Congratulations!

But, I Am confused as to what you stopped eating. It seems like desserts?

I too am having a but of a struggle with a few pounds, which make a difference for me because of my small frame.

Portion control is always key.

Also tiny bites can add up too, DH live Whole Foods brown butter chocolates chip cookies. One cookie is 380 calories, so even just nibbling can add up.

I really miss WW, but the new location does not work for me. It's important to keep focused.

Hi eld. Yes, I stopped eating desserts. I almost always had something sweet after a meal - usually a small bowl of ice-cream. I also make home made lemon or limeade daily and it has almost 3/4 of a cup of sugar in it. I put a spoon of sugar in my tea or coffee in the morning. Other sources of added sugar for me were: home made salad dressings, syrup on pancakes or waffles, ketchup and other sauces, things like muffins or cinnamon buns on a weekend, home made granola, etc. It just sort of finds its way into my diet in ways I wasn't mindful of (and, honestly, don't really miss).

ETA: I've tried portion control, exercise, WW, intermittent fasting, etc., but these all felt like a struggle for me. The sugar has been the easiest diet change I've tried. For me, 30 days is not significant enough to make a solid judgement, but it's been easy enough and the rewards enough for me to keep going.

Congratulations on a healthy change and on the losses! 4-5 lb in a month is significant!

I think the biggest accomplishment -- especially in the first 30 days-- is becoming aware of where all you are introducing sugar to your diet. It's easy to spot sugar in desserts and your coffee drinks but I think a lot of us lose sight of how much sugar we're consuming in seemingly "healthy" foods.

I had dental surgery (and have another coming up in Feb).. and I have been very concerned about the changes in my diet. I am a little beyond soft foods but not yet able to chomp on a stalk of broccoli or al dente vegetables at all. I am eating a LOT of carbs and a lot of vegetables cooked to mush. I also have an increased love of sweets-- which is unusual for me. I have lost weight but I expect it to turn around to the scale creeping up before this is all done. I made a note to do the 30-day no sugar challenge when this is all done. I will be curious to see how you do in the months to come. Please keep us posted!

One thought... have you considering switching to a bread with a higher glycemic index? Not sure of your taste preferences, but a whole grain or sour dough would both convert to sugar much more slowly.

Again, congrats!

The less you eat stars and salts, the more you start to it naturally in foods.

I work in sensory for a market research company, It's surprising how you can detect salt in cookies and sugar in crackers.

Good for you! You are correct about the converting to sugar on breads and some fruits fairly quickly. However I think that is moot as all carbohydrates convert to glucose in the body. Protein does too, but much more slowly. A key item to loosing weight a slower rise in the glucose and less insulin needed, as well as of course not over-eating. A spike in glucose no matter how fast or slow needs a larger amount of insulin than a slow and small rise. The problem I've found with the GI index is that whole grain breads and oatmeal (rolled, steel cut) that are supposedly low GI just takes longer to release, but still require a massive amount of insulin, just like sugar does, so switching to those may not benefit you as much as you think. I would note that this seems to be the case for most grains for me as a type 1 diabetic. However, fruits behave differently and there is a wide range of behavior there. Apples is a good example. Granny Smith apples are such that I can steal a slice from my daughter and eat and I don't have to take any insulin, but a slice from any other apple requires insulin. Just talking a slice as I don't ever have more of the Granny Smith and I avoid other apples because I don't feel like figuring out the timing of the insulin or have to give massive doses of it. I prefer to eat things to reduce the amount of insulin I take as I notice as soon as my insulin needs are up I also start to gain weight and I do not overeat.

Daisy, I'm glad to hear that eliminating sugar is working for you! Recently I had the opposite problem, weight loss creep. I was feeling fine and my eating habits hadn't changed, but I was concerned. All the tests at my doc's came back without issue. At the time I didn't have a bathroom scale and wasn't weighing myself. I generally go by how my clothes fit. So it was maybe two years since I'd weighed myself. It's also two years since I started exercising 30 minutes a day, everyday without fail. I'm 76 so it's not a strenuous gym workout, but it's a zippy walk. I didn't expect anything except a happier body and sense of well-being. I really think it's got my metabolism consuming more calories. Anyway, I've put a few pounds back on (e.g., eating pumpkin pie with abandon). I think daily exercise is important.

