I have had this experience - the feeling that I was totally wired day and night. It lasted for about 3 days and then it subsided. I'm assuming that it is a byproduct of the detox process but I'm not sure why it happens at all. As far as the banana question, again everyone's body is very different. Some people will never have a problem with sugar ever. I know that I do. Some people may have a problem eating banana's, I don't. They don't bother me. They don't trigger an addictive response in me. Please keep in mind that we are individuals and there is no right answer for all of us. For example, eating raisins for me is just like eating MnM's! For other's it is a healthy snack along with some sunflower seeds or peanuts. We are all different with different individual metabolic needs. I hope you find what will work for you and keep you on the road to health and happiness :D !
Hmmmm, I feel a little concerned about you. I am not a doctor or an expert. I think weening off gradually is best. But if you are feeling that bad you might want to see your doctor. You can still get plenty of healthy sugars from fruits and veges. I still eat bananas (however controversial ;) ) oranges, watermelon, pineapples, baked yams, tomatoes to name a few. I also drink a bit of fruit juice on occasion. From reading other blogs I have found that it takes most people 10 - 21 days to detox from the processed/refined sugars and WHITES (that's what I call the white bread, rice, potatoes, pasta etc).
My purpose and plan was to get all the gunk out of my system to turn off the cycle of addiction and I can honestly say that it has worked for me. For the first time in my life I have self-control!!! Imagine me with the ability to say, "No thank you," to cake, candy and garlic bread. Really. And I have been the worst of the worst sugar and carb addicts. I'm Female, 39, 5' 7.5" and last summer I weighed 290. Now I weigh 262 and I've gone down 3 pants sizes. Since I changed my eating habits the weight has come off effortlessly without exercise. Now I want to exercise! Just started last week. I have to say I have recently adopted a low-fat lifestyle in the past two weeks because I developed Gall Stones. Rapid weight loss and low-carb diets can contribute to gall bladder disease, I learned - just an fyi (because low carb diets can sometimes be high fat).
Anyway, what I call "sugar abstinence" (clearly a misnomer) is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life!!! I am so happy to have control over what goes into my body. I am so happy to not be driven by cravings. I am so happy that my day, my activities and my life doesn't revolve around food! YES!
I can't stress enough that some people ARE NOT SUGAR ADDICTS. Some people have it worse than others.
IF YOUR BODY IS REACTING STRANGELY AND DOING FUNKY THINGS YOU SHOULD REALLY SEE YOUR DOCTOR!!!
I have told 3 different doctors, including my primary care doctor, about how I eat now and none of them flinched or were at all concerned. None of them made me feel like I was going to die because I'm not eating "sugar", ok? I eat whole grains, I read labels to check for the enemy = HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; I eat fruits and vegetables that agree with me. If certain foods don't agree with me (meaning they make me more hungry than I was before I started eating them) Then I avoid those things. I plan ahead and bring food with me if I need to. If I need a fix. I have a little fix and then I fill up on salad or fruit. And I have had a little fix - but believe it or not all I needed was a little taste and surprisingly I didn't go hog wild!
Ok, that's my story. Hope it might help someone... Peace
I am on day 6 with no sugar and no caffeine and it is a LOT harder than I thought it would be. My head hurts and I am so darn tired!!! Not so sure that the whole "cold turkey" thing was a good idea but now that I have done 6 days I can't bring myself to cheat. Just hoping this constant feeling of being tired goes away sooner than later. Good luck everyone!
I am on day 8 of no sugar and no fruit. My tummy / shape feels better but I have lost no weight despite giving up my 500 calories of chocolate I had after lunch every day which is surprising. I am not eating more at my other meals which have always been 3 healthy wholefood meals ( I don't have milk or wheat or alcohol or caffeine either).
