No Sugar! Looking for friends and support

Carbsmakefat
Carbsmakefat Posts: 89 Member
edited November 10 in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I moved last year and gained 20 pounds in the process. I have been overweight before and lost 40 pounds. I would like to get down to my ideal weight again before I gain back all 40! I love to cook and I'm on a low carb high fat diet which makes food delicious and filling. I don't promote my diet. I know people do what works for them. I've lost weight using many techniques in the past (WW, South Beach Diet, Clean eating, etc..) I have pledged to give up sugar for the entire year of 2015 and have not had a bite yet. I am not at all tempted by sweets right now and I am surprised how easy it has been so far. I only have one MFP friend so far...I'm trying to collect a few more. Please add me. I'm a 47 year old female, in South Texas.

Replies

  • Hi texas. Nebraska gal here. 44 yr female. I do lchf and it works for me. Started in Oct 2014. I have a 30 lb to go to meet my first goal. I tend to yo-yo but found this woe makes me feel a lot better. I deal with pcos hypoglycemia and thyroid issues....mostly inherited.
  • Linzer140fit
    Linzer140fit Posts: 31 Member
    Hi, I have yoyo'd with my weight, nothing too extreme, over the years and mainly used WW and lo carb at times. Most recently I maintained an almost 20 pound loss for 2 years but not getting to my ultimate goal of losing 10 more pounds. This last June my foot started bothering me, I quit my main form of exercise, walking/jogging, replaced it with nothing and have gained 10 pounds since then. I agree with you "Carbsmakefat" but I don't know that I can completely abstain for a multitude of reasons one being I still have middle school aged kid in the house and need to set an example of moderation and I don't like to let on that I'm on a "diet". I do know carbs/sugar make losing harder, make me gain more quickly, are not healthy, and can cut WAY DOWN on them tho, so if that's good enough, we can be friends and support each other. Maybe I will learn more ways to cut them down/out from you? I'm 51 years old female from Washington State and my goal is to lose 19 pounds and I would like to accomplish this by the end of March. This may be too aggressive. I'm tired of constantly making it "almost" all the way. I am incorporating swimming, stationary biking and weight training to my program which I have begun. I will also get my foot checked out soon and see what can be done for that, I may need orthotics, but I need to be working on my goals right now and not waiting around for it to feel better or getting it checked. Also..I sort of always look height/weight proportionate and so when I start losing and have lost about 8-10 pounds, then I get lazy and think, "I look fine!..It doesn't matter if lose 10 more, or I can still eat this/that..." keeping myself from reaching my ultimate goal. So I'm figuring out how to add friends and such here, give me a hint, I don't really see it yet.



  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Why no sugar?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    so no fruit, vegetables, bread…? are you just going to live off meat and water.???

    cutting sugar is totally unnecessary for weight loss. All you need is a calorie deficit.

    eat less
    move more
    track/weigh/log/measure everything you eat

    there is no bad or good food, just food that your body uses for energy. So eat what you like, just enjoy it in moderation….

  • KaliH310
    KaliH310 Posts: 22 Member
    I've cut refined sugar from my life and it was the best decision I've made for myself in a long time. It's very hard to do however and having a support system is key.
    The only sugar I allow myself to have is from raw honey and pure maple syrup. Good Luck to you!
  • I don't believe in denying yourself completely on anything. Its sabotage in the long run, try cutting back to a low amount. That way if you do suddenly have a craving you won't feel guilty. I am on low sugar plan and keep it under 63g, which seems like a lot but everything has sugar in it. I usually stay below this but over the holidays I didn't. I still lose weight and in 2011 lost 15 lbs in 12 weeks on the same plan.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    OP - go ahead and read this:

    you can find it hear: http://dynamicduotraining.com/ask-the-experts-round-table-discussions/15-nutrition-myths-you-want-to-knowallow-the-experts-to-tell/ric Helms-


