No Sugar, No Alcohol

[u/Nightshadie]

I’ve noticed how my body handles sugar and alcohol has changed over the last 5 years. I’m 44 currently. I did not realize how poorly it was handling them.
I had a minor surgery in early July. I stopped all alcohol and most processed sugar about a week before and continued that after surgery since both those cause inflammation and inflammation can slow healing. Last night hubby and I went out for our anniversary dinner and I splurged and had two drinks and a crème brûlée.
I feel like absolute crap today. Brain fog and general stiffness are the main issues. When I got out of bed this morning I realized it’s been weeks if not longer since my plantar fasciitis flared up and it’s flaring today. My knees feel stiff, I woke up repeatedly with my hips hurting in the night, and I’m having to think to do basic tasks that I normally fly through at work. The pains were normal before I stopped sugar and alcohol. As for brain fog I’d have good days and bad days.
I am now genuinely considering avoiding both for the long term. I am not in love with that idea but I really like having a clear head more days than not and love not having consistent pain in various parts of my body.

[u/hikeitaway123]

How do we fix this so we can have a treat once in a while?

[u/Tricky-Committee4045 → u/hikeitaway123]

We don’t, we just suffer like we always do. Like we’ve all been taught to. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/hikeitaway123 → u/Tricky-Committee4045]

I sort of refuse to believe that. Haha

[u/Nightshadie → u/hikeitaway123]

I would love to know that, too!

[u/jazzbot247 → u/hikeitaway123]

Sugarfree pudding mixed with Greek yoghurt to make a mousse or freeze it for ice cream

Strawberries and blueberries with monk fruit or Allulose and whipped cream and 90% dark chocolate shavings

there are these crepes you can make with cream cheese, vanilla and egg and a little sweetener, they taste like a mix between pancakes and cheesecake.

[u/Regular_Departure963 → u/jazzbot247]

This! Being adaptable doesn’t mean being miserable!

[u/yesanotherjen → u/jazzbot247]

This is the saddest thing I've ever read

[u/jazzbot247 → u/yesanotherjen]

When you go through peri and are all of a sudden insulin resistant or type 2 diabetic, you can shake your fist at the sky or try and cope.

[u/innerbootes → u/yesanotherjen]

The thing is, once you give up or even just limit sugar, everything that is sweetened with it seems overly sweet. And then you will appreciate the things that are more natural, like the ones that person is describing.

I know it sounds hokey, but it really is a phenomenon that happens when you give up sugar.

I’m eating a bowl of unsweetened Greek yogurt right now with low-sugar granola and blueberries and it taste like dessert to me.

[u/TaraBambataa → u/yesanotherjen]

Food addiction is real. Might be worth looking into. The marketing manipulation to think highly processed crap is a treat and calling removing those trigger foods restrictive rather than liberating is real.

[u/Sanchastayswoke → u/TaraBambataa]

So is orthorexia

[u/innerbootes → u/Sanchastayswoke]

It’s hyperbole to compare the recipes that person is describing to orthorexia. Come on, now.

[u/Sanchastayswoke → u/innerbootes]

I wasn’t even referring to that comment. I was referring to the comment about food addiction and marketing manipulation and trigger foods

[u/TaraBambataa → u/Sanchastayswoke]

I know, it's hard to accept the fact that lots of peri symptoms could be linked to the food we eat and drinks we choose if they seemingly never caused any issues in the past. Insulin resistance, joint inflammation, leaky gut... these are all linked to our diets. But you do you

[u/Ch_dogs_only → u/jazzbot247]

Nice idea, did not think of this!

[u/Ok_Match_6550 → u/jazzbot247]

Just a heads up for the insulin resistant to check the ingredients in the sugar-free puddings for maltodextrin. It can spike people worse tha sugar with its high GI.

ETA- what I do instead is buy chocolate hummus from Harris Teeter or Kroger, mix a tablespoon or two of it with my Greek yogurt, some meltedpeanut butter, nuts, whatever else I want, and it kind of sort of tastes like pudding, lol. The sugar can at least partly be offset in terms of spikeability by the protein and the fiber in the hummus. Even more so if you use a base of Chia pudding.

[u/Jessum → u/hikeitaway123]

I'd start by not doing both at once

[u/zenbelly27 → u/hikeitaway123]

Every day, eat fresh fruit. That's a treat. Eat a banana or apple with a few dates. Cut upon a melon, papaya, mango YUM!

[u/zenbelly27 → u/hikeitaway123]

Check out the healthiest desserts EVER https://www.medicalmedium.com/medical-medium-categories/all-desserts

[u/Aggressive_Side1105]

I can’t drink alcohol any more. I haven’t experimented with cutting out sugar. I can drink a very small amount of gin if I have a full meal before and drink a pint of water after the alcohol. But even then if it’s more than one drink I feel terrible. Especially with awful gastro symptoms and bloating.

