Cutting back sugar question...

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So I have heard lots and read lots of things about cutting back sugar, How people have cut all 'un-natural' sugar out of there diet limited fruit sugar and lost heaps of weight???

I was wondering if anyone else has found this to be true also.. I know obviously sugar = empty calories and it's just common sense to limit them / cut them out but my question is by how much???

I eat weight-watchers muesli trim milk for breakfast, most often salads, or salad sandwiches for lunch and fruit cruskits cottage cheese etc for snack and normal meat and 2 veg for dinner..

Is it possible to have too much fruit sugars?? also I have a bout 3-4 coffee's a day with trim milk and 1tsp of sugar in each one.. is that too much extra sugar???

wow, turned into more than one question lol, but hopefully you can kinda get what i'm on about??

Thanks in advance

Oh and yes, I'm a 'beginner' to eating healthy so sorry if these are silly questions but I genuinely want to know

Replies

  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    You can definitely have too much sugar, no matter where it comes from. IMO it's not just about sugar. It's about carbs in general (and sugar is a form of carb). If almost all of your calories come from carbs, that is not a good thing; you need protein and healthy fats in there, too!
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
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    Use stevia or some other kind of sweetener in your coffee. Fruit is ok, but don't go crazy with it. All kinds of sugar (refined and from fruit) will make you crave more sugar. Carbs in general aren't bad, simple carbs need to be limited. Try to eat more complex carbs like vegetables and oatmeal.
  • ChancyW
    ChancyW Posts: 437 Member
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    A good book to read would be the Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno. She explains all about sugars and eating clean!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    My doctor advised me to cut out all processed sugar years ago because of health issues (low thyroid and adrenal fatigue mainly) and so I did. I'm used to using mostly Stevia now. I love the liquid vanilla and English toffee stevias, and then I use plain, and sometimes stevia in the raw (even though it's not pure).

    I was still obese when I stopped all that, and I exercised a lot. I found what really got me to lose weight was consuming less calories (a calorie deficit).

    Now that I look back I think the lack of sugar helped reduce the calories and help me to keep eating healthier. I still eat deserts as a treat now and then, but I find I'm so used to not having sugar that too much dessert will give me a headache and I feel like I want to drink a gallon of water to flush it out. I'm careful to eat desserts now only after having a small meal or at least some protein first.

    I don't think you need to worry about the sugars that occur naturally in foods. If you are eating enough protein (many has healthy fat already), and plenty of veggies and just a little healthy fat and enough carbs to keep your energy up then you are probably good, especially if you cut out processed sugars and only have them as an occasional treat. That worked well for me anyway, still is.
  • tidetevo
    tidetevo Posts: 45 Member
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    I'm diabetic type 2 and my nutritionist told me that every time I eat a fruit I should also add a protein so my blood sugar wont go to high.
  • jennahowden
    jennahowden Posts: 34 Member
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    You'd be surprised at how easy it is to cut the sugar out of your coffee. You just gradually decrease the amount over a couple of weeks, and you soon develop a taste for it without!
    I'm so proud of my dad. Surprisingly he's not overweight. But, he used to drink around 15-20 cups of coffee a day. With 2 teaspoons in each!!! He did this for so many years!! I was worried about that ridiculous amount of sugar and caffeine. On his own, he decided to cut back to one sugar. And in no time, he wasn't having any! He's even cut back the coffees to around 5-7 a day.
    So proud of him!
    So my point being, even someone who has been having his coffee a certain way for 30 years, is capable of changing it in only a matter of a couple of weeks!
    All the best to you =)
  • supermodelchic
    supermodelchic Posts: 550 Member
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    I barely consume sugar at all, iI use Splenda in my coffee, limited fruit, love my veggies, zero white sugar, so it can be done..:smile:
  • HannahsBestLife
    HannahsBestLife Posts: 209 Member
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    Thanks for your replies guys :) I thought I'd ask cause I find since i'm just starting out everyone bombards me with info and I never know what to take from it, but you all explained it nice and simply for me haha so I actually understand :D thanks heaps!!

    Jennahowden - I used to have 2tsp of sugar in each coffee and about 10 a day so i'm getting better, I will try having it with only half a tsp for a while until I cut it out completly :) wish me luck lol :D and yay for your dad, thats awesome!!