    actually I would suggest reading all 15….but this will be a good start for you …


    The Myth of “Good” and “Bad” Foods

    I think one of the most pervasive, and possibly detrimental mind sets is that of seeing foods as either “good” or “bad”. This is a rather seductive way of looking at foods because it is simplistic. Look at a food, identify it as friend or foe, and then go with the “good” option not the “bad” option and you’ll be healthy, fit, lean and sexy! It’s that easy! But of course, that’s not the case.
    One of the problems with this mindset is that it fits perfectly into the behavioral paradigm that leads to obesity in the first place; the all or nothing mindset. One thing I find to be a commonality among folks who struggle with weight gain and permanent weight loss, is that they lose the middle ground. They bounce between being “on the diet” and falling off the band wagon and lapsing into cycles of overeating. We have no problem losing weight, we have trouble keeping the weight off. We crash diet and lose 20-30lbs in a few months, and then it all comes back on when we can’t maintain the crash diet approach.
    All or nothing Black and white mindsets ignore the concepts of magnitude and frequency which are all important when it comes to long term change. Of course 1g of sugar eaten every 2 weeks will not have the same effect as 100g of sugar eaten daily, but we love to label sugar as “bad”. Even water consumed in massive excess can lead to hyponatremia and death. Sugar is not good or bad, and neither is water, they just are what they are and without attention to magnitude or frequency, labels like “good” or “bad” are misleading.

    We tend to be overly reductionist in our approach to nutrition. Originally, we believed fat was the singular cause of the obesity epidemic. When the low fat craze had no impact on preventing the worsening of the obesity epidemic, we went the way of the low carb craze, and folks started consuming fat with abandon. When this didn’t turn the trend of waist expansion around, we decided that it’s not just fat or carbs, the causes are specific types of carbs and fat; specifically sugar, high fructose corn syrup and trans fat are the culprits!

    The need to blame singular nutrients highlights the all or nothing, black or white attitude that is in and of itself one of the roots of unhealthy eating behavior and consequently obesity. Again, it comes down to seeking balance. The concept of balance in nutrition is inclusive of the concepts of magnitude and frequency that are needed for long term lifestyle change. Balance recognizes that it is not the small piece of chocolate that you had that wasn’t on your diet plan that was the problem, it was the carton of ice cream you had afterward!

    The meal plan foods are “good”, and a piece of chocolate is “bad” and once you’d crossed over from “good” to “bad”, you said: “Screw it! I already blew it, I might as well just have cookie dough ice cream until I puke!” That is the all too common result of the all or nothing mindset in action. On the other hand, a balanced approach realizes that a small piece of chocolate is only ~100 calories, and will make a minuscule difference in terms of weight loss over time. In fact, a balanced meal plan might even allow for a daily range of calories, so that the following day could be reduced by 100 calories. Even more shockingly, a balanced meal plan might even include a piece of chocolate (blasphemy I know)!
    There are truly VERY few foods that are actively bad for you. Most of the foods that we identify as “bad”, are simply low or devoid of micro-nutrients, minerals, fiber and other things like phytochemicals and protein that can be beneficial for you. These foods only become a problem when they occur frequently and with enough magnitude (frequency and magnitude!) to replace a significant enough portion of your diet that you become deficient in beneficial nutrients.
    Once our nutrient needs are met, we don’t get extra credit for eating more nutritious food! It’s not as though we have a health food critic living in our esophagus that has a control box that he switches from “get leaner and healthier” to “get fatter and unhealthier” every time he spots “good” or “bad” food. Thus, a healthy diet should be inclusionary vs. exclusionary; focused around including healthy foods, not excluding “unhealthy” foods. Meet your nutrient needs, and feel free to eat things that you may have traditionally seen as “bad” in moderation; so that you are still meeting your allotted caloric intake for your weight loss goals. Don’t make the mistake of looking at foods as “good” or “bad!” Good diets can include “bad” foods and bad diets can include “good” foods. Don’t get too caught up with what you have for lunch, because it is not a singular choice that will determine the success of your health and fitness goals, it is the balanced lifestyle you commit to long term!
  • lacewitch
    lacewitch Posts: 766 Member
    edited January 2015
    I am trying to cut out added sugar although i do agree with the above post and labeling foods as treats and naughties has done me no favours however; I know alot of added sugar is a trigger for me- because i cant stop at just one ... so cutting it out o mydiet orces meto cook with fresh healthy ingredients and I feel healthier and happier . I have done it before but it crept back in and though the weight has not comeback i dont feel as good 'in me' as when i am eating healthier.

    Today I discovered coconut oil as a coffee sweetner - surprisingly nice. - i dont often have sugar but i do enjoy a latte with syrup now and then. I was very dubious about putting coconut oil in my coffee but it was yummy (i like coconut)... thought i'd share
  • Carbsmakefat
    Carbsmakefat Posts: 89 Member
    I'm very happy so far without it. Don't feel deprived and am surprised how easy it has been to avoid. I don't crave it and I'm not tempted the least bit by seeing it or others eat it. So I conclude that I am not addicted to sugar, and that makes me very happy.
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