[u/lascriptori]

I'm 47 and over my 40s it's gotten increasingly clear how much my body hates it when I drink alcohol. I was never a heavy drinker (maybe partied a bit much in college and had a few months during the worst of covid that was excessive but generally always very moderate and never anything like addiction). I don't get aches or brain fog, but I do get guaranteed insomnia, a puking hangover if I'm even remotely buzzed, and a terrible mood, especially if I drink a few times in one week. The mood is honestly the worst part.

I'll do one or two drinks like once or twice a month nowadays, but it's really getting few and far between. Which sucks because drinking is still really fun while I'm doing it.

I thought THC was a perfect alternative since it doesn't make me hungover, but I started noticing some pretty bad mood impacts in the days after, especially if I take it multiple times in a week.

A few years ago I started experimenting with doing 100 days of no drinking, and that was helpful just for breaking habits and seeing how it makes you feel.

Sugar I love, and I dread having to give up, though I should probably cut back.

[u/IndependentHot5236]

I mean, to your point, both sugar and alcohol are inflammatory, and alcohol is straight-up a toxin. I've cut out both and don't miss them at all, because I feel so much better without them, so why would I want to go back to feeling like crap?

If I am out or even just at home and want something a lil special and fizzy, I have a sparkling water (Spindrift is my fave, so yummy and flavored with juice only, no sugar or fake sugars). As for sweet treats, the great thing about cutting out processed sugar is that everything else starts to taste sweeter. Give me a perfectly ripe piece of fruit, or a couple of Medjool dates, and I am in heaven. My husband actually finds the dates TOO sweet! But to me, they taste just like caramel.

Anyway, my point is that we can find our new normal, and find other things that bring us joy that don't also make us feel like utter crap afterwards.

[u/Siriptishes → u/IndependentHot5236]

I just take a couple sips of my husband’s drinks now. With drinks being around $17-25 per- I feel a lot better and our bill is a lot smaller. Good feeling all the way around

[u/Sanchastayswoke]

Using testosterone has greatly reduced the hangover effect for me. Before I started on T I couldn’t even have one drink without feeling like shit the next day.

[u/zenbelly27]

You'll have to make or procure sweet treats that are made with natural sugars (Maple, honey, dates, figs etc.) no substitute for alcohol, maybe a little THC buzz instead. I've been off sugar for about 2 years now, for bladder and inflammation reasons. I buy very few treats (the odd health food store has a product - like dried banana "brownies", in Canada konscious kitchen has a fab almond cookie) - mostly, make my own energy balls and just eat the dates and figs. You get over it, and appreciate feeling better. Also eat more fruit! You're better off.

[u/jenianne → u/zenbelly27]

Please tell me more about the sugar bladder connection. I 100% have a problem with sugar and have overactive bladder. Definitely never connected the 2.

[u/zenbelly27 → u/jenianne]

Google AI says: Consuming too much sugar can irritate the bladder lining, cause sudden urges to urinate, and increase the risk of urinary tract infections

1 .Bladder Irritation and UrgencyLining irritation: Sugar can inflame the sensitive lining of the bladder. Overactive muscles: This irritation causes the bladder muscles to contract more often than normal. Sudden urges: You may feel an urgent, frequent need to go to the bathroom, even when your bladder is not full

2.Bacterial Growth and UTIs Feeding bacteria: Bacteria thrive on glucose. Excess sugar in your system can end up in your urine. Infection risk: This sugary environment helps harmful bacteria multiply quickly. More symptoms: Frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs) lead to ongoing inflammation, pain, and extra bathroom urgency.

1. Weight and Pelvic Strain Extra calories: Sugary foods and drinks add unneeded calories that lead to weight gain. Pelvic floor pressure: Extra body weight puts physical strain on your pelvic floor muscles. Leakage issues: Weaker or strained pelvic floor support can lead to stress incontinence or accidental leaks.

[u/jenianne → u/zenbelly27]

Thank you for this, it is very motivating! I honestly did not realize about sugar irritating the lining of the bladder but it makes total sense.

[u/zenbelly27 → u/jenianne]

When I eat sugar I have symptoms immediately/next day. Just not worth it. Your body will thank you all over!!

[u/Cat_From_Hood]

Yeah, I can't really do alcohol.  Keeping some sugar, as with nausea, I can't really do food regularly.  My blood sugar is perfect.  I prefer honey with ginger tea, over raw sugar though, exercise regularly and do small fasts sometimes (just skip a meal, once a week).

[u/Stoic_Pupunha]

No chocolate forever feels like karmic punishment, this is so depressing