Has anyone tried a structured diet plan that eliminates sugar and wheat?

[sarahl]

These are two things that I would be interested in cutting down on in my diet if not eliminating all together. To simply say "I'm off sugar and bread for the next 30 days" has not been successful. I do better with a list or a plan or a guide; something/one to tell me what to do. There *has to be* some nutritional counter balance to curb the sugar cravings. 

I'm tired of the ups and downs that seem to come with these foods. Yet that isn't enough to change my addictive behaviour toward them.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[ArmordBallerina]

Dr. Oz just did an episode on gluten sensitivity - the link is an article summing up the episode and pointing to some resources that you can tap to get you started. I have not yet read them but I hear that the books Grain Brain and Wheat Belly are very, very good. 

My own experience eliminating wheat was way easier than eliminating added sugar (I still eat fruit and plain Greek yogurt with a little honey). Just be sure to read the labels to make sure you're not getting HFC in exchange for the gluten...you could also look into making your own gluten-free breads and pastas. They're really not that hard to make - a little time consuming but if you find recipes that freeze you can spend a Saturday or Sunday making them and then toss them in the freezer for the week. 

It took me the better part of two weeks and a lot of headaches and fatigue to get off of sugar completely, but if you're patient, it's possible.Just don't also try to give up caffeine at the same time. 

EDIT: Fixing the link. 

[sarahl]

How did you get off sugar completely? Did you follow a specific scheme? Did you go *cold turkey*? 

I watched the video. It lists five symptoms of gluten intolerance. Basic stuff, but well presented. I found the article helpful..

Thanks for the reply

[ArmordBallerina · Accepted solution]

I tried cold turkey and I do not recommend it. I lasted only two days before I gave in. I highly recommend tapering off. I looked at what I was eating during the day that contained added sugars like juice, soda, candies, cereals and how many servings of each. Then I reduced it by one serving each day until I wasn't having any at all. I then replaced the sugar with a few servings of fruit or plain Greek yogurt with a teaspoon or two of honey. I also read labels like mad and stay away from anything with added sugar or HFC (the organic section of your market or a market like Trader Joes is your best bet for finding these though do read the label still). You do need SOME sugar, however it's best if it comes from sources like fresh fruit. 

[gerrymcd · Accepted solution]

A long time ago I discovered my body wasn't able to process dairy very well.......so I had to cut it out of my diet completely.  At the outset I expected this to be really difficult, since cheese featured heavily in my diet (as did ice cream and greek yoghurt).  I read somewhere the most effective way to cut something completely was:

Week 1 - Don't eat/drink the thing on Tues

Week 2 - Don't eat/drink it on Tues and Thurs

Week 3 - None on Tues, Thurs, and Sat

Week 4 - Nonw on Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Sat

and so on until you stop eating it completely (the days of the week are arbitrary, you can start week one on any day of the week). I followed this and found it painless to stop eating dairy.  Its been a long time now, and I've yet to have cravings for cheese or ice cream.

[Inga]

If you are talking super low carb, Yes, did it on a doctor's recommendation to test for relief from chronic migraines. Went cold turkey, felt flu-ish, I stayed on the ketogenic diet for 3 months and low carb for 1 year, It idid not work well for me either for relieving my migraines or for weight loss. I also had horrible leg cramps that I tried everything that was recommended to me for and nothing worked until I went over 70 carbs/ day, then they went away on their own.

What I do now is lots of "sugars" as in fruits but no added sugars and almost no grain. I eat fruits and vegetables daily with some soy and some rice on occasion.

[Paigeypie]

The more sugars/empty carbs you eat the more you crave. It is that simple unfortunately. If you track your food on Myfitnesspal (which you can link your fitbit account to). It will tell you how many sugars a day you should be having, this includes natural sugars that are in fruits and veggies too. Try sticking to that at first, if you still want to cut down from there, cut your carbs in half of what your daily allowance is and go from there. I find the first week and a half to be the hardest and then cravings drop off dramatically!!

[Oryth101]

Mark Daily Apple: free information, however the book does cost you, but a great read. This is a modified paleo diet that you may have heard.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/#axzz2wEcTN3aB

Bulletproof Diet: Great information much more complicated then paleo diet. I would diffidently try this after you have gotten down the primal diet down. However the intermediate fasting is what I am doing and have lost and lean down quite a bit.

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/the-complete-illustrated-one-page-bulletproof-diet/

[carl669]

just a note about decreasing carbs.  going cold turkey vs tapering off can also depend on personality type.  for me, cold turkey worked best.  i knew if i tried tapering off, i'd probably cheat.  going cold turkey allowed me to just get rid of all the temptations in the house at once.  i had the "carb flu" for about 2-3 days, but then my energy level returned and the brain fog went away. after about a week, my energy level seemed higher than ever before.  if you do go cold turkey, make sure you're getting enough salt.  it's amazing how little salt you consume when you stop eating all processed foods.

i've now been low carbing for 8.5 months (approx 30g carb per day..most days it's around 20-25g) with great success.  it's very easy for me to stick to that low level of carbs, for others, you may need more or less.  to each their own.  

[Holly000]

Hi Sarahl!

I'm also a sugar addict, and there's only one thing I find that works for me to curb the sugar cravings. I can't eat any processed sugar. It takes me a couple weeks of withdrawl, but once I'm through it, I stay away. Even a tiny bit, and I have to start over again. 

But, the good news, I don't miss it when I eat a high protein diet, high fat, low carb diet. The sugar cravings just go away. Plus, I can pretty much eat as much as I need to feel satisfied, without watching, or counting calories. 

I don't know if it would work for you, but it is the only thing that controls my sugar addiction.

-Holly 🙂

[Holly000]

I will second Oryrth 101's advice. Mark's Daily Apple a great source of info to remove sugar/grains from your diet without any pain.

-Holly 🙂

[Kibbles314]

For me personally, cutting out gluten was a matter of health, not so much preference. I used to eat it all of the time (the guys at pizza hut knee my number, name, favorite order, etc) but found that I was getting full blown migraines almost every day of the week. My stomach would rebel just a frequently, and I felt generally **ahem**ty all of the time. My mom suggested I may have a wheat allergy. So I went cold turkey and cut out gluten. Within 2 weeks almost all of the symptoms disappeared. Once I cut it out, even having small amounts would bring on a migraine and...intestinal distress very quickly. Without the fact that any gluten products would make me feel sick, I probably wouldn't have been able to cut cold turkey like I did. I am trying to cut processed foods and sugar out of my diet currently (similar to the paleo diet only I like to have yogurt and rice every now and then) and have found fruit is the best thing to help counter my cravings. Perhaps try keeping more of it around so you have something sweet to eat when you crave it

[Shelley]

This is just an FYI I am passing along: For anyone who is trying to cut out sugar, JJ Virgin (celebrity trainer) has written a new book called the Sugar Impact Diet and it is being released November 4. She is also running an on-line program that includes some coaching calls and a group to go through the process with. She gives you recipes, exercises and everything you might need to support making the change. 

Personally, I have successfully cut out gluten and all grains and sugar.  Grain Brain is a great book.  There are also some awesom podcasts on Underground Wellness with Sean Croxton and High Intensity Health Rado with Mike Mutzel (his are a little more science).

http://sugarimpactdiet.com/sugar-solution-lfv/