It seems to be true that once you drastically reduce salt or sugar, you are more aware of it in appearing in foods. DH will call something out for being too salty or sweet, when I don’t notice it. DH never adds sugar (he made cranberry sauce this week and it was inedibly tart) but he eats a lot of carbs, in bread and grains, so he has not lost weight.

Wine is my nemesis on this. I am addicted to warm mulled wine in the colder months. For years, I drank hot tea, straight, no sugar. But then I developed a chronic urinary tract condition and had to cut it out. My weight has suffered. I think I am going to try drinking tea again, the bladder condition seems to have abated somewhat. Sugar and salt not so great for the urinary tract either. I've had luck with salt but not sugar . . . I don't eat deserts but like something sweet with my coffee, which I drink every day. I tried just plain coffee, I really don't like it. Ironically coffee does not irritate my urinary tract, which seems counter-intuitive, but that's how it went. So I became a coffee and sweets addict . . . that's the only time I eat sweets. But now, I stress eat something terrible! The cold winter months are killing me, both figuratively and probably literally. I can't afford all new clothes, I've got to do something. I used to exercise every day at the senior center, but since I live in covid ground central, not going to risk it. I need to create an exercise space where I can go and work out when I'm feeling stressed!!

I believe the timing of food is almost as important as the food, itself. The ”program” we started in late August 2019, Uses timing (5 hours between any meal, ZERO calories after 6:30 pm), to allow the pancreas to rest. This contradicts 3 meal, 2 snack programs, which keeps the blood glucose and insulin production up, which in turn causes resistance. It also causes the liver to never get a rest.

I tested it…sat ON my rear for 3 months ( I am normally very active, but during this test period, I only did minimal chores, and often never hit 8000 steps, much less my normal 18,000). I lost 1/3 lb per day average, which was amazing to me, for I was a 61 year old with seemingly zero metabolism. I lost 60 lbs easily, and kept it off fairly easily until the vaxxination stress got to me, and I hit the peanut butter cups like an addict!!

So, I am back ON, with only 9 lbs of damage. Drinking water, water, water. Chewing on gum whenever I leave the house, so I don’t stop at a store for ” you-know-whats”!!

We eat ZERO grains, ZERO potatoes….basically meat and vegetables.

I am mostly carnivore 80-90% of the time. I know, no hate, but I have been doing this for a few years now and it is the only thing that keeps me not craving sugar. Salt is good for carnivore though. I also do Intermittent Fasting and although at times I have something with dinner guests etc I think that keeps me in check.

There is a diner I go to for liver and onions, harvard beets and small dinner side salad with garlic dressing twice a week (sometimes get it to go) for the nutrition I would lack, since organ meat gives you so much nutrition. So, twice a week I have some veggies. I happen to LOVE liver and onions!! But, the rest of the week, I normally just have hubby grill me a ribeye steak-with A1 sauce most of the time-nothing else. In doing that with a glass of wine a couple of times a week, I stay pretty good.

I workout at gym 3-4 times a week with weights. I walk our dog twice a day-short walk in the morning and a longer one after dinner. I HATE this Time Change though-trying to fit everything in before dark is kind of stressful!

I’m basically carnivore. It’s the only way I can control my carb and sugar cravings, as well as hunger. It also keeps me from having to take pain relievers everyday for joint pain.

I lost 50 lbs aeons ago by exercising a ton. I could not eat fewer calories as my hypoglycemia would act up so I've always had to eat the same number of calories. The exercise took all but 25 lbs of my weight off but the intermittent fasting has kept it off for me. I know it is different for everyone.

I have probably had the no sugar challenge for the last 40 years. I am finally reintroducing some refined sugar into my diet. It is fun to have a piece of licorice or a cookie every so often.

Luckily the intermittent fasting has continued to help me maintain my weight since reintroducing a sweet or two into my diet..

I still don't know how I am ever going to lose the last 25 lbs which my body is stubbornly hanging on to. I exercise the ton to lose the first 50 lb but I not sure I have that in me still.

Very interested in this discussion. Weight isn't an issue for me but during the COVID shutdown I stopped drinking alcohol (wine) and 'white' food: bread, rice, potatoes, pasta etc. I figured those weren't particularly nutritious anyway and with a more regular exercise habit my 60+ YO body has felt better and I actually lost the pooch belly I thought was just part of life.

