After making chocolate chip cookies on Friday and then brownies on Sunday, plus a trip to the scale, I realized it was time. I challenged my wife to 30 days of no sugar. I’ve made it through a few days of this before and always caved.
Chad
It was/is very hard. I love my sugar/chocolate/crap food. So now I get my fixes after workouts. No added sugar in coffee/tea/cereal etc. That was the big one for me.
i’ve only gone cold turkey and it’s pretty tough. i find days 4-12 the worst as my willpower waivers and my body gets cranky wanting more sugar.
after 2 weeks i’m good and it’s rather easy to keep off of it. i need to get crack a’lackin’ on that too soon.
sweet hesus christo…HTFU!!!
I quit cold turkey 33 days ago and I’m still going strong!
Cold turkey it is the only way to go. I have tried it for a while and it is harder then kicking smokes. I always feel better once I get off the sugar train but I ways go running back. It a war I will continue to fight.
<munch, munch, munch> mmmmmm hot tamales
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My biggest sugar consumption was soda. I don’t have soda very often at all anymore but I have one 12oz coffee each morning with a few tbsp of sugar. The soda was the hardest for me. Saying no to cookies, candy, ice cream, etc is not at hard although I used to have a bowl of ice cream probably 5 days a week.
Anyway, once I cut out the sugar (soda especially), I started loosing weight much faster.
I chronicled my sugar diet over at BT and have kept up with the updates. I started at about 223 and am not at 205. I slipped on the diet over the holidays a little bit but am back on track now and loosing.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=95441&posts=37&start=1
What do you mean by cutting out sugar:
In addition to the obvious of adding sugar to foods, soda, jam, white bread, candy, cookies, honey, baked goods, and chocolate
Do you also eliminate: sport drinks granola bars gels sweatened yogurt cereals dried fruit fruit juices (fresh and concentrated)
If it is the former, no problem…if it is the latter, that is tough.
Dev
Avoiding soda is not an issue for me, but I love to bake and my kids love to help me bake–and eat it up afterwards. I suspect avoid sugar helps in multiple ways when you are trying to lose weight. On the slowman continuum of race weight, I’m probably in the first category. I’ve just been sick, but nobody is wondering if I have cancer yet. I can’t wait until they try the intervention.
Chad
I gave up “sweets” for lent (and fried food). Going cold turkey was difficult, but not impossible. The worst is the mid-afternoon desire for a sweet snack - which I substituted with a grapefruit.
I do not think I’ve lost any weight, but I have been working out a lot so I may have just improved my lean muscle mass.
The lack of major sugar swings has been a huge beneficial result!
With Lent ending soon, I do fear for the rebound, but I hope to keep this up to the most part.
Dev,
I’ve thought about sugar in lots of foods, but your list is not an issue for me, since I don’t consume any of them regularly or at all. I stopped drinking sports drinks a couple of years ago and can’t afford a regular supply of gels.
The first list though is the issue. Not soda, honey or white bread, but definitely candy, cookies, my own baked goods, and chocolate. Those will be the test.
Chad
you actually have MORE energy when you do!!! take it a step further and cut out the gluten oh yeah lol
What do you find you eat more of to replace the empty calories?
Chad
just good solid food, eggs, lots of fish, tons of veggies and such. i like to drink ensure as well, 350 calories in one lil 8 onz bottle. i just cut out all simple sugars, it was amazing when I first did it. i was shocked as well, no rice, potatoes , pasta ect. I do however like my gluten free waffles before a LONG ride hahhaahaha
Sugar is my weakness and I always go back to it. I can’t live without chocolate and I refuse to try. What I do needs to do is eliminate the volume that I intake. So, I go for super high quality. None of that Hershey’s shit. The super darks have less sugar but give you the “fix”. It can lead to worse things so be careful.
Ultimately I don’t think a little sugar will kill you. My nutritionist says the 90/10 rule works. 90% of your daily intake should be healthy and 10% can be your choice. So, 2000 calorie diet gives you 200 calories of sweets which is 1/2 - 3/4 oz of good chocolate. Skinny Cow are also great treats. Keep only the things that you know the single serving calorie count for in the house so you at least know what you are consuming and might feel guilty enough to not reach for that second serving.
To get to this level, I ween myself. I can’t do cold turkey. It worked for ciggies but nothing else for me.
Good luck!
I did, well I am trying. I have the will power but I can not limit the hidden sugar in bread, food etc. I try to avoid them but sometimes they sneak. I totally cut sweets and sugar (other than the ones in fruits) including packaged juices.
I do use gels and sports drinks but only during the race and very long rides or runs, never used anything other than water if it is a 60 minute or less ride/run.
Two things I discovered in the last 5 months:
- My body responds to gels and drinks better during the races
- I cut down body fat
Keep only the things that you know the single serving calorie count for in the house so you at least know what you are consuming and might feel guilty enough to not reach for that second serving.
This would be the problem with having anything in the house. I tend to eat until full, maybe more than full, so I’m going to have to try cold turkey.
Chad
\ I stopped drinking sports drinks a couple of
\ years ago and can’t afford a regular supply of
\ gels
What do you use for your races / long workouts?
chad, pm me your address and I will send you a couple cases of your favorite gels and bars.
What do you use for your races / long workouts?
**
I race mostly 2 hr stuff and below and I might use one gel at the most. My last half-IM effort I just squeezed 7 gels and mixed in a little e-caps into my race bottle and had a great day. I tend to do my long training days off what I ate the previous night and perhaps a bagel. Too much food does not agree with me. The more I find myself capable of more daily training the more I find that I don’t have to eat much during workouts.
Chad