r/sugarfree

I recently cut sugar three weeks ago and I’m going strong and steady I do not crave as much anymore bloating is gone however my face still remains so chubby.
I now snack on fruits of all kids berries pineapples plums bananas. But at the end whether it’s sugar from a cookie or an apple it gets broken down into the same thing so should I cut fruits out too I understand it’s natural sugar but the end product in ur body is the same.

See question above- did you replace your treat with something “healthy.” Do you simply eat to live? Share your new normal…

After 1 month of being sugarfree I have experienced some positive changes which are:

-Better skin

-Less brainfog

-Better eyes

-I smell less

-Way less dandruff

-Bad breath stopped

I am enjoying the benefits rn so I will continue going.

I’ve been on Reddit for years and never thought to search for a sub with other recovering sugar addicts…glad to have found y’all.

My current struggle is hyperfixating on one specific sugary item at a time (thanks ADHD). Right now it’s nutella pretzel snack packs, but in the past it’s been chocolate covered pretzels, Oreos, kinder buenos, etc.. what’s interesting to me is the way my body responds without that specific snack. It’s always been an uphill battle and lack of that snack leads to me having legit breakdowns, crying and intense sadness. I didn’t realize until my 30’s that this was not a normal behavior in response to a lack of a specific snack. What’s even more interesting is if I’m having this sugar craving, eating any other type of sugar doesn’t sound appealing nor does it satisfy the craving; it has to be the Nutella pretzel snack pack, not cookies, not cake, only that. I go back and forth between that hyperfixation and just general sugar cravings, sometimes overlapping. I don’t want to give my whole background or story in regard to food and sugar, but this is not my first attempt at stopping.

For those of you that have struggled with hyperfixating on a certain sugary snack for that dopamine kick, what are some things that helped you kick that? I’ve found that nothing can replace that kick. No other food alternative, no replacement behavior. The only solution that works temporarily is just cutting it off and suffering, but then it’s slingshots back.

For context I have PCOS, hypothyroid (regulated), and am on a GLP1 that has helped with general cravings. I was also diagnosed with ADHD many moons ago and attempted to take medication… it did not go well. I take an SSRI for MDD and feel that that is not part of this.

I’m not sure if this is just me but I’ve noticed that every single fucking time I eat unhealthy, weather it’s chips, candies, cookies etc ESPECIALLY binge eating people miss treat me and treat me like shit. Not sure why that is, has anybody else dealt with this? Pls lmk

I completed one full month (April) with no added sugar :)

(Although, there were a few times I had a few grams of added sugar I wasn't aware of, and one time when I was in the hospital, but I still count as having completed it. My main problem/bad habit was snacking on sweet treats after dinner, which I hadn't done at all in April :)

I feel good! I want to continue through May too. Possibly June, but for now focusing on May. I tried a "no-added sugar" for a month 2 years ago too but when the month I ended I slowly went back to eating it since I didn't have a plan to continue, I just wanted to try it for a month. But this time around I want to continue.

I noticed that it was much easier this time around. When I did it 2 years ago it was hard, I think mostly because I didn't realize how much added sugar is sneaked into so many things we consume. Had to do a lot of constant monitoring. It went by more smoothly this time around, but I'm also learning to not beat myself up over if something has a few added grams that I wasn't aware of or won't significantly impact my journey.

Anyway, I think I wanna celebrate! Any ideas on how to celebrate this milestone (without added sugar)? Lol

As the title says this is a very stupid thing but I’ve (M19) noticed this thing where whenever i eat something unhealthy, especially binge in one go my mental health goes down and people just treat me like shit. I’m in this altered pathetic, lazy, sluggish state and it’s like I got a sign in front of my face saying “miss treat me” it’s weird af idk why i get like this, anybody else deal with this? For example i binged rn ALOT, ate a whole chipotle burrito earlier and made me crave cookies so I bought cookies and just downed them and it’s all bad rn

I’m asking because ive noticed imo that eating a lot of sugar and junk food changes the way people perceive me I think and just misstreat me sometimes. It’s weird and it’s definitely a thing, I’ve quit before for around a week or 2 and it was honestly good, eating nothing but heslthy foods, fruits and vegetables and not filling up my stomach. I also noticed not sure if it was just me but people would talk to me more and just be more open with me, trying to connect with me almost which I don’t think it’s placebo either. But yeah anybody with success quitting how has quitting changed your life? Pls lmk, if it has.

Quit sugar 5 hours ago. It's already hard. I hope I never touch that sh.. again!

Im diabetic and overweight. I have an HbA1C of 5.8 now! So since 2nd of Feb this year I started cutting out sweets, desserts and snacks completely out of my diet. Before that I ate daily something sweet (like 2-3 Kinder Bueno) and hit an HbA1C of 7 in Jan this year. I was shocked because I always dabbled in the 6.2-6.5 range since dec 2023 when I was diagnosed. I didn’t change anything else in my diet. And I feel so much better. Less stomach aches and less migraines. I also lost some weight. 1,9 kg since the 2nd of Feb. And I’m so proud because I haven’t been counting calories. Just ate what I liked and there is always one big source of protein in my three meals I have daily.

