Input on reducing sugar?

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  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    kyta32 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    I had this sugar bomb a week or so ago. That's bananas and with Nutella sauce. There are 3 pancakes under there as well.

    I wonder what that calorie/sugar count was. (FYI - I ate every bite)

    E86741DF-B7DC-4AF1-A294-875E65BD3727.jpg

    If you logged it, MFP will tell you how much sugar. Are you just posting this to torture people? Seriously Nutella should be illegal or something...drool....

    I didn't log it. I figured I would continue with the OPs posting of 2014 sugar bombs...Hopefully a picture doesn't actually torture anyone....
  • aeb09
    aeb09 Posts: 424 Member
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    I eat about 5g of sugar a day roughly. I live a ketogenic lifestyle (low carb, high fat, moderate protein) and the majority of my carbs/sugar come from vegetables. I eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods aside from ranch dressing, sugar free bbq sauce and sriracha. I stopped eating carbs cold turkey March 2014, although my issue was always savory carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes) and not sweets.

    I don't miss sugar and I don't miss the carbs. I feel so much better when I eat this way. I went off keto for two weeks at Christmas as a kind of science experiment (also because I hadn't been home in a year and wanted Chicago pizza....sue me). I felt absolutely awful. I had headaches every day, I was lethargic, my stomach hated me and I had trouble sleeping.

    Keto makes all of that better, for me and for many others, but you don't have to be as strict with it as I am. I'd recommend cutting back - maybe 25g every 1-2 weeks until you are at a point where you feel comfortable. Don't look for "low fat" options at the store - they are bulked with sugar/carbs to enhance the flavor the fat would have added. Replace the sugar with fat and proteins plus veggies - butter, oils, chicken thighs w/ skin, a salad with ranch (check the carb count), cucumbers, bell peppers, maybe some cheese or eggs or chicken, tuna salad with full fat mayo, meatballs/meatloaf with 85/15 ground beef, eggs, "zoodles" in place of pasta, roasted broccoli/cauliflower/brussels sprouts, etc.

    Hope that kind of helps a bit.
  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
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    shejuicy wrote: »
    TBH, she absolutely drowned that meal in syrup though. One fast thing is not to make your foods swim in syrup

    Hey, it came with that on it!

    "It would probably be easier to help if we had a better understanding of what you are finding difficult. What items are you eating that you want to replace?"

    I have a sugary energy drink for breakfast most days, cookies, yogurt covered pretzels, fiber/energy bars with a bunch of sugar, cinn rolls, etc. It's mostly the convenience of not having to prepare them, and yeah, the high/low addiction to the sugar high. I'm looking for simple ingredient meals that I can keep as a staple to not spend a lot of time cooking. I work and have an overload of classes. So like eggs and spinach with salt and pepper is good. I just want to cut out the sugar (not fruit) and replace it with equally quick and nutritious food. lol

    thank you everyone for your time and responses!

    IMHO, it's not the sugar perse, it's the calories that are IN whatever foods that have the sugar in it. In terms of weight loss, you need to consider not really the sugar but the foods you are putting the sugar ONTO
  • ahoier
    ahoier Posts: 312 Member
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    mfp has taught me, everything in moderation......and thru my own research, make room for 'cheat meals'......i typically reserve high sugar desserts for my 'cheat meal' - i do not keep ice cream, muffins, pastries, etc. in my house.....they are kept far away...lol. and only on my dedicated cheat meal days......these days i do eat my cheat meal, i be sure to eat early....and typically follow a 12-16 hour 'fast' where i do not eat again, until the next day, about 10-11 a.m.....to give my body time to digest the 'poison' (lol) i just consumed.....

    my biggest thing, was cutting out white sugar.....i no longer put sugar in my coffee.....ditched the powdered creamers....i now use a splash or 2 of half and half....which is milk and cream....it sure brings out the flavor of coffee.....a flavor i never remember ever tasting....since my daily java was typically served with 1 tablespoon of white sugar......and 1 tablespoon of creamer.....which is chock full of hydrogenated oil/fat....

    in fact, at this very moment, i do not have any white sugar in my house.....i do have light brown sugar though, which i'll sprinkle on my sweet potatoes every so often.....i haven't beaten the sweet taste of my honey yet.....so i sweeten it with half tablespoon of honey, which has some nutritional value....there are said to be some medicinal value to pure honey, so yes, i still use that on occasion....
  • shejuicy
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    kyta32 wrote: »
    It's hard to guess where you could cut on sugar without looking at your diary, but 150 grams does sound high. If you are eating the recommended amount of protein (.8g/kg bodyweight or 1 g lb/lean mass - MFP recommendations may be too low), fat, and taking most of your carbs as complex carbs (i.e. whole grains, vegetables), you shouldn't have room for 150 grams of sugar in discretionary calories (that's 600 calories).

