Eliminating White Bread and White Sugar

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  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I'd rather go over my calorie limit with healthy foods, high in fiber, etc than be under my calorie full of sugar and refined, manufactured food.
    False dichotomy is false.
    Meh. It's a valid belief.
    There's nothing valid about the belief that it can only be one or the other.
    :laugh: if you say so.
    Logic says so, but I can see why that might b baffling to you.
    You can call it logic if you want to.
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
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    The only reason I try to avoid high levels of processed carbs in my diet is because I feel so hungry and miserable later because my insulin levels are all over the place. Other than that, I see little value in avoiding them.
  • kessler4130
    kessler4130 Posts: 150 Member
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    I prefer to stay sane and energetic, there is absolutely no reason to go on crazy diets that wear your body down. If you establish a healthy fat range to keep your hormones in check and other associated functions, enough protein to maintain lean body mass, and simply adjust your carbs accordingly you will have plenty of energy and not destroy your body. If you want your body to completely melt your muscle mass and do praise Allahs to some false low carb Deity, go nuts.
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
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    I tried that diet of eating nothing that was white for about 3 months. I stuck strictly to it the whole time. Not a thing happened other than me getting irritated about not having things I liked. It was too restrictive for me and no weight loss. I prefer the everything in moderation method. That works wonders for me.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    I prefer to stay sane and energetic, there is absolutely no reason to go on crazy diets that wear your body down. If you establish a healthy fat range to keep your hormones in check and other associated functions, enough protein to maintain lean body mass, and simply adjust your carbs accordingly you will have plenty of energy and not destroy your body. If you want your body to completely melt your muscle mass and do praise Allahs to some false low carb Deity, go nuts.

    I don't think you understand LBM retention or low carb diets in general as well as you think you do. Your muscles do not just melt away in the absence of carbs, nor do you lack energy when a low carb diet is done properly. Not saying people need to eliminate white bread or white sugar - those foods are fine for the majority of people when consumed in moderation. But perpetuating old myths about low carb diets really gets old.
  • Paulglee72
    Paulglee72 Posts: 24
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    I"ve had huge issues with white bread and butter in the past. I"m not exagerating when i say that i used to eat 12 slices a day. I have tried to give it up but to no avail. What i have done however is cut it down to two slices a day and ive also stopped eating after 8pm. The majority of people that i know who have lost a lot of weight gave up white bread , butter and potatoes completley so that probably gives you an idea of the harm to your health that those foods do. Anyway the very best of luck to you.
  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
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    I'd rather go over my calorie limit with healthy foods, high in fiber, etc than be under my calorie full of sugar and refined, manufactured food.
    False dichotomy is false.
    Meh. It's a valid belief.
    There's nothing valid about the belief that it can only be one or the other.
    :laugh: if you say so.
    Logic says so, but I can see why that might b baffling to you.
    You can call it logic if you want to.
    http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/False_dilemma
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    It is a good thing. I do not eat any of those, mostly because I am allergic to gluten and corn and those products have it in it. Also those products create yeast in the body if eaten too much of it, which most people do. Yeast or candida causes many health issues, so you are better off without it. There are healthier choices to substitute for those things.
    I understand not eating certain things due to allergies and food sensitivities, but there is no reason to substitute them otherwise unless is simply personal preference. No food in and of itself is good or bad, and for me balance is key.

    Please provided a peer reviewed study to back up your claims that "those products" (what products?) cause yeast in the body if you too much is eaten? That's a pretty vague statement,

    It's all in how you look at it. I first had mashed cauliflower as a side dish. It wasn't pitched as a "potato substitute" but just a way to prepare cauliflower - and a pretty tasty one at that, when done correctly. It's not superior to potatoes, but rather it's just different. To me, it's a substitution for potatoes in the same way that steak would be a substitute for pork chops, meaning that they're somewhat similar and you probably don't want to have both in the same meal. Now if for whatever reason you don't want to eat potatoes (e.g., if keeping carbs low), mashed cauliflower may be a better option at the time. But generally, a little variety is a good thing.
  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
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    It is a good thing. I do not eat any of those, mostly because I am allergic to gluten and corn and those products have it in it. Also those products create yeast in the body if eaten too much of it, which most people do. Yeast or candida causes many health issues, so you are better off without it. There are healthier choices to substitute for those things.


