Cutting out Sugar and Sweets Need Help

blktngldhrt wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

blktngldhrt wrote: »

To try stop the comment cycle and because it seems to be bothering you, I have reactive hypoglycemia.

If you're not familiar, my pancreas overreacts to all carbs that enter my body. I eat carbs, produce too much insulin, my sugar drops, and I feel like crap. Oh, when I exercise (or simply move around too much), I also produce too much insulin. It's been this way for 12 years now. Within the 12 years, various things have helped but only when I lowered my carbs dramatically (and went 5% carbs..but please don't make this about keto) did the need for frequent meals and stopping in the middle of a workout to eat stop. I was also able to forego the acarbose, a prescription carb blocker, I had been taking.

Reactive hypoglycemia also causes a bad psychological relationship with carbs in addition to the bad physical relationship. If I eat sweets..or other high carb foods, my sugar drops and I feel awful. If I eat more sweets, I feel immediately better. I mean, the change is immediate..food down my throat immediate. When your sugar is low all the time you feel you need to eat sugar all the time. The cravings are ridiculous and are only reinforced by the fact that eating does make you feel better.

I also can't drink alcohol either..because i can't..not because I think I'll binge.

I assume OP doesn't have rh. Most people with it give that information initially when asking questions about sugar or exercise. Plus, there aren't that many of us.

I ate one sour patch kid yesterday. That's the kind of moderation I have to stick to..which, in my opinion, it's better to do without.

Why do my circumstances matter to you so much? Why was it important that I share that personal information with someone I don't know on command?

I found your need to get to the root of my problems with sugar rude. Maybe if someone says they know they have to cut out sweets means just that: they know they can't have them.

You could have prevented this entire exchange then by simply saying "I have hypoglycemia, so I have medical reasons that prevent me from eating as much sweets as I would like to."

To simply say "I know that I can't" doesn't allow anyone to infer how you know. They could assume that your knowledge is based on entirely psychological reasons and not at all on medical reasons.

And the importance of sharing information about one's experiences on a forum that is basically all about sharing experiences is so that others who have similar problems or similar experiences can a) find others they can connect with and share their stories with and garner support, b) so that people can better tailor their advice.

So again with my analogy of seeking advice from a therapist, if I go in and say "I have PTSD" then I will be provided one approach to treatment. If I go in and say "I have OCD" then treatment will be much different than the PTSD treatment. If I simply go in and say "I have problems" then how can someone provide me with tailored advice or help? So many people here will off the bat say whether there are medical issues occurring while they are trying to lose weight - diabetes, PCOS, weight loss surgery, depression, EDs, etc. Without providing this information, it's much harder to determine why they demonstrate a certain line of reasoning/thought process. Vague answers result in vague and ultimately broad interpretations.

No. You could have prevented the entire exchange by not insisting I give an entire forum my reason for cutting out sweets. I didn't want to tell you and I didn't have to tell you. I don't owe anyone on here an explanation..and definitely don't need to tell anyone my medical problems. I only did so to prove a point.

That's exactly what I said. People who do have medical issues usually mention that information in the OP when asking for dietary advice. Since the op did not include that she was cutting sweets for a medical reason and just mentioned weight loss..we are to assume there is no medical reason and go from there; hence my lack of need to explain my own personal reasons.

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

blktngldhrt wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

blktngldhrt wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

blktngldhrt wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

blktngldhrt wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

malibu927 wrote: »

Honestly I would not cut them out, just factor them into your calorie allotment for the day.

Yep. I always try to make room for some ice cream in my calories.

Third. Unless there are medical reasons for cutting out sweets (diabetes namely) then there is no reason to not eat them. Know your goals, log what you are interested in eating, and if it fits your goals then eat it. If it doesn't then change the serving until it does, or just eat it tomorrow.

If I didn't HAVE to give up sweets, I wouldn't have.

But why you you believe you have to give them up? Is the reason due to a medical condition? Or do you just think that eating sweets = gain weight/not lose weight? Is this OP's reasoning as well?

Because sweets don't cause or hinder weight loss; caloric surplus hinders weight loss, and caloric deficit causes weight loss. I've been eating sweets since before I started losing weight, I binged on sweets frequently too. Chocolate was my vice. Now? I know my caloric goals and I have no problem logging x amount of chocolate and just eating that. I ate chocolat etonight and sure, I'd be down for eating more, but I have no problem with not eating more of it because I know it doesn't fit my goals for today.

So again, unless there are medical reasons, there is no 'have to' for cutting out any foods. I don't eat gluten, but this is because if I do eat it I have very bad digestive symptoms. So for me it's a "have to" situation. But eating the GF alternatives doesn't cause issues, so I eat those. Any food can be worked into one's diet and caloric goals if the person enjoys the food. I have had the "i can't eat this because I'll get fat" mindset, didn't work. Also had the "I can just exercise this off" mindset. That was back when I thought exercise = weight loss, though.

I can't eat sweets. I would eat them, in moderation, if I could.

But WHY do you think you cannot eat sweets? Is it because you have a medical condition? Or is it because you simply don't think that you can eat them within your caloric needs? If you are successfully able to eat every other type of food within your caloric goals then there is no real reason that you cannot try eating sweets within your goals. I went from eating 3-4 boxes of chocolate in a sitting to eating a few pieces, and the only difference is that I now actually understand my caloric goals and I don't put limits on anything (i.e. I don't say "I can only eat chips on special occasions/once a month/etc"). Where I once used to hate myself and feel guilty for eating chocolate because I would binge on it, I now can log two pieces without blinking an eye and just... eat it. I just enjoy food now. So there is no "can't" with food unless there are medical reasons behind this reasoning. It's really just about developing a healthy relationship with food, which will ideally enable you to enjoy food in moderation without resorting to binging.

