Everyone loves sugar, me included. 10 years ago my daily routine was to wake up, go to work, go straight to the vending machine and pump out 2 energy drinks. Throw them down the hatch and be on my way. I used to enjoy that blast of sugar that woke me up and got me ready for action.
Lunchtime would roll around and I’d grab myself a microwave curry and you guessed it, another energy drink. I thought I was okay eating so much sugar because I was young and exercised often. But I was naive. Furthermore, excessive consumption of sugar and its negative effects weren’t really talked about too much.
We knew eating too much probably wasn’t a good idea but we soldiered on anyway.
But things are different now. We now know eating too much sugar causes weight gain and probably a whole host of other issues for the human body.
A few years ago, I came across something called the keto diet. Now don’t jump off this page yet. I won’t blabber on about the keto diet.
The reason I bring this up, in case you didn’t know, is because the keto diet is essentially a diet where you avoid all sugar, replacing that energy source with fat instead. I won’t go into detail about how it works here but it got me thinking as I scrolled across different diets online.
After all, I was at a point where I’d got a bit chubby. And that was weird for me. It was the first time I’d seen myself keep getting bigger and I wanted to to lose weight. Age maybe? Sitting down all day maybe?
Buckets of sugar every day maybe? Most likely…
I couldn’t see myself only eating fats and meats for the rest of my life but it got me thinking about how much sugar I actually ate on an average day or an average week. Because here’s the thing, most of us have no idea. Most of us don’t read labels and most of us don’t even know how much sugar we should be aiming for each day.
For example, in the UK, the recommended daily allowance of sugar is 30g. In the US, the RDA is under 50g. But most of us are eating way above that.
That’s because sugars are hidden in almost everything you see on supermarket shelves. And usually, these aren’t the kind of sugars you think of, the typical table sugar you find in your kitchen.
There’s more than one type and that leads me to an important point which I have to talk about before I tell you “how I quit sugar and never looked back.”
Not all sugar is equal and you never completely quit
It’s impossible to avoid all sugars unless you go full-flown keto, eating only fats and meats. When people say “I quit sugar” they usually mean they quit putting table sugar in their coffee or no longer eat sweets.
What they don’t realise is that all sugars aren’t created equal. It’s easy to avoid the obvious stuff but much harder if you then don’t read the labels of everything you eat.
- Table sugar = sucrose made of glucose + fructose.
- Fructose = a simple sugar found in plants and fruit
- High fructose corn syrup = corn starch broken down into individual molecules + enzymes creating a very sweet liquid that can be added to almost anything
High fructose corn syrup is a mass-produced, human-designed, highly processed type of sugar and if you start flipping over the packaging of everything you buy, you’ll see it’s in the ingredients 90% of the time.
Now, a little bit here and there isn’t going to make you fat and unhealthy but the point is it’s hidden in so many things. So whilst you might look at the sugar content of your food, you might miss the sugar that’s been added in the form of high fructose corn syrup, the super-charged, man-made version of sugar.
And as WebMD will tell you, too much fructose is dangerous for your liver. Fructose is a unique sugar in the sense that only your liver has the ability to metabolise it whereas sucrose can be converted into glucose (for energy) almost anywhere in your body.
So this means that too much fructose can overwhelm your liver leading to obesity, fatty liver and diabetes. This is not a good sugar to get too much of if you ask me. Find out more about the dangers of too much corn syrup here where Dr. Axe does a great job detailing them.
So how did I quit sugar?
So I haven’t quit all sugar, not technically, just the nasty added sugars that I don’t think should be in food in the first place, and this is where it counts. I still eat natural sugar, the kind you find in fruits. And my body understands how to break those ones down and they provide me with a great source of energy. But I don’t overdo it.
Before I go into what the benefits of quitting sugar have been, here are the steps and habits that have allowed me to stay off it for the long term.
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1. I went cold turkey
People will tell you that you need to gradually reduce your sugar intake when quitting sugar but from my experience, I don’t think that’s always the case at all…
In my case, I came off sugar cold turkey. No more sweets or fizzy drinks. I ripped the band-aid off pretty hard and it certainly wasn’t easy. But then again, nothing that’s worth doing is easy.
I did have cravings for sweet things for the first 3 days but after that, they went away, especially when I ate some fruit, for example.
The whole aim of quitting sugar was to reset my brain and learn that I didn’t actually need sweet treats at all to get by. Going cold turkey taught me that I used to treat myself a little too much.
I would say things like, “I’ll just have a couple of cookies because I’ve been good today.”
But we all know that this can quickly become a bad habit and you start “treating yourself” more and more and usually you don’t even realise you’re doing it. Before you know it you’ve eaten six cookies and you’re asking yourself “Where did it all go wrong?”
