Week 1 Informational:
Sugar:
Are you working out consistently and still not getting results you want?
Do you have belly fat and love handles that seem disproportionate to the amount of crunches you have been doing?

We eat way to much sugar in our diets. Sugar is in everything! To compensate for the "low fat" dietary approach in the 1980s and 1990s, food companies replaced fat with sugar in packaged foods. Even if something says it is "low fat" look at the sugar content. You may find it is very high!

What will sugar do to me?
Sugar increases your risk for chronic disease like diabetes and heart disease
Sugar and simple carbohydrates raise triglyceride levels and lower your good cholesterol (HDL), resulting in "bad" cholesterol ratios and high total cholesterol.
Sugar makes you sluggish.
Sugar keeps you from losing weight because your body burns the sugar instead of burning your fat reserves. The extra sugar that is not burned throughout the day goes to your waist and your hips!

Here are some ideas to help you formulate your “no-sugar goal” this week:

Cut out soft drinks and drink water only, or at the very least use no-calorie flavoring in your water (I cannot vouch for the safety of those non-calorie water flavorings)
Drink only Half and Half in your coffee, and do not use sweetened creamers (measure your Half and Half! 2 tablespoons is a serving)
Switch to a whole fruit and vegetable smoothie for one of your meals in the day (get your "5 a day" in one meal) and add a serving of non-sweetened protein powder to keep you full until your next meal
Snack on fruits and vegetables throughout the day
Look into those granola bars you have been eating, and see whether they are as healthy as they claim. They probably have a lot of sugar. You will get better results in your diet if you switch to a whole piece of fruit or raw vegetables as a snack instead


In general, a diet of low sugar, sufficient protein, and modest fat intake (considering “good” fats, which is another topic, will help you lose weight and ward off chronic disease).
Look at your sugar intake in your daily nutrition summary in My Fitness Pal and adjust accordingly
Your goal does not need to be complicated: Simple and small changes can mean great gains!

Choose your goal for this week related to cutting out sugar in your diet and post it in a response to this forum post.


If you are interested in learning more...
There is a concept called "glycemic index" (GI), which considers how fast sugars are broken down in the body. Generally, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and high fiber foods have low GI, or low glycemic load (GL). That is, they do not raise your blood sugar as much as simple carbohydrates like white bread and refined sugar.
In studies, people who ate more low-glycemic foods had less weight gain over time than those who ate refined grains and refined sugars.
This is an important component to consider in your quest for sustained weight loss!
Want to learn more?
This website from Australia has information on glycemic values in foods and provides suggestions for diet: http://www.glycemicindex.com/

Best Wishes for success! :laugh:
Elizabeth