cut the SUGAR out

PRMinx

Nope - I do not get physically ill - I also can have a drink now and then and I don't get physically ill. I think I eat plenty of sugar now - I actually changed my macros because I was so "over" every day - nope, never got ill (although i did get physically ill from eating bags and bags of candy...but thats TMI). I'm not sure if other people who stopped drinking then had a drink years later got ill - I've never heard of this, but I'm sure it could happen.

What he is referring to is the fact that alcoholics become physically ill when they STOP drinking because their bodies have become so reliant on the substance. This is the same with many drugs. It's actually a physical dependency, which is why it is so hard to treat that kind of an addiction.

With all due respect, to both you and truly suffering alcoholics, if you can have a drink today and stop at one, than you were never an alcoholic. People with a true addiction like that can never go back. Perhaps you overindulged too much and it's great that you've gotten it in check, but let's not diminish real addiction and the life-long commitment it takes to get sober and stay sober.

Oh - I didn't understand what he was saying - yes, that makes sence - no, i did not get ill when i stopped eating candy - I just had intence cravings, sexual cravings, Im not sure how else to describe it!!

And with all due respect, your staement regarding alcoholism is false. Generally nothing works the same way 100% of the time for 100% of the people involved. I distincly remember my father, who I absolutly adore and who Im sure would give the world for me, crashing cars into the driveway then coming in and throwing anything he could get his hands on, including my plate full off food at the dinner table, against the wall right above my mother's head in a complete, drunken rage. This wasn't him. This was his demon - his alcoholism. it got worse...and worse...and worse, until everything was broken - our family, our trust. Mom eventually kicked him out, he got help, he came back, things are good. He stayed 100% away from alcohol for I believe 8 years. I remember the day he took a sip of a beer and my mom getting mad, and there wa san argument that persued...and we all cried...and he didnt do it again. But then as time passed he did - someone would bring a craft brew to an Xmas party, my cousin made his own beer, etc. he would try it, he would have one beer, and he would be fine. When we approchaed him and he explained that he no longer felt the desire to overindulge I believe him. it's been over 5 years since he's started having "one drink here and there" again. And hes fine - he can do it. He had a problem, he WAS an alcoholis - he IS an alcoholic if you ask him, he will always have that small part of him, but he doesnt let it control him anymore. he doesnt put himself in situations where he will be tempted - he wont go to a bar, he wont buy beer, but if i offer him a guiness, sure, he will drink that ONE guiness, and be content with himself. So please, do not doscredit mine and my families struggles and triumphs. You may not agree that sugar has the same addictive qualities as alcohol or other drugs, and thats fine, you may very well be right - but you might be wrong too. I only know things from my own experience.

I would say for the vast majority of addicts, they can never go back. If you Dad is able to have a Guinness, good on him. But that's definitely an exception to the rule.

Any addiction to sugar that you may have is purely mental, meaning that you are not having physical reaction (shakes, sweats, nausea and worse) to not having it. I'm not saying it's easy to get over a mental attachment - it certainly takes a lot of will power - but imagine how much more difficult it would be if you were to get ill by not having it. That's the challenge that true addicts face and that's why addiction is so serious, so scary and so hard to treat.

MissMissle

Nope - I do not get physically ill - I also can have a drink now and then and I don't get physically ill. I think I eat plenty of sugar now - I actually changed my macros because I was so "over" every day - nope, never got ill (although i did get physically ill from eating bags and bags of candy...but thats TMI). I'm not sure if other people who stopped drinking then had a drink years later got ill - I've never heard of this, but I'm sure it could happen.

What he is referring to is the fact that alcoholics become physically ill when they STOP drinking because their bodies have become so reliant on the substance. This is the same with many drugs. It's actually a physical dependency, which is why it is so hard to treat that kind of an addiction.

With all due respect, to both you and truly suffering alcoholics, if you can have a drink today and stop at one, than you were never an alcoholic. People with a true addiction like that can never go back. Perhaps you overindulged too much and it's great that you've gotten it in check, but let's not diminish real addiction and the life-long commitment it takes to get sober and stay sober.

