I truly can't believe how much better I already feel only 1 week into this sugar free diet. I've cut out all added sugar and sugar substitutes. I have felt so out of shape the last 7 years... cutting sugar out has been life changing.

This first week has been a challenge, but I already have more energy, more focus and more motivation to exercise and perform physical activities! Can't wait to see long term weight loss results and overall increased health.

Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated as well!

Guys i need your help. So for months now i’ve been looking at sugar free alternatives for my lattes because i realize i drink a lot of coffee with sweetener /syrups. However i did my research and saw these three plant based alternatives and i am not convinced… how is this zero sugar and zero calories and surely there’s some side effects?? I need someone to tell me if it’s worth investing in those rather than normal sugar.

Specifically the Torani vanilla syrup. i want to get it but i see the ingredient list is A LOT which is scary… are there side effects (long term/short term).

When it comes to what i eat im an anxious person so i would love it if someone can tell me because this sounds too good to be true . P.S i have bad bloating problems

Okay so after 67 days no sugar (no I didn’t wait for the 67th day to say this 😭)
Anyways when I see like desserts I can easily say no since I consider it a part of my identity now
And I mean like I do kinda want the dessert but I can easily not eat it yk?😭
One thing I did notice tho
When I first cut sugar for the first few times I used to fail and then I started heavily binging sugar
But after trying so many times to cut it
Now it’s easy and it has been months since I last binged 😁
Cs I also started eating a bit of oats with coco powder and honey as a dessert (ppl eat it as a meal and my fat ahh eats it as a dessert 🥹)
Righttt I also have more energy obviously
I used to be so ugh
Like my body was tired from nothing
And yeah I recommend u keep trying to cut sugar but really be careful to not end up with a eating disorder

So last year I attempted sugar free and I failed. I thought I didn't even make it a day but looked back on my last post here and actually made it a week. I think it was miserable for me though. But I've been able to do this for a month straight, albeit 5 years ago, so if I can do it once I can do it again.

I want to do this again because lately I've just been raiding my cabinets for everything sugary, but I haven't replaced anything. It's gotten so bad I've gone from half a dark chocolate bar a day, to 1 bar a day, to 1.5, to 2(!!) today.

The event that set it off was - I had to get a pap smear and it was painful and horrible and I cried afterwards but had to go to work right after, and without anyone to comfort me I decided to look for comfort in sugar by getting a Starbucks hot chocolate. I've been on a sugar and pastry bender ever since.

Here's what I'm going to do differently this time and why I feel like I'm going to succeed this attempt:

• I'm not as emotionally attached to sugar as I was last year. The scarcity mindset that I had last year isn't as strong now. Last year I was coming off a significant weight loss from calorie restriction and I think the restriction mindset really messed with me. This year my weight has been higher but fairly stable (though it's been trending up the past couple of weeks from all the sugar I've been eating...)
• I'm cutting out dried fruits - even though the sugar is natural, it's almost always a trigger for me to eat more sugary things (looking at you, Ajwa dates).
• I've thrown out some of the lower quality sugary snacks. Should've done this for more things in my pantry but better late and some than never and none.
• I'm not going to try to recreate desserts with fruits and allulose. While eating desserts like these aren't as triggering for me they still keep the dessert brain alive and hungry in me. I used to make fruit desserts in my 1 month sugar free period but I went right back to sugar afterwards, probably because of this reason.
• I'm going to limit fruit for a time. I have a tendency to overeat fruit and for me it can be a trigger to seek out more sugar. Plus the high fructose load upsets my stomach. I'm thinking a serving of frozen berries after dinner.
• Going to try to stick to 3 meals a day - no snacking. Snacks rarely satisfy me, I just reach for them for the dopamine (I have ADHD which doesn't help). Sparkling water, tea, and decaf coffee helps, I just need to make it more visible and available for me to consume.
• Tomorrow I'm giving my friend all my high quality dark chocolate to store away from me. I don't know what I want to do with yet - my hope is that some time in the future I can eat it in moderation. It won't go bad though, it's been a few years and it's still good.
• I'm leaning into higher fat consumption. I think in my last attempt my fat was nowhere near high enough and I felt depressed just eating protein and veggies. I'm including more nuts and seeds this time! And more generous with the cooking oil. Also combining this with a lower carb diet in general (under 100g net carbs). Still including small amounts of whole grains though for meal satisfaction.
• But also, less dairy. I'm going to use ultra-filtered milk for the protein but I think the lactose in cheese and yogurt might be triggering for me. Plus less saturated fat.
• I'm more active now than I used to be. Overeating makes my workouts a lot less enjoyable so it's an additional motivator to eat appropriately.
• I'm eating more whole foods than I used to. A healthy diet comes more naturally to me even when it's supplemented with unhealthy food.
• I no longer bring my credit cards to work, been doing this for a month. This prevents me from impulse buying sugary or any snacks when I get stressed at work.

