Added sugar ?

mimimunchery
mimimunchery Posts: 69 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all

I’ve been trying to find a way to control my overeating/ snacking. I’ve read a few books that suggest that added sugar can trigger insulin resistance which can trigger an increased appetite. I know this is not totally settled science but it makes a bit of sense to me - it’s calories in/calories out that matter for weight loss of course, but it’s my appetite that’s stopping me from lowering my calories in!

The books recommend focusing on unprocessed foods and cutting out added sugars. I’ve been great about upping my Whole Foods (veggies, fruits etc) but it is a STRUGGLE to cut out added sugars.

For example, for breakfast I had plain Greek yogurt with strawberries 🍓 and walnuts. But then I added some honey (because the yogurt is just too sour without it!). And just one tablespoon has 17 grams of sugar! That’s 34 percent of the daily recommended value of added sugar. It’s crazy.

So just looking for any advice, recs, tips or commiseration re: cutting out added sugars.

Or alternatively, any feel like this theory is rubbish? And have any other advice for cutting back on cravings, snacking and overeating …?!?

Replies

  • roseym10
    roseym10 Posts: 107 Member
    I have noticed that when I cut out sugar and sweets my appetite decreases
  • Bridgie3
    Bridgie3 Posts: 139 Member
    edited March 2022
    mimimunchery wrote: »
    Hey all

    I’ve been trying to find a way to control my overeating/ snacking. I’ve read a few books that suggest that added sugar can trigger insulin resistance which can trigger an increased appetite. I know this is not totally settled science but it makes a bit of sense to me - it’s calories in/calories out that matter for weight loss of course, but it’s my appetite that’s stopping me from lowering my calories in!

    The books recommend focusing on unprocessed foods and cutting out added sugars. I’ve been great about upping my Whole Foods (veggies, fruits etc) but it is a STRUGGLE to cut out added sugars.

    For example, for breakfast I had plain Greek yogurt with strawberries 🍓 and walnuts. But then I added some honey (because the yogurt is just too sour without it!). And just one tablespoon has 17 grams of sugar! That’s 34 percent of the daily recommended value of added sugar. It’s crazy.

    So just looking for any advice, recs, tips or commiseration re: cutting out added sugars.

    Or alternatively, any feel like this theory is rubbish? And have any other advice for cutting back on cravings, snacking and overeating …?!?

    Any sugar at all is going to trigger an insulin response, because that's the pathway of sugar into your cells. The question is if it's too much for your system, and/or is your system getting more or less responsive to the insulin. If you're becoming less responsive your body will output more and more insulin and you can damage your pancreas and also hit a point where you walk around with sugar levels in your blood that mean your blood is sticky, slow moving goo. :)

    I have recently gone low carb, as a consequence of getting a really bad HB1ac of 94 and my doctor telling me I was going to have to start shooting up insulin. I said no, give me another chance! She said 'this is a one-way street bridget, diabetes only ever gets worse'. Well that was cheery, so I'm like 'challenge accepted' and i've been watching my sugars like a mofo ever since.

    A discovery I made tho, was that if I had 50g carbs (of any kind, they're all sugar in the blood.) at 200 calories a day, and 100 g protein @ 400 calories a day, MFP tells me I have to eat 600 calories from fat a day. That's 66g fat. That's like 2 oz of fat.

    And the shocker of this is that I'm no longer ever hungry.

    No hunger, no need to snack. As a carb eater, I had maybe 6 mini-meals a day? Always hungry. Now as a fat eater, I'm 1 or 2. Never hungry. Or rather yes, I do get hungry, and then I have this big meal.

    Greens are great, they are very low carb. Cheeses - the best is cream cheese (low carb).

    You can be really satisfied on having as much natural fat as you like (all bets are off for fryer fat, vegetable oils, seed oils, canola oil) and you don't get constipation.

