Addicted to Sweet Tea
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Try watering it down, as a start. Pour a glass 3/4 full, and fill the rest of the way with water. Then, 2/3 full, the rest with water. Then 1/2 full, the rest water. Or, mix it half and half with the diet version, so you are not overwhelmed with the artificial sweetener taste. Tapering down might be easier for you than quitting it cold turkey.0
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theoryofempire wrote: »You are not "addicted" to it. You say that to yourself so you have a ready excuse to have one. Break that habit. Stop thinking it's an "addiction"
And sugar is addicting. Just like quitting gluten or smoking, the body will crave it. I don't think she's looking for an excuse, she's looking for help.
Where is that eye-rolling emoticon when I need it?
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You might want to try Splenda. I find it tastes the most like sugar out of the artificial sweeteners. However, with that said, I've recently gone off artificial sweeteners altogether and find I have a lot fewer cravings. So, my recommendation is to try to slowly reduce the sweetness until you can drink the tea without the sweetener. You might want to also experiment with different flavors of brewed herbal tea (like vanilla or orange or raspberry). I've found that those taste sweeter than black or green without any sweetener added.0
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I'm from the south, but I'm fortunate in that I really hate the way most people sweeten their tea here (my average 16-ounce glass is 65 calories). Two things I would recommend would be to stop buying it pre-made, because that's going to be super sweet, and also to start lessening the amount of sugar you use when you make it at home. I think my Dad raised me on tea that was prepared using a cup of sugar per gallon of tea, whereas mine is now 2/3 cup per gallon of tea. It makes it sweet enough that it's not the "dry" flavor of unsweetened tea, but not so sweet that it's a calorie dump. I might even go down to 1/2 cup of sugar per gallon.0
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Don't think of it as an "addiction." It's easy to give in to an "addiction," gives you a sense that inevitably you're going to "relapse."
Think of it like a bad habit, if you like. You drink too much sweet stuff, it'll rot your teeth, etc. That way, you have a positive reason for staying away from it or lessening use. Think of reduced dentist bills and whiter smiles and more actual food to eat (!) within your calories.
Just my $0.02.0 -
theoryofempire wrote: »You are not "addicted" to it. You say that to yourself so you have a ready excuse to have one. Break that habit. Stop thinking it's an "addiction"
And sugar is addicting. Just like quitting gluten or smoking, the body will crave it. I don't think she's looking for an excuse, she's looking for help.
Where is that eye-rolling emoticon when I need it?
eta: OP you just need to decide whats more important, and adjust for that. flex your will power and moderate your intake, or fall prey to your "addiction" and do nothing.
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OP if you feel addicted you have to eliminate. That's your only choice with the addiction model.
If you want to use the CICO model, then you need to substitute the calories with non-calories, such as water or non-cal sweetners in the tea.
It's up to you to decide which model is best for you, but either way you have to make a choice.[/quote]
Confused why MFP member always have the need to go into addiction issues.. LOL
I am from the South too and sweet tea is huge. I use the exact measurements of Stevia in my tea and coffee I have no after taste.
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I've used artificial sweeteners so long I don't notice the aftertaste any more. Might you try a chai tea to see if the artificial sweetener is masked?
Another thought I had, not mentioned yet, is mindful eating (drinking). Pour your tea in a much smaller cup sweetened the way you like it. Make it as perfect as you know how to do it. I'm thinking one of those tiny espresso cups. Spend at least twenty minutes finishing that mini-tea. You will extend your pleasure with a much smaller portion.
http://www.mbsrtraining.com/formal-practice-mindfully-eating-a-raisin/
I practice mindful eating with chocolate.0 -
Nothing could be more unhealthy!rainbowbow wrote: »Get used to the funny taste of artificial sweeteners
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johnnylakis wrote: »
Nothing could be more unhealthy!rainbowbow wrote: »Get used to the funny taste of artificial sweeteners
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No one is addicted to sweet tea.
Show me the track marks.
