A woman who was “addicted” to sugar and eating herself into an “early grave” has revealed how quitting the substance cold turkey helped her to lose seven stone.
Kristy McCammon used to start her day with a bag of crisps, a pack of cookies or sweets.
Her cravings, especially for sugary foods, had become “impossible” to ignore, and she says it was quickly turning into an “addiction”.
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At her heaviest, she wore a UK dress size 28 and was eating up to 5,000 calories in one day.
After becoming “fed up” with her brain only ever thinking about food, she decided to make a drastic decision – and quit refined sugar cold turkey.
And even though she still has a sweet tooth, the mum has found a way to keep this in check, as revealed in a video racking up two million views and over 6,000 likes.
“I literally couldn’t stop eating sweets,” the health coach told Need To Know.
“I absolutely loved sugar and ate it as often as I could.
“The cravings were always very intense, and I felt like I literally had to have it and get that quick hit.
“It was my comfort for all emotions; no matter how I felt, food was always there for me.
“But I didn’t want to cut my life short by eating myself into an early grave.”
Kristy, 53, had tried various diets before, such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and joining the gym, but nothing worked.
In October 2017, though, she decided to take the plunge.
She ditched the sugar-filled goods, fast food dinners and frozen snacks and switched to homemade items.
For breakfast, she’ll eat peanut butter oatmeal cookies or eggs with an apple.
At lunch, it’s a big salad with chicken or steak and a piece of fruit, along with raw vegetables.
And for dinner, it’s another form of protein – either chicken, steak or fish – and roasted vegetables.
If she gets a craving for something sweet, it’s fruit or nothing else.
She said: “I’ve eliminated all sugar, sweetener and artificial sweetener.
“I don’t necessarily have an alternative, but I add a lot of bananas or sweet potatoes to meals to help sweeten things up.
“I also make ice cream with cottage cheese, and each year on my birthday, I have a gorgeous fruit cake made for me.
“I choose that any day over a traditional cake.”
In the clip, Kristy cuts into a giant piece of watermelon topped with grapes, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and kiwis.
She captioned it: “Your life will be sweeter without sugar and flour.
“I’m seven years sugar sober, loving life and living in the present.”
Users have flocked to the comments to share their reactions – though many people were left disagreeing.
“I used to be like this, until I realised that life is way too short not to eat a Cinnabon,” Elysia said.
Emily added: “As a baker, absolutely not.”
“Life is short. Too short for many. You do you. But I’m having real cake,” commented Kathleen.
Vivi added: “If I came to a party and this was the cake. I would leave very confused and sad as a kid.”
“Who’s gonna tell her there is sugar in fruit?” Kaylee said.
Kristy, from Texas, US, used to spend “hundreds” per week satisfying her cravings – now, she spends zero.
And even though her family aren’t subject to her harsh diet, she does try to limit processed foods and non-homemade goods.
Currently, she wears a UK dress size 16 and hopes to continue maintaining this naturally.
She added: “The cravings have completely gone away.
“And real food tastes amazing now.
“I feel better in my 50s than I did at any other age.
“I get the desperation people feel trying to lose weight, and then they turn to jabs or surgery.
“But I think we need to learn to surrender and eat in a healthy way that benefits our body and nourishes our brains.
“I believe sugar is addictive.
“I’ve heard it lights up the reward centre of our brain as much as other hard drugs.
“That’s why it’s so hard to stop, and the cravings are so strong.
“People often think this lifestyle is restrictive, but I’m here to tell you that being overweight and food-obsessed is more restricting.
“None is easier than one.”
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