While the toxic effects of fructose must be a major concern, it seems to me to be coincidential to many people's initial reasons for heeding Mr Gillespie's advice. Weight loss would appear to be the primary goal of many correspondents to this forum.

I know it is mine.

I hope those who have shed the kilos will document their weight loss according to their decision to avoid fructose, other sugars, their subsequent change in intake of fats, change in levels of activity, (either through determined exercise plans or just a general increase due to renewed feelings of wellbeing) and any changes they note in physical size.

I am an active and fit 59 year old with a history of competetive sports participation. I am 183cm tall, have a waistline of 107cm and weigh 105kgs. Despite my weight, I do not have a beer gut, fat bum or multiple chins and I am genuinely a big bloke with a chest measurement of 130cm. (My mum had it right when she chided me about being dense). However, I long for the 92kg parcel which has gradually been cloaked in cuddliness over the past 10 years. I do not smoke, wouldn't drink a six pack a month and......I'm just so loveable! (Thank you K).

I will follow Mr Gillespie's advice and endeavour to report my progress on a regular basis.

Hi David F

It is great to hear of your weight loss and success in your first week.

My main motivation was not weight loss but just to rid myself of the addictive nature of fructose/sugar.  For years I have been avoiding very high fat etc and eating lots of fruit, no soft drink etc but after reading the book I clearly saw the dangers associated with fructose/sugar in what I thought was a very healthy diet.

About a month ago I made the same changes as yourself (though resist glucose and diet drinks of any kind) and have been enjoying the true taste of coffee, tea, porridge, puffed wheat (no sugar) greek style yoghurt, rice milk, toast with avocado, ricotta cheese, nuts, seaweed rice crackers and the list goes on.  I have also replaced my usual high fructose fruit with the lower variety of berries and pears.  I have forgotten about sauces of any kind and also removed salt at the same time!  I found a great almond, cashew spread in the health food section of the supermarket - no sugar just nuts and olive oil.  I also allow myself to have a few crisps (plain variety only) and these only have potatoes, olive oil and sea salt - what a treat after all those years of denying myself.  I am still very careful with high fat foods though as old habits die hard and I still avoid foods that are highly processed.

I feel fantastic and have lost around a kilo (though this was not my aim as I am already at the lower end of the scale) and no longer have cravings for very sweet foods.  My husband, by the way, who has never had a sweet tooth has been eating like this all his life and guess what?  He has always been very very slim without even trying!

I made myself lemonade today by mixing sparkling water (fizzy) with half a squeezed lemon and 1/2 teaspoon glucose and have also been making muffins with berries and glucose and the other strawberry cake recipe on this site.  I also made my own "icing" with Ricotta Cheese, Glucose, milk and  little water.  Has similar consistency and tastes great - though now I am finding anything like that incredibly sweet and almost too sickly.

Good luck with it all.  It would be great to hear of your future weight loss achievements.

Regards,

Anne Noakes

Hi Anne,

Thanks for your comments. Every bit of help and encouragement is valuable when trying to break a lifetime habit. I will continue to document my progress on a weekly basis. I hope your quest is as successful as I am hoping mine will be.

Hi Judy, Keep trying! Although weight loss is important on many levels (appearance, health, confidence etc), the benefits of cutting fructose from your diet will I am sure, pay dividends in time. One of the expectations from paying to become a member of such a website, is that we receive informed help. I am sure it will be forthcoming from the genuinely knowledgable. 

Meanwhile, keep focussed and stay away from the Tim Tams.

Best wishes,

David F

Jan Webb wrote:

Hi All

Still craving sweet things but lost just over a 1kg.

I too am only 2 weeks into my new way of eating.  I didn't have all the bad side effects just a craving to eat.  I still going looking for that something but am getting around it with a few nuts which are sweet or a sao and vegemite.  I didn't realise how much sugar I was having a day in coffee and tea.  I still crave that coffee with sugar but using stevia at the moment.  It is not the same but getting better.  I found if I make a proper perked coffee it is not so bad.  I knew that one day that machine in the back of the cupboard would come in handy.   Today I even tried a teaspoon of Dextrose in the coffee and it was ok so from what others have said on the forum thats great. 

I agree with David F in that it is very much like what my grandparents used to eat.  Fresh foods and plain biscuits are also cheaper.   I am going to look after my mum for a few weeks while she recovers from a hip replacement so that will be a challenge.  They don't eat all the processed stuff and asian sauces but have cakes and ice cream.  Out comes the Sao topped with cream cheese and tomato along side their jam scones.  At least I will be doing the shopping so they may end up with some foreign ingredients in their pantry.  Maybe able to try some of those sugarless recipes which I have packed to take with me.  I'll try them on my dad as he likes my cooking especially the failures as he gets to eat it all.  Guess where I get my addiction from. 

Well the challenge continues. 

Good luck to everyone.  Keep it up.

Hi Jan,

I am just over the two week mark myself.  It was interesting to read yours and David F's comments on how you are progressing.  I am the same no bad side effects but my cravings have been the hardest to deal with.  I want to eat everything.  I too have made sure I have some sort of mixture of raw nuts and seeds always on hand as they seem to fill me up and also plain rice crackers.  I've also found the vegemite on toast seems to help.  I have had some days where I have not had the cravings and found that I've only wanted some fresh vegies and very little else - which is a nice change.  Otherwise, I am still having to ensure I have my 'alternative strategies' in place for when the sugar cravings come out of nowhere.

I agree that my diet has gone back to the days of my mother's cooking and my food bill has gone down quite a bit since I've had to cut out so much processed stuff.

Good luck also to everyone, will be good to hear how you are going in the next week or two.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, I love reading them all.  I myself have only just started on the journey of sugar free, this is my second week.  First week looked to have some weight loss then it didn't happen, this week seems to be promising, I will be grateful for half a kilo loss per week - and keeping it off!  I do need to lose weight but I also realise my body has to adjust to this new lifestyle before it lets go of my past.

I have actually been able to let go of sugar fairly easily, as mostly it has been incidental for me - in food I consume, spread on toast etc, although I did like to have a snack chocolate daily.  I also do enjoy the occassional dessert, love making sweets for the kids and the family and did enjoy icecream.  I know this has to change, and I think the challenge will be I can change my eating habits fairly easily but struggle with morning and afternoon tea for my 3 young children as I want this healthier life for them. 

I already monitor labels in the supermarket as we keep wheat out of our diet as my mother and brother are coeliac, I however have chosen to keep wheat out of my diet and my kids diet for the most part so that I will never get like my mother and brother.  So for me the supermarket shop was not a major stress, more a learning experience as I now am also looking at the sugars.

As for withdrawal, I did have a headache in the first couple of days and I still do have the feeling of hunger especially in the afternoon - working on this with the rice crackers and cheese or a rice cake with peanut butter.

Thanks again for sharing and look forward to going along the journey and sharing with others.

Nicole