*gulp* Going Sugar Free

[kristacecilia]

Hello, my name is Krista and I am a sugar addict.

("Hi, Krista.")

I am expecting my second baby here anyday, due on February 10th. I am planning a second homebirth, and my first one went less than ideally. The labor was fine but my son came out in respiratory distress and ended up in The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto for a week on a ventilator and two courses of antibiotics. They don't know exactly what caused it, but they think it was an infection. He was started on antibiotics within his first hour of life (after being rushed via ambulance to the nearest hospital) and it probably masked whatever bacteria he was infected with, since all his cultures came back negative.

Anyway... since there was nothing the midwives could have done to know this would have happened and they were excellent about not hesitating to transfer his care and make sure he was okay, I feel confident in having a second homebirth (although many people think I am crazy, but I have my reasons!)

So, I am really concerned about building up good bacteria in my system to prepare for birth. I tested for GBS this past week, but the results haven't come in yet. I just have a gut feeling they are positive. Even if they aren't, though, I don't want to become positive between now and the birth. So as of yesterday I started on probiotics (acidophilus + others), cranberry tablets, garlic capsules, and vitamins C plus bioflavinoids capsules. Today I started on BioBest yogurt (it has acidophilus + others) and no sugar added cranberry juice.

I also decided to stop eating sugar to control yeast and bad bacteria growth. Therein lies the problem. I am a huge sugar addict. I eat cookies, ice cream, chocolate bars, you name it, and I love it. Since the beginning of the 'holidays' my addiction has grown because I have been eating this junk every single day. Needless to say, I feel fatigued, sore, swollen, crabby, and generally poopie. I was having an amazing pregnancy before this- no complications at all!! I know it's the junk food making me like this.

So here I go- starting tomorrow I am sugar-free. This includes all white sugar and any brown sugar or honey that is added to food (unless it is a small amount used in making bread or whome grain muffins, etc, and then only rarely). I want to reduce the amount of yeast-containing products I am eating, since they often have added sugar, too.

Has anyone else done this? Can you give me any warnings, pointers, adivce, or support?

I would appreciate it!!! :yes

God bless,
Krista

[arwen]

God bless you, you poor woman :giggle

i'm kidding..i've tried to do it and i would suggest cold turkey....but that's just me....i didn't last long BUT it wasn't for someone else...just me...ykwim?

:pray

[Aerynne]

I was sugar free for 5 months. You can do it!!

Mothering Magazine has a great recipe online for oatmeal cookies with no sweeteners. Just almonds, oats, mashed bananas, oil, and raisins (but I'd omit the raisins in your case). They're yummy cookies.

Another good treat is a smoothie- milk, banana, other fruit (strawberries are good), and 2 tbsp dry oats all in the blender for a minute (enough to let the oats get really chopped up). I ate this a lot when I needed a treat.

[Bonnie]

Hello, my name is Krista and I am a sugar addict.

("Hi, Krista.")


Hello, my name is Bonnie and I'm a sugar addict.


Has anyone else done this? Can you give me any warnings, pointers, adivce, or support?



How about commiseration? I'm dumping sugar cold-turkey on March 1st. Fasting for lent, with the goal of making it a permanent lifestyle change afterward, as it almost certainly exacerbates (or causes!) my depression. Let me know how you do! :hug

[RealLifeMama]

Hello, my name is Krista and I am a sugar addict.

("Hi, Krista.")


Hello, my name is Bonnie and I'm a sugar addict.


Has anyone else done this? Can you give me any warnings, pointers, adivce, or support?



How about commiseration? I'm dumping sugar cold-turkey on March 1st. Fasting for lent, with the goal of making it a permanent lifestyle change afterward, as it almost certainly exacerbates (or causes!) my depression. Let me know how you do! :hug


Ummm, did I already reply to this?? :shrug
Oh, No, I guess not, my name is Amy, not Bonnie!
I was going to say just that!!

Cold turkey is the best, also, but be prepared for headaches, especially if you are dealing with yeast, I am sure.
Do you have anything you can take? When I have gone off sugar, I get a horrible headache for a couple days. I strongly suggest talking to your MW and seeing how much magnesium is safe for you to take in pregnancy and take as much as you are allowed tonight and tomorrow and every day for at least 4 days. Try taking some EFA's too. It might help. I know I do that but also take homemade Exedrin if it gets too bad, which is not safe in pregnancy.
You are good to do this!
I pray you are successful.
Pray in moments of weakness.
Pick a verse and recite in moments of weakness.

[RealLifeMama]

I was sugar free for 5 months. You can do it!!

Mothering Magazine has a great recipe online for oatmeal cookies with no sweeteners. Just almonds, oats, mashed bananas, oil, and raisins (but I'd omit the raisins in your case). They're yummy cookies.


Could you post that?? I really need something like that. (Think they would be good with chocolate chips in them?? Just Kidding...., sort of! :giggle )

[2sunshines]

Oh yea, I went sugar free during my last pregnancy.

For me, the best thing that helped me was fruit -- particularly yummy juicy oranges. :yum They totally calmed that sweet craving for me.

[Aerynne]

I was sugar free for 5 months. You can do it!!

Mothering Magazine has a great recipe online for oatmeal cookies with no sweeteners. Just almonds, oats, mashed bananas, oil, and raisins (but I'd omit the raisins in your case). They're yummy cookies.