    I think on here people think that keto or low carb is all about eating yourself into a coma, having 3000 calories a day, and using magic and juju to lose weight. This is not so. Keto/low carb is all about the proportions of your diet changing, but because you are getting the food your body craves, it is VERY easy to stay under your calorie goals on a given day. I can be satisfied on 850 calories on one day, and then maybe eat 1400 the next - it averages out to 1200. Get me 10 yrs ago to eat 1200 calories a day and I would have been flattened in a week. I couldn't cope with that level of hunger.

    As to added sugar: I'm using Natvia with my greek yoghurt and blueberries. Although Boysenberries have almost no net carbs, bloobs are my go-to.

    Natvia in my coffee. The trick to sweetener is to use it everywhere and give up sugar entirely, because you get used to the different taste and kind of empty wateriness of fake sugar. But if you chop and change you are constantly being reminded of what you used to have.

    :) Diet jellies. Diet lollies, diet fizzy. I don't recommend these, but I eat them when I'm desperate. There's even a really good diet licorice I get when I have a licorice hankering. Costs a bomb, and anything that ends in 'ol' seems to give me the runs... Natvia seems fine.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    I've been on MFP for 8 years and the "Great Sugar Debate" has been on the forums the entire time. The conclusion seems to be that sugar is sugar. "Added" sugar is used to agitate people. If you have a daily calorie goal on MFP and you try to eat many sugary treats can you stay within it? I'd say no, unless you are exercising constantly, or have a job that keeps you moving, lifting, etc, all day--then you NEED those sugars and carbs for energy. So, stay within your goal and you'll naturally have to cut down. Fruit is better for you because it has fiber along with the sugar.

    My advice? Read some of the past threads (do a search) and you'll find ideas to try to cope. In this fashion everyone is different. It's important that it works for you. But your daily calorie goal is the main item to concentrate on in the beginning. Good luck.
  • LifeChangz
    LifeChangz Posts: 456 Member
    edited March 2022
    not quite sure what triggers a voracious appetite for me; food types or amount threshold or both. candy, cakes, sweets, pizza ignite it and I get crawl the wall end of day physical urges to overeat. seems to physically reset overnight after the break in eating, so could be a threshold amount physically combined with emotional preferences.

    i now eat 50 to 75g carb at meals, although to start for awhile, I started lower carb (50 to 100 g for day divided across the day at meals) from 1 serving of bread, rice or noodles each meal and the rest from mostly nonstarchy veggies. took me about 4 1/2 months to peak in breaking that combined physical and emotional appetite. it was worth it. Still getting emotional urges and trigger food urges which worsen with stress, fatigue or tv ads, but continues to ease. this step back process has taken way longer than I expected. totally worth pushing through the urges and stepping back from the higher carb/sugar foods.

    as to plain Greek yogurt, I pre-smash my berries, stir in chocolate protein powder and vanilla extract. still tart, but the fruit juice and additions helped.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    mimimunchery wrote: »
    Hey all

    I’ve been trying to find a way to control my overeating/ snacking. I’ve read a few books that suggest that added sugar can trigger insulin resistance which can trigger an increased appetite. I know this is not totally settled science but it makes a bit of sense to me - it’s calories in/calories out that matter for weight loss of course, but it’s my appetite that’s stopping me from lowering my calories in!

    I think for some eating sweet foods (or sweet foods at certain times) can trigger appetite, and definitely that what you eat can help with satiety, although I think it is somewhat more complicated (and I think the insulin explanation is largely bunk -- generally increased insulin, if everything is working right, reduces appetite). Also, for me at least meal timing and habit matter as much or more than what I eat -- I decided not to snack, got used to not snacking (which took maybe a week and I let myself snack on raw veg while adjusting), and then I was fine.

    But yes, trying to cut down on added sugar might be worth a try.
    For example, for breakfast I had plain Greek yogurt with strawberries 🍓 and walnuts. But then I added some honey (because the yogurt is just too sour without it!). And just one tablespoon has 17 grams of sugar! That’s 34 percent of the daily recommended value of added sugar. It’s crazy.

