SUgar is truly a drug isn't it?

[Kathybird]

What am I going to have to do to totally get rid of the sugar??? I have "failed" every day so far to not have sugar. (I'm not counting the 2-3 teaspoons in my coffee. That'll go eventually too though.) Anywhere from 4 to 7 p.m. I develop a BITCH of a headache, feel completely sluggish and bitchy. A hit of sugar and I'm good as new. Nothing else accomplishes this. Fats, carbs, protein, more caffeine even. I can't do caffeine that late in the day anyway. And the amount has lessened over time. Now I can take two bites of cake and wait for it to kick in and I'm done.

I mean seriously, I'm kicking an addiction aren't I?

 

[phosphor]

What am I going to have to do to totally get rid of the sugar??? I have "failed" every day so far to not have sugar. (I'm not counting the 2-3 teaspoons in my coffee. That'll go eventually too though.) Anywhere from 4 to 7 p.m. I develop a BITCH of a headache, feel completely sluggish and bitchy. A hit of sugar and I'm good as new. Nothing else accomplishes this. Fats, carbs, protein, more caffeine even. I can't do caffeine that late in the day anyway. And the amount has lessened over time. Now I can take two bites of cake and wait for it to kick in and I'm done.

I mean seriously, I'm kicking an addiction aren't I?

Kk, let me assist. I kicked it easy. Dark cocoa roasted almonds - at Sam's club. 1g of sugar per 36 almonds. Sweet and nutritious. Just don't eat the whole container in a day and your good.

 

[Little Wing]

^ those sound good but nuts are hard for me not to eat the whole thing... i drink water with stash licorice spice tea bags in it.

One of the key ingredients, licorice root, first appears in the Chinese Pen Sao Ching (Classic of Herbs), written more than 5,000 years ago. Chinese physicians prescribed it to treat a variety of ailments including coughs and colds, malaria, food poisoning, respiratory problems, liver and urinary complaints. They often used its natural sweetness to mask the bitter taste of other herbal medicines.
Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza) is from the legume family and is 50 times sweeter than sugar. Its name is derived from the Greek word "glycos plus roza" which means "sweet root". The Romans called it "Liquiritia", which evolved into "licorice." There is also evidence that the ancient Egyptians used licorice root. Amid the treasures of King Tut's tomb, archeologists found a bundle of licorice root.

 

[Kathybird]

TEA... hmmmmmmmm. I am a Teavana addict. I must have 8 varieties on the shelf from there. Maybe I could peruse their selections and see if there's one with licorice in it. I hate the black stuff though. Strawberry twizzlers..... mmmmmmmm. Gives me gas though.


I will try those almonds too. Nuts are my friends.

 

[vortrit]

Nuts are my friends.

 

[SilentBob187]

Start lowering the amount you're putting in your coffee. Might lessen the craving you get in the evening.

 

[Kathybird]

Start lowering the amount you're putting in your coffee. Might lessen the craving you get in the evening.

That crossed my mind.

 

[sassy69]

Have you tried any of the sugar alternatives? I'm thinking of things like flavored liquid stevia?

 

[Kathybird]

Have you tried any of the sugar alternatives? I'm thinking of things like flavored liquid stevia?

Yeah. *sigh* They suck.

... and don't quash the physiological issues. I'm just going to have to ride out the DTs.

 

[Life]

If you cut all protein or all fat you'd feel the same way. The body likes carbs, protein and fat. If it doesn't get these it gets pissed off, simple as that. Just push through it

 

[SilentBob187]

The body likes carbs, protein and fat.

True, but the body LOVES sugar.

 

[x~factor]

I love sugar. I can do without chocolate, cake, candy, sweets in general but sugar, SUGAR... it IS addictive.

 

[vortrit]

I love sugar. I can do without chocolate, cake, candy, sweets in general but sugar, SUGAR... it IS addictive.

I like the taste of raw sugar. The regular stuff I can do without. I mostly use splenda.

 

[tupin]

Excess sugar is really dangerous. Look at what happens to diabetics without insulin. My grand dad died blind and lost both legs due to diabetes. That's basically too much sugar in your body. Your pancreas makes insulin but the cells that line your pancreas which actually synthesize the insulin does burn out over time. Sugars is really a bad deal. IF taken to extremes.

 

[niki]

I was forced to make the switch to stevia when I discovered I had high blood sugars. It took some getting used to - use too much and it tastes bitter. I use it in coffee, tea, seltzer water, and yogurt. The cool thing, and the reason I decided to 'learn' to like it/how to use it is due to the fact that it so much better for you than the artifical sweeteners...PLUS, I found that artifical sweeteners affected my blood sugars - despite their being all 'diabetic approved'.

I used olive leaf extract to help me through the detox/die off. You'll have a bitch of a headache for two days, but by day three (unless you are a really hard case), you should start feeling better, even more energy...

And yes, sugar is an addiction, with simple carbs not far behind.

 

[FitnessBlogger]

This is a tough one bro. Cold-turkey makes it even tougher. Keep taking away small amounts every couple of weeks and you'll eventually get over the withdrawal symptoms. Good luck man!

 

[Built]

Start lowering the amount you're putting in your coffee. Might lessen the craving you get in the evening.

That crossed my mind.

Ding ding ding ding ding we have a winner! You really DO have to count that.

Kathy, try mixing splenda with any other artificial sweetener if you find splenda by itself doesn't cut it. I'm totally used to it in my tea, but in yogurt, with my thawed frozen berries I sprinkle a little splenda and a little brown sugar-twin. The combination of fake sugars seems to hit different parts of the tongue and tricks it better.

If you cut all protein or all fat you'd feel the same way. The body likes carbs, protein and fat. If it doesn't get these it gets pissed off, simple as that. Just push through it

Cutting all protein or all fat cuts out something essential, though. There is no essential level of carbohydrate intake; you'd be a LOT more uncomfortable on no fat or on no protein.

This is a tough one bro. Cold-turkey makes it even tougher. Keep taking away small amounts every couple of weeks and you'll eventually get over the withdrawal symptoms. Good luck man!

Probably better to save it for the evening or cut it out completely. And Kathy's a chick.

 

[Built]

Kathy, something else you can try. You've mentioned in the evening how you crave sugar.

Try this: blend in a food processor some regular cottage cheese, enough dextrose to make it sweet, cocoa and a bit of vanilla.

After dinner, when it's time for dessert, save enough room in your carbs/calories for the day to indulge in whatever portion of this your calories will allow.

Stuff sweetened with ordinary sugar will mess you up. This, when consumed at the end of a regular meal, should not - there is no fructose in it. There ARE calories, and carbohydrates, but glucose or stuff that turns into glucose is the "good" carb. The bad carb is anything with fructose or anything that produces fructose when it breaks down. This includes fruit, dried fruit, fruit juice, honey, ordinary soda pop, agave syrup, anything sweetened with HFCS or with ordinary table sugar (sucrose), and maple syrup. The fructose messes up the ordinary satiety response, and makes you want more and more. I never get the same feeling from foods sweetened with dextrose. Try it, see if it helps. In addition to it not having any fructose, it's a very high-protein dessert and it tastes a bit like cheesecake.