Choose to stop drinking it.
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johnny, could you point to the peer-reviewed double-blind study that indicates that artificial sweeteners are "unhealthy"? I can say with confidence that they are much safer than sugar for diabetics.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/aspartame-truth-vs-fiction/
And spare me the "it is one molecule away from ....[name your poison]"0 -
Confused why MFP member always have the need to go into addiction issues.. LOL
I support the addiction model as a viable method for dealing with loss of self-control around certain foods. It's a proven, workable method.
I don't understand why MFP members want to remove a successful tool from the weight-loss tool box.
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johnny, could you point to the peer-reviewed double-blind study that indicates that artificial sweeteners are "unhealthy"? I can say with confidence that they are much safer than sugar for diabetics.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/aspartame-truth-vs-fiction/
And spare me the "it is one molecule away from ....[name your poison]"
Why can't they ever be one electron away from gold, and then we can just figure out how to make that one last bond...0 -
I would suggest getting the crystal light lemon tea or even the regular tea is great thise are delicious and thats coming from a tea lover. It doesnt have a nasty wierd after tase and doesnt taste like diet anything. Try it.0
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johnny, could you point to the peer-reviewed double-blind study that indicates that artificial sweeteners are "unhealthy"? I can say with confidence that they are much safer than sugar for diabetics.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/aspartame-truth-vs-fiction/
And spare me the "it is one molecule away from ....[name your poison]"
Why can't they ever be one electron away from gold, and then we can just figure out how to make that one last bond...
Use this method!
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make a pitcher of tea. sweeten to your liking. decrease the amount of sweetener daily until you are adding none. drink plain tea. pretty simple. what you are addicted to is the sugar and caffeine high. i cut out caffeine this week and it has been awful. but i know it will get better and in the long run, i'll be happy about all the money i'm saving by drinking water.0
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I'm a bourbon alchemist, every time I start mixing it, it turns to gold.johnny, could you point to the peer-reviewed double-blind study that indicates that artificial sweeteners are "unhealthy"? I can say with confidence that they are much safer than sugar for diabetics.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/aspartame-truth-vs-fiction/
And spare me the "it is one molecule away from ....[name your poison]"
Why can't they ever be one electron away from gold, and then we can just figure out how to make that one last bond...
Use this method!
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KharismaticKayteh wrote: »I'm from the south, but I'm fortunate in that I really hate the way most people sweeten their tea here (my average 16-ounce glass is 65 calories). Two things I would recommend would be to stop buying it pre-made, because that's going to be super sweet, and also to start lessening the amount of sugar you use when you make it at home. I think my Dad raised me on tea that was prepared using a cup of sugar per gallon of tea, whereas mine is now 2/3 cup per gallon of tea. It makes it sweet enough that it's not the "dry" flavor of unsweetened tea, but not so sweet that it's a calorie dump. I might even go down to 1/2 cup of sugar per gallon.
I'm an Alabama boy, born and raised... So I know all about sweet tea. But I was raised by my parents who didn't like tea TOO sweet, so they would only put in about 1/2 cup of sugar per gallon. That's actually the way I prefer it now. Not too sweet and not too "dry" as you say. When I go out to eat, I usually get half 'n' half (1/2 sweet, 1/2 unsweet).0 -
As a southerner who used to drink southern style, rot the enamel off your teeth sweet tea on a daily basis, here's my advice. Wean yourself off the sugar. Going from sweet tea to unsweetened just feels wrong. Use less and less sugar and offset the more bitter taste of tea with lemon as you adjust.
Normally I drink tea warm with nothing in it now but when I want a glass of southern style tea, I make a quart of it with 5 sugar cubes so it's only 50 calories and it's plenty sweet. If you can't find a way to fit 50 calories into your day, you need to reassess you're food choices.
Also, make sure you're brewing the tea correctly. If you're using subpar tea leaves or if you water is too hot or your steep time is too long, you'll end up with very bitter tasting tea.0
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