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought I was clear earlier, but apparently not. All I was saying is that comparing alcoholism (which is a physical and psychological) to being addicted to sugar is ridiculous. If there was such a thing as sugar addiction, it would be in the same breath as sex addiction, video game addiction, etc. These all create releases in the brain that are similar to sugar, but really it's just will power in my opinion.

And I actually agree with what you are saying here too :-). I also think its a will power thing - like sex addiction, video game addiction, etc - but I still call it addiction. I did break out really bad when I stopped eating all the candy...like...i was 16 again YUK - but I like to imagine that was my face finally being like "woohoo fresh air, we can finally let all this *kitten* go!"

ninerbuff

Wouldn't it be SUGAR on CALORIE DENSE foods that's the problem? Since it's palatable, people will keep eating till whatever it is they are eating is gone.

Eating a roll of LifeSavers isn't going to really cause one to go over weight unless it's exceeding their calorie limit or they are eating 10 rolls a day. A roll of 12 is 135 calories.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

katematt313

I avoid sugar and starch by focusing on eating protein, veggies and fruits, and some dairy.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Why do people defend sugar on this site. Are you working for the sugar industry? It has no nutritional value that I know of, so if you are trying to lose weight, it seems logical to cut out foods that are empty calories. Congratulations to those of you that can eat whatever you want! How nice for those of you who have no clue what it feels like to be a carb addict. Tired of seeing this back lash everyday. People trying to eat healthier and you knocking them down. REALLY?

(Totally unrelated thought, but is anyone else's check from Big Sugar late this month? I usually have it by the 15th. I spend every waking moment of my life defending them in this forum. Is it too much to ask that they be more timely with their payments???)

Not yet, I'm still waiting on the apple industry to get my check for shilling their apple diet and cleanse

RllyGudTweetr

Excess sugar in the blood gets converted to fat.

False. Excess calories become fat. That is anything eaten in a surplus.

Nope, it's definitely glucose the person above is talking about.

I assume they are talking about carbs.

Carbs - converted to glucose, the glucose is then - taken up by the body as fuel, stored in the muscles and liver (limited storage), converted into body fat to be released as fuel at a later stage.

So eating 10,000 calories of chicken breast won't make you fat? Fascinating.

So how did you come up with that conclusion?

Common sense?

How?

Is it your contention that chicken breast is a carb?

lemurcat12

And to the same point - some of us DO feel we had an addiction to sugar (see dictionary definition of the word "addiction" if there is confusion) and chose to cut back on it because we felt it was adding to our innability to stay under our daily recomended calorie intake. Some of us refer to this as "giving up sugar" or "cutting sugar" or "not eating added sugar".

I find this confusing. I looked at my own diet and saw that I was eating far too many sweet treats (among other less than ideal aspects of it), and that I wasn't even appreciating them but just eating them for all kind of problematic reasons (emotional eating, etc.), so I decided to stop it. I did stop entirely at first--so I'm not against the idea that this can be helpful for people--but I see zero reason to eliminate foods I really like from my diet. I just eat them as treats (which means on occasion, in moderation, when I've eaten lots of nutrient-dense stuff and my calories allow). So I get why people would decide to cut back on the amount of sugar they are eating (I don't get the confusion with processed foods or people who claim not to have known that what they were eating was high in calories, but I digress). However, I would never, ever say that I have "given up sugar" or "given up added sugar," since I haven't and don't see why that would even be a goal to aspire to, or why only an employee of Big Sugar would deny it. Tons of other foods are calorie dense (much more so than sugar, even) or could be replaced with a more ideal food if one didn't care about variety, but why would that be a good thing?

I think that's why at least some people react to the no sugar thing. I'd like to hear why having a small amount of sugar (or not so small on occasion) in addition to what's in dairy, fruits, and vegetables is something that I should actively avoid.

