I am having a hard time giving up sugar in my tea!
greatestchelseaever
Posts: 7
I love herbal teas with sugar, but I'd also love some muscle! I am working towards a 6 pack abs. I am very tiny and have been, but my abs just aren't pushing through! I had a baby 7 months ago, and I have a cup of coffee or tea with 2 or 3 tsp in the morning. And then one around bed time. Sometimes a I will with my,lunch too. So that is about 6-8 tsp of sugar daily! 
On here, it says I am allowed 35g of sugar. How bad is this tea addiction for my goal? I work as a Barista so it's even harder!
I've been working out, breastfeeding, eating lots of protein, and water!
On here, it says I am allowed 35g of sugar. How bad is this tea addiction for my goal? I work as a Barista so it's even harder!
I've been working out, breastfeeding, eating lots of protein, and water!
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Replies
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Cut down a half teaspoon at a time with every cup.
I used to drink my tea (black tea) with three sugars and a healthy 'splash' of milk. Now I take it with one teaspoon of sugar and a smaller splash of milk. It just takes a while to get accustomed to the taste.
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Google Stevia, there's your answer
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I highly doubt 6-8 tsp of sugar a day is going to stop or slow down your weight loss or muscle gain. You don't have to give anything up, just switch things around and skip out on sugar in other places you can.
Enjoy your tea with sugar.0 -
If you really think it's hindering your goals, you can wean yourself off - or switch to sugar free sweeteners. But if you're targeting your macros appropriately, the sugar you consume should fall nicely within your carbs, and you may not need to cut it out entirely. Maybe try doing mixtures of sugar and other types of sweeteners? Good Luck!0
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Cut down a half teaspoon at a time with every cup.
I used to drink my tea (black tea) with three sugars and a healthy 'splash' of milk. Now I take it with one teaspoon of sugar and a smaller splash of milk. It just takes a while to get accustomed to the taste.
It's not the same! But I suppose you are right. I am in the process of giving up my Hazelnut and Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate as well. Those are my indulgences! So difficult. It could be ice cream or something way worse though!0 -
Have you tried some other herbal teas? Some of them are very sweet like Tazo wild sweet orange or honeybush. Experiment with some different flavors and brands. I'm sure you can find one that doesn't need so much sugar0
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As long as it fits into your calories and meets the macros you want/need, then it's not all bad!
Honestly, just trying tea the way I used to drink it (my mother-in-law still hasn't got the memo and makes it this way every time) leaves a really bad taste in my mouth and is actually kind of sickly!0 -
Have you experimented with different kinds of tea to see if some are good with less sugar?
I am a serious, SERIOUS tea addict. Mostly just black, orange pekoe, unsweetened. I used to drink sweet tea (southern belle here) and it took 9 months of cold turkey to get past that addiction.
But sense then I've found that if I mix herbal teas with my black tea, or use some floral herbal teas with other herbal teas, I like them more and it almost replaces the sugar for me.
My daughter, who is still a sweet tea drinker, likes me black tea when it has the floral herbal teas in it.
I like a little Earl Gray in my black tea. But my FAVORITE is a little of a tea called "Arabian Night" from TeaGschwendner, mixed into a big pitcher of iced black tea.
I didn't think I would like floral teas, but they are pretty awesome! Might be worth a try!0 -
I was an avid sweet tea drinker...we're talking 2 gallons a day with 1 cup of sugar per gallon and it was that way for 15 years. When I decided to change my lifestyle I cut it out completely. I have been 1 month completely tea free and while its been HARD it is slowly getting easier.0
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i use good raw natural honey. sweet and loads of health benefits!0
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I highly doubt 6-8 tsp of sugar a day is going to stop or slow down your weight loss or muscle gain. You don't have to give anything up, just switch things around and skip out on sugar in other places you can.
Enjoy your tea with sugar.
I agree. :drinker:0 -
May I ask? How much sugar is "too much" here? I use a tiny sugar serving spoon in my warm green tea. I switched from drinking a gallon of creamer with coffee in it. lol0
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I gave it up by nibbling on a couple of dates while I drank my sugarless tea. Got the sweet taste accompanied by fibre from the dates, while getting used to the sugar free tea.0
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Cut down a half teaspoon at a time with every cup.
