Chewing Gum obsession

callmesamara

When trying to lose weight, I've found that chewing gum helps reduce cravings and it helps me concentrate at work.
The problem is, I have about a pack-a-day habit.

You'd think, if it's sugar-free gum, that's okay. But in a pack of 15 pieces of gum, when each stick has 5 calories and 2g of sugar alcohols, that's 75 calories and 30g of sugar alcohols A DAY! It's Wrigley 5 gum.

Sugar alcohols, as I've recently discovered, uses natural sugars to sweeten the product, however, if you eat too much of them, it could raise your blood sugar levels.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I'm interested to know if my pack-a-day habit is hindering my weight loss and if 30g of sugar alcohols a day is raising my blood sugar levels. I also want to know if there are any great gum products out there that have fewer calories per piece and less sugar alcohols? Or if there are any products that mimic gum chewing but are healthier?

Thanks everyone!

kellybean14

If you consider how many calories you're not consuming by chewing gum, it's totally a win-win situation you have.

The one thing you might want to be concerned about is all the fake chemicals that go into gum. Even if it's considered a "natural" sweetener, I'd be a little wary of the claims.

You may not be able to do this, but at night, instead of chewing gum, try drinking herbal tea. It is much more filling than gum and is great for hydration. It can also take the edge off hunger pangs more than gum can.

R_is_for_Rachel

one thing to be aware of is that chewing gum too much can damage your tempromandibular joint ie/your jaw!

i have seen this first hand (at work) a friend used to chew gum all day and complained of a sore jaw. Dental hospital which we were training at did a OPG radiograph which shows the whole jaw and teeth and she had major wear on the TMJ (and she was only 17 at the time!)
We are humans, not cows! our jaws are not built for day long chewing and the damage is irreversible

perhaps you need to drink water when you get a craving instead or something

callmesamara

Thanks everyone - great replies!

Meissastar - I've thought of that on more than one occasion, after chewing myself into a headache and noticing on the days I chew a lot of gum, I'll wake up the next morning with a sore jaw and headache. I think I'm mimicking the repetitive motion in my sleep with teeth grinding. I didn't know that the damage to your jaw is irreversible - very good to know! Thank you!

Kellybean14 - I've also thought that the best substitute for gum is herbal tea! I think I'm going to try and drink one or two more cups of it a day. I drink a lot of it at night to avoid snacking and run to the bathroom every five minutes (literally). I didn't want to do that at work (because I'm in a lot of meetings and can't be running out every five minutes) but I think I'll give it a shot and just see how it goes.

Thanks everyone - I really appreciate the feedback!
Sam

kbbeale

What about a sugar free candy that you could suck on instead of chewing, if that concerns you....but if it were ME, Id end up eating more of the candy than the gum, thus more calories, LOL.....

lambertj

I'm a pack a day Trident Cinnamon gum addict myself, I tried to quit and realized that I enjoy every single one of those 90 calories a day Never get a headache or sore jaw

R_is_for_Rachel

my pleasure