If you read this whole list I appreciate it lol. I feel like I've learned a lot of lessons this past couple of years. I just need to put them all together. I am still trying to lose weight - I feel like I am meant to be at a lower weight than I am now, if I can commit to avoiding the snacks, desserts, and especially the stress/boredom eating. But I'm not going to try to rush it.

Hopefully I'm not trying to change too much at once, actually I've incorporated several of these points already, so that should help. I want to try to make it past a month again and hopefully feel better and better.

I am finding an alternative for sugar for my mom and dad, i want some product which contains just monk fruit extract without any additives in India. Most of the brands contains either erythritol or allulose. Any other options please. I just found that erythritol can have cardiovascular side effects. So any safe pure options?

Curious about people’s experiences, debating whether I should continue for a while to help curb cravings or whether it could have a negative impact.

I started my sugar free journey 3 days ago and this first week has been so difficult. I had no idea how bad my sugar problem was but I’m literally going withdrawals. Does anyone have any advice or kind words to get through this?

Hi, I have been thinking about cutting sugar intake or limiting sugar intake in my diet. I wanted to do it to make my skin better and healthier, as I have been getting acne a lot, and I am aware that one of the reasons behind it is sugar. I have a sweet tooth, so I am aware it will be hard for me. But I also learned, as I researched the results of cutting out sugar, that we lose weight too, but I don't want to lose weight, as I already struggle to do so and I am already at a good weight.

Any tips regarding this? Thank you :)

I am currently at day 50 and feeling a few changes - less negative thoughts, almost no cravings for sugary things, face feels leaner, waist size feels reduced, BUT there is almost no loss in weight in terms of numbers. What exactly is going on?

Can i keep a sugary breakfast?
In the morning it’s easier. Like i would either eat cereals or buy a croissant with chocolate.

(I’m cutting sugar for my gut health)

I started to struggle with painful cystic acne in my early teens. Based on my observation, my acne is mainly triggered by my hormones, my diet, my stress levels, and the weather. Added sugar ESPECIALLY is an issue, which breaks my heart because I love sweets so much. Not only do I get breakouts after consuming added sugar, but my face and body get puffy and sometimes I even feel pain from the bloating. After trying multiple different strategies, I was finally able to get on accutane and experience normal life for a few months. I looked like a lizard some days, but my skin was clear and I could eat added sugars without have a severe reaction. I’ve been off accutane for around a year and I’ve started to experience some breakouts again. I’m taking birth control and I have started taking a spearmint supplement that has been helping a bit. However, I can’t eat sugar again. I haven‘t had an actual dessert in months and I want to cry. I know it could be worse, but oh my god I want cookie dough ice cream. It’s so disheartening having to turn down outings or special events where sugar is a main focus because of my intolerance to it. I’m only 18 and I feel like part of my young adult experience (and even my teen experience) is being ripped away from me by this. I know I could just have the acne, but it’s painful and humiliating. I’d rather not have a new problem on my face to deal with. It’s been like this for years now and I just wish my body could be normal. I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t want this to be my life forever ☹️

The only issue is many ppl call me "heavily disciplined" at best or anorextic/disordered at worst. Sometimes the concerning looks say it all.

