Anyone give up sugar and wheat?
 

I know this probably belongs in the Fitness and Health section, but hardly anyone goes there it seems, so I'll ask here. It may also benefit others who rely on sweets to kill alcohol cravings as I tend to do.

I'm going to give up wheat and sugar. I have been having difficulty losing the 10 lbs I put on over the winter, despite 90 miles a week on the bike. Just can't lose it as before, and it appears from other indications that I may be entering the "pre-diabetic" range (A1c above 5.7) where insulin begins to spike, so I just looked up my old lab results. Last fall, my A1c was 5.6, during the pandemic, with all my meals home cooked and perfect lab results in all other respects. That is indeed, right on the edge, so I may already be "pre-diabetic" at this point. I do eat too much sugar, I know that. Something every day, plus a lot of grains.

So I already dumped the bread, the tortillas and my beloved San Pellegrino and can cut out desserts, but I'm hoping not to have to switch to a full "low carb" diet, or Keto. As a cyclist I like and need carbs, and would like to keep my steel cut oats and brown rice. I have been reading of diets that just cut out wheat and sugar as they are apparently the worst offenders for insulin spikes and weight gain. These diets also add more veggies and healthy fats too. I also really don't want to start on any meds, prefer a diet/exercise solution.

Has anyone else tried this? Did it improve your health? Or did you have to go for the complete low carb diet to get results?

My brother was very much overweight and stopped eating “anything white” a few years ago. Bread, pasta, sugar, dairy. Also no alcohol, but he was a non-drinker to begin with. He eliminated high sugar veggies, such as beets and carrots. He did this under a doctors care and lost 150 pounds in about 2 years, maybe less.

Lost 70lbs+ and didn't "give up" anything. Just made my food intake 40%protein 30%fat and 30%carbs.
of course no alcohol helps and I eat mostly good foods. No one is perfect.

I've basically avoided sugar for over a year. I started doing keto in January but had to give it up. I became terribly weak.
I did lose almost 20 pounds but for me that's a lot. I was only about 165 to begin with.

I'm not convinced that keto is sustainable- especally for someone who's not severly overweight.

But I'm still low carb. Believe it or not, it's fruit that I've cut out. I eat it like candy and it's never satiating. Instead I have a bit of wheat bread or brown rice in my day. Just enough as to not get all weak and sick like I did with keto. Seems to be doing well.

Thanks to both of you - fantastic results are possible it seems.

LHW - I already don't eat many refined carbs except umm, some desserts.. but no white bread, rice or potatoes. Definitely pasta though, at least once a week. Interesting about the carrots and beets. Have to lose the desserts.

AR - you too, fantastic job. That must be a high protein diet. I probably eat 20% protein, 20% fat, 60% carbs.. the old way of eating for those of us who were endurance athletes. Way too much carbs for my activity level now for sure.

Thanks WaterOx - that was my main concern with Keto. It doesn't seem healthy to me but I know it works for some. Interesting about the fruit. I don't eat a huge amount unless I buy the pre-cut baskets, then I tend to overdo it. I am actually trying to add some fat to things now, to slow the glycemic response.

I will try anything to get fit.

I have been doing intermittent fasting for about a year.

It works, but I tend to over eat and have too many slips (e.g. eat a giant doughnut).

At least we are not actively addicted to booze and we know better if, God help us, there is a relapse.

I just talked with an old friend who was living his best life until recently.

He went off the deep end and ended up homeless.

He is the first person I know that started out doing just fine and ended up in big trouble.

Stay clean team.

Thanks.

I haven't cut out sugar completely but have cut Way back from my intake when I 1st quit drinking. I would never eat sweets before but we know how the cravings are when we give up alcohol and I went all out on cookies, ice cream you name it.
Did not take long to feel the negative effects of the sugar overload.

No more cookies and ice cream is a rare treat and I feel much better.

Good luck on your journey

I have lost 10 pounds since quitting alcohol - 7 weeks ago - this I think because when drinking I tended to snack on a lot of carbs. I am now about 4lbs off my ideal weight for my height - I have always been either a vegetarian or pescatarian and my one bad habit , apart from alcohol, was snacking on food high in carbs and fat when under the influence! Oh and despite loving it...no cheese!