Going cold turkey also taught me that I am more disciplined than I realised. I didn’t need to eat a bunch of junk or guzzle an energy drink to feel awake and energetic. I just did it because it was fun and because I could. Once I drew the line in the sand, it allowed me to create a boundary that I have stuck to ever since.
I think it’s great having a boundary because it means you have something to commit to and it’s much easier to stay away from the thing you’re trying to avoid. And the key word is ‘commitment’. To quit something like sugar, you have to make a commitment to yourself.
If you don’t, you’re easily swayed when your eyes lock onto that doughnut in the bakery window.
2. I acted like my own parent
Do you remember the days when your parents would tell you things like, “No, you can’t have those sweets or you’ll ruin your dinner.”
Well, going cold turkey from sugar made me realise how as we get older, we have to become our ‘own parents’.
That’s because your parents aren’t going to make your food choices for you when you’re a thirty-year-old adult. At some point, you have to take over. And this isn’t always easy. Mostly because food is more available to you at any moment during the day. Want some candy? No one is stopping you, buddy!
Acting like a responsible parent to myself helped me in times when I wanted to cave in and buy a bar of chocolate. The parent that I became wasn’t overly strict, just sensible and was looking out for my best interests.
And I have found this method a good way to build self-discipline. Rather than relying on willpower, ask yourself in times of temptation, “What would I say to myself if I were my own responsible parent right now?”
You’ll hopefully get an answer that points you in the right direction.
3. I planned what else I would eat instead
Planning is so important if you’re going to quit sugar. If you’re used to eating sugary foods all day and you don’t plan what you’re going to eat instead, you’re going to come unstuck. Worst still, you might go too far the other way, stuff your face with salads, get fed up and then crash, causing you to run back to soda and chocolate.
I decided to make all of my own meals full of whole foods and stop making excuses as to why “I didn’t have the time to do it.” Another thing I learned when quitting sugar was how much rubbish I was full of for so long. There really never was an excuse not to eat something healthier, I just had bad habits and didn’t want to admit it to myself.
Making my own meals meant I was in full control. It meant I knew for sure there weren’t any added man-made sugars invading my plates.
And again, I was okay with the natural sugars in the raw ingredients I was using.
But one of the biggest benefits of eating mostly whole foods is that they are incredibly filling. That means they keep you fuller for longer allowing you to stay away from snacking.
4. I became mindful of snacking
Most of my sugar consumption came in the form of snacks. After all, most people don’t have a bar of chocolate for dinner. Or do they??
If you’re going to quit sugar, you have to be aware of snacking. It’s those occasions when you’re between meals when the chocolate starts to look really appealing. I’m sure you’ve had those occasions where you’re out and about and you “just need a little snack.” You’re stomach is rumbling and you’re far away from a kitchen and a frying pan.
Unfortunately, those snacks are usually in the form of candy. And they’re darn good. They “fill a hole” for half an hour until your next meal. This is when sugar gets you, in times of ‘weakness’.
Most of us snack so planning your snacks is vital, otherwise you’ll probably be easily led astray by sweet chocolaty goodness. For me, this came in the form of finding healthy snacks to have throughout the day. Having foods me like fruits and nuts on me became as vital as having a spare tyre in my trunk.
I always make sure I keep a snack like this in my bag to help me in times of random hunger pangs. Not only are they nutritious but they take the edge off when I’m feeling really hungry and susceptible to sugar.
Because you never know when these random feelings of hunger will strike. So planning snacks between meals has helped to stop me from picking up sugary foods on the go and has probably been one of the most vital aspects of helping me quit sugar and stay away from it.
5. I never went shopping hungry
Leading on from the last point, this is something that will easily trip you up and cause you to make bad decisions when it comes to grabbing sugary junk. One thing I learnt pretty early on was to never go shopping hungry. I don’t know about you, but I always snatch off the shelves things I wouldn’t normally eat when I shop hungry. It’s a situation where I’m ravenous for sugar, sugar and more sugar just to get a quick dopamine fix.
This is quite a simple tip but I think it’s worth mentioning.
6. I was strategic with meals out
One of the biggest roadbloacks when it comes to quitting sugar is meals out at restaurants. Sometimes those are sprung upon you and you have to think fast. But most of the time they are planned occasions like work meals or a night out with your partner.
The problem with meals at restaurants is you don’t usually have any idea how much sugar has been used in the sauces. One thing I did that allowed me to get around this was to look at the menu online prior to going or failing that, asking the chef what was in the sauces. Most of the time you can get a very tasty meal with whole foods and suaces containing low sugar.
Of course, I skipped desserts when it came to meals out but then again I’m not much of a ‘dessert person’. If you are, you’ll have to rely on self-discipline to avoid those tasty cheesecakes.
