I quit artificial Sweetener!!!

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  • ScientificExplorerGirl
    ScientificExplorerGirl Posts: 535 Member
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    Stevia is not an artificial sweetener. It is derived from the leaves of the plant, Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. The sweetness of Stevia comes from two major chemicals present in extracts made from the plant: stevioside and rebaudioside A. It appears that different preparations of Stevia have varying amounts of stevioside and rebaudioside A. Those with higher amounts of rebaudioside A are generally less bitter and more sweet.

    I have grown the Stevia plant in my garden and have used the leaves for sweetening tea and other beverages. I generally find though that it is easier to use the commercially prepared Stevia in powdered form (much better and easier to use than the liquid forms). The Herbal Select brand of powdered Stevia (available from Bulk Barn in Canada) is the best tasting brand I have found. It doesn't have any nasty bitter aftertaste like the Sweetleaf or other brands have tried.
  • duffypratt
    duffypratt Posts: 21
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    Whether the study is peer reviewed or not, the most any study can show is correlation, and not causation. Read your Hume.

    While its true that eating too much will lead to weight gain, it's may also be true that using artificial sweeteners leads people to eat too much Would it have to do that? Probably not. But go to your typical restaurant with a soda fountain and take a look at the people who are drinking diet sodas.
    well there are many studies out there that say that it does cause weight gain. I am not saying I believe everything but what do I have to lose.


    http://www.newswire.net/newsroom/pr/00079190-obesity-weight-gain-common-factors.html

    http://www.dubaichronicle.com/2014/01/11/new-weight-loss-strategies/


    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/04/saccharin-aspartame-dangers.aspx


    These are just a few of the hundreds of articles out there
    Artficial sweeteners don't cause weight gain. These studies show correlation not causation. Try PEER REVIEWED STUDIES instead, like those from NIH, Journals of Medicine and Science or even University Studies.
    I've been drinking diet Pepsi for oaver 25+ years now and have never dealt with any of the issues that are stated by many of these "studies".

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    I should have also mentioned that I changed nothing else in my diet other then take the sweetener out and using sugar for my coffee and cereal instead. I eat a 1200 cal non processed food diet a day and have not been able to lose infact I have gained weight

    Your diary is closed so I'm calling BS on this - unless you're about 4 feet tall or have a serious metabolic disorder it's impossible to gain weight on 1200 cal per day. Brain function alone for most uses up about 500 cal per day.

    Are you actually measuring and accurately logging everything you eat?

    yeah, sorry, no... your not gaining on 1200 calories a day... in the rare case that you truly are, go see a dr asap! your doing something wrong, period. your off on your numbers somewhere. weight loss isnt rocket science... its very very simple... eat at a defecit, and you will lose. your not eating 1200 calories a day... you may think you are, but you are not!
  • ScientificExplorerGirl
    ScientificExplorerGirl Posts: 535 Member
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    Whether the study is peer reviewed or not, the most any study can show is correlation, and not causation. Read your Hume.

    While its true that eating too much will lead to weight gain, it's may also be true that using artificial sweeteners leads people to eat too much Would it have to do that? Probably not. But go to your typical restaurant with a soda fountain and take a look at the people who are drinking diet sodas.

    This statement is not entirely true.

    While I agree that most studies are designed to indicate correlations only, a properly controlled experiment with appropriate genetic manipulations may indeed show causation at a specific level of confidence. The studies cited in this thread however, are correlative only.
  • LexiMelo
    LexiMelo Posts: 203 Member
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    Congrats on quitting artificial sweeteners. Every BODY is different and if she feels better after quitting them why is everyone getting so defensive? (As long as she is not attacking you for using them or acting superior for not doing so, which is always annoying)

    My tips:
    You can get a lot of real taste in real food. I use butter, sugar, full fat (or 2%) dairy, peanut butter, etc., but just in smaller quantities, to meet my caloric needs. For instance, 1 tsp butter is 33 calories. Vegetables taste great with butter :) And nothing soothes a sore throat like honey!

    Coffee: I drink 2% milk in my coffee
    Oatmeal: Make with 2% milk (the fat gives it flavor) and frozen berries for sweetness (or raisins)
    Granola: Yea you have to add some brown sugar or honey to homemade granola there really is no good substitute there. I tried to use dehydrated raspberries and while it was tasty, it would have been much better with some sweetness.
    Yogurt or Smoothies: nuts, berries, maple syrup, peanut butter, small amounts of juice, avocado or regular (not non-fat) plain greek yogurt base