My A1C is 5.6 and i thought I think that is good! Diabetes does run in my family so I do try to watch what I eat but occasionally binge on sugar. It's hard. What has helped me is increasing my protein (I am a vegetarian) so I do use a protein supplement. I could not do Keto although I have tried....it made me foggy headed and weak. I do exercise daily which helps my blood sugar. Do you have a blood sugar monitor? If not you can buy an inexpensive one (and the strips) at Walmart or any drug store. This has helped me figure out what foods spike my blood sugar. Let me know if you have any questions. Best to you.

Thanks everybody, for the great input. The giant donut made me laugh, haha,

Bethany, great idea for the blood sugar monitor - never thought of that. I will order one.

Wheat and Sugar?
You are a braver man than I. You have my TOTAL support. I have cut back on my dairy intake due to this strange undiagnosed allergy that the doctors keep throwing drugs at. It has helped me in the runny nose and ear clog department but that is not what you are talking about.

I do want to say that given how extreme we are with our chosen activities I hope that you take the "cutting out" slow. Like you said, you do need your carbs and those carbs are your fuel.

Giving up sugar but still a struggle….was really bad the first few months but has since tapered off to a very low amount. I read labels for too much sugar and wont buy any sweets.

Hopefully you continue to keep up the good fight…Stay sober and stay fit 😇

Don't eat wheat but sugar is another matter though! :)

I did find cutting out wheat and cutting right down on carbs helped curb my appetite and that compulsive side of eating. I think, in general, I feel better for it and more at peace. Lots of fresh veg and fruit!

I tried keto for awhile and did lose 15 lbs, but it didn't agree with me long term. Now I stick to a low carb regimen that works really well. I keep to "no sugar" as nearly as possible -- it is hidden in so many sauces and processed foods, so I avoid buying those entirely. I still eat whole grain bread, couple slices a day, but avoid any other baked goods. I eat fruit and potatoes, but as these are complex carbs they don't cause the same cravings that processed carbs do. I feel really great this way -- no big swings in blood sugar, very little food craving, my metabolism feels stable throughout the day. On the rare occasion that I've cheated and had a slice of birthday cake or something, the sugar makes me feel horrible now ... almost like a hangover.

That being said, when I first got sober, I ate chocolate candy bars every day, whatever it took to just not drink.

If you put in less calories than you burn a day you will lose weight, it is irrelevant what food group is other than if you eat 1600 calories of chocolate a day for a month you will be 10 pounds lighter but malnourished. That scientific approach lost me 42lbs over 6 months.

I agree. I’m not scared of food, I vary my foods and rarely overeat and have never had to worry about remaining thin. I enjoy food and think there’s way too many other things in the world to worry about. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I get that, but it's mainly relevant with respect to weight gain or loss. Once a person becomes pre-diabetic or diabetic, their insulin response and blood sugar levels begins to get messed up, and at that point IT DOES matter what macro nutrients your diet is comprised of. Excess carbs begin to become a problem.

Oh gosh, I just looked up my Dec 2019 lab tests and I actually WAS in the pre-diabetic range, lol.. had an A1c of 5.9. Provider didn't even bring it up if I recall correctly, but there it was highlighted in yellow. Sigh. So from then to Sept 2020 (9 mos) I brought down to 5.6 so I can do it again, and now I know more about the carb thing than I did before. Not gonna cut them out but apparently just reducing carbs can have a significant effect, as AR, Tursiops and others point out above. I tend to gorge on carbs because they setup a craving. Not anymore.

Thanks everyone, for your input.

My experience has been drastically reducing sugar and other “simple” carbs (white foods), but keeping complex carbs (whole grains, brown rice, sweet potatoes, etc) keeps up my energy and vastly improves my depression. I think you are on the right track advbike. Your body will tell you what it needs, and every body is a little different. I try to listen to my body—it usually knows better what I need than I do.:wink3: