Now that Dry January is on the verge of ending, I've decided to try a slightly different version of self-control. Starting tomorrow will be my attempt at a Sugar-free (NO SUGAR) February and not consume any sugary food products. No turbinado sugar or flavored creamer in my morning coffee, no sugary snacks (cookies, candy, donuts, etc.), breakfast cereals, desserts, soft drinks, and/or other foods with a high sugar content and/or added sugar. Unfortunately, this will include any alcoholic beverages/drinks which is basically an extension of Dry January. I'm also gonna eliminate any artificial sweeteners such as Trivia, Stevia, Splenda, and Sweet-N-Low because, well, they're fake and artificial. Hopefully, these efforts will also greatly reduce my daily intake of carbs as well.

I'm not sure if this will sabotage my efforts or not make sense to you, but I've decided to keep consuming natural healthy sugars derived from fruits and veggies (oranges, apples, berries, melons, etc.), honey, and whole milk. I would gladly like to get your input or thoughts on this Sugar-free February plan and weigh all the pros/cons and benefits/drawbacks.

Thanks in advance!

I quit drinking in July and have been doing the keto thing for quite a while. I am at the point where if anything else that is enjoyable or convenient gets taken away I will probably just say screw it all and go back to how I was in my 20's. There is a limit to how much a person can carry. It's not the food or drink being off limits that affects me so much. It's more the inconvenience of it all and altering the life I have lived for so long. And, there is the 'life is short, might as well enjoy it' side of things too that has to be factored into the equation. You will become the difficult one in your friendships. 'Oh, we can't go there or do that because Soandso can't eat anything there'. Not a big deal when you are solo, but with 2 other couples, you feel like a jerk after a while. Always planning out your meals becomes a PITA.

Do it if it makes you happy. Just know, there isn't too much left to take away from you at that point. I am not trying to talk you out of this. Maybe at least make some exceptions for protein bars to give you something easy. Those all have some kind of sugar or artificial sweetener in them, but better than a McDonalds mcmuffin.

Why whole milk? I drink strictly skim and have for most of my life. Don't really feel like I need the extra fat / calories from 2% or whole. Also, isn't stevia plant based? I use a packet of it in my oatmeal every morning.

I kind of have to echo what Milwaukees Best said. Although I eat a lot of the same stuff from day to day, I still splurge on things I enjoy in moderation. Life's too short not to indulge on things you enjoy from time to time.

There is nothing inherently bad for you in artificial sweetners, and the studies back that up. You can't get fat off of them and they do give one something to stave off the need for sweet flavors. But, if you want to go all in, go for it. I would just keep them as a backup if you find that you are jonesing for a bit a sweet in things you eat and drink. Also, be careful with things like honey. LOTS of sugar calories and to me, no different then straight sugar when its all said and done (there are good things in honey-but it's a lot of sugar and tastes great. I can drink a whole bottle if not careful) plus it tastes great and is in liquid form, making it very easy to overindulge. If you are truly cutting out "all" sugars, I'd actually start with honey and natural syrups like maple. Replace those with artificial sweetners that will have no effect on weight gain and still give you a little sweet taste to things.

Also, keep the fruits and veggies in there. Again, no one has gotten fat eating too much fruit and it is full of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Consider this, sugar is a broad term. When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into sugar. Sugar isn't "bad" for you per sey. It is the fact that processed sugary foods are so tasty and full of sugar that it's hard to eat an amount that is healthy for you. Nothing is wrong with occasionally having some candy or a cookie as long as it is in moderation and ideally fits within your macro intake. If you account for it, it won't leave a mark on you. I take this approach every time I lean down and have never had an issue going below 10% BF. And if you train hard, simpler sugars are really good for you after a training session. Again, if you account for it. My go to post workout is a bagel, a banana or 2 and a protein shake. It's easy to carry, gives my plenty of easy to digest carbs and fills me up.

Great goal to go sugar free! I've decided on moderation. No sugar in coffee (using Truvia) and no soft drinks. I will have a treat occasionally. Had one brownie the other day. I lost 4 pounds in January. I'm not obese but was at the high end of recommended weight for my height. Like to lose another 10. Slow and steady.

Use monk fruit extract for your sweetner. 100% natural and very sweet. Start with a tiny dose though it is much sweeter than sugar.

Thankfully, I already pretty much do this and have for years as I'm not a big sugar person. I did eat a Hersheys Kiss last night though.