However my sweet tooth is my dietary Achilles heel. I don't eat a lot but I do eat sugary stuff regularly. And with a family history and predilection to diabetes not to mention the inflammatory properties of sugar...I have a nagging sense I should cut way back. I definitely get sugar highs/lows and have cut back on morning pastry type sweets. Still chug a glass of OJ first thing before my oatmeal and coffee (sweetened with Stevia).... I know, I know it is basically a glass of sugar water!

I think I'll try dropping the nightly dessert cookie (only one but I never skip it LOL). Eliminating or at least lessening my sugar intake is a pretty good health resolution so thank you daisychain for starting the conversation.

Oh my, running, I’d drop the OJ before dropping the cookie!

DH and I started following Mark Hyman’s pegan diet in March and have stuck with most of it, most of the time, though we’ve had periods where we’ve gone off the rails a bit. The big aspects we have been religious about: almost no added sugar, almost no pasta, almost no bread. Very little dairy. Occasional beer or wine but not much. (We had gotten into a covid-times craft beer habit.) We just don’t have any junk food or sweets in the house. However, maybe once every 3-4 weeks, one of us will stop at a bakery and bring home two treats, like 2 cupcakes or whatever. So our sweet treats are like Events instead of daily occurrences.

One thing we always have is dark chocolate. I have a small amount most nights after dinner.

I think DH has lost about 20 lbs and I am down about 10-12. Oh, we also got a Peloton last Jan which has made a difference esp for DH, who hadn’t really exercised in about 30 years!

The 30 Day Sugar Challenge certainly must make a difference. Nice to hear what you all are doing to curb the pounds and overall be healthier. Right now I am trying not to let the sugar monster get out of control. The older I get, the more I crave sugar and with all the holiday treats it is hard to eat as I should. Just trying to balance the indulgent food with more healthy choices. I was om WW for 1 1/2 years, that helped me lose a few pounds and maintain. Unfortunately I had problems with the phone app dying on me, so I just stopped. Probably not the best choice. The beginning of October I had a very bad ankle/foot sprain that I am still having problems with, but I am back walking 1 mile a couple times a week. Preinjury, I walked 3 miles a day along with weights. So I am sure the low volume of excercise is not helping my cravings either, not to mention my muscle tone.

Anyway, I am planning on going back on Weight Watchers in January, it has worked the best for me in controling sugar and carb consumption, while allowing me to feel good.

@Sueb20 your diet sounds good and that is what I try to do, but I will admit it is hard, because I like the white stuff!! I have a terrible sweet tooth. You are so right - don't keep it in the house! That is what I have to do. I agree with you and Indigo Rose, you have to treat yourself at times.

We like meat and we eat meat, although not daily. If you have any history of heart disease or heart issues, you might want to think about eating so much meat.

Sometimes its just. so. hard!

Just thought I would post an update for anyone interested.

I ate some sugar over the holidays in December, but no where near what I would have normally eaten during Christmas.

The big surprise was that I noticed that my joint pain (knees and neck) returned when I reintroduced the sugar and got better after a week of stopping sugar again. This is enough for me to continue although I'm not as strict with banning all sugar. I'll add a teaspoon to salad dressings, pancake mix, etc.

I didn't lose any more weight, but didn't gain which I usually do over the holidays and winter season in general.

I was kiind of down because I thought maybe I had found my magic weight loss bullet. I still felt really motivated to lose weight and looked into the IF again. I have tried this off and on over the years and lost a few pounds or maintained a set weight. However, I had followed the more moderate approach of still having some low fat milk in my morning tea and would often take vitamins in the am.

Since January, I've been doing 16/8 IF quite strictly and following most meals with at least ten minutes of movement (walking, vacumming, anything other than sitting down). As of this morning, I've lost 7 lbs. I'm trying not to get too excited about this, but it is the first time I've been able to lose that much weight without feeling like I'm torturing myself. I still have 15 lbs to go to reach my goal weight, so still have a long haul, but I'm tentatively optimistic.

I follow this youtuber and her experience was 3 lbs a month. I can't find her video that showed her IF journey, but I'll keep looking. I found it really inspirational and doable. She is this weird combo of regular joe and the pursuit of perfection which makes me like her (but sometimes not).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHA0pH4gbo8

I know from experience, that what works for one person, may not work for another, but just thought I'd share my journey so far in case it helps anyone else.