    Impressive!

    I never knew it was possible to cram so much nonsense into so few words.
  • SuzyLy
    SuzyLy Posts: 133 Member
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    I have been trying to do this since August 1, mainly since I am prediabetic and hope it helps in bring my sugar numbers down. I have a problem socially, where the only options for food are fast foods like pizza, hot dogs & French fries. I like Wasa crispbread with cheese and when buying bread for hubby, buy Pepperidge Farm for unbromated flour. I may be doing this whole thing wrong, but I think I eat healthier when I have the choice, and actually enjoy it.
  • SandraJN
    SandraJN Posts: 305 Member
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    I don't eat any of the 'whites' and haven't since I was diagnosed insulin resistant in Feb. Until that point I did eat a lot of simple carbs. It really isn't that difficult to do. The hardest, and it really isn't all that hard, is giving up rice and potatoes. I cannot eat brown rice as well, because it also turns to sugar quickly. I've found a whole world of low glycemic whole grains that are better than what I thought I would miss so much and the added fiber has really helped my digestive system. Giving up the whites does not mean giving up carbs. Sustained energy comes from the complex carbs which are slowly turned into glucose during the course of the day, rather than the simple carbs that become sugar immediately, resulting in a sugar rush followed by a crash.

    It made it a very easy choice for me, considering my health is on the line.
  • anapestic
    anapestic Posts: 169 Member
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    Whole grains are generally better for you than processed grains, so you might want to think about leaving behind white bread and white rice on a permanent basis, in favor of whole grain bread and brown rice.

    Personally, while I recognize that what matters in losing weight is the caloric deficit, I find that white bread, pasta, and white potatoes (while soooooo good) are big trigger foods for me, so as much as I would love to have that baked potato, I avoid it because if I ate it, someone might find me a week later in the gutter defending my pint of Ben and Jerry's from imaginary demons with a spoon.

    Anyway, in answer to your specific question, I find that lentils are extremely helpful in satisfying me. They're very high in fiber, they're tasty, and they cook in about the same amount of time as brown rice. You can also make a really good lentil soup (add plenty of diced veggies) and keep it in the refrigerator or freeze it in portions. It's very satisfying but relatively low in calories.
  • tucky3203
    tucky3203 Posts: 57 Member
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    I have mainly because my doctor eluded that it related to my lack of weight loss success and higher cholesterol levels. Have been simple sugar, white bread, pasta, rice free for about 18 days now and actually feel a lot better. I had what you call a bit of an addiction to simple sugars and ate way beyond what was supposed to be successful. My highest weight was 265lbs and I was 248.4lbs this morning. It really isn't too bad and my cravings for sugar aren't really existent. My diary is open if you would like to look.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    You find that as you eat less sugar, your sense of sweet changes, and you realise just how incredibly over the top the things you used to eat were in terms of sugar content. If someone makes me a cup of tea with a whole teaspoon of sugar now, it's ridiculously sweet to me.

    I never ate sugar in a lot of the things people are claiming they are cutting out, like in hot beverages or oatmeal, so I don't think I have a distorted sense of sweet, even though I do still eat ice cream and fancy chocolate, etc. Fruit tastes pretty sweet to me, for example, as do some vegetables (carrots, parsnips). That's why the idea that one must cut out sugar or have some kind of taste disability bothers me. As something that might work for someone on a personal level, sure, of course. People are different and have different issues with food. But as a reason everyone needs to cut or try to eliminate added sugar, no.

    What I find intriguing about this thread is not the cutting out sugar (etc.) bit. That's half the threads on MFP lately. It's the idea that there's some benefit to cutting out "white" sugar. It's like brown sugar just seems more virtuous because of how it looks or something, which is bizarre. What's the reason to single out white sugar?
    As for pasta etc? Good luck. It's the one thing I haven't been able to substitute yet. Not having a buttload of money to try different things instead doesn't help, either.