Re: addiction, I don't really have a position on whether foods can be addictive in the same way that alcohol is for some (including me), but the problem with claiming that there's an addiction to sugar is that people aren't claiming to be unable to stop eating raspberries. Or even shoveling spoons of sugar in their mouth when cookies aren't available. I understand it being tough to have a bite of cake but not eat the whole thing, but if it were an addiction than it seems like I should have the same problem not going nuts on sugary items if you gave me a spoonful of sugar, and that doesn't happen. So maybe it's not addiction that causes people to want to eat the whole cake, but the fact that most people think cake tastes good.

zyxst

Why do people defend sugar on this site. Are you working for the sugar industry? It has no nutritional value that I know of, so if you are trying to lose weight, it seems logical to cut out foods that are empty calories. Congratulations to those of you that can eat whatever you want! How nice for those of you who have no clue what it feels like to be a carb addict. Tired of seeing this back lash everyday. People trying to eat healthier and you knocking them down. REALLY?

(Totally unrelated thought, but is anyone else's check from Big Sugar late this month? I usually have it by the 15th. I spend every waking moment of my life defending them in this forum. Is it too much to ask that they be more timely with their payments???)

Big Sugar :laugh: I've been Canadianised.

mccindy72

This time I am trying to cut out SUGAR. By not adding sugar or eating things with so much sugar in them. Unfortunately here in America we love sugar and most things have sugar in them, but I am working on it. I am craving sweet things by the afternoon I am also feeling quite a bit more tired with out all the added sugar in my diet. This is like day two hopefully by weeks end I will be feeling alot better....

Do you have any helpful hints on how to cut sugar from my diet?

Try to use fruit. If you like yogurt, it is a good way to add a little sweetness. You can add a slice of apple diced up and a couple slices of banana. Just try not to eat too much fruit... It will take a little while to wean yourself off sugar; but you will feel great!!!

Joanne Moniz
The Skinny on Obesity Group

fruit has sugar in it.

Pirate_chick

I have no medical reason to cut sugar out, so I am going to go with no.

tennisdude2004

Excess sugar in the blood gets converted to fat.

False. Excess calories become fat. That is anything eaten in a surplus.

Nope, it's definitely glucose the person above is talking about.

I assume they are talking about carbs.

Carbs - converted to glucose, the glucose is then - taken up by the body as fuel, stored in the muscles and liver (limited storage), converted into body fat to be released as fuel at a later stage.

So eating 10,000 calories of chicken breast won't make you fat? Fascinating.

So how did you come up with that conclusion?

Common sense?

How?

Is it your contention that chicken breast is a carb?

?

Hornsby

Nope - I do not get physically ill - I also can have a drink now and then and I don't get physically ill. I think I eat plenty of sugar now - I actually changed my macros because I was so "over" every day - nope, never got ill (although i did get physically ill from eating bags and bags of candy...but thats TMI). I'm not sure if other people who stopped drinking then had a drink years later got ill - I've never heard of this, but I'm sure it could happen.

What he is referring to is the fact that alcoholics become physically ill when they STOP drinking because their bodies have become so reliant on the substance. This is the same with many drugs. It's actually a physical dependency, which is why it is so hard to treat that kind of an addiction.

With all due respect, to both you and truly suffering alcoholics, if you can have a drink today and stop at one, than you were never an alcoholic. People with a true addiction like that can never go back. Perhaps you overindulged too much and it's great that you've gotten it in check, but let's not diminish real addiction and the life-long commitment it takes to get sober and stay sober.

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought I was clear earlier, but apparently not. All I was saying is that comparing alcoholism (which is a physical and psychological) to being addicted to sugar is ridiculous. If there was such a thing as sugar addiction, it would be in the same breath as sex addiction, video game addiction, etc. These all create releases in the brain that are similar to sugar, but really it's just will power in my opinion.