I used to drink my tea (black tea) with three sugars and a healthy 'splash' of milk. Now I take it with one teaspoon of sugar and a smaller splash of milk. It just takes a while to get accustomed to the taste.
It's not the same! But I suppose you are right. I am in the process of giving up my Hazelnut and Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate as well. Those are my indulgences! So difficult. It could be ice cream or something way worse though!
You don't need to give up anything, just use in moderation. If you don't allow yourself a few indulgences this is not going to work for you in the long run. My creamer is one thing I refuse to give up, I just fit it in.0 -
I love sweet tea. I used to drink at least half a gallon a day made with actual sugar. Now I make my hot tea with granulated sucralose which is very sweet. I have a bottle of liquid "Sucralose To Go" that I keep in my purse so I can get unsweet tea & add the sweet to it without all the calories. I hate herbal & fruit teas. I know that cutting out something I really love is not realistic for me. I will not maintain my good choices if I am denying myself all the things I like. I know many people don't like artificial sweeteners, but I will take the risk to keep drinking sweet tea.0
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May I ask? How much sugar is "too much" here? I use a tiny sugar serving spoon in my warm green tea. I switched from drinking a gallon of creamer with coffee in it. lol
It will tell you your limit on your profile in your food diary I think!0 -
i use good raw natural honey. sweet and loads of health benefits!
I have tried subbing half the sugar for a tsp of honey. So delicious, but I was not sure if it was any better than cane sugar!0 -
My Russian grandmother got me started on tea so I learned to drink it the Russian way---with a sugar cube between my teeth, drinking the tea through the cube. talk about sweet! That wasn't someting I wanted to stay with.
It's not that this amount of sugar will be so terrible for you...but that doesn't make it good, either. It's more than calories. Sugar is inflammatory and it causes blood-sugar spikes. It's good habit to cut down if you can, not the biggest deal if this is the treat that helps you get through the day.
You might want to try Good Earth's original sweet and spicy tea. It is really sweet, hard to believe it doesn't have sugar in it. I also really like Republic of Tea's Coconut Cocoa tea, which tastes kind of like an Almond Joy (though not that sweet).
I like Truvia as a sweetener more than Stevia. I'm not sure why; I think they're pretty much the same thing.0 -
Have you experimented with different kinds of tea to see if some are good with less sugar?
I am a serious, SERIOUS tea addict. Mostly just black, orange pekoe, unsweetened. I used to drink sweet tea (southern belle here) and it took 9 months of cold turkey to get past that addiction.
But sense then I've found that if I mix herbal teas with my black tea, or use some floral herbal teas with other herbal teas, I like them more and it almost replaces the sugar for me.
My daughter, who is still a sweet tea drinker, likes me black tea when it has the floral herbal teas in it.
I like a little Earl Gray in my black tea. But my FAVORITE is a little of a tea called "Arabian Night" from TeaGschwendner, mixed into a big pitcher of iced black tea.
I didn't think I would like floral teas, but they are pretty awesome! Might be worth a try!
Thank you for the advice and yes I have a bit, I love Tazo Awake and Bigelow Chinese Oolong, but it just doesn't taste good without sugar. I have tried "Hot Cinnamon Spice" by Harney and Sons and it is sweet on it's own. I added honey and it was too sweet! I am not a fan of cinnamon though. There is another by the same brand 'Coconut Vanilla Green Tea" It's too die for and taste good with a tsp of sugar.
Arabian Night eh? Sounds very interesting and exotic. Mint leaves help me a bit! But that is bad for breastfeeding.0 -
My Russian grandmother got me started on tea so I learned to drink it the Russian way---with a sugar cube between my teeth, drinking the tea through the cube. talk about sweet! That wasn't someting I wanted to stay with.
It's not that this amount of sugar will be so terrible for you...but that doesn't make it good, either. It's more than calories. Sugar is inflammatory and it causes blood-sugar spikes. It's good habit to cut down if you can, not the biggest deal if this is the treat that helps you get through the day.
You might want to try Good Earth's original sweet and spicy tea. It is really sweet, hard to believe it doesn't have sugar in it. I also really like Republic of Tea's Coconut Cocoa tea, which tastes kind of like an Almond Joy (though not that sweet).