    I mean it's pretty embarrassing to admit, but a lot of what I eat is just sweets, with addition fiber or vitamins to make me feel good about my choices. What you might consider a snack, I'll have as a mini meal. Thus far, protein and veggies have been negligible, just carbs and fruits and sugars.

    So, pairing fruit with fibers/protein. Granola. About 40g of protein. Could I just eat like 3 or 4 egg omelette?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    OP - just eat in moderation and learn the food is not inherently "evil" or "good" it is just food that your body utilizes for energy. You can eat sugar and lose weight; on the flip side, you can eliminate all sugar, eat in a surplus, and you will gain weight.
    -
    So start cutting sugar out - start with the insanely large breakfast and syrup toppings - and work back from there....you can still eat some French toast, just put a small serving of syrup on it...
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Is anyone else slightly aroused by those pics?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    shejuicy wrote: »
    kyta32 wrote: »
    It's hard to guess where you could cut on sugar without looking at your diary, but 150 grams does sound high. If you are eating the recommended amount of protein (.8g/kg bodyweight or 1 g lb/lean mass - MFP recommendations may be too low), fat, and taking most of your carbs as complex carbs (i.e. whole grains, vegetables), you shouldn't have room for 150 grams of sugar in discretionary calories (that's 600 calories).

    I mean it's pretty embarrassing to admit, but a lot of what I eat is just sweets, with addition fiber or vitamins to make me feel good about my choices. What you might consider a snack, I'll have as a mini meal. Thus far, protein and veggies have been negligible, just carbs and fruits and sugars.

    So, pairing fruit with fibers/protein. Granola. About 40g of protein. Could I just eat like 3 or 4 egg omelette?

    here are some foods..

    eggs
    oatmeal
    bacon
    greek yogurt
    bread
    steak
    chicken
    vegetables
    ice cream (yes its OK)
    pork
    fish
    rice

    etc
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    Is anyone else slightly aroused by those pics?

    I already errrr took care of that ...
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    So it sounds like your issue is finding easy ready-to-go foods that have lower sugar. I get that, as it's related to why I used to eat an unsatisfying (to me) carby breakfast like a muffin or bagel.

    Some breakfast could involve a protein shake (you can find ones that don't use sugar) or no sugar protein bar (although these will have artificial sweeteners if that bothers you), fruit, nuts, plain greek yogurt/cottage cheese, leftover meat, raw veggies (cut them in advance), nuts, or overnight oats. (Obviously I'm not suggesting all at the same meal). Also hard boiled eggs are always convenient to make ahead, and a bunch of people do pre-prepared egg muffin things that I unfortunately have never tried.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    shejuicy wrote: »
    Could I just eat like 3 or 4 egg omelette?

    Sure, that's similar to my superfast dinner if I get home late. I'd just include vegetables in it too (and feta cheese).
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    So it sounds like your issue is finding easy ready-to-go foods that have lower sugar. I get that, as it's related to why I used to eat an unsatisfying (to me) carby breakfast like a muffin or bagel.

    Some breakfast could involve a protein shake (you can find ones that don't use sugar) or no sugar protein bar (although these will have artificial sweeteners if that bothers you), fruit, nuts, plain greek yogurt/cottage cheese, leftover meat, raw veggies (cut them in advance), nuts, or overnight oats. (Obviously I'm not suggesting all at the same meal). Also hard boiled eggs are always convenient to make ahead, and a bunch of people do pre-prepared egg muffin things that I unfortunately have never tried.

    I do these egg muffin things as well - really good to grab for lunch as they are really nice cold - but also you can have hot as part of a main meal. I am a terrible cook and even I can make ones that taste good.


    You can also throw in fruit to things like the greek yogurt and oats to get more sweetness and a bunch of micros.
  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
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    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    Is anyone else slightly aroused by those pics?

    Not really. Taking a close look at it, it's just a wet sugary mop of stuff.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    Is anyone else slightly aroused by those pics?

    Not really. Taking a close look at it, it's just a wet sugary mop of stuff.

    I don't think I could handle it...not my thing for sure. Give me a steak, eggs, and some potatoes though and I'm in heaven.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    Is anyone else slightly aroused by those pics?

    Not really. Taking a close look at it, it's just a wet sugary mop of stuff.

    I don't think I could handle it...not my thing for sure. Give me a steak, eggs, and some potatoes though and I'm in heaven.

    too much syrup...

  • Almond coconut milk is naturally sweet so it helps with cravings. Also, add a couple drops of vanilla extract for sweetness or a sprinkle of cinnamon. I love sugar too! I find these helpful.
  • iridescentblue
    iridescentblue Posts: 12 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »

    So you don't eat fruits or vegetables?

    They said right in their comment that they eat vegetables, and even listed some.

    For me, I found gradually reducing carb-laden things and inputting more protein and healthy fats was helpful, and now I am on a low-carb regime. I get lots of veggies - spinach, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, asparagus, etc - small amounts of fruit, and protein and healthy fats. The carb cravings are gone and I'm working on being less reliant on sweeteners, too :smile: