Any advice on how to stop eating sugar?

I'm watching this thread because I have the exact same problem.

I found the atkins treats and snacks in the pharmacy aisle. They satisfy the need to chocolate without the full out sugar. It helped me wean down to a point I could go cold turkey.

I think if you cut back on processed foods in general you eliminate a lot of sugar from your diet. I changed up my diet last year. For breakfast I'll eat an eggs, cottage cheese, and a piece of fruit. I make steel cut oats and put a bit of vanilla Greek yogurt on top to sweeten it. I buy bread that doesn't have a lot of sugar in it. I buy peanut butter in the refrigerated section that doesn't have any sugar. I read labels when buying things like pasta sauce. When I buy groceries I wash and prep my fruits and veggies so they are easy things to grab for snacking. I don't drink pop. I drink a lot of water. I lost 15 pounds in less than three months doing those things. I've kept it off too. I weigh myself every single day. A lot of people think that sounds like a terrible thing to do, but it holds me accountable. If I overdo it one day, I get back on track the next day.

I think it is like stopping smoking---you just have to mentally decide to stop and then taper off and stop.
No magic for it, I don't think.

I think it might need a little planning, I would write down everything I eat that has sugar in it for a few days, then I would write out substitutes of what you will eat instead and make sure you stock your house with them...

It works best for me to stop cold turkey. If I eat sugar, I want more sugar and seem to have no awareness of the fact that I already had sugar that day.

I do Trim Healthy Mama and there are a lot of on plan dessert recipes (and some store bought things) that are low carb. Having some of those around in the week that I stop sugar is very helpful in at least satisfying the sweet taste and psychological cravings for chocolate.

I watched the Magic Pill a few weeks ago and it made me want to give up sugar and processed food. It's a work in progress and I should watch it again to help me regain focus.

Good luck!!

I find it easiest to follow something like Whole30 for 30 days.

I literally counted down the days at the beginning, planned my meals and it became much easier after the first week. You do need to be mentally ready to make the commitment but there is so much sugar hidden everywhere that, for me, a cold turkey approach was the best way to do it.

I just found meal ideas/recipes on Pinterest and didn't spend any money on it. 

Most Keto treates are sweatened with Monk Fruit powder and is made from the Monk Fruit with nothing added.

I really dislike artificial sweeteners so I only would drink pop with real sugar. When I was ready to cut that out a couple years ago, I still wanted/craved the fizz more than the sugar. There are times when flat water just doesn’t cut it for me. I switched to unsweetened flavored sparkling water that also has no calories or sodium. It was a bit of an adjustment for sure, but I now actually really like it and prefer it.

Try some different brands and flavors, some have more flavor than others. I really like Bubly peach and grapefruit, Curate strawberry pineapple, La Croix key lime, black cherry and cran-raspberry the best. Even my 9yo likes the peach.

My game plan when I changed my eating/fitness lifestyle was to plan for success. I KNOW I was addicted to sugar so I made sure I had things available to eat that I would want that still seemed like a treat to me. Skinny pop popcorn is my friend. Lol. I also make these protein energy balls that remind me of a cookie except they are healthy and I can pop one of those and think I am getting a treat. Once I was off the sugar (didn’t take long to detox) I found I truly wasn’t as interested in more. Except sometimes. Lol. Then I really want it! I allow myself to have some things in small portions if I really want it. No foods are off limits to me and so for me it helps to know I “can” have it- but just some, and I’m fine with that now compared to the amount I used to consume. I’ve lost 36 pounds so it’s working for me so far and I wouldn’t have thought it possible based on my lovvvveee for sugar and white carbs.

Oh I remembered another strategy I used that might not be for everyone! Lol I would buy some kind of treat that I didn’t really like that much (I used ice cream because I really don’t care for ice cream most of the time) so it was here if I really “needed” it except since I didn’t like it that much I usually didn’t want it or if I did have some it was just a little because I wasn’t really into it. Lol but somehow knowing I had an option psychologically helped me work through my craving or thoughts of wanting a treat from habit.

Having tried pretty much everything, (cold turkey, low carb...etc etc) I've recently had a course of hypnotherapy which has been fantastic. It took 6 sessions of very pleasant relaxation to change things so that I am now eating a ton less sugar than I have my entire adult life. I wanted to be able to enjoy a sweet treat, a cookie occasionally, without having to eat the whole packet and that's exactly what it's like. Before, if I had one cookie that was the floodgates open to eating 4 or 6 or more. I craved chocolate/sugar after every meal...I started my day with tea and a cookie before breakfast. Now I can have one with a cup of tea after work and that's that....there's no craving, no strong urge to have more. The urgency has gone, I feel very calm and can easily go without most sugar now whereas before it was always a desperate mental fight to stay off it. As part of the treatment I was talked through picturing a dial where 10 was addiction and 0 was disliking sugar. I chose to dial down from 9 (I was addicted, no question) to 3 were I am now. I can enjoy some sugar now and then but I don't crave it 

Start small or with one particular item group.

I started with beverages.

Beverages—so much sugar!!! Years and years ago, when we stopped drinking pop, I lost a ton of weight without doing anything else. We drink fizzy waters that gave no artificial anything.

We drink tea unsweetened now too.

For my coffee, I now cannot stand sugary coffee drinks. I switched to lattes (less calories and sugar) and now I pretty much just drink coffee with a splash of good real cream.

My only indulgence now is Q Ginger Beer and Tonic water.

I drink a lot of water too.

Peanut butter—look for all natural, fresh ground or grind your own, most commercial on are full of sugar.

Jarred Sauces/tomato sauce—also lots of sugar. Switch these out for no sugar variety.

Stop buying packaged cookies.

I found keeping an empty bag of chocolate chips in the fridge that I can open and smell does ward off a lot of cravings. On the chocolate chip note, buy a good quality brand and divide them out 30 at a time. I mix with the same amount of cashews and dried Cherry craisins for a sweet/salty snack when I’m really craving sugar.

I also keep frozen fruits on hand—blueberries, grapes, mangoes, peaches. I’ll purée a small amount with a little milk or juice—just enough to get them moving in the micro blender and that becomes fruit “ice cream”. Frozen grapes right out of the freezer became a great snack.

We switched ice cream, sugary desserts in the evening to cheese and crackers or popcorn.

Now we still consume sugar but we have cut way way back from what we had been.

We feel better in our joints and belly too!