First I apologize for the language since I’m not a native English speaker and I am not really much on Reddit so please be kind. Anyway as I said I quit sugar. Cold turkey. It went surprisingly well. I quit all sweets ofc, sweetened yogurt, cornflakes of all kinds just to be sure, honey and basically everything that had sugar as an ingredient. Even all medication, because I feared they had added sugar. At first. I (belive I) had chocolate like a week after but from then in it went fairly great.

When I quit I was constantly thinking about sugar for the first weeks. Okay I was determined so that really didn’t bother me much.

What was wayyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyyy worse tho was the dreams. I have never heard anyone talk about this so let me explain a bit.

When I quit sugar I was dreaming of having ate sugar. Every. Single. Night.

I mean every single time I woke up. It’s not just the dreaming part, I thought I ate sugar every time I woke up. And I know I didn’t because sometimes I ate sweets that weren’t even available in that day. It really messes with your mind. The disappointment when you wake up, the fear of having ate sugar. And everting is out of your control. That is what really isn’t for the weak. That went in for all the time I was cutting sugar. For a total of two years I felt insane. That shit really messes with your head. Anyway that’s also why I said I believe I had chocolate. If I count all the dreams that felt a little too real to maybe just be dreams I had sugar 3 times in that two years.

Even if you are not so determined anymore it was worth it. I’m back on it again and it feels terrible but I know it’s temporary. So far haven’t had any dreams yet!

That’s it bye sweeties

Get it??

I'm trying to get off of soda, and tried several powdered drink mixes for Lemonade, but all of them leaves the lemonade (or whatever flavor) stays in my mouth the rest of the day. Is this inherent in the sugar replacement, or it being powdered drink mix?

Or is this just me? Thanks!

I don't cut sugar out completely, but I have a 30g daily limit of added sugar intake.

Yesterday I accidentally ran over it (did ~50g), and literally this morning my psoriasis flared up.

My gosh, this stuff is truly poison. You have to remind yourself that every time.

I did ~800kcal of exercise yesterday. You'd think muscle would suck it up to replenish used up glycogen. And it probably did. But it is apparently doing soo much damage just being introduced into the system in excessive amounts.

Thinking about limiting fructose-but do not want to limit all fruit. Anyone have experience with this? What fruits should I avoid and which should I lean into?

Hi there, I’m gonna go on a health retreat for 8 weeks starting next week. It’s pretty remote and they only serve food without added sugar. The main aspect of the retreat is working out every day, but I just realised I’ll go sugar free as a side effect.

There is a supermarket about 1,5 km away, but I’ll try my best not to go there and fall into the trap.

Has anyone else done this ? I wonder if it’s a good thing I’ll be forced to curb my massive addiction or if it’ll be too much.

I can’t remember a time in my life where I’ve gone more than one das without a (mostly several) sweet treat.

Is there anyone out there who doesn't even eat fruit but isn't keto/low carb?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice on dealing with what feels like a sugar addiction.
I’ve had a sweet tooth my whole life, but it’s gotten worse over the years—especially once I started working and had my own money. It became a habit to grab something sugary after work or at lunch, and now it feels like I can’t stop. My health is okay right now, but I’m worried about the long-term effects.
What’s making it harder is that my partner was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and she’s really trying to cut back on sugar. She’s been leaning on me for support and to lead by example, and I genuinely want to do that—but I’m struggling more than I’ve admitted.
The biggest issue is when I’m alone. If I’m in a store or out by myself, I feel like I go on autopilot. It’s like I can’t think clearly, and I end up buying sweets or eating something in secret. Afterward, I feel guilty and frustrated with myself because I want to do better, I just can’t seem to shut off the urge in the moment.
I’m not sure if this is just a bad habit, lack of willpower, or something more compulsive, but it’s been going on for years and I feel stuck.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? What actually helped you break the cycle or reduce cravings in a realistic way?
Any advice would really mean a lot.

I have lost over 60lbs twice. I know. Not good. I’ve had a problem with food my whole life. Binge eating and restrict cycle. I’d go cold turkey. eat very healthy, lift weight, stairmaster then go completely off track. With diet AND exercise.
Now it’s starting to get harder to even start.
I’m on day 3 of no UPF or refined sugar. Only Whole Foods. And woke up with an increased heart rate and have been having headaches for two days now.

Are those typical normal symptoms when cutting off food? Before when I’d cut off the junk 1st day was only hard then a breeze. This time around symptoms have been hard.
Has it been harder on you when trying to loose weight after gaining it back?

I’d also like to share that I’ve been wanting to get back on track but I also developed physical anxiety and think the root cause is my diet.
I think in the back of my mind I know how much harm I’m doing by living such and unhealthy lifestyle.

I have searched through reddit to see if people experienced head pressure and puffy red eyes from lowering their sugar intake?

I know headaches are common, but haven't seen anyone mention this. I have had the symptoms for about 5 days now.. it has happened before, but can never trace it back to an allergic reaction, but have noticed that it coincides with stop drinking alcohol and the second time dropped sugar by roughly 70%