Should I Cut Out ALL Sugars or Only Junk Foods/treats?

I have been struggling with this for years! I finally decided enough is enough about three weeks ago. Sugar is also my big vice. The only way I could really give it up was to not keep sweets in the house. I eat Healthy Life low carb bread, wheat pasta, brown rice, sweet potatoes instead of white. In order to prevent total mutiny from my kids and husband, I buy Sugar-free jello and pudding and no sugar added Fudgesicles. This way, if I slip up and have one of those items, it doesn't blow my diet. But really, after three weeks, my cravings are pretty much gone. I think reducing carbs and sugars helps reduce cravings. The books that have helped me are Body for Life (Bill Phillips) and The South Beach Diet. I don't follow either plan strictly, but have incorporated ideas from both into my regimen. I am also exercising 5-6 days a week. I feel so much better. Good luck!

If you cut it all out at once, you will not be able to stick to it. I would suggesting slowing cutting back. You may want to start by switching from white to wheat grains then as you realize that you are still finding good food options, reduce or eliminate something else.

Don't forget to add in some exercise!

I wouldn't cut out fruits or the sugar in healthy foods. I agree drastic changes aren't realistic. Having said that, I found that I got a good start and felt great by taking 1 week and cutting out all caffeine, alcohol, soda, juice, red meat, white bread & pasta, and anything fatty or fried. Bascially I ate lean meat (fish and chicken), whole grain rice or bread (sparingly) and LOTS of fruits and veggies (which luckily I like). and DRINK TONS of water....I tried to limit dairy too - but do love milk. I also got in 30 minutes of walking a day. It made me feel great (crave less sugar) and it was easier to keep it up.

start small soda most of the treats move to wheat bread and whole grain pasta cutting everything out of your diet "cold turkey" is sure way to fail.

I've noticed that when I eat whole grain foods and stay away from the white stuff, I'm satisified with normal portions and don't have any cravings -- it's easier to eat healthy in the long run. When I do allow myself to have a little of the white stuff (some crackers, small dessert, white flour bread), it triggers the insatiable monster in me that wants more and more of it, and I just don't want to stop. Maybe its how my body reacts to simple carbs. Maybe I am getting my nutritional needs met with the more nutrient dense foods. Who knows? Not allowing myself to be teased by the simple carbs foods works best for me. Best not to open that Pandora's Box.

Any diet that eliminates an entire food group is not a good idea.

I am in the same boat with you...My best advice is to start eliminating things slowly but surely...I think if it is done gradually you'll have more success sticking with it.

I am currently on a candida diet. No breads, yeast, sugars of any kind including fruits. It is a difficult diet to stick with and I do allow myself a(very small) treat every couple of days... the last time I was on this diet, I lost 50lbs in 8 months, just by dieting. Candida lives in your intestines and it feeds on sugar and yeast. It can cause a multitude of problems including: yeast infections, uti's, sinus infections, weight again, bloating, headaches, foggy brain. It also causes you to crave sweets.

Don't go cold turkey with everything or you will probably "relapse" and eat a whole loaf of sourdough bread slathered in butter in one sitting (speaking from experience ;) ). You should do away with your crackers/chips/white bread/white bread products first. And all soda has to go. Don't switch to diet - just get rid of it. If you crave something flavored get carbonated water and squeeze oranges into it or puree berries to add to it. Triscuts are a GREAT alternative to chips and other crackers, they are made of whole wheat. Let yourself have a treat - like 2 bite size chocolates, one cookie etc. Instead of trying to substitute your sweet treat just have a very small amount of the real deal, you will be more satisfied that way. If your diet is really heavy in these things you will prob drop weight just by making a few simple changes. It will be hard but once you get used to it you will NOT want white bread I promise!! It will make you feel so gross and bloated and won't even taste good. This is coming from a girl who used to eat SO much bread, pretzels, chips etc. on a daily basis and now I never eat white bread and will only occasionally have tortilla chips. You can do it mama!!!

last month I started a no sugar or white starch diet. I was/am a sugar addict, and literally felt up to my eyes in sugar and yuck. I'm 41 and have spent literally my whole life eating sugars instead of real food.

The first week was HARD, I would often call my friend when I had a craving. I had stocked up on meats, cheeses and fruits of all kinds and tried not to do any whole grains even. I had cravings, headaches, fatique like you wouldn't believe, and felt just really sick. By the 5th day I decided to add in a whole grain cereal. The 7th day was the first day in MY LIFE that I woke up and didn't want candy/sweets.

