One thing I found really hard, was what to do or what to have when the cravings hit. Its easy to say just push through it, but if you’re really trying to quit, it’s gonna be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done.

If you’re following Sarah Wilson’s I Quit Sugar Book (which I seriously recommend) then you’ll find lots of handy information in there, but not a lot when you’re going through your eight weeks of cold turkey. Her website used to have lots of blog posts about this, however she has since moved away from the business (to work on other ventures) and therefore the site has shut 😭. (Although some of her recipes can be found on 28bysamwood).

So this post is here to give you all the tips and tricks I used to survive the cravings and get you through to the other side without caving in.

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First of all, everything will taste rubbish.

I’m not going to beat around the bush, you will literally start to wonder if cardboard has more taste to it. Sugar has taken over your taste buds for so long, your body has forgotten what normal food tastes like. It’s important to keep reminding yourself why you’re doing this – I did it not just to lose weight, but to live a life not controlled by the next sugar hit. Quitting sugar helps improve your lifestyle massively, it improves anxiety, improves your skin and overall health, not just weight loss. So every time you feel like rubbish, remind yourself of those points. Even write them down and tape them on your wall.

Remember fat is your friend.

My primary focus in the first eight weeks was not to lose weight but to get out of the sugar addiction. (Weight loss is far easier once you are past that). So if you need a snack, have two chunks of toasted halloumi. If you need something with a bit of a kick, have salted nuts, just make sure they’re not roasted or coated. If you’re out with friends remember it’s not what you can’t have, its what you can, so although you can’t have the cake, treat yourself with the sausage roll. Enjoy it knowing it’s going to be well worth it in the long run.

Ignore the opinions

Because my goodness you are going to hear a lot of them. You’re going to be pretty down and grumpy whilst you’re coming off the cravings (it’s normal). This is going to lead to people around you constantly telling you that you need sugar to survive, especially when it comes to fruit – no one is going to believe you should quit fruit. But what you need to remind them is you are only quitting fruit for 8 weeks to get over the addiction to fructose (the sugar found in both fruit and sweets). Once you’re past your eight weeks you can re-introduce it again, but you will find you won’t need much of it, one or maybe two small pieces each day. The biggest reason people will be negative towards it is because they know they wouldn’t be able to do it and therefore want you to fail to make them feel better. Be the bigger person and stick to your guns – you’re doing this for your health. It’s not a short term diet, it’s a lifestyle change.

Treat yourself – differently

Switch out your treats to non-food ones – go get a face mask, or buy some good quality coffee, use a cafetiere and take your time with it. Buy a new book or new diary, all little treats that remind you you’re getting stronger and saying no to sugar. If it gets to 10oclock and you’re starving, have some nuts, or even crisps if you need it. Peanut butter on rice cakes are good, and make a big mug of tea, that will fill you up too. (I’ve put a list of my favourite products at the bottom of this post).

It’s important to start the day right, I use to have two bits of toast with two poached eggs, I’ve now cut down to one piece of toast, but go for what you find best. Alternatively, you can beef up your bit of toast by adding smashed avocado too.

If you miss chocolate (I did) then try having the 100% cacao hot chocolate drops (available in Sainsburys and Waitrose). You can have this throughout your eight weeks and I found the best way to have them is by melting a spoonful of drops in a very small amount of milk, and then frothing the rest of the milk in a cafetiere. (Heat milk up, add to cafetiere, plunge 5-6 times, boom – frothy milk). It makes a creamy thick hot chocolate with absolutely zero sugar.

Lastly, just keep distracting yourself, go for a walk and get some fresh air, go for a run if you can, or find another activity to do, whether that’s catching up with friends or starting a new hobby.

You can do this

The hardest thing is accepting that everything is going to taste plain and rubbish for a while. It’s only once you accept this and just get on with it, that your tastebuds will change so keep pushing through and don’t give up. Remember they conducted a test on mice addicted to sugar and cocaine, and when offered both, they went for the sugar first. So be kind to yourself, acknowledge that getting over an addiction is not easy and that you are going to be 1000% stronger on the other side.

I hope you found this helpful, if you’re currently quitting sugar give me a comment below & let me know how you’re getting on! If you have any questions feel free to ask too. Don’t forget to save this to your Pinterest board so you can refer to it when you get stuck.

As always, thank you for reading.

Harriet 🙂

Here’s a list of the products I used that genuinely helped get me through:

– Pics peanut butter – Don’t question it until you’ve tried it, hands down the best in the world.

– Hasslacher’s hot chocolate drops – I’ve literally just had a hot chocolate whilst writing this, so good.

– Bell orange and mango tea – I’m gutted this isn’t easily available in the UK. It’s a tea made in New Zealand and it is just perfection. Sometimes its actually too sweet, which makes it perfect for when you’re going through your 8-week challenge! Available on NZ international sites (it’s worth the cost).

– Mini Cafetiere – Treat yourself to a posh looking Cafetiere, it’s sooo much better than instant coffee. Just use it with ground coffee, for example:

This post contains affiliate links which means I may get a small commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products I truly believe in.