Daisy, that’s very interesting about sugar and joint pain.

a few friends have mentioned the IF as we’ve negotiated times to meet for dinner.

congrats and i hope this keeps working for you.

Sugar leads to imflamation in the body, that is probably the source for your joint pain. Good for you for doing so well with cutting sugar. Sweets are my weakness but I have cut down. We WILL, however, be having dessert for Valentine' Day! Magnesium seems to be helping me some with the sugar cravings. IF is pretty much my way of eating as I do not like eating in the mornings. My eating window is 11 - 7 (or later in warm weather). We are late-nighters, so it works for me.

Please keep us updated! Your success is inspiring!

Tina Marie, I have a friend who is an immunologist and that's exactly what she said about the pain. I've been taking magnesium, too. I didn't know it impacted cravings. Interesting. My lunch hour at work is 1130-1200, so I'm on a similar schedule to you. I'm not a huge breakfast eater either so this works pretty well for me.

Lisaam, funny about eating out. We are just coming out of lockdown, so it hasn't been an issue for us - yet. Trying to get friends to eat early dinner will not make me popular, that's for sure. I appreciate the encouragement. Re-reading my comment, I sound pretty calm, but I'm kind of over the moon about this. Even 7 pounds has made a huge difference in clothing I can wear and how I feel. I just don't want to be disappointed if it turns out to be an aberration.

Congratulations on your success!, Daisy! Several months ago I was given an insulated beverage container that keeps water ice cold (my preference) for hours and I'm surprised at how much more I've been drinking. I'm not sure if it's the water or a mindset change but sweets don't call to me as they used to (I was fairly disciplined about what and how much sugar I consumed but now I'm not even tempted. I never thought I'd hear myself say that!). I don't weigh myself often as my diet and exercise program are fairly consistent but I hopped on the scale the other day and noted a 13 lb loss in perhaps the past 8 months or so. The only real change I can think of is more water and less sugar. I'm curious to know how water fits into your (and others) routine.

That's interesting, whatsayyou. I am always trying to up my water consumption, but my work makes it really hard - especially having to wear a mask all day. Your post reminded me that one of my errands today is to get a Brita to keep in the fridge at work. What brand is your container and how much does it hold?

I'm so glad for you.! Weight loss is a thing and keeping it off is even more of a thing.

I practice intermittent fasting as well.

I don't eat anything between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on work days.

On days off I generally start eating at around 11:30 am or there abouts. I don't lose weight but I don't gain weight despite the fact that I eat a ton during eating time.

Unfortunately my hypoglycemia goes nuts if I don't eat a certain number of calories in the day. It makes it very very hard to lose weight though. Everybody including me is still surprised that I was able to do it to get to the weight I am now.

I just sincerely wish I could figure out how to lose the rest. Even though I worked many many hours I did not lose weight. I could not cut back on the calories or I would get dizzy and black spots before my eyes. Luckily though I haven't fainted in years. I always have a can of sardines in the car and as I force myself to eat those the dizzy spells go away quickly.

Daisy, mine is 16oz but no brand name as it was a promotional item for conference attendees. It looks similar to this one on Amz:

SUNWILL 20oz Tumbler with Lid, Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Double Wall Travel Tumbler, Durable Insulated Coffee Mug, Powder Coated Navy, Thermal Cup with Splash Proof Sliding Lid

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yeonnassky, your condition adds a whole nother level to trying to maintain/lose weight. So frustrating to work so hard for few results.

Thanks, whatsayyou! All the water fountains are still shut at work due to C. and the water that comes out of the taps is warm and gross. Something big like that, that holds the cold would be perfect.

Congratulations on your success, Daisy! I've been practicing IF for about 5 years, and it works for me.

Water intake is difficult for me, simply because I forget to drink as much as I should. Whatsayyou, that's a great strategy.

Thank you Daisychain! Every pound was a struggle to get off. However I am very proud of myself that I lost the first 50 lbs. The last 25 pounds however has refused to budge for the last 8 years! Grrrrr! Can you tell I'm an optimist for the most part? I'm still hoping for a miracle.

Forgot to say Yes! water is a big part of my diet necessities. I admit that occasionally I buy bottled water. But mostly I keep a jug of filtered water in the fridge when I am at home.