    You could try adding something other than honey (plain nut butter -- although that will have more cals) or more fruit (sugar but not added sugar, but for me eating more fruit makes it less likely I will want other sugary foods) or a smaller amount of honey -- or maybe yogurt in that way doesn't work for you if you don't like it without more sweetener.

    Or maybe you aren't having much added sugar the rest of the day (I find it's much more common for people to want sweetness in breakfast than later meals), so it's fine.

    There are lots of other breakfast options if you want to try a lower added sugar breakfast. But the most important thing is to see how it affects you. Maybe try reducing your other added sugar and leave breakfast as is, and if you are still struggling with appetite try some other things, including perhaps switching up breakfast. Keep track of when you are hungry, what else is going on and what you eat each day and then experiment. It's actually fun if you think of it like that, IMO.

    Anyway, what I specifically did was try cutting out added sugar entirely for a while, at the same time as I cut out snacking and focused on eating 3 well-balanced meals (as I tend to like that schedule). Not snacking was difficult for a few days, and then I got out of the habit, and I was eating a high volume of food at my meals and reasonable cals, so was not hungry. I did have issues with "food is there, want to eat" and emotional eating which I worked on with journaling, mainly. After about a month or so, I decided to add back in some added sugar, mainly in the form of some condiments (like chutney), honey in cooking, and occasional after dinner desserts within my cals. It didn't make any difference to my hunger (which continued to not be a problem). Now if I start snacking, I do tend to crave snacks, and getting out of the habit is the way I address it. But I also know the general types of meals that keep me satisfied -- lots of veg, some healthy fats, plenty of protein, and fiber. I find that usually I don't care about sweets if I eat fruit during the day (or just regularly), but I still eat desserts occasionally because they taste good.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    I think this is one of those things where you need to experiment and see what works best for you. Personally, I’ve found that increasing my protein has helped me control cravings. I’m aiming for 20g of protein or more at each meal and adding small amounts of protein to my snacks to reach my daily goal. Adding a string cheese to a fruit serving seems to help make that snack more satisfying for me.

    When I choose sugary snacks, I try to opt for higher quality items. I’ve found that a small square of high quality 70% cacao is easier for me to savor and very satisfying. But Reese’s peanut butter cups must stay out of my house. I can’t eat just one. One makes me want to eat the whole bag and everything in the house that isn’t nailed down. Major trigger good for me. I have to mentally consider that an addiction the same was an alcoholic can’t have just one drink.

    My sugar stat in MyFitnessPal always seems off since it doesn’t differentiate between natural sugars and added sugars. My fruit consumption distorts this stat. So I just try to make good choices based on ingredient lists on bottles.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    mimimunchery wrote: »
    Hey all

    (snip)

    For example, for breakfast I had plain Greek yogurt with strawberries 🍓 and walnuts. But then I added some honey (because the yogurt is just too sour without it!). And just one tablespoon has 17 grams of sugar! That’s 34 percent of the daily recommended value of added sugar. It’s crazy.

    So just looking for any advice, recs, tips or commiseration re: cutting out added sugars.

    Or alternatively, any feel like this theory is rubbish? And have any other advice for cutting back on cravings, snacking and overeating …?!?

    I tend to think of the "added sugar" issue as a bit of a distraction from what is IMO the main goal, getting adequate nutrition, in a practical/affordable way, at reasonable calories, while staying full and happy.

    For me, my cravings for less nutrient-dense sweets (baked goods, candy) were significantly reduced when I made it a point for a while to get 3 servings daily of whole fruit. (I'd heard this idea from a registered dietitian, whose theory was that sweet cravings can be about not just energy-seeking, but also needing some of the micronutrients that come traditionally from sweet fruits and veg. The baked goods and candy don't scratch the nutritional itch . . . plus tend not to be filling. Cravings aren't always exactly for the food our body needs, was her theory. I don't know whether that's is true, but that's what she said.)