I am in a similar boat. My no drinking and diet changes started when I found out about my LAD blockage. I figured it's better to act right than have to get my chest cut open. With that said, I do make exceptions for eating out or drinking 4-5 beers every once in awhile with friends. I figure if I can get it right about 95% of the time, that's a damn side better than where I was.

I didn't think stevia was 'artificial'.

Thanks for your input, everyone! All great comments and things to consider in my approach to Sugar free February. I'm making adjustments to my sugar free consumption and thanks for educating me on all things "sweet". I plan to cut out honey and substitute with Truvia or Stevia for my morning coffee along w/ half-n-half creamer. Also cutting unnecessary carbs which covert to sugar...

Just as with Dry January, cutting out alcohol for a month makes a lot sense but still able to enjoy wine/beer/cocktail after the month is over and need to practice moderation. After February, I'll still enjoy sweets on rare occasions and just live life! But, at my age I get way more aches and pains than I used to and sugar is a well known factor of inflammation which results in body aches and pains. I'm in this for the long haul and plan to eat healthier overall for my long-term health. Only three days in and all is good...

After reading your last post, let me say one more thing. If you go low enough carbs, you will go into ketosis. Going into ketosis the first time is pretty rough. Some call it the keto flu. It can knock you down for a full day. It goes away and you feel normal once you are clear, but going through it sucks.

If you take a cheat day, or just eat way too many carbs at one time, you will exit ketosis. For me, it still sucks going back into ketosis. It is nowhere near as bad as the first time, but it still sucks. It usually makes me really mean and I have to take a nap. It only lasts a couple hours and I am back to normal. As a result, I don't cheat much. There are times when I slip up, or there really aren't any food options that work for me, but overall I stick to it pretty tightly because it really sucks going back and forth. I don't know if other people are the same, or if I am just the lucky one. Maybe you let me know if you go all the way.

I've been doing the ketogenic diet since mid-December and it's been great!

Before that I was already fairly low-carb due to a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in April 2024. I removed all breads, pastas, sugars, and vastly reduced my beer consumption. Apparently you can still get T2D when you're tall and skinny (6'3, 180lbs at the time). I would still have a "cheat" day of Mexican food and a beer once or twice a week. Changing up the diet took my A1c from 7.1% down to 5.9" sans medication and lost 15 lbs of junk weight. I'm a cyclist and runner, so always have been skinny. A good diet really works! Consistent exercise helps too, which isn't what I've been doing the last 10yrs or so.

Fast-forward to the end of 2025 and I decided to see just how well I can manage my glucose levels and enter the keto diet. I really started to monitor my food intake and am down to about 30g of carbs daily. I eat a LOT of eggs with butter, cheese and guac for the fats. Grilled chicken and beef fajitas with butter are a norm. Sardines with olive oil are a daily snack food for me. I nixed the alcohol and Mexican food cheat days. Right now my trend line for A1c is ~5.3 - 5.5% based on the Stelo CGM. I'll confirm with bloodwork later this month. Ketones have been measuring from ~0.8 after a hard ride day to 3 on recovery days. Whatever fat I had is gone now too. It's a lot of work, but I feel fantastic!

One thing I've learned from managing T2D is that I don't crave sugars, pasta, etc anymore. It takes some discipline to drop those things, but you'll be so much better for it!

mtngoat3006 said:

---

Thanks for your input, everyone! All great comments and things to consider in my approach to Sugar free February. I'm making adjustments to my sugar free consumption and thanks for educating me on all things "sweet". I plan to cut out honey and substitute with Truvia or Stevia for my morning coffee along w/ half-n-half creamer. Also cutting unnecessary carbs which covert to sugar...

Just as with Dry January, cutting out alcohol for a month makes a lot sense but still able to enjoy wine/beer/cocktail after the month is over and need to practice moderation. After February, I'll still enjoy sweets on rare occasions and just live life! But, at my age I get way more aches and pains than I used to and sugar is a well known factor of inflammation which results in body aches and pains. I'm in this for the long haul and plan to eat healthier overall for my long-term health. Only three days in and all is good...

---

so this is where dry January and months like this confuse me. What is just fully cutting something out for 4 weeks really do when you've decided you just want to moderate consumption of it in the long run?

why not just moderate consumption of it and that's that? Seems a way easier approach and 4 weeks avoiding it isn't going to make continued moderation any easier or harder.