In your opinion...Sweet Tea?

JuliePete

Okay friends...what is your opinion? I LOVE sweet tea...I have been avoiding it b/c of the sugar and calories in it. I have been in quite the funk b/c of it. I decided today that I was going to drink it and not add it to my food journal. If I begin to exercise more, then It will help to balance the extra calories from the tea. I know I am trying to rationalize this, but after 3 weeks, I am ready to give up. I think I can stick with it better If I can do it this way. Thoughts?????

staceyb00

I wouldn't give in the sweet tea craving. Make your own tea and use stevia to sweeten. Makes it taste just as good as sweet and isn't artificial. I find if I justify one thing it makes it easier to justify others. Either way - you should enter it into your diary. It will help keep track of where the extra calories are coming from.

jenbit

Dont make it with sugar use an artifical sweetener and it wont have near as many cals

KaeChelle

If you must have it, log it in your food journal. You don't have to deprive yourself of everything you love, but record it and make sure it fits into your calorie goals! I have some from time to time, but it goes in my food log.

Starleng1

I would just add it in your diary and record your exercising. If the exercising is not enough just bump it up take care of it. If you start not adding things...you could start not adding a lot of things and you may not be getting enough exercise to cover it. just my two cents...Starleng

JWeaser

I make sun tea and add Splenda+ fiber and it is DELICIOUS!!

sneezles

Why wouldn't you log it...seems silly when you know you've consumed something...

Have you tried Stevia as a replacement for the sugar? I know it's difficult to give up sweet tea but it can be done, just ask my DH!

TXBlockhead

I say if you try it and it helps you to stay on track and doesn't slow down or stop your weight loss then I say go for it. I am a Dr Pepper addict and I am trying to switch to sweet tea instead.

painterdlzll

I would log the sweet tea just so you don't go over your calories too much. Dr. Oz said he would rather us use real sugar that is just 16 cal. a teaspoon than put artificial sweeteners in our bodies. So if ya keep up with how many teaspoons you use it really isn't that many. Hope this helps.

arc918

if you drink it, then count it - this logging stuff is all about accountability

that way you can decide whether or not you want to spend the calories on it

McKayMachina

Add it. You're still consuming it. Don't kid yourself.

Just use real stevia instead of sugar. It doesn't affect your body like sugar and is just as natural.

trybefan

I dont drink it, think its gross. But, I do enjoy green tea and tea in general. I would look to stay with sugar over artificial sweetners as there is a ton of research looking at the long term side effects of fake sugars.

UrbanRunner81

I wouldn't give in the sweet tea craving. Make your own tea and use stevia to sweeten. Makes it taste just as good as sweet and isn't artificial. I find if I justify one thing it makes it easier to justify others. Either way - you should enter it into your diary. It will help keep track of where the extra calories are coming from.

^^^ agreed!

Rklane

Try the MIO sweet tea. It's yummy! Also, try adding Splenda instead. I used to get a large sweet tea from McDonalds every day. I've switched to getting unsweet with 4 splenda. It's close, not quite the same, but will do. It does take a little bit of time to get used to it. But, at 300 calories per visit it was worth it to me.

Nomomush

Why not just make or get regular tea and add a calorie free sweetner like stevia? That's what I make.

LovingMe19

I dont drink it, think its gross. But, I do enjoy green tea and tea in general. I would look to stay with sugar over artificial sweetners as there is a ton of research looking at the long term side effects of fake sugars.

Not all are bad. Stevia is really good.

BlessedandBeautifulBrown

you should add it.. not add only is cheating yourself.. and try different sweetners..

MzBug

My guy is addicted to it also. The doc told him that he HAD to reduce the sugar in his diet...guess where it was coming from? Since we make the tea at home we reduced the sugar content slowly over a couple months. Before he would put in 1 cup per quart of tea...now he is down to about 1/3 cup per quart of tea. He is used to it now, but still misses the ultra sweet tea. He goes back for re-testing next week...

ASPhantom

If you are going to drink it, I would use real sugar over anything else.

Make sure you log it. Don't skip logging things to make yourself feel better.

You might soon see that it's not worth the calories and give it up.

I was a heavy coca cola drinker and I quit cold turkey. You don't HAVE to have it.

Or if you don't think you can quit, limit yourself to one small glass a day and then phase down from there.

cherryObebe

I dont drink it, think its gross. But, I do enjoy green tea and tea in general. I would look to stay with sugar over artificial sweetners as there is a ton of research looking at the long term side effects of fake sugars.