    That "increase fruit intake" idea doesn't work for everyone, but I'm not the only one I've seen here saying it worked for them. Maybe give it a try?

    On the yogurt, specifically:

    I like my oatmeal a little sweet, and I don't care for any non-caloric sweeteners I've tried (they don't taste right to me). I started out using a tablespoon of all-fruit spread in it (30 calories, only technically "added sugar" was some apple juice concentrate near the bottom of the ingredient list). That was enough to get that slight sweetness (in addition to the berries I put in).

    After a while, I stumbled over the realization that blackstrap molasses is sweet, I like the flavor, and (if one chooses the brand carefully), it has quite the jolt of potassium and iron, for its "added sugar" calories. (A tablespoon is around 10g sugar.)

    So, long story, point is: Consider whether other sweeteners/flavorers might smooth our your yogurt's flavor, and either have less of the scary, scary sugar, or bring along some useful nutrition with those sugar calories. Some options: All-fruit spread, apple juice or white grape juice concentrate, date sugar (just ground-up dates), a good brand of blackstrap molasses (if you like that flavor), unsweetened applesauce. Yes, they all contain sugar . . . but maybe less, and maybe some better nutrients than a spoonful of sugar or honey.

    Or you could try something completely different to smooth out the sourness, like peanut butter powder (some brands have a tiny bit of sugar, but they also have protein and other useful stuff - a tablespoon of PBFit is 35 calories, has 4g protein, 1.5g sugars, of which 1g is added sugar, for example).

    For me, if I focus on getting the good things I need into my eating (adequate protein, healthy fats, boatloads of varied, colorful veggies/fruits), at proper calories, while eating foods I like that keep me sated . . . those less nutrient-dense foods just start dropping out of the picture, over time. Putting the focus on stopping "bad" eating doesn't work nearly as well, for me. YMMV.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    LifeChangz wrote: »
    not quite sure what triggers a voracious appetite for me; food types or amount threshold or both. candy, cakes, sweets, pizza ignite it and I get crawl the wall end of day physical urges to overeat. seems to physically reset overnight after the break in eating, so could be a threshold amount physically combined with emotional preferences.

    Have you considered the possibility that fatigue (possibly subtle) increases as the day goes on, peaks in the evening . . . that fatigue makes the body seek energy . . . that sweets and some processed carbs deliver quick energy . . . that the overnight "physical reset" is the sleep that abates the fatigue?

    If that's possibly in the picture, other strategies may help the situation: More or better quality sleep (if there are issues there), stress reduction tactics (stress is fatiguing), a less aggressive weight loss rate target, reducing exercise frequency/duration/intensity if one is overdoing to the point that the exercise is inherently fatiguing**, etc.

    (** An aside: Sometimes people think punitively intense exercise, overdoing for one's current fitness level even, is a good weight loss or fitness strategy. It's absolutely not. It's counterproductive for either goal.

    The sweet spot for weight loss is the exercise frequency/duration/intensity that's energizing for the rest of one's day - after maybe just a few minutes of "whew" right after the exercise session. Carrying fatigue into the rest of the day: That tends to reduce daily life activity by resting more, fidgeting less, putting off effortful chores, etc., reducing daily life calorie burn.

    For fitness improvement, a gradual build of frequency/duration/intensity/exercise type is a more productive path - it's what smart athletes do to progress.)
    i now eat 50 to 75g carb at meals, although to start for awhile, I started lower carb (50 to 100 g for day divided across the day at meals) from 1 serving of bread, rice or noodles each meal and the rest from mostly nonstarchy veggies. took me about 4 1/2 months to peak in breaking that combined physical and emotional appetite. it was worth it. Still getting emotional urges and trigger food urges which worsen with stress, fatigue or tv ads, but continues to ease. this step back process has taken way longer than I expected. totally worth pushing through the urges and stepping back from the higher carb/sugar foods.