Could you post that?? I really need something like that. (Think they would be good with chocolate chips in them?? Just Kidding...., sort of! :giggle )


http://www.mothering.com/sections/recipes/banana-cookies.html

I think they would be great with chocolate chips! :) If you get the semi-sweet ones, it's less sugar. :)

[kristacecilia]

Well.... I never actually made it more than a day!!! :banghead

I am such a die hard sugar addict.

Now I have my baby, though, and I would like to lose the weight I put on carrying him plus be a good, healthy momma. I had planned to give up sweets for Lent (I always try to!)

I will definitely have to try that cookie recipe.

Do any of you ladies have hubbies who are less than thrilled at healthy eating? Mine would love it if I cooked nothing but white pasta in various ways and never served a vegetable. He's one of those who doesn't put on a whole lot of weight, either, even if he eats poorly. Lucky him!

I would love to commiserate with anyone who is also trying to go sugar free. You ladies can do it! I know you can!

Any good verses to think about when the temptations are bad?

[J3K]

I don't really have any advice because I've never been successful at withdrawing from sugar. LOL But I would like to share about artificial sweetners.

They are worse on your body than regular ole sugar.

Nutrasweet is the same as aspartame.
Splenda is the same as sucralose.
Sweet N Low is the same as sacchrin.
and the other one...what is it called ??
I'm gonna misspell it..... acseuflmateK....or something like that. It's bad news too.

There should be a sticky somewhere on this board about artifical sweetners and the harm they do.

I suggest Stevia or raw sugar if you absolutely have to.


Verses that help me with temptation:
Actually it's my catch-all verse...it means so many things to me:
Isaiah 40:31 Those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed.
The lie that is spread is "The Lord helps those who help themselves."

It reminds me that I don't have to "reach deep inside myself" or "find the strength inside"...the strength to resist temptation comes from the Lord and the Lord only.

[thomer]

Do any of you ladies have hubbies who are less than thrilled at healthy eating? Mine would love it if I cooked nothing but white pasta in various ways and never served a vegetable. He's one of those who doesn't put on a whole lot of weight, either, even if he eats poorly. Lucky him!


Uh, yeah. I do. Now just put food on his plate and he balks and I say "deal with it - I'm the cook" :P~
If I get him to eat one half of a fruit and one vegetable, I call it a good day.

I gave up sugar for a while too - it really really helped with my headaches and mood swings. Now I just try to avoid artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup. I still use white sugar in my baking and cooking. It's easier and working pretty well.

[RealLifeMama]

I am doing no sugar for Lent, too. Sugar really keeps me from communing with the Lord the way I should because it is an addiction for me and I turn to it instead of Him.
Would you all like to have a sugar free group or a sugar free check in?
Those of us going sugar free that are just starting and those of us that have been sugar free for a while could have a special thread. We can hold each other accountable, pray for each other, etc.

[genifer]

Im guessing everyone is avoiding this here topic and pretending it never happened as we draw closer to lent :mrgreen. I have tried to give up sugar and all things unhealthy and only lasted like a day or something. I would love to go for it again but not sure how I might do with Lent just around the corner. In the summer I usually try to do some kind of detox. I dont look at all the times I failed as failures, I look at them as learning experiences. lol. If anyone is interested in it still I would be willing to give it a go again. (with some support this time). I do drink alot of herbal teas. I have given up caffeine (have had a minor relapse recently but Im ok now). So any takers?
What makes it so difficult for me is the rest of the family and my dh is alot like the other dh's mentioned who can eat anything and not put weight on. He eats what he wants and more often than not I have to have more than one thing ready to make, One meal for me and the children and guess what he might want to eat. it will most likely be a curry or something that is so temptingly yummy (he is an awsome cook, I mean awsome!!) and greasy that I cant give in but cant help myself sometimes. So, if I can get the kids to cut down on sugar (we dont use alot anyway tbh), I think that might help.

[sarahtar]

I do sugar free almost every year for Lent. Successfully. And I can at times be a big sugar-a-holic.

Here's what helps me. 1. Cold Turkey. 2. Get through the first week, whatever it takes. Then get through the second week. Then it's easy.

How to get through the first week? Get rid of any sugary foods in your house. Don't go to the grocery store by yourself if that's a temptation for you. No stops anywhere that sells foods you crave. Get sweet, healthy foods like fresh strawberries, make a lot of smoothies, eat peanut butter on toast (don't know why, but it works for me).

Also, look for recipes that use natural sweeteners. I have several yummy muffin recipes that are sweetened with fruit juice not sugar. They're not a dietary staple, but (IMO) they're a good way to get the sweet craving taken care of without eating sugar, and having the accompanying blood sugar swings.

[sarahtar]

I do sugar free almost every year for Lent. Successfully. And I can at times be a big sugar-a-holic.

Here's what helps me. 1. Cold Turkey. 2. Get through the first week, whatever it takes. Then get through the second week. Then it's easy.

How to get through the first week? Get rid of any sugary foods in your house. Don't go to the grocery store by yourself if that's a temptation for you. No stops anywhere that sells foods you crave. Get sweet, healthy foods like fresh strawberries, make a lot of smoothies, eat peanut butter on toast (don't know why, but it works for me).

Also, look for recipes that use natural sweeteners. I have several yummy muffin recipes that are sweetened with fruit juice not sugar. They're not a dietary staple, but (IMO) they're a good way to get the sweet craving taken care of without eating sugar, and having the accompanying blood sugar swings.