How I Eliminated 6 Kinds of “Lifestyle” Sugars from My Diet

I call them the hunger, habit, emotion, impulse, craving, and social sugars

I never thought that I had a problem with sugar. After all, I did not particularly enjoy sweet food.

Yet I was somehow consuming 140 grams (around 5 ounces) or more of added sugar a day. That meant 4.2 kilograms (9.25 pounds) in a month and 50 kilograms (110 pounds) in a year. I was eating the equivalent of two-thirds of my body weight in added sugar. It was no surprise that I was ballooning like the Marshmallow Man.

I resolved to get fit. I started to exercise regularly. I cleaned up my diet, starting with added sugar. It has been a long journey but I have finally established a healthier and sustainable relationship with added sugar.

AUDITING MY SUGAR CONSUMPTION

Before I could take any action, I needed a better understanding of my sugar consumption, including its patterns, reasons, and triggers.

First, I needed to know how much sugar I was consuming and how I was consuming it. I audited my diet, which led to the horrifying discovery that I was consuming around 140 grams of added sugar a day. This was almost 4 times the recommended limit of 36 grams for adult men (and 25 grams for adult women).

My sugar consumption on an average weekday consisted of the following:

• Morning coffee: 4 grams (1 tsp)
• Sauces/condiments/salad dressings at lunch: 20 grams
• Dessert at lunch (e.g. a scoop of ice cream): 15 grams
• Coffee at or after lunch: 4 grams (1 tsp)
• Can of Coca-Cola in the afternoon: 35 grams
• Afternoon snack (e.g. a cookie): 6 grams
• Sauces/condiments/salad dressings at dinner: 20 grams
• 2 glasses of wine at dinner: 5 grams
• Dessert or evening snack: 25 grams

Things did not improve on weekends. My partner and I would relax at home, watching Netflix while snacking the entire time. Soda, chocolate, ice cream, and gummy bears featured prominently. In the evenings, we ate at restaurants that often featured fantastic dessert creations that combined sugar in myriad forms.

Second, I analyzed the patterns of my sugar consumption and the reasons behind them. I discerned that my sugar consumption fell into the six distinct patterns, namely hunger, habits, emotions, impulses, cravings, and social. As each triggered the desire to eat sugar differently, I had to customize my tactics to address the root causes rather than throw everything including the kitchen sink at the problem.

“HUNGER” SUGAR

Problem

Hunger reminds us to consume food for energy. The dilemma of modern life, however, is that the quality of our food choices tends to be inversely related to the level of hunger. When famished, I resorted to quick fixes like fast food. For example, my usual order at McDonald’s contained around 120 grams of sugar, in addition to 1,570 calories and 69 grams of fat. This was however a vicious cycle, as the high-sugar meal stimulated the production of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and left me hungry again within a couple of hours.

Solution

The challenge is to promote satiety, which is the opposite of hunger. This can be achieved by eating high-quality whole foods instead of processed foods. Whole foods, especially those high in protein and fiber, tend to boost leptin, the satiety hormone that keeps hunger at bay and prevents overeating. Fiber, which is only found in vegetables and fruits, also improves insulin resistance and controls blood sugar levels, prevents constipation, and improves gut health.

To eat healthier on a daily basis required a significant re-engineering of my life. Borrowing from James Prochaska’s Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change, I implemented “counter-conditioning” (i.e. substituting healthy behaviors for unhealthy ones) and “stimulus control” (i.e. replacing triggers for unhealthy behavior with reminders and cues that encourage healthy behavior).

• Cooking at home. It is much easier to eat healthfully when you prepare your own food. I tend to cook more vegetables and less meat, while also using less oil and no sugar. To boost flavors, I substituted herbs and spices for condiments like ketchup and mayonnaise. It helps to have a few go-to recipes that you can put together in less time than it would take to order food to be delivered.
• Remove ultra-processed foods, such as sodas, candy, chocolate, ice cream, cookies, potato chips, breakfast cereals, etc. I could count on my laziness to not want to get dressed and walk to the supermarket at 10 pm just to buy a tub of ice cream.
• Stock up on healthy food. I enjoy eating a can of chilled garbanzo beans or steamed edamame beans while watching a movie at home. Other options include fruit (either fresh, frozen, or canned in water or their own juices), Greek yogurt, unsalted nuts and seeds, etc.
• Read nutrition labels. I was surprised at the amount of added sugar hidden in food that I did not associate with sweetness. These included everyday items like pasta sauces, salad dressings, and yogurt.
• Prepare to shop. Compiling a shopping list before heading to the supermarket can help prevent impulse purchases. A shopping list also helps with budgeting as it is often more expensive to buy healthy than unhealthy foods.

“HABIT” SUGAR

Problem

I was consuming a significant amount of sugar reflexively. I added a teaspoon (or two) of sugar into my coffee and drank a can (or two) of Coca-Cola in the afternoon. I did not derive much if any enjoyment from the sugar in these drinks. Most of the time, I did not even notice the sweetness of the drink. These were simply ingrained habits that I no longer thought about.

Solution

• Switch to black coffee. I used to dislike bitter flavors but switching to black coffee enriched my experience of drinking coffee. I learned to appreciate the deep flavors and aromas of the different coffee beans and their roasts.
• Substitute with water. The 30-year soda habit was much harder to kick. However, I figured that the success of the project depended on eliminating the daily coke from my life. I decided to go cold turkey, substituting first with sparkling water and later with plain water. There were some withdrawal symptoms initially. There was an itch that I could not find, let alone scratch. There was some fatigue as well. Soda was the one item I had to rely on willpower to overcome my addiction.
• Counter with different flavors. I found that drinking something bitter (coffee/tea) or sour (lemon water) stopped my soda cravings quite effectively. They sometimes suppressed my appetite altogether.