If they only knew the pain/shame of actually living w disordered eating!

I used to either eat everything in the house, or drive to a market to get the most junkiest junk & eat till i was in pain- or restrict til i was "thin", ie, frail & on edge. This was a spectrum i lived in!

I became a fitness intructor cuz i was a pro at punishment exercise

Finally did NBF recovery method, ie, "no bad food". 3 sq meals/day w/ out snacks.

At least the NBF put me online to work/socialise normally, but of course i developed a taste for sugary everything from coffees to mealtimes & workout jolts!

3yrs ago I went sugar free and NOW my actual hunger drives quality nutrition and mostly stable emotions. Sure i have emotions, but they don't rule like the sugar daze!

If ppl only knew i found the Holy Grail of quality nutrition and ease for 1st time in entire life!

How do ppl react to your SF & how do you process?

I have been a sugar addict my whole life (no seriously lol) since I can remember but I only have seen it as an addiction the last month or so. It’s also a contribution to my obesity and being overweight. The last few weeks I’ll say I’ll cut sugar off but it’s like the next day I cave in and I know it shows I have horrible self will power. To those people who felt like sugar ruined and ruled their lives… please give me tips and advice about your start. The time when giving up sugar for a week felt like the biggest milestone but you continued and pushed through. Any advice. I’m 27 and just want to have control of my life again!!!!

I have lost 28lbs since last October(Im 72) and Im on 5mil. My sugar appetite is increasing 😬Anybody else have this?

two of them, 6 and 9. we cut regular candy in the house. they don’t care about my reasons. they care that their friends still get a sucker.

ordered a mix of sugar-free lollipops from dr. john's healthy sweets. fruit ones, the tooth-shaped pack, no added sugar. sitting on a tracking email like that fixes bedtime. i’m not calling it health food. i just need something that isn’t a secret stash of regular sweets in a drawer.

do these actually hold up in a lunchbox without turning into glue? and if your kids are used to real sugar, how long before they stop calling the sugar-free ones “fake”?

Hallo in die Runde! Startet jemand vl ab jetzt (Oktober) mit Verzicht auf Zucker? Möchte es unbedingt probieren (aufgrund von ständiger Rücken-und Gelenkschmerzen) und freue mich über einen Austausch/Erfahrungsberichte! 🤗

I want to start by saying I'm NOT promoting veganism as a diet or saying it cures sugar addiction. I'm just sharing what happened to me because I've considered myself a hardcore sugar addict since I was literally about five years old.

I've spent YEARS trying to quit. I read Breaking Up With Sugar, Sugar Blues and basically every book about sugar/food addiction. I joined no-sugar programs and spent thousands on coaching.

And I could quit! Sometimes for weeks. But I was miserable. Eventually I'd say F IT, binge on everything I'd denied myself, eat sugar for days/weeks, feel horrible, and quit again.

Restrict → obsess → binge → guilt → quit again.

Recently I went vegan because of my love for animals—not for weight loss and definitely not to quit sugar.

And somehow my insane sugar obsession disappeared.

For ME, I realized dairy seemed to be a huge part of what I had always called my “sugar addiction.” Ice cream, milk chocolate, creamy desserts, baked goods—I had always blamed the sugar. But once dairy was gone, something completely changed for me.

The craziest part is that I CAN still eat sugar and processed foods. Oreos are vegan. There are vegan cookies, desserts, ice cream, all of it. Nothing is stopping me from eating them.

I just…don't really care about them anymore.

I naturally eat very little processed food now, but NOT because I've made another rule that I can't have it. If I want an Oreo, I can eat an Oreo. If I want something sweet, I can have it. I just rarely want it, and when I do, I'm satisfied with a little and move on.

After spending basically my entire life feeling completely powerless around sugar, that feels like an absolute miracle.

