both may decide NOT to have the occasional treat after all because it’s just way better to feel great!
Tynee says
May 16, 2016 at 10:49 amI gave up sugar beverages about 4 years ago. I drink only water now, it definitely wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The first week was rough, but once I got past that it was much easier.
Samantha says
May 19, 2016 at 8:35 amThank you so much for sharing you have just shared my life story! I am so addicted to sugar and I have all of the same Cravings that you had in the past every meal that I eat contains sugar. This was very inspiring
Wendy says
May 23, 2016 at 6:31 pmI’m so glad you linked up with us at Hip Homeschool Moms! I gave up drinking Sprite a couple of months ago (I was addicted to the sugar and the carbonation), and I was able to lose the last 5 lbs that just would NOT budge! I also gave up most sugar–but not all of it. I drink mostly water and occasionally (once a week or so) have a few cookies or a small candy bar or something. It’s not the best, but it’s SO much less sugar than I had previously been consuming! Thanks for sharing about your own journey. I’ll definitely be reading more of your posts on this! 🙂
Mari says
November 2, 2016 at 7:43 pmConsuming refined sugar can impact mood, decision-making, and memory. Here’s how good it can be to give it up.
Debbie says
November 9, 2016 at 10:01 amNeed to do this, but ……..
Kathleen says
November 9, 2016 at 10:44 amWonderful! A sugar fast is a healthy fast for all! Thank you for encouraging it! My experience is the longer I fast from sugar the easier it becomes and the better I feel!
Casey Capra says
November 9, 2016 at 12:20 pmI have been off sugar before, and really really loved it… not only did I feel healthier, I didn’t feel so “fluffy.” I wasn’t technically dropping weight or a lot of inches, but my body just felt like I was, and it was awesome.
I’ve actually been thinking about doing it again, but dragging my feet because I love to bake (and the holidays make me want to bake even more!). This post is definitely motivating me to start making sugar changes sooner than later, though!
Valerie says
November 9, 2016 at 4:30 pmSugar is so addicting! I gave up sugar about a year ago and I haven’t looked back since. Yes, every once in a while I have a sugary treat, but I just feel so much better without sugar.
Calvonia Radford says
November 28, 2016 at 12:37 pmCongratulations for taking that giant leap to better health. I am a pre-diabetic so I understand the dangers of sugar. What I didn’t know was the fact about sugar ruining your liver just like alcohol. That’s crucial information. Thanks for this informative blog mixed in with your testimony. I wish you well.
daisy says
January 30, 2017 at 3:50 amHow much fresh fruits and dried fruits are a good amount for the cutting out sugar period to break the addiction? I eat a lot of dates and sometimes too much bananas or other fruits…
brenda evans says
October 1, 2018 at 3:39 ami stopped adding sugar to my everyday coffee, and when i started adding some again, it tasted weird just ike you said! i’ll keep on cutting sugar on other meals too.. thanks for sharing btw!
breepluse.blogspot.com
David Yochim says
January 21, 2019 at 9:13 pmI enjoyed reading this. Congrats on your decision to kick sugar. I am a health and fitness author and have written extensively on how sugar is harmful and addictive, articles on this very topic can be found on my blog https://davidsway.blog. I have a search bar to find the articles and within my 280 nutrition and fitness articles, I have lots of sugar free dessert recipes.