What's your sweetener?

The reason your doctor said to use stevia is because the carbohydrates in it come from Erythritol - a sugar alcohol that passes through your system mostly undigested. Since the body doesn't break it down, you don't get energy/calories from it. There are a number of different sugar alcohols (FYI, they're also called polyols) that manufacturers use in reduced-calorie and low-sugar food products, and each one has a slightly different digestibility, calorie count, & impact on your blood sugar & metabolism. Unfortunately, the labeling laws in the US allow companies to label sugar alcohols as calorie-free, even though some are partially digestible and therefore technically contain as many as 3 kilocalories per gram.

Might've been TMI or too technical, but it's info I got off a thread on ChowHound about sweeteners, Truvia, Stevia, etc. Did that make any sense?

I stopped using sugar in my coffee, and for my oatmeal, I use ground cinnamon and strawberries. Haven't heard about xylitol...

The only natural "no-calorie" sweeteners I'm familiar with are stevia, erythritol and monkfruit, I've used stevia and the powdered monkfruit in a myriad of foods, and am not a huge fan of either for the taste, though they are at least "decent." I've read some good reviews about erythritol but haven't tried it yet - supposedly it's good for baking. My personal preference is palm sugar, honey or agave - all are less processed than traditional granulated sugar and will cause a slightly less drastic spike in blood sugar. However, being diabetic and trying to lose weight means I have to severely limit "real" sugars of any kind. The one thing that does seem to be proven is that all of the artificial sweeteners on the market are NOT good for you at all. So if you want low or zero calorie, it's best to carry your own packets of the natural stuff (Truvia, Nextresse, Stevia/Monkfruit In the Raw, etc...) with you so you're not stuck somewhere using the pink, blue or yellow stuff - those are all just legal POISON.

I use regular sugar for some things, Splenda for my coffee and I have started using Truvia on things.

i'm so sweet i just stick my finger in.

Usually regular sugar but I do sometimes switch a teaspoon of sugar in my porridge for Splenda.

Stevia in the morning when I am in my fasted state

sugar the other times

Sugar, splenda, and Coke Zero.

Splenda in my coffee or tea, regular sugar in baking, but I only add half of what the recipe calls for. I will sometimes use a half Splenda / half sugar mix for baking (after having already cut the sugar in half) if the texture doesn't change much (like in cookies and quick bread).

Anything else is likely regular sugar or brown sugar.

i'm so sweet i just stick my finger in.

Same here, but I use a different appendage.

My old high school nickname was sweet pants.

You wore pants made out of fruit leather too?!

I use sugar or honey. I refuse to use artificial sweeteners. I don't want to acquire a taste for them. NTM only people in my family that used chemical sweeteners wound up getting cancer.

Sugar. Honey. Agave nectar. Depends on what I am sweetening, and what we have sitting in the cupboard.

Light Agave in my tea.

Typically Stevia drops - I have English Toffee and Vanilla flavoured ones at hand. I often combine them with other natural or artificial sweeteners though, I find that makes for a more balanced taste.