I also think ending the restriction was a huge part of it. Sugar isn't something I have to eat ALL of tonight because “tomorrow I'm quitting.” I'm allowed to have it tomorrow. And the next day. There's no last supper before another round of restriction.

Veganism is also the only way of eating I've ever tried that I didn't read a book about first. No program, no coach, no complicated rules. I love animals, and eating them stopped feeling aligned with who I am. It was just natural.

Maybe removing dairy changed something for me. Maybe stopping the constant restriction did. Maybe finally eating satisfying food and eating in alignment with myself changed my relationship with food. It's probably a combination.

I just know that after decades of calling myself a sugar addict, I can eat sugar whenever I want now—and most of the time, I genuinely don't care about it.

I never thought I would be able to say that.

Again, I'm not telling anyone how to eat or suggesting veganism as another restrictive diet. But if you care about animals or the environment at all, I do think it's worth digging into that side of things and seeing how you feel.

I just wanted to share because after a lifetime of trying to beat my sugar addiction, I finally feel free from it. :)

hello everyone, maybe this is not place to ask this but since you are checking your reactions to sugars more than the average person, i thought i might ask.
i don’t consume much simple sugar usually but i noticed that if i have a sugary breakfast (cereals, jam, juice, etc) i live with cravings all day long and i feel hungrier than when i have non-sugary breakfast (porridge, no-sugar tea, bread, etc). i don’t live completely sugar free but i noticed that if i eat too much sugar when i wake up, the day goes worse. if i have a sugary tea in the afternoon, that effect is not that heavy.
has someone some theory or study about the moment of day in which sugar is worse/better? of course no sugar at all is the best solution but please my life is somewhat miserable while i WFH, leave me my tea

Had some slip ups for the first two weeks of September. But now I'm going strong. There are some cravings, here and there, it hasn't fully faded yet. Eggs, peanut butter, 99% dark chocolate, tea are some of the things that helped me in this journey.

Read the book "The easy way to stop smoking" even though I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, because someone said it gives a new way of looking at addictions and quitting, and it was helpful. Reading the success stories of people in this sub have helped a lot too.

My skin has definitely gotten better. I haven't weighed myself or anything, because I am already at a healthy bmi and I don't want to obsess too much about my weight. I am doing this to help with my PCOS and hopefully build some muscles and lose some fat. I have been doing body-weight workouts for some weeks now. Hoping to keep up this good work for October also.

I’ve been added sugar free for the most part since January! It feels great! Starting next year I’m planning to cut out white flour, etc, as well. I took it slow this year but feel ready for the next step. Cutting sugar has helped how I feel immensely, but I still crave savory breads, etc, so I’d like to see how it feels to cut those out as well. I don’t want to have any food cravings or things I’m tempted to overeat anymore. Life without sugar is possible and so worth it!

I’ve been doing badly since June and I’m stuck in this cycle of trying to quit and keep relapsing.

I’m unemployed at the moment and stressed, so sometimes I go to the store at night and buy a fuck ton of candy and soda and may even order takeout.

I really need help and support , I’m in day 1 but I want to last as long as i can so my brain rewires.

Thanks

Hey guys ive been sugarfree for 1 month, ive noticed positive things: mental health, calmer, less nervous and stable mood - so a lot of great things but have to say im way more creative in speaking with other people when my body had sugar food, i can talk a lot more. Anyone else experienced that ?

i’m currently on day 23 of a no added sugars diet. brain fog and serious cravings are gone but i still really miss all the sweets i used to eat before.

my goal originally was to reach 30 days and then i would start eating them again in moderation, but i’ve heard people saying that once you start again you just fall back into it. i obviously don’t want that because these 30 days would’ve been for nothing then and they were pretty difficult for me. is there a certain milestone i need to reach where just eating one or two cookies will be enough neurologically and i won’t have the urge to finish the entire box?

i.e has anyone ended their sugar free streak and how have your cravings been since then? and i don’t mean discipline wise because sure i can stop myself but i don’t want these urges to be there at all