# I need to quit...sugar!



## HappyParamedicRN (Dec 26, 2010)

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for quitting sugar cold turkey, if thats possible?!  sugar is like crack to me and i crave it constantly!  Should i just start using crack instead, i mean those people are alwaysso skinny... 


In all seriousness I am hoping to become a flight  medic/nurse  and i must lay off my very unhealthy diet....  

Anyone have any tips to share on quitting?


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## mikie (Dec 26, 2010)

my vice is soda......Ginger Ale or Dr. Pepper.  They're like drugs to me!

I'd love to hear some solutions lol


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## abckidsmom (Dec 26, 2010)

I had to go on a Candida diet last year when I had an issue with nursing my baby.  Let me just say, I wasn't eating ANYTHING during the induction phase...every.single.human.food. has sugar in it.

Well, I exaggerate.  But if you're looking to lose weight and get healthy, going totally by the weight watchers plan (following their recommended servings of fruits, vegs, proteins, dairy and healthy fats) is how I learned to eat properly.

I would eat carbs only until I died if I had my way.  Mashed potatoes and twinkies.

Sadly, that's just not ok.


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## beandip4all (Dec 27, 2010)

SUGAR, FAT, AND SALT- the evil trifecta of hyperpalatable foods.  

read dr. david kessler's the End of Overeating for some tools to resist foods with those trigger points.  

i think you'll find once you cut out sugar, the cravings will ease off... the key will be the first three weeks.  

good luck!
-bean


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## Aerin-Sol (Dec 27, 2010)

Trying to quit cold turkey is a bad idea. It's great that you want to take steps to eat healthier, but you need to set reasonable goals if you want to make permanent changes. Instead of cutting out sugar completely, look at areas where you can reduce it gradually. Do you drink 5 cans of soda every day? Set a goal to only drink 3/day this month, then next month go for 2/day, then next month 1/day, then 2 or 3 a week. Do you eat a lot of dessert? Set a goal to eat fruit instead of junk food for dessert 3 times a week, then gradually increase until you only eat junk food once or twice a week. Completely cutting anything out of your diet is very unreasonable and not going to work. Also, I chew a lot f gum or eat a piece of hard candy if I'm craving something sweet - that way I get the taste without 300 or 400 calories.

(I've lost 25 pounds and made some major fitness gains this year from gradually changing my diet/finding thing I like to do at the gym)


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## fit4duty (Dec 29, 2010)

First thing is to define what sugar is – Everything we eat with a few exceptions ultimately end up as simple sugars, the major contributing factor is the time it takes it to get there. So to say one must cut out sugars is not only impossible physiologically, it’s a HUGE mountain to get our heads around mentally.

So define the term – what sugars do you need to cut out?

•	Sodas/Pop
•	Juices
•	Cakes, twinkies, cookies, candy bars
•	Pretzels, fry bread, tortillas, rice, pastas

Here’s the cool thing – if you never ate anything from the above list ever again your health wouldn’t suffer one iota, you would not become nutritionally deficient and guess what? You would feel great after about a week. Detox is a :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: no matter what it is.

Abckids hit it right on the head with learning how to eat properly. THAT is the thing that is absolutely required. To that end, your best bet is seeing a Registered Dietician – why because there are licensed, have a background in science and nutrition, and their recommendations are going to be based on current science as opposed to anecdotal observation of themselves, friends or Bob from across the office.

From the American Diabetics Association:

•  Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety.
•  Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.
•  Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
•  Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
•  Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
•  Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin" such as pork loin and sirloin. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
•  Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
•  Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
•  Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats are high in calories. If you're trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.
•  Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
•  Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes.
(http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/making-healthy-food-choices.html)

A gradual draw down may seem palatable, but (and this is my opinion) it’s not very effective. One must get out of the habit of not only using but also of buying. Quit buying it, because if it is in your house, you will eat it period. Have your gradual pull back be the dwindling supply of junk that’s already in your residence if you choose to go that route.

While I am not of fan of weight watchers there are positive things that can be said about weight loss and dietary accountability that occurs in the group setting. I think that take home message there is that you are not alone. You aren’t the first and surely won’t be the last and realize that ultimately this is a process of undoing some very ingrained, very bad habits and replacing them with some habits that are a bit more productive. And that’s tough.

But you made it through your EMS education – and that’s tough.

You made it through your RN education and that’s really tough.

Seems to me that you are plenty disciplined and have the resolve to face tough challenges if you chose to right?


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## HappyParamedicRN (Dec 29, 2010)

Thank you everyone for your replies!

I will begin this challenge starting next week...wish me luck, I know it is not going to be an easy task, but I did it several years ago and lost 30+ lbs!  



Happy


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