From Quora:
What happens if you do not eat sugar?
I went on a strict keto diet for five years, which meant no carbohydrates, and sugar is a carbohydrate. This is harder than you think. No beer or wine, even for a celebratory toast. Nothing white except cauliflower.
Only diet sodas, no fruit or fruit juices. No candy, no wine gums (my favorite), no chocolate, no honey, no hot rum toddies.
I spent 15 minutes, twice a day, in the condo gym, and I climbed stairs instead of taking the elevator.
For five years when I was in my fifties, the doctor said the results of my physicals put me in the top 1 percent of results. Not just the top 1 percent of people my age, or even the top 1 percent of people. Every single result was in the top 1 percent. Your usual fit person, who is in the top 1 percent of people, rates in the top 1 percent for blood sugar and triglycerides but might be in the top 2 percent for cholesterol ratio. I was in the top 1 percent in everything. Sure, the half hour a day I spent in the gym helped, but most of it was the diet. My doctor, who had told me not to go on the diet, became a believer and started recommending other patients go on it.
Eventually, because of compromising with people in my life, I had to stop the full keto diet. It all came tumbling down. Even staying fit, my yearly physicals were no longer stellar, without full adherence to the keto diet.
That’s what going without sugar does for you.
I do this between January and Easter every year: I give up foods containing sugar. It’s quite hard at the start, but after a few weeks the effects are MASSIVE.
Apart from losing some lbs, the best thing is not having blood sugar crashes, no ‘hangry’ feeling. I can feel hungry but not weak, faint, grouchy, or all the feelings I usually have when I need to eat.
Sugar makes you want to eat more sugar, which is quite scary.
I don’t do it all year; I like ice cream and birthday cake. Wine is also full of sugar. Giving it up initially can be hard; look up the side effects.
It’s well worth it, even for 8 weeks.
I DID IT FOR 8 MONTHS!!!
Three years ago, I decided to cut sugar out of my diet. Imagine not enjoying the items shown in the pictures above and so many other things that I loved and craved for. I thought it was a mistake, but I wanted to give a try.
So the first week: probably the toughest week. Got a lot of cravings of sugar. Felt headache and nausea. Later I found out that it was withdrawal syndrome.
Second week : Things got better; I started to enjoy food without sugar. Although I wished I had a small bite of that KitKat, I was still determined.
Seriously?
Third/fourth week : I stopped craving sugar. Rather, I used to eat a lot of cheese and butter and started cravings for those.
Fourth week/month: Although it was difficult to say no to relatives that provide offerings of prayers in the form of sweetmeats , I was determined to not take sugar. And it didn’t feel much of a problem. I really enjoyed what I ate, just that I had to disappoint my family members at times. I could live with that!
Yes, I turned down these!
I didn’t get common cold for 6 months straight. Earlier, I used to get the common cold once a month, and each would last for 3–4 days. In the last two months I got a slight common cold but it was cured in a day!
Since I started to exercise, I lost quite a bit of weight as well.
My cognitive functions and overall mood became better than before.
Do I recommend it?
Absolutely, but one has to decide their societal commitments as well. Now, I eat moderate amount of sweets. I’m always mindful of what I eat, and I always look for a healthier alternative.
The main lesson I learned was how addictive the sugar can be!
The only point I consider while eating sweets is, “Am I getting addicted to it?” Sometimes, I get sweet cravings, and that’s the time I decide not to take it, just to develop my willpower. I want my mind to decide and control what I eat, not the other way around. But that’s just me, Go find yourself!
Spirit Daily note: the best way to lose weight is simply–especially this coming week–fasting.
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