Not all are bad. Stevia is really good.

Stevia isn't artificial or fake though. It is from a natural sweet leaf.

ohamberx0

I'd add vodka and enjoy it even more... then log it.

ASPhantom

These are the only dangers of Stevia I could find:


Reproductive Difficulties

Stevia, or the singular stevioside, at least in some studies, seems to affect the male reproductive organs. This was the conclusion of a group of European scientists in early 2006.

•The study showed that when male rats were fed high doses of stevioside for 22 months, sperm production was severely reduced, the weight of the seminal vesicles declined, and there was an increase of cell proliferation in their testicles. In time, this could easily cause infertility or other reproductive problems.
•In another study, female hamsters were fed large amounts of a derivative of stevioside called steviol. Here the scientists found that the female hamsters had fewer and smaller offspring.


Cancer

There have also, at least in preliminary studies, been links to cancer.

•In the lab, steviol can be converted into a mutagenic compound. This, in turn, may promote cancer by causing mutations in the cells' genetic material, or DNA.
•Scientists are divided on the issue of the cancer link, and remain adamant that further testing, studies, and reviews need to be conducted in order to resolve the issue.


Energy Metabolism

Studies indicate that large amounts of stevioside can interfere with the absorption of carbohydrates in animals and disrupt the conversion of food into energy within cells. Scientists are particularly worried about this development, especially as it pertains to children.

RRB_Fan

You need to hold yourself accountable....that's why we are all on here...with that said:

I like sweet tea just as much as the next person...but when you add it to your diary and see how many calories you wasted on it, it wasn't worth it to me. I don't like the bitter taste of plain tea but can't drink water or powerade zero all day everyday...So, I load up my un-sweetened tea with lemon or lime. Also, IDK, if you're making your own sweet tea or going through the drive thru some where but for example Whataburger's large sweet tea is well over 400 calories. It takes me three miles of walking on the track to burn 400 calories.

solpwr

Go with an artificial sweetener. And vodka. Yummmm.

jgic2009

If you are really craving it, drink it and log it!

McKayMachina

What's with the utterly useless responses regarding vodka?

:huh:

FitBridget

Have you tried icing an herbal tea? Some of the fruit ones are naturally quite sweet, you may find that you don't need to add sugar. I love sweet iced tea in the summer, but I had to quit it when I decided the only calories I was willing to drink were alcoholic. I find the iced herbals teas are a nice substitution. I particularly like Passion tea and Tangerine.

solpwr

What's with the utterly useless responses regarding vodka?

:huh:

Useless to you maybe.

Other's may find the response useful.

I sometimes find responses useful if they make me smile. Or think.

Like pondering the difference in calories between sugar and alcohol. And whether I would consume the empty calories either way, and under what circumstances. A response like that makes me think about those things. Even though the post did not specifically outline that. The mind can be a wonderful thing.

Does this help answer your ::HUH::? And why are you calling out the responses that included vodka? Why not just let it pass if you felt they were "utterly useless"?

McKayMachina

What's with the utterly useless responses regarding vodka?

:huh:

Useless to you maybe.

Other's may find the response useful.

I sometimes find responses useful if they make me smile. Or think.

Like pondering the difference in calories between sugar and alcohol. And whether I would consume the empty calories either way, and under what circumstances. A response like that makes me think about those things. Even though the post did not specifically outline that. The mind can be a wonderful thing.

Does this help answer your ::HUH::? And why are you calling out the responses that included vodka? Why not just let it pass if you felt they were "utterly useless"?

Cuz I was in a bad mood and felt like taking it out on the internet.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

solpwr

What's with the utterly useless responses regarding vodka?

:huh:

Useless to you maybe.

Other's may find the response useful.

I sometimes find responses useful if they make me smile. Or think.

Like pondering the difference in calories between sugar and alcohol. And whether I would consume the empty calories either way, and under what circumstances. A response like that makes me think about those things. Even though the post did not specifically outline that. The mind can be a wonderful thing.

Does this help answer your ::HUH::? And why are you calling out the responses that included vodka? Why not just let it pass if you felt they were "utterly useless"?

Cuz I was in a bad mood and felt like taking it out on the internet.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Gotcha! That makes perfect sense!

Crystal817

I'd add vodka and enjoy it even more... then log it.

:laugh: