I quit sugar by Sarah Wilson

[droverjess]

This book
I quit sugar
By Sarah Wilson

Is getting a lot of publicity at the moment. I am very interested in this concept and wonder if anyone has read the book, taken the challenge etc etc.
The author is Australian

Please join in here and tell us your experiences, thanks
DJ

[Cornish Cream]

There is a posting about the subject quitting sugar here DJ

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I did the challenge just before Christmas. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be and I felt great.  I don't know if it is realistic to continue doing it forever though and after almost 3 months without fructose I have started introducing a bit back in. It's hard to keep it to a minimum though when the cravings start up again.

[SoBlessed]

I read the book & I haven't had sugar for 1 year. Also minimal grains - occasionally 1/4 cup basmati rice & 1 rye mountain bread. No pasta, no bread, no potatoes, no bananas. Have I lost weight in 2013? - hardly. I've lost 5kg in a whole year. In 2012 I saw a naturopath & I ate basically the same as in 2013, but had maple syrup & a bit more fruit. I lost 8kg that year. I still have at least 15-20 that I need to lose & don't know what else I can do.

I have just read Don't Quit Sugar by Cassie Platt. This book didn't seem to ring true with me though, & I felt confused while reading it. She says to drink orange juice which I think is too high in sugar. She says you can have natural sugar like honey & dates etc, so maybe I need to do that. But after a year with no sugar I no longer crave sweet things, so I don't want to ruin this. Also I eat no processed foods. I certainly don't want to start up any cravings.

[Tam]

I quit sugar for 9 mths in 2012 and had my ups and downs.  After 3 mths I no longer had sugar cravings which was fantastic however as soon as I introduced a little fructose - BANG, it was like opening up the door to all the naughties that I crave AKA chocolate.  I think if you have are going to do this eating plan then it needs to be a lifetime commitment as I feel as if all the hard work was for nothing.  I also don't think it's considered a "weight loss" plan, although many lose unwanted kilos (I lost a few, although thankfully didn't have too many kilos to lose), for me it was to be free of the hold that sugar has on my life.
In saying this, I managed to kick coffee (as i didn't like sugar free coffee  , I realised it was only the sugar I was after) and I'm very careful with how much sugar my kids consume.  Before going sugar free we all ate, and still do, a fairly good diet.  We use rapadura and honey as sweetners, stay off the processed foods where possible and eat plenty of fruit and veg.  Water for the kids (the occasional glass of milk) and plain mineral water and tea for us adults (my hubby still drinks a coffee each day but sweetens with honey).
Anyway, enough of my ramblings, just thought I'd let you know how it worked for us.!!!!! There's a good forum out there too - can't think of the name of it???

[droverjess]

Thanks for these replies.
I think awareness is good to have hilighted about over consuming sugar especially after Christmas with all the extra chocolate etc.

I am using my fitness pal to monitor what I eat and just being more careful as I am nOw a lady of a certain age (LOACA)!!!

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

No I wouldn't consider it as a weight loss plan either Tam.  That is just a positive benefit.  For me it was an experiment for my compromised immune system. I loved how stable and focused I felt without sugar and I slept so well. I rarely thought about food and only ate 2-3 meals a day (didn't need any snacks or extras). The cravings are sadly back in full force now though.

[SoBlessed]

Yes, I feel great too, so will continue on.
I just thought I would lose weight because I don't eat sugar etc. I thought it would be a natural consequence. Generally healthy people are not overweight.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

It is a bit odd SoBlessed as you should be losing weight on that diet. I lost about 3kg in 3 months with no fructose but I had already done weight watchers last year so didn't have much to lose. I'm guessing you are mainly eating good fats/oils, not over-loading on dairy, reasonable portions??

[meganjane]

I don't use regular sugar and haven't for a long time. I still use sugar, but use rapadura, coconut sugar, dates, maple syrup, rice syrup or honey to sweeten. The flavour is so much nicer with these sugars anyway.

I think cutting out processed carbs and increasing good fats is the way to go to lose weight. I lost 11kg on Herbalife, but now eat pretty much Low Carb (that means processed carbs such as starches and processed sugar) and High Fat (good fats, such as coconut oil, beef and lamb fat, duck fat, avo oil, olive oil etc). I've maintained my weight for four months even through Christmas and New Year.

The problem with sugar (white, processed stuff) is that it's in pretty much all processed foods. It's especially high in low fat products, which is where it becomes a problem. The World Health Organisation is now recommending half the amount of sugar that has been recommended previously.

[SoBlessed]

Yes Chelsea, I eat good fats & I use almond milk - & I've just started making my own. I feel that I do the right thing.
I swim in summer & try to jog /walk on the treadmill in winter. But I feel healthy so I'll just stick with it. I really couldn't eat processed food now,  so I'm glad I have that mindset.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Good on you SoBlessed.  I wish I had the willpower to do it long term. :-)

[droverjess]

Yup well done SB

[droverjess]

Just watched a fascinating horizon programme.identical twin doctors aged 35 went on diets.
One high fat, low carb for a month
The other high carb, no fat for a month.

Very interesting. Neither are bad on their own, what is the problem is, is the mix, the 50/50 eg in cheesecake, ice cream and donuts. It switches our brains off to say no and wants us to have more.
Try and watch the programme if you can, it will be on BBC iplayer.
The twin on no sugar, high fat did more damage to his body. Both Drs were very surprised.

The specialist said that the problem nowadays is that things that used to be treats are everyday now. Go back to treating treats as treats and eat a moderate and balanced diet. With exercise.
Will repeat this in the 5:2 thread.

[meganjane]

Yes, I've changed my mind about the HFLC diet. I still don't have regular sugar if I can help it, and still use good fats, but I really follow a wholefood diet. Nothing processed (hard when you're out or visiting people), pretty much all homemade using ingredients such as whole grains, seeds, nuts and whole sugars like rapadura and coconut sugar.

We can't get BBC iplayer in Australia, but I hope the programme will come on to Foxtel in the future. I wonder what sort of fats the other twin used? If he was using PUFA's, then yes, he certainly would do a lot of damage to his body. Saturated and monounsaturated is the way to go.