I Lost 50kg In One Year By Treating Sugar Like The Drug It Is
I'm 33 years old and weigh 168 kilograms. I've faced addictions to cigarettes, alcohol, recreational drugs, and gambling. I've struggled with them all. However, my most significant addiction has been something completely legal and widely praised in society. Since childhood, I've been overdosing on this substance without realizing its impact on my life. This realization has pushed me towards healthier living, particularly through a sugar-free diet. It turns out that my biggest addiction is sugar, which is why I'm now exploring various sugar-free recipes to help break free from its hold.
Eat Less, Move More?
Look, I know what you've been told about healthy living: eat less, move more. Calories in, calories out. It's simple.
And honestly? It does work. For some people.
But if you're reading this, you're probably like me. You've tried it. You've succeeded. You've lost the weight. You felt incredible for a while.
And then it all came back. Plus more.
I'd tried everything in my quest for healthy living. Boxing fights. 50 different diets. Step counters. Intermittent fasting. I even ran a marathon - all 7 hours and 2 minutes of it.
Every single time, the same pattern. Lose it. Gain it back. Feel like a failure. Try again.
I thought I was weak. I thought I was lazy. I thought I just needed to try harder.
Turns out, I was fighting the wrong battle entirely. Instead of focusing on quick fixes, I should have embraced a sugar-free diet and explored sugar-free recipes to support my long-term goals.
Addiction recovery over diet plan
For years, I blamed myself. I'd wake up on a Monday morning, look in the mirror, and promise this was it. This time would be different. This time I'd stick to my commitment to healthy living. By Thursday, I'd be standing at the train station with a chocolate bar in my hand, not even remembering buying it. The voice in my head would tell me I was pathetic. That I had no self-control. That other people could follow a sugar-free diet, so why couldn't I? What I didn't realize was that I wasn't dealing with a willpower problem. I was dealing with an addiction problem. And you can't willpower your way out of an addiction any more than an alcoholic can willpower their way through 'just one drink.' Instead, I needed to explore sugar-free recipes that could help me make better choices.
This is my Story
I'm not here to sell you anything. I'm not a coach or a nutritionist, and I'm definitely not promoting meal plans or workout programs. I'm just a bloke who spent his entire 20s caught up in addictions - alcohol, drugs, gambling, food - and eventually discovered what was really happening in my life. This is my story of seeking healthy living. It's messy and uncomfortable, with parts I'm not proud of. But I'm sharing it because I wish someone had shared their journey with me ten years ago, especially about navigating issues like a sugar-free diet and finding sugar-free recipes.
My Lifechanging Year
A guest on my podcast shared a powerful insight: "The whole world is addicted to sugar, and if you can beat that addiction, everything else falls into place." At first, I dismissed the idea. Sugar? It didn’t seem like a real addiction; it was just... food. But at 168kg, with a failing liver, infertility issues, and feeling out of options, I decided to give it a try. I committed to a sugar-free diet, cutting out not just sugar but also flour, caffeine, and alcohol. My meals consisted solely of meat cooked in animal fat and seasoned with salt. I thought I’d only last a week. The first month was brutal. I faced intense brain fog, persistent diarrhea, and a constant anger towards everything. Every day, quitting felt like the only option. However, around week four, something shifted. I experienced a day where food didn’t dominate my thoughts. I worked, came home, had dinner, and went to bed without obsessing over my next meal. For someone who had spent decades engulfed in thoughts about food, this was a revolutionary moment. After 90 days, I had lost 25 kilos, but the greatest transformation was the newfound quiet in my mind. There was no longer a voice demanding chocolate at 3pm or anxiety about what to eat at social events. Gone were the feelings of guilt after meals and the shame spirals that haunted my Monday mornings. I found peace. For the first time in my adult life, I felt in control—not from sheer willpower but because I had broken free from cravings. The addiction was finally behind me. Six months later, my wife was pregnant after years of trying. I had convinced myself it was just bad luck, but with a sugar-free diet and healthier living, my body was ready to prioritize reproduction. By the end of the year, I had lost 50 kilos. I don’t share this to brag; I share it because I know how far gone I was. I had experienced cocaine binges in city pubs, gambled thousands on poker tournaments, and faced three boxing fights where I lost weight only to gain it back. I even walked most of a marathon and struggled to fit into my wedding suit. If I can achieve this, I genuinely believe anyone can. It’s not about being special or suddenly gaining willpower; it’s about understanding what you’re truly fighting against and embracing a sugar-free lifestyle that includes healthy living and delicious sugar-free recipes.