And I actually agree with what you are saying here too :-). I also think its a will power thing - like sex addiction, video game addiction, etc - but I still call it addiction. I did break out really bad when I stopped eating all the candy...like...i was 16 again YUK - but I like to imagine that was my face finally being like "woohoo fresh air, we can finally let all this *kitten* go!"

So we can agree to disagree Cause to me, if will power is all it takes to beat something, it's not an addiction. Throw in the fact that most people who say they are addicted to sugar and can't eat it happen to have a banana in their hand while saying it makes it even harder for me to comprehend.

mccindy72

Nope - I do not get physically ill - I also can have a drink now and then and I don't get physically ill. I think I eat plenty of sugar now - I actually changed my macros because I was so "over" every day - nope, never got ill (although i did get physically ill from eating bags and bags of candy...but thats TMI). I'm not sure if other people who stopped drinking then had a drink years later got ill - I've never heard of this, but I'm sure it could happen.

What he is referring to is the fact that alcoholics become physically ill when they STOP drinking because their bodies have become so reliant on the substance. This is the same with many drugs. It's actually a physical dependency, which is why it is so hard to treat that kind of an addiction.

With all due respect, to both you and truly suffering alcoholics, if you can have a drink today and stop at one, than you were never an alcoholic. People with a true addiction like that can never go back. Perhaps you overindulged too much and it's great that you've gotten it in check, but let's not diminish real addiction and the life-long commitment it takes to get sober and stay sober.

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought I was clear earlier, but apparently not. All I was saying is that comparing alcoholism (which is a physical and psychological) to being addicted to sugar is ridiculous. If there was such a thing as sugar addiction, it would be in the same breath as sex addiction, video game addiction, etc. These all create releases in the brain that are similar to sugar, but really it's just will power in my opinion.

And I actually agree with what you are saying here too :-). I also think its a will power thing - like sex addiction, video game addiction, etc - but I still call it addiction. I did break out really bad when I stopped eating all the candy...like...i was 16 again YUK - but I like to imagine that was my face finally being like "woohoo fresh air, we can finally let all this *kitten* go!"

So we can agree to disagree Cause to me, if will power is all it takes to beat something, it's not an addiction. Throw in the fact that most people who say they are addicted to sugar and can't eat it happen to have a banana in their hand while saying it makes it even harder for me to comprehend.

exactly. The body doesn't know the difference between the sugar in a cookie, a candy bar, a banana, a yogurt, or the teaspoon of it you add to your coffee or oatmeal. Sugar "addiction" is a misnomer. People want a way to excuse the fact that they lack the willpower to close the box of cookies after eating two, rather than consuming the whole box.

martinel2099

Nope - I do not get physically ill - I also can have a drink now and then and I don't get physically ill. I think I eat plenty of sugar now - I actually changed my macros because I was so "over" every day - nope, never got ill (although i did get physically ill from eating bags and bags of candy...but thats TMI). I'm not sure if other people who stopped drinking then had a drink years later got ill - I've never heard of this, but I'm sure it could happen.

What he is referring to is the fact that alcoholics become physically ill when they STOP drinking because their bodies have become so reliant on the substance. This is the same with many drugs. It's actually a physical dependency, which is why it is so hard to treat that kind of an addiction.

With all due respect, to both you and truly suffering alcoholics, if you can have a drink today and stop at one, than you were never an alcoholic. People with a true addiction like that can never go back. Perhaps you overindulged too much and it's great that you've gotten it in check, but let's not diminish real addiction and the life-long commitment it takes to get sober and stay sober.

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought I was clear earlier, but apparently not. All I was saying is that comparing alcoholism (which is a physical and psychological) to being addicted to sugar is ridiculous. If there was such a thing as sugar addiction, it would be in the same breath as sex addiction, video game addiction, etc. These all create releases in the brain that are similar to sugar, but really it's just will power in my opinion.

And I actually agree with what you are saying here too :-). I also think its a will power thing - like sex addiction, video game addiction, etc - but I still call it addiction. I did break out really bad when I stopped eating all the candy...like...i was 16 again YUK - but I like to imagine that was my face finally being like "woohoo fresh air, we can finally let all this *kitten* go!"