“EMOTION” SUGAR

Problem

I tend to eat sugary snacks when experiencing negative emotions. Physiologically, feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression raise cortisol levels, which release glucose from the liver, raise blood sugar levels, and ultimately lead to sugar cravings. Psychologically, I associated sugary treats with comfort food and happier times during childhood.

Solution

• Boost my mood naturally. Going for a run or playing with the dog releases dopamine and serotonin while reducing cortisol levels.
• Establish a social support system. I enlisted a couple of friends whom I would text throughout the day to keep me on track, not just on sugar consumption but the entire health and fitness project. It helped to be able to call or text someone whenever I felt I might be losing the battle.
• Meditate. A few minutes of quiet and stillness from meditation can calm the roiling emotions and ameliorate the sugar cravings. It can also be useful to use meditation to work through and break the connection between negative emotions and sugar consumption.

”IMPULSE” SUGAR

Problem

Impulses to eat something sweet strike without warning. It can be triggered by the various senses, e.g. the smells of donuts from a nearby Krispy Kreme or images of product placement in a movie. It can also be triggered by boredom. In the latter case, the impulse is not necessarily to consume sugar but just to eat or do something. The bottom-line for both scenarios is that the impulse to consume sugar will pass almost as quickly as it struck. I just have to wait it out.

Solution

• Distraction. I find that simple acts, from brushing my teeth or washing my face, can go a long way. Going for a brisk walk outside is particularly effective.
• Substitute with productive activity. Playing the guitar and/or singing a song helped, as they kept my hands and mouth occupied.
• Eat something unsweet. Consider savory treats (like cheese, nuts, or nori seaweed) or sour desserts like greek yogurt or frozen grapes.

“CRAVING” SUGAR

Problem

Unlike impulses, cravings are physiological responses to imbalances in the body. For example, I tend to crave sugar after a cardio workout, when blood glucose has been depleted. I agree with the description of true cravings as a “slow burn”; they are unlikely to go away without being satisfied in some manner.

Solution

• Eat a healthier version of a sweet snack. Have some fruit, sorbet, or dark chocolate instead of candy, ice cream, and milk or white chocolate respectively.
• Indulge prudently. There is a difference between indulging and overeating. First, practice portion control, for example by eating a fun-size pack of M&Ms instead of the regular-size pack. I did not enjoy the small pack any less than the big one. In fact, the fun-size allowed me to avoid the diminishing returns that accompany the overconsumption of any food. Second, eat mindfully. I no longer eat a candy bar while doing something else like watching television. Instead, I focus on enjoying the candy and thinking about its taste and texture. Once the enjoyment starts to wane, it is time to stop and save the rest for another day.
• Avoid direct substitution with artificial sweeteners. There is evidence suggesting that artificial sweeteners, despite containing fewer calories, can trigger an increase in appetite and cause us to eat more instead.

“SOCIAL” SUGAR

Problem

This is a different situation from the ones described above, as social expectations come into play. There are many social occasions where dessert is almost unavoidable, for example when it is part of a fixed menu or if it is the pride of the host or hostess.

Solution

• Skip dessert if possible. There is no shame in declining to order dessert. I can order coffee and live vicariously through friends who chose to eat dessert. There are usually a few who are grateful for the excuse to join me in skipping dessert.
• Opt for a healthier option such as fruit, sorbet, or yogurt if available.
• Split a dessert. This can be a great bonding experience with friends.
• Indulge occasionally. I reserve this option for truly special occasions when there is something to celebrate, or if the restaurant is world-famous for a particular dessert.

TL;DR

The decision to try to eliminate added sugar from my diet has been life-changing. Coupled with regular exercise and other adjustments to my diet, I managed to gradually lose the excess weight and become much healthier. The benefits are not just physical. I feel mentally more alert for longer periods throughout the day, which translates into higher productivity at work. Emotionally, I feel more stable. One unanticipated benefit is how I appreciate my food a lot more now, as my rehabilitated palate enjoys different tastes and textures a lot more.

I did not truly eliminate sugar from my diet; I still have it when real cravings strike or when social occasions call for it. However, this represents a sufficiently healthy — and more importantly sustainable — status quo for me. I do not intend to reintroduce more added sugar into my life. I am aware that I might redevelop an addiction to sugar. However, the biggest reason is that I simply do not enjoy sugar that much anymore. Sugar may provide an ephemeral pleasure but it does not “spark joy”.

Here are 6 takeaways from my transition to a low-sugar life.

1. Reflect on your sugar consumption and identify the patterns in your daily life. Different patterns require different approaches.
2. Eat for health and pleasure. Substitute sugar with healthier alternatives. Focus on high-quality whole foods, especially protein, vegetables and fruits, and healthy fats. Satiety will reduce sugar cravings. Consider foods that have different flavor profiles (e.g. bitter, sour, or savory). Above all, learn to enjoy the foods you are substituting for sugar.
3. Use willpower sparingly and only when you absolutely need to. An over-reliance on willpower to avoid sugar can make the new habits less sustainable in the long run.
4. Be aware of mental and emotional states associated with sugar cravings. It is better to address the root causes, whether they are stress, depression, boredom, etc.
5. Indulge mindfully. This can help reinforce your commitment and ability to sustain a low-sugar life.
6. Find the balance in your relationship with sugar. Some people are able to consume a relatively healthy amount every day; others develop an addiction. Only you can figure out what will work for you.

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