    as to plain Greek yogurt, I pre-smash my berries, stir in chocolate protein powder and vanilla extract. still tart, but the fruit juice and additions helped.
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    I don’t know what will work for you. I have a serious sweet tooth, so know what you’re talking about. These are some strategies I use:
    1) gradually reduce. In your example you put 1tsp of honey in your breakfast. Try half or 3/4 of a tsp for a few weeks, then go to 1/4 tsp for a few weeks, then eliminate it.
    2) I find the less added sugar I eat, the more natural sugars (eg., in fruit and yogurt) taste sweet. It’s like my sweetness meter goes down.
    3) increase everything else. Add more fruit, vegetables, protein, fibre and water to my diet. What happens for me, the more I eat “healthy”, the less inclined I am to snack. I feel physically full and I feel emotionally satisfied.
    4) keep busy. The hardest part of the day for me is after dinner. Typically I’m sitting in front of the tv and the kitchen is just calling out to me. I’m not hungry, I don’t need more calories for the day. Just have crazy cravings for anything and everything. I do these things: (a) drink water, (b) do something else with my hands ( I groom my dogs) , (c) if/when I do grab for a snack: make it as small as possible (one or two squares of dark chocolate, a small hand full of nuts).
    5) don’t sweat it when you eat that extra sugar. I still have cookies and peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I log it and move on.

    Good luck.
  • LifeChangz
    LifeChangz Posts: 456 Member
    edited March 2022
    thank you @AnnPT77 ~ appreciate the thoughts/ideas on fatigue and hunger.

    I have noticed that fatigue/stress tends to make appetite/cravings harder to tolerate later in the day. I notice 2 differences in the morning - my emotional resilience is better (i can tolerate stress better) and the appetite seems to reset to normal.... then tends to worsen as the day progresses, think this is rather normal.

    I also notice I have 2 drivers of cravings - there is definitely a biochemical driver that can feel voracious, crawl the wall - very similar to the nicotine withdrawals and related crankiness. and there is an emotional driver - can be fine, see a tv ad and the attention fixates/preference on that food. Like smoking, eating the sugar or smoking a cigarette will temporarily alleviate the craving. And, the longer the cravings endure/the more I overeat carbs/sugars/trigger/whatever foods, there is a tolerance - so at times, can be physically full/stuffed, like Thanksgiving stuffed, crawl the wall for more drive but unable to physically eat another bite. It takes several days for the initial withdrawal/step back - but the biochemical urges taper over months, in the same manner/time frame they did when I was quitting smoking... I was surprised to observe that happen, as I maintain a consistent calorie level (set to maintain weight), light activity, enough sleep and actively de-stress in non-food ways.

    somewheres along the line, I decided that I had to address/stop the overeating and stabilize/get a grip on the amount of food I was eating or I would not be able to lose and keep off the weight, so I elevated that as priority #1. It becomes my line in the sand priority - if I only do 1 thing, eat enough (calories) and stop at enough (calories equal to what I burn = maintain weight. then as I am stable and able, eat a little less for weight loss as I can tolerate eating less.) Along with stableizing the eating, is breaking the voracious appetite/cravings... I have gone through this several times in the last few years but can't really pinpoint whether the voracious appetite is triggered by overeating a threshold amount/quantity or triggered by eating certain types of foods like candy/junk food.... perhaps it is a combo of both.... if I eat holiday sweets/treats 3 days in a row, the voracious appetite comes roaring back... fortunately, I have found that for me, staying away from junk food/sugars, eating more whole freggies and limited carbs has worked to reset/break that appetite.

    referring to earlier in the thread regarding moderator or abstainer - I am a bit of both... as needed. I find my preferences/trigger foods shift in and out of trigger status so that's totally mental which is different than the underlying physical voracious appetite that can be fed by anything in the absence of my preferred trigger food. so whether a person individually can moderate or abstain from particular foods or quantities is perhaps something we each need to experiment, and adjust as we evolve through our journey. It's an adventure to explore and find what will work for each of us personally.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    emmamcgarity wrote: »
    I think this is one of those things where you need to experiment and see what works best for you. Personally, I’ve found that increasing my protein has helped me control cravings. I’m aiming for 20g of protein or more at each meal and adding small amounts of protein to my snacks to reach my daily goal. Adding a string cheese to a fruit serving seems to help make that snack more satisfying for me.

