I have given up adding sugar to anything, like coffee or tea, been about 2 years now. I don't use nondairy creamer, nothing but chemicals. I drink water. I gave up sodas 15 years ago. I avoid pasta, potatoes, rice and bread. I don't deprive myself of anything I might want sometimes though, like the double batch of brownies with ice cream, I made at Christmas : )

I avoid overly processed food. No artificial sweeteners, ever. No transfat or hydrogenated fats. Ideally I'd avoid added sugars completely but that's still a work in progress!

I think plant-based, reduced carb diets are the best but as a vegetarian I have to be a little more flexible.

I get heartburn so now I eat less at every meal, especially dinner. I've had to teach myself that it's okay not to feel full after a meal. I tell myself this is not your last meal so don't eat like it is. There'll be another one in just a few hours. I also watch my fat intake. I have a sweet tooth but I try to eat hard candy instead of fatty ice cream, cake, and cookies.

Potato chips and pop. I don't like much sugar either. My downfall is home baked bread, especially sourdough and multigrain.

I use sugar still in my morning coffee or tea, but I drink water during the day and night. I sometimes will buy a soda for pleasure during a holiday break and when it is a price I like. Just like chips, I'll buy crackers instead.

I don't crave chocolate as I much as I did in my 20's but I still will buy it sometimes. I like it fresh and do not like eating old chocolate!

We all have to watch and eat when we feel the need, I am not taking medicines and I feel pretty healthy. Smaller potions like mayflowers will be my goal for 2017. :)

I don't have any food related health issues ( diabetes, celiac disease, etc.) so none. I am overweight however so once again will embark on watching my calories and upping my activity. That will be based on eating a balanced diet that doesn't exclude anything, I have success when I eat the minimum daily requirements from the basic food groups and leave room for treats. My goal is to drop a jean size by March. Slow and steady.

1. Diet Coke

2. Artificial sweeteners

3. Sugar

I have alway had a higher cholesterol, but when it was first diagnosed in my early 30's the doctor asked if: I smoked, drank, ate healthy, kept my weight down. I gave all the right answers and he told me to not worry about it. So, I didn't.

Fast forward to when I was turning 59. I felt it important to review and my internist recommended low dose medication for it.

I have not, and will not eliminate anything. Ice cream is my all time favorite and I also like potato chips.

I absolutely hate hearing people substitute the artificial sweeteners for sugar. First they are safe, then before you know it, no they aren't.

Everything in moderation is the key. Will power is the hardest.

I was going to say none....but Littlebug reminded me...I gave up diet soda and artificial sweeteners a few years ago. Like Watchmelol, I don't have any health issues like high or low blood sugar, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. If I want something, I eat it.

Not my idea...gluten, dairy, soy, tomato products, spices, fried food, onions, garlic, caffeine ( including chocolate and decaf), limited fresh veggies, carbonated drinks, processed meats....and I do not feel a bit better! :-(

i changed my diet completely. no processed foods, sugar or "diet" anything. i eat a low, healthy carb diet., healthy fats. lost almost 20 lbs., all i was doing was gaining weight and couldn't lose weight no matter what i did. felt tired all the time. went to gym 5 days a week for about 3 months and lost only 3 lbs. the diet was the key!! diet is 80%, exercise 20% to losing weight. i feel so much better, so much more energy and weigh what i did in H.S.... never going back to what i did before!!

I avoid sugar, but ate sweets that were gifts recently and had all kinds of scary diabetes symptoms. I froze them for now. Maybe give them away eventually. But I am now afraid of sugar. I have heard the artificial sweeteners are bad. Alcoholic drinks don't give me the symptoms sugary treats do. Is that weird? I crave meat and potatoes, not sugar. I force down a can of sardines or salmon once or twice a week because I hear it it very good for you, and I notice the difference in my skin and lips aren't chapped. It's a healthy fat. I'm a widow so can choose my own diet now. But I still splurge and make fried chicken or fried potatoes for myself sometimes. You can use healthy fats for that.

GERD here. Can't drink/ eat citrus fruits, drink cranberry juice, eat marinara sauce - anything acidic. Bummer...

I haven't purposely eaten any added MSG or real or artificial sugar for years. It kills me when some is in food that I'm unaware of. I have Migraine related hypoglycemia. I also am sensitive to most breads and yeast. I miss multigrain bread... I can eat fruit and drink fruit juice. I hope you can do something fun Anglo.

I have not given up anything yet!

Sue

The only carbs I eat are from vegetables. I don't drink soda or alcohol. No sweets. I have to admit it was a little tough sticking to my plan during the holidays, but I did. I just feel better when I eat more spartanly

DH visited the Poison Food Aisle at the grocery while we were sick. Water made me nauseous, but I could manage a glass of ice melting into a little ginger ale. I never buy anything in that Sugar-Water & Salt aisle. I buy a pound box of salt about every five years; it's not on our table. I drink a cup of coffee with cream and a cup of tea with sugar. We eat some cookies and some dark chocolate. Moderation is the trick with whatever you consume.