The next week was easier and I discovered that food tastes GREAT. I never knew that fruits were THAT sweet, that everything was yummy. It was like my tastebuds came alive finally. I lost 5 lbs in that first 10 days.

I don't want to have NO sugars for life. I want to be able to have dessert at appropriate times and not go back to the bad only sugars.

But week four I back slid. I thought I could handle it, but couldn't. I had lost 8 lbs. Three days of bad eating put 2 lbs back on. So, today I am back to only fruits, cheeses and meats for at least 4 days, then I'll put whole grains back into the diet. I had bought some no sugar added whole grain bread three days ago and could NOT stop eating it even after I was stuffed. So not ready for breads yet. May still do my Kashi Heart to Heart cereal after three days or so, but I have to keep myself for sliding back to the sugars.

So, that is my story. I started on Feb 21st. And it is a work in progress still. I think it was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life honestly.

I knew slowly cutting it out would not work for me. I had tried that so many times it's not funny. If I eat ANY sugary things, even with artificial sweetener, I want MORE AND MORE. If you are truly a sugar addict, cold turkey of all of it is the ONLY way it will work.

I know exactly where you're coming from, because I have a never ending sweet tooth. Don't go cold turkey..it never works. My trick is this: If I want a piece of chocolate or ONE soda a day, I allow myself. Anything on top of that, I must really Really REALLY want it, and I add 5 minutes to my workout. Because lets face it, some days are just that bad.

You should cut out all refined sugars and limit natural sugars (fruit juice, etc.) I think your method of letting go should depend on your personality. I'm a cold turkey, all or nothing person. I know that I can't do a phasing out process. I have no will power so if I eat 1 brownie, I'll just as easily eat 5. You know you best, so you'll have to decide.

Everything in moderation. What I have done is write down everything I put into my mouth for three weeks straight with absolutely no changes to my diet(only issue here is you have to measure everything you do eat). At the end of the 3 weeks figure out your daily and weekly calorie intake and average it, this is your base calories, then using that number remove 200 calories per day from the diet, it could be sugar based, high carb based. Don't remove things that contain actual nutrients like fruits and veggies in the whole form. Even removing 1 can of soda a day will be most of this 200 calories if you drink regular. This combined with either adding a walk around a few blocks a day, a short bike ride, or doing a short exercise dvd should start to remove a pound or two a week and slow and steady will get it off and keep it off. Going cold turkey on one type of food or another usually sets us up for failure and doing odd diets with special names or making someone else rich for their "diet" when the real thing at the end of the day is calories in, calories out, movement are the only things that matter

Okay, well when I was really serious about dieting and working out, which seems like forever ago! ;( I cut out all sugar (except fruit) for 6 days of the week. It was super hard but I was dedicated so it was fine. On the 7th day, it was Sunday for me but you could pick any day you wanted, I pretty much ate all the stuff I craved all week. I'm talking no holding back...soda, candy, ice cream, whatever. I only ate it one day and then Monday I was back on track. I did it for a long time and it worked for me....

However, now I find it unrealistic for my life style. So, to answer your question I think you should go slow, but the key is to do what works for you. If it works to cut it all out, do it, if it doesn't, then don't be unrealistic either. I find that having a "cheat" day keeps me more motivated and honestly, it's good for you body to have that change-up too. I would also suggest experimenting with more whole grains in breads and pastas and limiting treats and soda. I think soda is the gateway drug (LOL!), so I'd say get rid of it completely! ;) Good luck and good for you!

I like, and agree with, what Anne L had to say. Take it slow! For the last 5 years I've been slowing changing what my family and I eat. First I switched from using ground beef to ground turkey to make tacos, lasagna, etc. My family didn't notice! So I moved on to switching from white bread and pasta to whole wheat. Again, they didn't seem to care. Then I went from 2% to 1% milk. My husband could taste the difference at first but adapted quickly.

I'm also a sugar-oholic so that's been the hardest thing to eliminate for me. If a sugary snack item is in the house, I'll probably eat. And I'll admit that its not completely gone from the house but I think that's ok. Most of the time I buy snack foods that I know I don't care for, which insures I won't eat it. So far I've lost 25 lbs in 2 years. Only 15 lbs to go!

If you want to lose just a few pounds cutting out all sugar AND fruit is what you want to do. There is actually a ton of sugar in fruit. Berries are the best for you and lowest in sugar. You should also look at your breads and pastas as side dishes and use sparingly. Check out south beach diet phase 2 for a good example of this.

I've been on a journey to a healther lifestyle. I've taken it slow and have lost 25 pounds (and don't ever want them to find me again). Here are my recommendations, some are similar to other comments.