So we can agree to disagree Cause to me, if will power is all it takes to beat something, it's not an addiction. Throw in the fact that most people who say they are addicted to sugar and can't eat it happen to have a banana in their hand while saying it makes it even harder for me to comprehend.

exactly. The body doesn't know the difference between the sugar in a cookie, a candy bar, a banana, a yogurt, or the teaspoon of it you add to your coffee or oatmeal. Sugar "addiction" is a misnomer. People want a way to excuse the fact that they lack the willpower to close the box of cookies after eating two, rather than consuming the whole box.

Good response+++

DianeinCA

Agreed, who is saying they do not?

In the nested quotes RIGHT ABOVE YOUR QUESTION:

Carbs - converted to glucose, the glucose is then - taken up by the body as fuel, stored in the muscles and liver (limited storage), converted into body fat to be released as fuel at a later stage.

I have no idea who said what at this point, but after the assertion was made that fat comes from carbs, someone else said

So eating 10,000 calories of chicken breast won't make you fat? Fascinating.

At least read what you're responding to?

tennisdude2004

Agreed, who is saying they do not?

In the nested quotes RIGHT ABOVE YOUR QUESTION:

Carbs - converted to glucose, the glucose is then - taken up by the body as fuel, stored in the muscles and liver (limited storage), converted into body fat to be released as fuel at a later stage.

I have no idea who said what at this point, but after the assertion was made that fat comes from carbs, someone else said

So eating 10,000 calories of chicken breast won't make you fat? Fascinating.

At least read what you're responding to?

I think you have a mixture of different quotes.

Someone made the comment that excessive sugar in the bloodstream gets converted to body fat - which is indeed possible.

I'm not sure where the notion that fat comes from carbs is from, or where the notion that you can only gain weight by over eating carbs. I think some people are deciding to read things into post from extra dramatic effect?

Maybe the best thing to do would be to read all of the posts relating to this to get a clearer picture.

mccindy72

Agreed, who is saying they do not?

In the nested quotes RIGHT ABOVE YOUR QUESTION:

Carbs - converted to glucose, the glucose is then - taken up by the body as fuel, stored in the muscles and liver (limited storage), converted into body fat to be released as fuel at a later stage.

I have no idea who said what at this point, but after the assertion was made that fat comes from carbs, someone else said

So eating 10,000 calories of chicken breast won't make you fat? Fascinating.

At least read what you're responding to?

I think you have a mixture of different quotes.

Someone made the comment that excessive sugar in the bloodstream gets converted to body fat - which is indeed possible.

I'm not sure where the notion that fat comes from carbs is from, or where the notion that you can only gain weight by over eating carbs. I think some people are deciding to read things into post from extra dramatic effect?

Maybe the best thing to do would be to read all of the posts relating to this to get a clearer picture.

Basically, overeating anything will cause a person to gain fat.

DeliaTyson

This time I am trying to cut out SUGAR. By not adding sugar or eating things with so much sugar in them. Unfortunately here in America we love sugar and most things have sugar in them, but I am working on it. I am craving sweet things by the afternoon I am also feeling quite a bit more tired with out all the added sugar in my diet. This is like day two hopefully by weeks end I will be feeling alot better....

Do you have any helpful hints on how to cut sugar from my diet?

Sweet potatoes! My favorite low hassle way to prepare them: turn your oven on to the broiler, skin or wash 1 good sized sweet potato and chop it into even circles, then coat with coconut oil and broil until brown, then season with sea salt and cinnamon or pumpkin spice. I'm on day 5 of no sugar and these are totally saving my butt.

DianeinCA

I think you have a mixture of different quotes.

Yes. I mentioned as much. I wasn't going to go back and figure out who added which part. It was clear someone wasn't reading the quote chain they were responding to, however.

(Why doesn't MFP connect a quote with who said it? The advanced nesting quotes style is...frustrating.)