7. Avoided sodas like the plague
I was tempted to put this next tip under point 4, “I became mindful of snacking” but to be honest I think it really deserves it’s own spot. That’s because I have a real bone to pick with soda drinks. I drank a lot of this junk growing up and didn’t twice. Now I’m a little bit older I’ve come to learn just how bad they are for you and it’s not just the sugar count that makes you sick and overweight.
The sugar in one can of Cola for example comes out to 35g. That’s insane. Diet Cola has 0g of sugar but the diet version has a powerful punch of ‘aritifical sweeteners’ which contains god-only-knows-what.
The point is, soda can nuke your body with a sugar bomb in just a few gulps, tipping you way over your RDA of sugar.
So one thing I was mindful of was staying away from soda in general. Maybe I’m getting old and sour but there really is no benefit in drinking soda when it comes to your health.
I know some people turn towards artitical sweetners but I saty way clear of them too. It’s kind of like eating lab-made meat after you go vegan. This study found that regularly using artifical sweeteners led to an increase in cardiovascular disease in 9% of pariticipants. Of course, no study is perfect but I just feel like it’s a good idea to use the least amount of “artifical food susbtances.”
So how long have I been off sugar?
I’ve now quit sugar for roughly two years. That might sound crazy to some people but I no longer find it difficult. Have there been road bumps along the way? For sure. I’ve slipped back and eaten something sugary from time to time, usually around the festive time of year. But the point is, it’s no longer something I feel the urge to eat.
I can take it or leave it and 99% of the time I leave it. And this is the key…
If you eat a sugary treat once a month, it’s going to have next to no bad effects like a daily bad habit would.
In fact, I no longer crave sugar Because here’s the thing…when you remove something from your life like sugar for long enough, you get used to it. I’m a big believer that your tastebuds change. And I know that mine have. The only time I now crave something sugary is when I drink alcohol. So I try to limit that as much as possible but also because that usually has sugar itself.
These days I’m still cooking my own meals and preparing my own snacks. I stay away from environments where I’m exposed to sugary foods and it’s not easy but once you no longer crave it, it’s easy to say “No thanks.”
Sometimes you simply can’t escape sugary treats though. For example, there are plenty of treats that get brought into work. And people grab handfuls at a time. But these days I no longer even want to eat those sweet treats because I remind myself they are not ‘treats’ at all.
They’re not doing me any favours. They exist only to make me want more of them and to be honest, I get a bit of a kick whenever I say “No thanks.”
It reminds me that I am control and am stronger than any temptations that might come my way.
The benefits of quitting sugar
I have experienced many benefits from quitting sugar. Here are the main ones;
- Gave me more control over my diet – quitting sugar gave me a great sense of control and discipline over what I allowed in my mouth. I no longer felt like I was controlled by the external, completely at its whim.
- Made me realise I am capable of setting boundaries – every day we’re bombarded with the offer of sweet treats not only literally by other people but also by the constant exposure of them in stores. Quitting made me learn that I was capable of setting boundaries, even in a world where it seems impossible to say “No”.
- Stopped crazy energy crashes – I no longer have crazy energy peaks and dips throughout the day. In fact, my energy is pretty consistent. I used to slump over in the afternoons. These days, I’m much more awake.
- My skin improved – There’s no doubt I was a bit spotty before quitting sugar because my skin quickly cleared up once I ditched it. These days I rarely get any flare-ups at all and that’s quite amazing after years of spots that would come and go regularly.
How you can start
If you want to quit sugar and never look back, you have to take one small step first. In my view, that means not allowing the junk into your home in the first place. Whenever you’re trying to build a healthy habit you have to create the right environment for yourself to thrive.
Just don’t pick the junk up. Make a shopping list. Download this free meal planner including a shopping list template and recipe card and make sure you download the food diary template at the bottom of the page. Then start planning meals throughout your week. Decide what snacks you think you would like, even if they contain low amounts of natural sugars.
Stick to the course and over the weeks you’ll feel better and it will become easier. If you have a mishap, don’t beat yourself up. After all, the odds are stacked against you. Just don’t let eating sugar all day become a bad habit again. Tomorrow, start again.
Give yourself a week to begin with
If you can go a week without sugar you can get rid of your cravings. l might have been lucky. After 3 days I didn’t crave anything sweet anymore. But try and give yourself a week without sugary treats. If you can do that, you can quit sugar for good. And once you can do a week, you can do too and then three and then a whole month.
If you have a setback, don’t worry. Quitting sugar is really difficult in today’s sugar-soaked world. Just start again tomorrow because you’ve got it in you to do it.
To help you along your way, you can download the below free food diary template to keep tabs on your progress.
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Sean C is a writer, passionate about improving one’s self by maintaining healthy habits and doing the things that make life more meaningful.