I like Truvia as a sweetener more than Stevia. I'm not sure why; I think they're pretty much the same thing.
I love hearing about foreign traditions. Thanks for sharing. Those are some good recommendations. I will check them out!0 -
i use good raw natural honey. sweet and loads of health benefits!
I have tried subbing half the sugar for a tsp of honey. So delicious, but I was not sure if it was any better than cane sugar!
It's not, but the broscience and holistic horse**** persists strongly on MFP. The vast majority of caloric sweeteners are a sucrose/glucose/fructose mix with roughly the same proportions of the monosaccharides, no matter what the source is.
Use splenda if you really want to cut out the sugar.0 -
Mint leaves help me a bit! But that is bad for breastfeeding.
You could always drink it with a bowl of oatmeal and maybe they would counter balance each other! 0 -
Stevia, and not just any you gotta get the good kind or it's gross. I get trader joes organic stevia. No it's not sugar but it's very sweet and I love it!0
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I am a total tea nerd and even did online work for a major tea company a few years ago. Many black, green, white, and oolong teas--if brewed correctly--are very sweet on their own. And then there are lots of companies that add flavoring oils, and many of those just sweeten the pot.
Many black teas should be brewed at 1 bag or 2.5 grams loose leaf per 6-8 oz cup of water with boiling water for about 4 minutes. If you're brewing in these general parameters, experiment with shortening brew times, lowering the water temperature, increasing/decreasing leaf. With most loose leafs, anyway, you'll eventually find the 'sweet spot.'0 -
Google Stevia, there's your answer
YES stevia is AWESOME!! i use it in all my drinks.0 -
I just use 0 calorie sweetener. I know artificial sweeteners arent great either but Id rather have a 0 cal sweetner then 15-20 cals of sugar 4-5 times a day0
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i use good raw natural honey. sweet and loads of health benefits!
I have tried subbing half the sugar for a tsp of honey. So delicious, but I was not sure if it was any better than cane sugar!
ofcourse its better. there are natural enzymes in raw unpasturized honey that researchers have found can have great benefits on the human body. im talking big time effects, such as with weight loss, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, even cancer prevention... we can never fully cut out our risks of these diseases, but if i can add prevention to my daily life with simple substitutes, im all for it. i also like to mix honey and cinnamon together for even more benefits. do some research on it, i think youll be surprised at the good you could do for your body by using honey on a regular basis.0 -
You're honestly better off having real sugar as opposed to unnatural sweeteners like Equal and Sweet 'n' Low. Maybe try cutting down on the amount of sugar or even switch to a healthier substitute such as honey.0
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i use good raw natural honey. sweet and loads of health benefits!
I have tried subbing half the sugar for a tsp of honey. So delicious, but I was not sure if it was any better than cane sugar!
It's not, but the broscience and holistic horse**** persists strongly on MFP. The vast majority of caloric sweeteners are a sucrose/glucose/fructose mix with roughly the same proportions of the monosaccharides, no matter what the source is.
Use splenda if you really want to cut out the sugar.
bro-science? holistic approaches are not all bro-science. i have news for you, raw honey and cinnamon have been used for their healing properties in other countries, successfully, for a very, very, very long time. theres nothing wrong with looking to other sources besides big pharma for health and wellness.
USDA Agricultural Research Service: Insulin Imitators: Polyphenols Found in Cinnamon Mimic Job of Hormone
"Penn State Food and Nutrition Notes"; The Power of Cinnamon; Mary Alice Gettings; 2004
"Bottom Line Secrets"; The Latest Buzz on Honey; Bottom Line's Daily Health News, Aug. 9, 2007.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Cinnamon
USDA Agricultural Research Service: Cinnamon, Glucose Tolerance and Diabetes0 -
what i did to my ex who use to have 2 tsp in tea without him knowing
1 wk 1 & 3/4 tsp of sugar
2 wk 1 & 1/2 tsp of sugar
3 wk 1& 1/4 tsp of sugar
and so on until no sugar
it wasn't until his tea had a 1/4 tsp of sugar until he found when he made his own tea :laugh:
I use to have sugar and now I don't have any, haven't for years0
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