The "raging sweet tooth" is a major indicator that you do need to drastically cut down on your sugar. You are dependent on it. And the only way to break it is to just avoid sugar for a while. I used to crave sugar so badly that I'd carry around a bag of Skittles to my college classes. When a massage therapist suggested that I might have a sensitivity to refined sugars and that they were probably contributing to my pain, I said he was crazy, because I craved sugar all the time! How can something I crave be bad for me? But the craving is actually the biggest indicator that it IS bad for you. You have become dependent on sugars for your energy source. And that needs to end if you want to be healthy.

I don't have any personal experience as far as whether it will help you lose weight faster, but I do believe that you will be healthier if you cut back on the fruit sugars and increase your fat and protein.

Yes, fruit although good for you breaks down into sugar in the system and can create insulin spikes, increased hunger, etc. It is better to eat fruit then refined sweets, but when you are trying to lose weight it is best to limit fruit. If you must, choose lower glycemic fruits like berries - blue berries, raspberry, strawberry. Avoid watermelon, bananas and grapes. I know it's hard. But it isn't forever. Once you reach your goal you can put some back in sparingly. If you must eat fruit, combine it with a fat or protein to slow down the digestion. So an apple with some peanut butter, etc.

All I know is that whenever I eat fruit by itself I get a sugar rush and crash. And then I have to keep eating it. Better than a tub of ice cream but still effects blood sugar!

Good luck

I'll agree with the others who have said that limiting fruit intake (even with the same calorie intake - which means increasing both protein *and* fat) can make a difference in weight loss. I've read some compelling explanations for why this is so - but most compelling to me is my - somewhat short-duration as yet - sample size of one since I've dramatically lowered carbs recently. If I look at my meals over the past couple of weeks, they go against *everything* that we've been taught is necessary for good health. They are high fat, high protein meals with almost zero "healthy" complex carbohydrates (and essentially no simple carbohydrates). The only carbs I get are incidental to what I eat. I have not been hungry, I've been eating the same number of calories, and my pace of weight loss has dramatically increased (while my energy level is the same or higher). My biggest problem right now is that I'm being told this pace of weight loss is "alarming" - even though I'm eating the same number of calories or more..

I don't, btw, expect this pace to continue indefinitely. I expect it will slow down as my body adjusts to this "new normal." In the meantime, though, I'm enjoying the fact that my pants are getting a little baggy and uncomfortable. ;o)

So thanks for all of your suggestions and support! It's going to be tough, especially when I live with a sister who is firmly aligned with in the Calories in, Calories out Whole Grains Brigade (or as I like to call it: The CCWGB) and believes her word is gold because she is a highly respected medical professional. I'll manage.

The biggest (maybe only) argument against that is results. If you are successful losing weight this way - AND if you can show that other risk indicators such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc. are moving the right direction - you will win the argument in the end. That's the thing about "highly respected medical professionals." They have been trained a certain way and have their biases accordingly - but they are also very respectful of empirical evidence, so if you can show that you'll be in good shape (both literally and figuratively).

Good luck!

For 55 days I have increased my protein dramatically and the only fruit I eat are blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, an occasional peach or apple. I limit my carbs to 50 g a day. I gave up dairy about 10 days ago. I consistently lose on average about 4 pounds per week. I have not been tempted to binge on sugar....not even once. I have tons of energy! I have increased my fat as well, but haven't added as much as I should because I still have a little fear of fat. I eat one avocado per day. This afternoon I did go buy coconut oil, coconut milk, ghee, and kerrygold, for when I decide to jump that mind hurdle

I love fruit! But I only eat a couple times a week because I want lose still. When I move to to maintain that is a different story. Right now its meat and veggies. No carbs. Don't take everything you read as gospel. Challenge it and as question to why. Everybody responds differently. Good luck to you!