    When I choose sugary snacks, I try to opt for higher quality items. I’ve found that a small square of high quality 70% cacao is easier for me to savor and very satisfying. But Reese’s peanut butter cups must stay out of my house. I can’t eat just one. One makes me want to eat the whole bag and everything in the house that isn’t nailed down. Major trigger food for me. I have to mentally consider that an addiction the same was an alcoholic can’t have just one drink.

    My sugar stat in MyFitnessPal always seems off since it doesn’t differentiate between natural sugars and added sugars. My fruit consumption distorts this stat. So I just try to make good choices based on ingredient lists on bottles.

    Twinsies!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    mimimunchery wrote: »
    Hey all

    I’ve been trying to find a way to control my overeating/ snacking. I’ve read a few books that suggest that added sugar can trigger insulin resistance which can trigger an increased appetite. I know this is not totally settled science but it makes a bit of sense to me - it’s calories in/calories out that matter for weight loss of course, but it’s my appetite that’s stopping me from lowering my calories in!

    The books recommend focusing on unprocessed foods and cutting out added sugars. I’ve been great about upping my Whole Foods (veggies, fruits etc) but it is a STRUGGLE to cut out added sugars.

    For example, for breakfast I had plain Greek yogurt with strawberries 🍓 and walnuts. But then I added some honey (because the yogurt is just too sour without it!). And just one tablespoon has 17 grams of sugar! That’s 34 percent of the daily recommended value of added sugar. It’s crazy.

    So just looking for any advice, recs, tips or commiseration re: cutting out added sugars.

    Or alternatively, any feel like this theory is rubbish? And have any other advice for cutting back on cravings, snacking and overeating …?!?

    I buy Cabot Greek lowfat vanilla, and just looked to see how much added sugar was in that - 18 grams. So apparently I like my yogurt as sweet as you do :)

    My mother likes Cabot Greek full fat plain, no added sugar. I only like this in savory foods, especially if they are on the spicy side. But I think I could make it work with strawberries if I blended them together. You could also try slowly tapering down on the honey.

    Here's my standard answer about how I get my sweet tooth under control:

    When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

    1. Get sufficient sleep
    2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food. Additionally, mild to moderate exercise appears to work as a mild appetite suppressant for me.
    3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
    4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
    5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
    6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
    7. Stay hydrated
    8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
    9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.
    10. Hit my fiber goal
  • avatiach
    avatiach Posts: 307 Member
    Added sugars do seem to trigger more desire for sweets for me, and definitely they don't have nutritive value. So at least while I'm working to lose weight, I am mostly staying away from them. And I'm finding that as I eat less sugar, when I do taste it, it tastes super sweet!
    Also, it turns out that I don't have a great turnoff switch (I'm not the person who stops at one cookie) and those calories really add up!
    Some other thoughts:
    --Different yogurt brands do taste different, and for me I've found I really don't like the nonfat yogurts, the 2% are ok and the full fat almost taste sweet. So you might go up a step in fat (it isn't as huge a difference in calories as you would think) and maybe you will like it fine with some fruit and no honey.
    --If you are choosing sugar, or even just fruit, pair it with a protein (e.g., an apple and cheese or peanut butter) as that may sustain you longer.
  • alicehp39
    alicehp39 Posts: 5 Member
    I'd cut only artificial sugar as it is not natural. If you eat for, example, apples, you can not consume too much sugar for them.
    Just to compare 100g of sugar and 100g of apples. They both contain sugar but the different effects on the body.

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