Have you ever tried to give up sweets entirely? If so were you successful? I have been trying to stay away from them for the most part for several years now. There have been times I have given up because it is just so hard to say no, but I have always regretted every bite at some point and gone back to a diet of little to no added sugar. One thing I notice is that sugar puts weight on me faster than anything else. Even if my caloric intake does not increase, sugar seems to slow my metabolism and cause water retention. When I quit eating sugar, I seem to drop several pounds in a few days without trying. Just by avoiding sugar, I seem to be between 5 and 8 pounds lighter without making any other efforts to control my calories. As a dancer that is very important to me because staying slim and healthy means less strain on my joints and lower risk of injury.
I've done it before. It takes my body a full 2 weeks without any sugar to really cut out the cravings and the withdrawal effects altogether. Ever since having children though, it seems like my body refuses to put on weight (weird, I know) so right now I'm just allowing myself to be addicted to sugar. It probably isn't helping my energy, but as long as I can do it without the side effect of weight gain, I kind of feel like I should enjoy it while it lasts, you know?
Sometimes I can cut back or eliminate for a spell. Maybe two weeks is the longest I have done without white sugar. Pineapple juice or apple sauce are great baking substitutes. Agave nectar or honey are good for certain drinks. Right now, I have KIND bars to kill sweet cravings and satisfy my protein intake. Most of the time, I've found that staying away from the TV helps curb salt/sugar cravings for most people.
I've done something similar to this but with just certain items. I can tell you that it is really hard to not eat sweets when you love cookies and chocolate. The one thing I do no fore sure is that when you stop eating sweets. If you try to eat something like Oreos or something then you have a different "taste" for it. It literally taste bad if you aren't use to eating sweets or other "bad" foods.
I am not really fond of sweets. Ever since I was little, I only eat a few slices or scoops of desert because sweet things make my throat hurt. Still, I do not think that I can give up sweets entirely because life would be a lot sadder.
I have cut back before with moderate success for relatively short spurts of time (maybe a month at the longest) but I end up getting back into it so easily and then it seems even harder to stop. It's strange to realize how much you feel dependent on something like that, trying to cut out sweets and caffeine is incredibly hard.
I'm not big on sugar, but it's really not that hard to give up when you consider just how bad overconsumption of sugar can be. I'd rather eat other unhealthy things, like excess red meat. It tastes better. Seriously, though, kicking sugar isn't too hard once you've established a lack of sugar as the norm and a habit. You really won't find yourself craving it after that initial period of shock where your body is like, "Where's all the sugar?"
I have tried this before and I was successful at it, and I've even carried over many of the newly acquired habits I got from that time such as staying off sodas. Fortunately for me I was never really that much of a fan of sweets or desserts so it wasn't that hard for me, but there was a time I was addicted to sodas and juices though so I'm very proud of myself for getting past that.
I can't say that I've tried this before, and I don't think it's really all too healthy to cut sugar out of your diet entirely. The key lies in eating in moderation, eating a small cube of chocolate for dessert shouldn't do you any harm. The biggest source of sugar in people's diet is probably soft drinks, if anything I would cut down on their consumption and replace it with plain water/unsweetened tea altogether.
People who love eating sweet are generally the people who are sweet and the ones you could really rely on. I wonder if abstaining from sweets would make you change your traits also. I tried to avoid eating sweets because I feared that I was at the verge already of getting diabetic. During the time, I felt like everyone around was an annoyance. I got irritated easily and I didn't want to be with the people. It was hard; and I didn't like it. So, I think I would never ever go back to avoiding sweet foods. Instead, I would just take it under control which is always the best.
No, I have been stranded in places where I could not get any sweets and I survived. It wasn't the eating it was the knowing I could have them if I wanted to. It may have been good for me, but I wouldn't give them up, but know that I don't need them as much as I thought i did. Now I stock up if I know I will be somewhere remote. I can live without them, but they are a nice treat and life is too short to deprive yourself. A little every now and then is fine in my book.
Giving up sweets is hard but it is all for a good reason. I started my fitness journey about two years. Since 4 years old, I was athletic and in shape. Then life gets in the way, college, late nights, bad food choices, limited exercise. Once i began the fitness journey, I stuck to it. Cutting out the bad foods and the sweets. Now I feel better than ever, and things can only go up from here.