I know I can't..which is why I stated that I had to stop eating sweets. I know the difference between have to and choose to.

I guess I needed to say "this" or "I agree" with the post I had quoted before posting the comment that lead to you questioning my reasons for knowing (not thinking..) I'm not able to do something.

How do you know you can't though? You so far haven't given any reasons, which leads me to believe that it's more that you FEAR you can't eat sweets in moderation. Do you feel guilty when you eat sweets? Do you feel bad about yourself? I've been there. I felt ashamed because I almost always binged. I'd tell myself "just one piece" and then that turned into "just one bar" and then within the span of an hour I'd consumed 3-4 large chocolate bars. Or on saturdays, I work in retail and I used to buy an armful of chocoalte and eat it all on my shift. I wasn't even hungry. It was a combo of binging and a bad relationship with food that made me feel like *kitten* about myself. Once I got rid of the bad relationship with food and simply realized that no food will stop or prevent weight loss, I had no trouble working sweets into my daily caloric intake goals. If I don't have room for a whole candy bar, I will log and eat half. Or I'll have a small piece instead of the actual amount i'd like and I'll still be satisfied.

Why do I need to give you a reason?

You don't.

+1 ana's posts are rather off putting, but perhaps she's still working through those food demons.
(perhaps she's a budding undergrad psych major lol)

I've tackled my food demons about 6 months ago actually. The only food demons I have now are when I have to decide whether I want to eat a donut or a muffin.

And to throw around attempted insulting remarks regarding my educational vocation is quite childish. Yes, I am graduating with my pscyhology and art history degree next term, and afterwards my plan is to embark on an occupational therapy graduate degree. Does my educational and job interest somehow make my advice, opinions, and presence lesser than someone with a mathematics degree? Would someone with a fine arts degree also be looked down on in the same manner? It is quite sad for someone to look down on others because of their education.

Oh god! I had no idea you were a psych major. lol too funny.
And no, I don't "look down at psych majors". I simply think you're a tad too "know it all".
A tad too "sure" YOU know what's best for folks. As others have said. And yes, it's a common joke, to guess someone who's playing armchair analyst on the web is an undergrad psych major.

Not sure why math would be better, but okay.

I'll let you read the replies of the woman you were badgering and let it go at that.

ps: I always sucked at math. :drinker:

SonicDeathMonkey80 wrote: »

These sugar posts are like a freaking hydra

rossinator63 wrote: »

Just think of it as poison. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Added-Sugars-Add-to-Your-Risk-of-Dying-from-Heart-Disease_UCM_460319_Article.jsp#

tigersword wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

blktngldhrt wrote: »

jnv7594 wrote: »

Not really sure why people are saying ana's posts are off putting. She was just trying to offer advice and help people see that no foods are really off limits unless you have a medical reason. Honestly, I just read through this whole conversation, and her comments didn't seem off putting to me in the least. If anyone's comments were off putting, it was blktngldhrt who, for whatever reason, was determined to be intentionally elusive. I don't really care what her medical reasons are for having to avoid sugar...not really my business, but it was pretty obvious that she was purposely leaving information out to annoy anna and start an argument. I mean there's really no reason to be secretive about hypoglycemia. Just my take on it.

Right. My fault.

I was purposely leaving information out because it wasn't necessary to share. I wasn't the one asking for advice. All I did was agree that if I didn't have to restrict sweets, I wouldn't. Which, I didn't think was unreasonable..because that's how I feel. Who cares why I personally have to? That wasn't helpful to the OP. My saying I wouldn't give them up if I didn't have to was more helpful than the rest of the conversation that followed.

If you have to cut sweets out, cut them out..if you don't, don't.

And if you don't have a medical condition and still would like to give them up..there's nothing wrong with that either. We're all our own people who can make the decision for ourselves. If it works, great. If it doesn't, keep trying things until you find a method that works and you can stick with.

Not your fault, you simply could have cut short the entire exchange by just saying the why for your cut-back on sugar, as that would actually help others as well to understand under which circumstances people find they need to cut out sugar. If you had said "I need to cut out sugar because it makes me fat" then that would provide a good opportunity for others to explain why sugar itself doesn't make you fat, and then you and lurkers would be able to benefit. If you said "I have to cut out sugar for medical reasons but otherwise I agree that it's fine to eat and won't stunt weight loss" then I wouldn't have even replied to your quote, but perhaps others with medical issues that impact ability to eat sugary foods might then want to ask for your advice on how to deal with the same problem. It's a forum for people to help each other, and it's very difficult to help others when being vague and elusive as another poster mentioned.

It's really important that people understand that no food needs to be eliminated or severely limited if they enjoy the food and have no medical reasons for avoiding it, because a lot of people struggle to maintain weight loss or even have trouble sticking with the weight loss process. If you choose an approach that is not enjoyable or sustainable because you think that it's what's needed for weight loss, how is that going to get you to your goals in a healthy manner? So that is why I inquired on your reasons for why you said you had to cut back on sugar.

In all honesty, sometimes a person's reasons for doing something are personal and private, and none of anyone else's business. If they aren't seeking advice, and don't want to disclose something of a personal nature, that's their prerogative. Harassing them to tell you after they've already stated they don't want to really isn't necessary, and really isn't helpful, as it just derails the entire thread (like this one.)