A couple of days I have cried a bit which must be some kind of reaction to coming off the addiction - I have always been a huge sugar addict although most of my life most of my foods have been pretty healthy although I could now do with losing about 20 pounds. The addiction is worse than the weight. So losing the compulsion to drive out to buy the chocolate fix is a huge relief and worth it even if I don't lose any of the weight. I noticed in the last few days I did not any more feel particularly hungry for the next meal. Perhaps that means I am eating too much at the meals themselves. I eat fish (sometimes meat), eggs, shell fish, I have brown rice with wild rice heated up about 3 times a day - not much but without that my brain chemicals go hay wire and I am so unhappy I cannot function - need that bit of carb and small potato with skin at bed time (radiantrecovery website - works for me as it keeps me mentally sane).
I shall just have to see how it goes in the next week and perhaps try to eat smaller quantities although I think they are pretty small already. I did work out that due to my age and activity level that to lose 2 pounds a week I would need to eat 800 calories a day (i.e. vritually nothing and I don't count calories anyway) as my basal metabolic rate is so very low which is terribly annoying although I don't feel like starting running miles a day.
I want to lose 7 pounds a month.
I found caffeine withdrawal (from 8 cans of diet coke a day 3 y ears ago) much harder in terms of physical symptoms. This time it is just sugar/chocolate withdrawal, no head aches. i do feel tired and drained as if a vampire has been at me all night drawing blood. I don't want to reintroduce fruit for now as earlier this year I rid myself of the chocolate and substituted it with 1000 - 600 calories of nuts and raisins or fruit after lunch and realised that although those were better for me than the chocolate they were just a substitute for it. Also I cannot eat bananas as if I have any in the house I eat them all - often 6 at a time. I just cannot manage fruit or chocolate as I have such hugely addictive genes. It is just like it were alcohol or drugs. I am not ruling out fruit forever but for now will stick just with fish./meat/eggs, my brown rice/baked potato, (and veg twice a day).
By cutting out sugar, you might lose weight, and there would be no likelihood of ill effect .I try to avoid table sugar and sweets. I do have more energy, I don't get the "sugar highs" that I once did, and I don't crave sugary foods. I don't think I've experienced any negative effects.
You're brave to go off all of those at once! I don't know how long it will take for the withdrawals to go away, but good luck and GO YOU!
Sugars are also carbohydrates. It is a primary fuel of the body. Make sure you take adequate sugar, otherwise you will have to consider hypoglycemia. Moderation is the key to everything.
I am a sugar addict and have tried to cut out sugar many times. The detoxing gets worse and worse. Last time, I had the most debilitating headache among other things. Yesterday I tried to cut it out again and last night I thought I was coming down with the flu. I was achy and had the chills. I could not start shivering. The addiction gets worse and worse as do the withdrawal symptoms.
I have not had any type of sweeteners for 7 days. I am also avoiding starches, since the body converts them to sugar. I have bought dates twice, and eat some raisins each day.
Each time I crave sugar, I am visualizingt thoe clamidia yeasts throwing a tantrum and demanding suger. I am intentionally projecting those cravings onto the internal ememy which whom I am at war. It has worked quite well in that I have craved sugar, but felt absolutely no tempation to buy a Hershey's Bar or anything anything else with sweeteners.
If I "owned" the cravings, I think I would feel tempted to give in "just a little." By projecting the cravings on to those nasty yeast infection cells, it no longer feels like I need to use will-power (of which I have very little) because it no longer feels like a need to control my impusles, but rather to thward an enemy.
A good decision for you. But don't leave suger totally, have them in a balance. Of course they got some effects but don't worry, they don't last long. After the cutting, you need yo take magnesium to keep you fit, cause depression may come upon you, and you don't want it at all. So, magnesium works like MAGNESIUM MIRACLE, why don't you give it a try.
I am 8 days free of sugar and processed foods. I feel horrid. I am sweating, getting light headed and extreme fatigue. My sugar and blood pressure are normal. I have not had the headaches I was anticipating. I ate sugar all day long - tons of junk food too. -HELP