Gave up sugar!!!!

[Deleted member 541]

I've listened to @Tornadic Thoughts for awhile now. She has bitched, moaned, groaned and preached about sugar and all the shit that it causes to our bodies. THANK YOU, for sticking with your preaching!!!! LOL!!!!!!

It takes me awhile and I guess the pain got to a level, that as my thread in the depression forum stated I was close to suicide.

I quit sugar cold turkey 2 weeks ago. Yes, I'm still on Tegretol for the pinched nerve, but the pain level has dropped "considerably" in the past few days. I honestly don't know if it's quitting the sugar or the medication, but I also lost 6lbs, and gained energy so I'm not going to complain.

Has it been hard??? At times yes, I do miss my comfort food. I miss my Carmel swirl coffee at Dunkin Donuts, I miss chocolate, I MISS JELLY BEANS!!!!!!! But, I don't miss the pain...

I also have only had meat in one bowl of soup, so trying very hard to go vegetarian too. Shit, this place is turning me into a earthy crunchy bitch with PTSD!!!!! I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing!!!!

Again, thanks @Tornadic Thoughts for keeping up the preaching to me!!!!!

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

You almost made me spit my apple juice through my nose laughing. lol It's a real bitch to attempt and follow through with, especially with what we're surrounded by on a daily basis, but yeah, the pain is an even bigger bitch. Glad you've found some relief and glad my experiences have helped in some way. May the relief keep coming!

 

[EveHarrington]

Congrats!

I hope you're not subbing in fake sugars! That shit will kill you!

My guess is that it's added sugar as tornadic is still drinking apple juice?

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

My apple juice, especially as of late, is often made fresh from ones picked off the tree in the yard, or from other local trees....or the organic kind purchased in the glass jars in the store with no added sugars.

Artificial sweeteners are extremely toxic, no doubt about it. Avoid that shit like the plague. It sickens me to know doctors/nutritionists/other professionals still advise diabetics, et al, to use that stuff as a healthier replacement. Grrrrr...

When I sweeten recipes now, I typically use real maple syrup (bought locally from the farm where they tap their own trees), or medjool dates, or mangos or other sweet fruits (especially in tomato based dishes), or on occasion, a few drops of organic liquid stevia.

They even add sugar to peanut butter. Gag.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Congratulations @She Cat so happy that your pain levels are reduced and I admire you for quitting sugar completely. I am inspired by you doing this, really wish I could kick it too for the benefits. Not ready yet, I am going for reduced sugar right now, but seriously considering quitting it.

 

[ms spock]

Depending on which country that you live in artificial sugar can be presented under sixty different names.

 

[Deleted member 541]

Hangs head in shame. Yes, I use fake sugar. One thing at a time. Weight loss as of this morning.... 7lbs""""". Yippie for me!!!!

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

(Here I come with more of my so called "preaching"....lol...oh well...at least it's Sunday, ay? lol...now where'd I put that collection plate?? lmao)

The weight loss is encouraging and definitely feels better on the bones, and I'm truly happy for you, but please be careful with the artificial stuff. (colors, sweeteners, flavors, unnamed "natural" flavors, etc.) "Natural" is very misleading, too, when placed on food packaging labels. It's why I choose more whole foods than packaged stuff. Labels101 should be a class every consumer has to take to be able to navigate the bullshit they pass off as food.

It would suck even worse to be feeling so much better only to discover even deeper issues created, or continuing to be built upon through the years until it's made into a bigger issue, by the chemical shit storms known as artificial anything, as I learned had happened to my innards.

I dove into hours and hours of research while I was mostly bed ridden, out of sheer desperation to find answers that none of the professionals seemed to have, that helped paint a much clearer picture of the toxicity, along with the underlying medical stuff that had been misdiagnosed and mislabeled through the years. Not only with the artificial stuff, but also with the meat, dairy, eggs, caffeine, gluten, and alcohol products.

I didn't do the eliminate one thing at a time, though, as I felt my health was at the point of no return if I didn't act immediately and thoroughly regarding my entire lifestyle. I gutted my kitchen of all that shit the very next day. Spending time in the ER helped the urgency of it all hit home a little harder, I think. Eliminating gluten prior to the ER visit had opened my eyes pretty wide to the possibilities of better managing my pain and inflammation via my fork, but the ER trip definitely kicked the rest of it into action.

I don't think I've ever been good at just easing into things as I tend to have to be catapulted into it by necessary urgency. I don't recommend waiting until that's necessary, as it adds a whole lot of extra stress to the scene, but many folks tried to help me not have to wait, either, and we see how well that worked. lol

May your easing into one thing at a time process work well to get and keep you feeling better. Rock on with whatever works best/the healthiest for you, your stress levels, and your innards! High fives for even attempting in the first place!

 

[Deleted member 541]

@Tornadic Thoughts Thanks, and I hear what you are saying. I'm usually a "all or nothing" person. Thus, I quit sugar cold turkey, as I did with cigarettes and drinking. The fake sugar, may take awhile. And I'm still eating processed foods. I'm just not ready to do it all. It's kind of, one thing, cold turkey at a time for me!!,

Yesterday I bought a bunch of frozen veggie burgers. They are not bad. I'm sure you will find issue with them as far as added chemicals and such, but again, it's just one thing at a time for me. I think a lot has to do with my age too. I'll be 64 in less than 3 weeks, I still work and it's a physical job, so I'm old and tired too.......

I may never get to the level you are, but I figure anything is better than the way I was eating!!!!!,

 

[EveHarrington]

Hangs head in shame. Yes, I use fake sugar. One thing at a time. Weight loss as of this morning.......

It's ok! Baby steps!

Really, this is the best way as your body will adjust better, IME. I've done the extreme diet changes many times in my past and my body ALWAYS revolts! This time I'm making gradual changes and not beating myself up for not being perfect. As my guy says, it's all about progress, not perfection!

 

[Crow]

So fantastic!

 

[Justmehere]

I've cut my sugar intake in half over the past year, and I feel much better emotionally and physically. I don't think it's a cure all, but it did help. And I can actually now feel almost an emotional high when I do eat something super duper sugary. By body has redeveloped the sensitity to it. That has been eye opening...

I didn't change fat intake much, maybe perhaps increased it if anything. Good and bad fats. My cholesterol levels have still gone from fairly ok to really good.

I blame all the veggies and fruits I now eat instead of processed sugars. :)