My *only* health-related claim to fame is my perfect cholesterol; doctors always comment on it. I think they pay too much attention to cholesterol! IMO people 'come with' various levels, and we know there are bad side effects to medications to change it. (BP does deserve attention, especially as our circulatory systems age.)

Most prepared food has way too much salt and sugar -- cheap ingredients used to disguise the inferior quality of the food itself.

I have no allergies or food related issues so I eat whatever I want. As I age and with less physical activity, I have found that the weight creeps up so I do try to watch what I eat. I don't care much for sweets and have never added sugar or sweeteners to coffee or tea (unless with a cold, then honey and lemon). I dislike diet pop intensely but do indulge in the "real stuff" now and again when eating out. But my standard go-to refreshment is unsweetened cold brew ice tea, which I drink year round.

I eat lots of fruit and green veggies but carbs are my big weakness. I could easily live on just french fries :-) But breads are a big draw as well. And cheese!!

Planning a big family vacation in Mexico next winter and will need a new bathing suit..........so will be doing some serious calorie reduction as well as walking daily. That means backing off of the breads, fries and the cheese..........sigh :-(

I could easily cut out most pastas, bread, potatoes and cheese. I live with kids and a husband who don't appreciate several days in a row of healthier meals. Dh will go shopping on his own and the junk comes back in. Everyone except me is going back to work or school next week. I'm going back to no coffee then.

The only thing I am very careful to avoid is high fructose corn syrup. It is in so many foods! I always buy ketchup that does not contain HFCF, but unfortunately the last bottle I got is huge and does contain it. Most jellies and jams seem to have it too, so I have to buy the more expensive stuff. I just joined a gym, so I hope I get motivated to cut out more junk food.

I'm glad I'm not a big soda drinker but I do LOVE sweets!!!

I have kidney disease so I my diet is very restricted yet I stick to it and my numbers haven't changed. It's a huge sacrifice but I think I'm worth it lol.

I have not given up anything. I eat whatever I want.

I'm changing my diet on Dr.'s instructions. I'm giving up all white stuff: refined sugar, white flour, white rice, and milk. Whole corn does not sit well with me, but I can eat grits and cornbread. Stopped eating soy years ago because of my thyroid. Developed horrible GERD just recently, triggered by antibiotic treatment, but can't get rid of it, so I'm trying to eat more alkaline than acid foods.

I find as I get older, my body just doesn't tolerate a lot of foods anymore. I don't mind giving up something if I can substitute it with something else, like green tea for coffee, or almond milk for regular milk.

Breads, cheeseburgers and pizza because they blow my 2000 calorie diet to hell. I'm lucky that I'm not a sweets lover.

I gave up carbonated soft drinks about 20 or more years ago - they just made me feel bloated.

I gave up aspartame about 6 years ago. I was having all sorts of problems which went away after I gave up aspartame and caffeine.

I gave up chocolate about 7 or 8 years ago, it was causing me stomach problems.

About 4 years ago I gave up all pasta, rice, most bread foods like muffins, cookies, cakes, bagels, etc. In the process I also exercised more and gave up sweets and I lost 55 pounds along the way!

On special occasions I will have some baked goods (birthday cake for example and cookies at Christmas).

I gave up juice last January as well as cereal. I am limiting my carb intake. (I've fallen off the wagon the past few weeks but resolve to be better about it once the holidays are over).

I don't eat refined or highly processed foods, and though I'm not necessarily following a low carb program, I limit our intake to a wide assortment of grains, seeds, legumes, and vegetables. We rarely have sweets in the house, but if so it's because I baked something for guests or neighbors. I have to taste for quality control, haha.

I have a genetic predisposition for cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure problems, as do two of my three brothers. All of us are fit and relatively active but I am the only one who has been able to get off all prescription meds. I've accomplished it by making good choices about what I do and don't eat.

Finding out that I have a "fatty liver" right before the holiday season is not fun. Having to weigh the impact of every forkful is taxing. But dropped 5 lbs in the first week by cutting out white foods, sugarary foods and drinking more water wasa pleasant surprise. Mom has inflammatory liver disease and diabetes so this is a heads up for me. Looking forward to 2017 and many other improvements .

dirtygardener73 -- When I have to take an antibiotic, I follow it an hour later with a probiotic. I don't know if that would help GERD, but it prevents diarrhea. (When I take Tylenol #3 for pain, I also take a stool softener to prevent constipation. I'd been doing that for years; last hospital stay it was prescribed.)

boops, I just want to support you on your path to good health. What does seem like a chore at first, will become routine after a while. Just don't let yourself feel deprived day after day or it will be very difficult to stay on your program.

No processed food, no meat or meat products, no soda , no desserts, ( except maybe one cookie for dessert at night), no snacks, no sugar (don't have a sugar bowl) 70% of diet is fresh fruits and veggies.

Alcohol. I used to love it but as I get older I find it makes me feel depressed the next couple days. Not that I used to drink every day or anything like that but when I drank I really liked it. Also we don't fry foods and if we eat greasy food we tend to feel sick.

Is there some kind of saying like, "Listen to your body, not your taste buds?"