    The funny thing is that I haven't cut out pasta and do have it on occasion, but barely ever make it at home anymore, and it used to be one of my standard home cooked meals (and a reasonably healthy one, just one where it's easy to cut calories by using the sauce differently, since I always pretty much had pasta as a vehicle for my sauces). But have you tried whole wheat pasta? I think it goes really well with some accompaniments and not so much others, so I'd never use it exclusively, but it can be good. Also, what I end up doing more often is just putting pasta sauce on butternut or acorn squash, which is inexpensive around here. Less fussy than trying to create a pasta-like substitute, but often tasty with the same things I enjoy adding to pasta.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    The majority of people that i know who have lost a lot of weight gave up white bread , butter and potatoes completley so that probably gives you an idea of the harm to your health that those foods do.

    Not really. Care to elaborate?
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    I prefer to stay sane and energetic, there is absolutely no reason to go on crazy diets that wear your body down. If you establish a healthy fat range to keep your hormones in check and other associated functions, enough protein to maintain lean body mass, and simply adjust your carbs accordingly you will have plenty of energy and not destroy your body. If you want your body to completely melt your muscle mass and do praise Allahs to some false low carb Deity, go nuts.

    I don't think you understand LBM retention or low carb diets in general as well as you think you do. Your muscles do not just melt away in the absence of carbs, nor do you lack energy when a low carb diet is done properly. Not saying people need to eliminate white bread or white sugar - those foods are fine for the majority of people when consumed in moderation. But perpetuating old myths about low carb diets really gets old.
    :drinker:
  • SandraJN
    SandraJN Posts: 305 Member
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    As for pasta etc? Good luck. It's the one thing I haven't been able to substitute yet. Not having a buttload of money to try different things instead doesn't help, either.

    I eat pasta once or twice a week. I buy whole grain and I've found pasta from Italy to be the best, so there goes the small carbon footprint. I have a short pasta with 35 grams of complex carbs and 6 grams of fiber, leaving 29 grams carbs. A long pasta with 41 carbs and 8 fiber, 33 grams actually complex carbs. Joseph's bakery makes really good whole meal pitas and lavash. When I make pasta I use whole wheat pastry flour, it works well. Farro is a wonderful complex grain, high in protein and fiber. I make gnocchi with sweet potato and it is good. Instead of potato latkes I use carrots and zucchini.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    The majority of people that i know who have lost a lot of weight gave up white bread , butter and potatoes completley so that probably gives you an idea of the harm to your health that those foods do.
    Tell that to my 90 year old italian grandmother who never got over 100 lbs and was a size 1 her entire life eating all white carbs every single day.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    For me, eliminating most refined sugar was the best thing I ever did because sugar is truly empty calories, in the sense that it does absolutely nothing to fill me up.

    And when you are cutting calories, you want to eat foods that fill you up, otherwise you will fail at weight loss.

    A two egg ommelette with a little cheese, sautéed onions and mushrooms for breakfast keeps me full for a long time. Two donuts or a pastry with orange juice (OJ is loaded with sugar) does nothing to keep me full. Calorically, they are about the same.

    But maybe that's just me.

    I'd agree with you that eggs are more filling. But every now and then, I just want a donut. Now, I fully understand that I cannot have a donut every day. But conversely, I don't want to think I can never have one again, either.

    I said MOST refined sugar. :)

    I think that's what many people are telling her, though. Sure make different choices most of the time, but there's no reason to subject yourself to an arbitrary "no white foods" rule. I am fine mostly not eating certain things because I know that I can eat them. If I had told myself at the beginning of the ride that I couldn't have something, I guarantee you, I would have got off a long time ago. Because the taboo would make me want it and then when I had it I'd feel like I "failed."

    Self control.

    Which I have in spades when I don't make unnecessary rules for myself.

    You will fail in any diet in that case. going over cals, carbs or what ever.

    Counting calories is a necessary rule, I understand why I need that one and have been managing it just fine, thanks.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    The majority of people that i know who have lost a lot of weight gave up white bread , butter and potatoes completley so that probably gives you an idea of the harm to your health that those foods do.
    Tell that to my 90 year old italian grandmother who never got over 100 lbs and was a size 1 her entire life eating all white carbs every single day.
    Was she eating "super market" bought enriched breads?

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