    I used to drink 6-10 diet cokes/day and suffered from massive migraines. I haven't had a migraine since I quit 10 years ago. Not saying that artificial sweeteners are bad for everybody, but for me, I suffered from significant adverse effects. Do what you want but please don't dog on this lady for trying something new.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    GJ, smart thing to do, despite popular opinion on this site. Its just an additional chemical we really don't have enough info on how it will affect you yet, with strong hints of negative. If you don't have to, why use it? If you really can't do without the artificially sweetened stuff after trying and it is actually preventing you from being obese (unlikely), then maybe its worth the risk (obesity is a substantial health risk). Otherwise why be a human test subject?
    Huh? 95 different countries have been studying aspartame for over 50 years. All of them have reached the same conclusion. It's perfectly safe. How do you get that we don't have information on it?
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    I quit using artificial sweetener which I used for everything! I mean everything....coffee, cereal, baking etc... I quit drinking diet Pop but I can't and don't want to give up my coffee. I cannot drink it without sugar. I also sweeten my oatmeal to make it taste better. Has anyone gone through a similar change and how did they replace the sweetener? I looked at Stevia but I find that I am just replacing one chemical with another...

    Any ideas?
    Congratulations!

    I use Agave nectar, which is from a plant, and once in awhile real sugar.

    Real sugar comes from plants too! :smile:
  • djxil
    djxil Posts: 357
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    My vote is to go with unbleached raw sugar as nature provides it. I avoid chemicals as much as I can!
  • lilred806
    lilred806 Posts: 195 Member
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    I use raw local honey to sweeten things sometimes. I haven't gotten into the artificial sweeteners because I never liked the taste. I have a beekeeper friend and I find it fun to try different kinds of honey.
  • DivaLuvsDisney
    DivaLuvsDisney Posts: 75 Member
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    Not all Stevia products are created equal. Truvia (owned by Coca-Cola), per their patent, requires a 40 step process to get a stevia derivative that is then mixed with fillers and stabilizers. I believe PureVia is processed the same way. I use SweetLeaf myself and like it, but some people just can't get used to it.
  • elite_geek
    elite_geek Posts: 6
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    I went to my university's article/index database and located some peer reviewed articles on this topic. Overwhelmingly, they explain that artificial sweeteners do not cause weight gain but may result in the person overcompensating and eating fattier, sweeter foods in the rest of their diet. So basically, if you are on a strict diet and sticking to it, and want to incorporate diet drinks (in moderation of course) into your diet, there is no harm - so long as you don't overcompensate with other foods in response.

    Sources:

    1) Benton, David. "Can artificial sweeteners help control body weight and prevent obesity?" Nutrition Research Reviews, ISSN 0954-4224, 06/2005, Volume 18, Issue 1, pp. 63 - 76

    2) (2003), Usefulness of Artificial Sweeteners for Body Weight Control. Nutrition Reviews, 61: 219–221. .2003.jun.219-221.
  • hamminit
    hamminit Posts: 184 Member
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    I gave up artificial sweetners- my sweet craving is virtually gone. I used to be looking for sweet all the time. People react different though. I personally use sugar (in moderation of course) but I don't use it often. I also use honey.
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
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    I still eat them and don't see any reason not to really. People say bad things about everything is how I feel. And everything causes cancer nowadays. I would rather drink diet than regular pop any day because I live in the current were I am obese and I don't have cancer. Maybe if I knew someone who had cancer that artificial sugars were 100% to blame I would think differently. Best of luck to you in your journey :)
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
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    ummmm sugar…?

    But the OP doesn't want to replace "one chemical with another"... ;) This thread is amusing...

    In all seriousness OP, giving up artificial sweeteners can't hurt, but not in terms of weight loss. If you simply replace it with sugar, honey, agave, etc. you'll gain wait if you're not in a calorie deficit. I used to drink 2 diet cokes/day until I moved to the middle east for a year and it tasted different. It turned out they used a different brand of artificial sweetener and I didn't like the taste. I saw an immediate improvement in the frequency of my migraines, but I gained weight since instead of splenda, I started putting raw sugar in my coffee. (Now I drink it black.)

    And as others have stated, Stevia is not an artificial sweetener, but it does have a funky after taste.

    Totally agree with this!!!
  • Hybrice
    Hybrice Posts: 117 Member
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    Actually artificial sweetener is the reason why I have not been able to lose weight even when I eat right. Then I seen this article on how it actually causes people to gain weight. Also since I stopped using it I feel more energized and better overall. It has only been a week and since I only weigh myself every two weeks I don't know how it is affecting me on the scale.

    I do add the sugar to my daily count though

    Artificial sweeteners do not cause weight gain, nor are they the cause of not losing weight.

    Calorie surplus=weight gain
    Calorie deficit=weight loss


    well there are many studies out there that say that it does cause weight gain. I am not saying I believe everything but what do I have to lose.


    http://www.newswire.net/newsroom/pr/00079190-obesity-weight-gain-common-factors.html

    http://www.dubaichronicle.com/2014/01/11/new-weight-loss-strategies/


    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/04/saccharin-aspartame-dangers.aspx


    These are just a few of the hundreds of articles out there

    There are "articles" and not studies. I implore you to attempt to find one attributing artificial sweeteners to weight gain in any credible medical journal.....

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