Iced sweet tea yes or no?

Options
taz69tazz
taz69tazz Posts: 57
in Food and Nutrition
Is sweet tea very bad for weight loss ? Ive been told that splenda was bad so I use sugar.. i quit drinking sodas but i cant give up the sweet tea any ideas?
«1

Replies

  • agrant85
    agrant85 Posts: 92 Member
    Options
    I would think the sugar is what's bad...and the caffeine. I was a sweet tea ADDICT! It was my water. I literally didn't drink any water at all, only sweet tea. I stopped cold turkey. Tomorrow makes 4 weeks that I've only had 1 cup of coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day. I miss it....but I know it's one of my triggers and if I drink one glass, I won't stop.
  • ssocowgirl
    ssocowgirl Posts: 1
    Options
    the sugar is the problem. try plain iced tea w/lemon and no sweetner. it takes a bit to get used to but if you wanna lose weight you have to cut back on sugar intake. my friend lost 10 lbs just by cutting out sugar beverages and walking 20 mins a day
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Options
    If you like it and it fits your calorie goals/macros, then there is no reason to give it up. Sugar is not the enemy. Overconsumption of calories and not enough exercise is.
  • sghcab051411
    sghcab051411 Posts: 21 Member
    Options
    My 4c iced tea is my water. I haven't had a glass since Sunday and am missing it so bad. I am drinking only water except for at dinner when I take my vitamins with low fat chocolate milk. I wish I could have it but the scale says otherwise
  • Kittencupcake
    Kittencupcake Posts: 1
    Options
    i have made my own ice tea everyday for over four years now. i do use sweet n low. i would also like to know it this is not going to help my weight loss.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    Options
    Sugar isn't a problem. Eating too much is a problem. A calorie deficit is what will get the weight off. If you want a glass of sweet tea, have one. Log it and stay under your calorie goal for the day. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure.....I haven't had sweet tea in 4 months. For me, it wasn't worth the cost (in calories) I have other things I would rather have.....like ice cream. Seriously, calories in/calories out.....it's that simple.
  • jivitasa
    jivitasa Posts: 150 Member
    Options
    Bad, very high in calories and the sugar will throw your body's hormones all out of whack. Try Stevia, a natural no calorie sweetner, you will never know the difference after a few days.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    Options
    splenda and sugar substitutes cause cravings just like sugar. so no.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    Options
    This might be a local brand but if you have Swiss Miss in your area, check out their Diet Sweet Tea, it is pretty amazing!
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    Options
    I've always preferred natural sugars to artificial ones, but having some splenda occasionally won't kill you. Honestly though, as I've gotten healthier my love of very sweet things has dramatically reduced. I get the same satisfaction from a small amount of sugar now. Don't get me wrong, I still eat sugar (and have made dramatic strides in my healthy and fitness goals, I might add) but now I no longer need things to be as sweet.
  • RobynDCrossman
    RobynDCrossman Posts: 252
    Options
    Drink it unsweetened if you can't live without it. Or use a natural sweetener.
    Or fit the sugar macros into your day.
    However, depending on how much you drink - you may find those better vested elsewhere.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    Options
    Bad, very high in calories and the sugar will throw your body's hormones all out of whack. Try Stevia, a natural no calorie sweetner, you will never know the difference after a few days.

    15 calories per teaspoon is not very high......I have never heard of it throwing off your hormones. Can you cite a source for that info?
  • charovnitza
    charovnitza Posts: 689
    Options
    Sorry, for me, SUGAR IS THE ENEMY. Other people seem to do ok with it, but not me. So if you're not losing weight while drinking sweet tea, it might be a problem for you, too.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
    Options
    as long as you log it, it won't keep you from losing weight. that being said, sugar varies greatly in different types of sweet tea, so I would try to make it at home so you can be sure you are logging the right amount of sweet tea. If you are trying to get off sugar, I really like Truvia. I switched from splenda, although I never really felt that bad about using it.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    Options
    I love iced tea and I have to have it sweet. I usually use Splenda or Sweet-n-Low. Sometimes I'll buy sugar-sweetened tea and it's so good. It's the only thing I use sugar in. And I only have it once or twice a week. And when I do use sugar, I log it in my diary. I'm not concerned about it. I don't believe that sugar is something to avoid 100%, just to be aware of.
  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
    Options
    I gave up soda even before I wanted to loose weight, but sweetened tea? Hot OR Iced? Lordy, if there were a 12-step program, I'd be in it.

    Tea is good for you. Loading it up with sugar? Not so much. So, I sweeten with either Splenda or Stevia. Yes, Splenda is chemical-tastic, but it's the only real "diet" food I really brought into my life. And it saves me over 200 calories a day, so I'll deal with it for now while I slowly acquire the taste for unsweetend tea. I'm not sugar free, I just try to keep my beverages calorie-free for the most part. So, water and tea are it, save for the Red Bull Total Zero when I have to open the store at 5am.

    I'll revisit slightly sweetened tea during maintenance.
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,579 Member
    Options
    I love Starbucks shaken black iced tea. It is 80 calories for 16oz. and worth every drop. I just fit it into my calories when I have it. But not every day!
  • sarahnull07
    sarahnull07 Posts: 18 Member
    Options
    I gave up soda and only have one cup of sweet tea with dinner the rest is water water water, I dont think that it is bad if you just have one cup a day, dont go over your caliories and walk. =)

    oh and I brew my own and use real sugar, I cant have aspartame
  • nicolej1016
    nicolej1016 Posts: 89 Member
    Options
    I really enjoy sweet iced tea, but I make it from home and only use a very little bit of regular sugar in it (measuring the sugar with an actual measuring spoon, not a regular spoon).

    Since starting MFP, I reduced the amount of sugar in my tea by 75%. It took a few days to adjust to the less sweet taste, but now, it is refreshing and less cloyingly sweet. Also, I do not drink sweet tea at restaurants that serve it. It mostly is brown water with sugar in it. Personally I want to taste the actual tea not just sweetness. I totally avoid sodas, but they have never been a big part of my diet, so no real sacrifice there.

    I am in agreement with some of the others' posts that mention to just log the sugar intake - with measuring spoons - and take it from there. Personally, I know that sweet tea (for me) will not fill me up, but make me crave MORE sugar if I drink it too much or instead of water. I would rather save my calories for something sustaining and healthy - or an occasional roll or cookie.

    Good luck and good question! :)
  • islandlifenc
    islandlifenc Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    I'm a southern girl, so I was raised on sweet tea. I'm not going to go without it, if I can help it. The benefits of the antioxidants and polyphenols far outweighs any concerns about caffeine. (Try Jasmine Green tea if you want a little less caffeine than traditional black sweet tea.)

    That said, I'm still making it by the pitcher, but instead of using sugar like I normally would have, now I use a good bit of KAL brand liquid stevia. The liquid stevia is a far better product than the powders for sale in the grocery store. You can order the KAL stevia at Amazon.com, but I usually buy it from LuckyVitamin.com. They have the best price that I've found:

    http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-2461-kal-pure-stevia-extract-liquid-4-oz

Categories