Start slow. I've changed my eating lifestyle. It's not a fad thing. I eat healthy and exercise.

Losing weight is math. Take in more calories than you exert. In my final last push, I finally started counting calories. It sure opened my eyes!

I'd focus on what you should have. Get in the 4 - 6 servings of fruits and veggies.

Focus on adequate portion sizes. I measure calorie high foods - like salad dressings, peanut butter, raisins, nuts, chips, butter, sour cream. Naked fruits and vegetables are unlimited. You really can only eat so much.

Try to get whole grains when you can - they really are more filling. It was a slow transition, but I'm there now.

I eliminated soda completely - but that took me some time. I've nearly completely eliminated hydrogenated items too.

Pick 1 or 2 things to change. With the exception to soda, elimination of items never seems to stick.

Good luck!

Give yourself limited treats. It's a reward, and it will help you not fall off the wagon and totally binge.
If you're willing to work hard, you deserve that reward!

I'm a big believer in "everything in moderation".

ok let me start by saying is will take about 3 weeks to get use to any change in your diet. that being said I don't think you should cut out anything all together. this leads to failure. being able to enjoy the OCCASSIONAL treat is part of eating a healthy diet

Just 10 lbs by Brad Lamm is a great new book.
HIs principles are sound. I found the things he suggested worked.
Elimate ALL sodas....... Limit the bread and pasta and commercial salad dressings are loaded with calories. Eat more fruits and veggies and snacking is encouraged. Just eat good snacks.

I think you should find something to balance things out ... I like foods out of the Cook Yourself Thin Books (they have great treats and meals) ... my sister LOVES Weight Watchers ... my friend likes to cut out as much as possible but every night has a square of dark chocolate and a cup of rice/soy milk for dessert. I do not agree with cutting out an entire food group but reducing it is good.

Switch the bread to multi whole grain. Still yummy. Keep pasta to a minimum-making the veggies and sauce and salad the biggest portions on the plate with a little bit of noodles. Eat fruit. Have a splash of juice in your WATER. Eat a cookie here and there but not many. Focus on ADDING good food to push out the bad, and don't go weird cold turkey until you're already feeling good and can nip the rest. You're body needs natural sugar from fruit. Dark chocolate is healthy (in moderation, and not within a whole fudge brownie cake)

Cutting sugar is a good thing. Check out transitions lifestyles. It teaches you how to eat low glycemic and enjoy. Will you never eat a cookie again......of course not but it shows you how to lose weight and still live.
:)

I went on a "no sugar, no white flour" diet a few years ago. It was VERY difficult the first week (due to your body's addiction to sugar), but then after that was very easy. I actually did not want sugar or pasta! I lost a ton of weight and it was the best I have ever felt! My husband went on it too. He lost a bunch of weight as well and he has a much slower metabolism than I do. He said it was the best he has ever felt too! I have a chronic illness and due to hospitalization and feeling a bit sorry for myself, started to buy the bad stuff. We both started eating the bad stuff because it was in the house. The problem with that is the more sugar you have, the more your body craves, so after about 6 months, we slowly started back to eating sugar and pasta. The best way to start the diet would be to cut out the sugar and pasta cold turkey. I would love to go back on that diet but it is a bit expensive (no processed foods) and we can't afford it. As soon as our finances even out I am going back on it as well as the rest of my family! Good luck!

Here's what I do/did and when I stick to it I lose weight very easily... make a few absolute rules...

1. No drinking your calories - milk and water only (no soda, no juice, etc)
2. No sweets AT ALL
3. All breads and pastas MUST be whole wheat

You can still eat as much as you want at every meal, and you can still have bread and pasta (I eat TONS of pasta), but they must be whole wheat. You can still have rich, heavy sauces, cheese, butter, etc.

Have lots of fruit around, especially easy-to-eat stuff like grapes. If you're craving sugar, grab some fruit instead. It makes the cravings much easier to deal with.

Good luck!

You asked for simple reads, and my favorite isn't a diet book, it's a fascinating look at food and what exactly food is, but it's also about our entire culture, the paradoxes and trade-offs involved in our food choices, our natural instincts, the corporate food economy, heart disease, diabetes, malnutrition, obesity.

In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan.
http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/

PS, replace starchy-sweet desserts with a couple of Dove dark chocolate.

Definitely get rid of the soda, completely. I did this a month ago and I could tell a huge difference from this simple change! I cannot give up fruit. I literally crave oranges! And I will never be able to give up pasta, but we never eat white breads or any junk food (chips, etc) and it helps a ton. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!