Thoughts on "Quiting Sugar"?
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I've definitely cut down on sugar. My demon is fireballs! Love those little round pieces of yumminess!0
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There is no need to give up sugar unless you have a medical condition that requires you to reduce sugar intake. Those are my thoughts.
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I used to be a sugar addict. To the point that when I did quit sugar, I had a really nasty withdrawal like someone quitting nicotine. I had massive headaches and couldn't sit still for over a week, I was incredibly moody, crying and angry. I cut out all sugary foods, including fruits and breads, and alcohol. That was about 15 years ago.shaddowstorm wrote: »Hi,
What are your thoughts on quitting sugar?
Has anyone ever quit sugar and what were you results?
Though some people can keep a small amount of sugar in their diet just fine, I wasn't able to do that for years and still struggle. I had to cut it out completely, and have to be very vigilant, or else I will find myself eating a whole sheet cake in less than a month.
What I noticed positively when I quit sugar- a lot of inflammation in my system went away. I used to have incredible stiffness and achiness in my shoulders and back- that went away completely- I had no idea this would happen. I'm less grouchy- I used to be ona sugar roller coaster and my moods were attached to my last sugar intake.
Those are the big differences.
I do now eat plenty of fruit, and bread/pasta occasionally. I also have sugary dessert treats from time to time- once or twice a month. I still can't have anything in the house in a large portion though. I can only bring home what I want to eat in one sitting. I have zero self control with sugar and will eat a whole container in one sitting.
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Big difference between "giving up" sugar and "controlling" it....
Controlling it generally means you consume it but not at the expense of compromising your nutritional needs and calorie target......personally I have found this approach productive.
And of course everyone has to indulge once in a while anyway.
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SingRunTing wrote: »
Have you ever watched the show "Finding Bigfoot"? I have (unfortunately I was unemployed for a while and sometimes you just watch what's on). One guy starts to make Sasquatch sounds in the middle of the woods and all I can think is "how in the world do you know what a mythical creature sounds like?"
On another note, I just rewatched the Mythbusters episode that covers the fake moon landing myths. It's a great one.
I only sat through about half an episode of "Finding Bigfoot" before giving it up, but I can watch those bozos on "Ghost Adventures" just about forever. Comedy gold!0 -
Paul_Collyer wrote: »Big difference between "giving up" sugar and "controlling" it....
Controlling it generally means you consume it but not at the expense of compromising your nutritional needs and calorie target......personally I have found this approach productive.
And of course everyone has to indulge once in a while anyway.
Well said.
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SingRunTing wrote: »DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Hi OP:
***disclaimer: Just for clarity, nowhere in this post do I claim the following:- Sasquatch is real
Oh come on, surely a Bigfoot thread would be a refreshing change from yet another sugar thread.
Have you ever watched the show "Finding Bigfoot"? I have (unfortunately I was unemployed for a while and sometimes you just watch what's on). One guy starts to make Sasquatch sounds in the middle of the woods and all I can think is "how in the world do you know what a mythical creature sounds like?"
On another note, I just rewatched the Mythbusters episode that covers the fake moon landing myths. It's a great one.
I enjoy watching The Soup's weekly review of "Finding Bigfoot." Joel McHale's indignation when Animal Planet sent the crew of "Finding Bigfoot" to Thailand was hilarious.
I am also amused that the stars of "Finding Bigfoot" know what kinds of food Bigfoot loves to eat. Bigfoot apparently loves the same kinds of foods that stoners lover.0 -
goldthistime wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »shaddowstorm wrote: »Hi,
What are your thoughts on quitting sugar?
Has anyone ever quit sugar and what were you results?
OP, sugar is a hot-button topic here!
While it is trendy right now to consider sugar the root of all evil, there are a lot of theories but nothing as far as proof.
Having said that, I used to eat treats like candy, cookies, ice cream, etc mindlessly and it added a lot of calories to my life! When I started making sure to get enough protein and fiber to fill me up, I had to eat less sweets to stay within my calorie goal.
So if you are having trouble staying within your goal, or if you are making your goal but hungry all the time, cutting back on sugary foods could help with satiety. But if you are hitting your calorie goal and doing well, there is no reason to waste your will-power avoiding sugar, unless you have a medical reason. Just make sure you are getting enough nutrition and food, and if a candy bar or an ice cream cone fit, enjoy!
I wanted to bump this post. This is a wonderful response.
Do the two of you understand short of breaking a sugar addiction (going 'cold turkey' for two weeks in my case) there is little to no will power required to cut out sugar because the actual cravings cease but the memory can persist.
If one has never had a sugar addiction at one has overcome getting off of sugar may sound crazy because it does not apply in that person.
Sugar is not evil just like beer is not evil because they are both just carbs. But if after one taste of either one consumes all in the house and goes out for more could be a sign of the problem with that food/food group.
@GaleHawkins
I second the motion that the kimny72's post was a good one. The OP stated that sugar didn't feel like an addiction for her.
Gale, although I am currently on Team Moderation, if you could go back to my earliest posts, you would see that I spent a good deal of time defending the idea that sugar is like an addiction for some, me specifically. I thought complete abstinence from sugary treats was the best solution. It's only been a month since I switched teams. I'm still a work in progress. Maybe when 2016 rolls around I will be back on Team Abstinence.
So why'd I switch teams?
First, because I agree with the idea that sugar gets more mystical power over us when we abstain completely, and when we think of ourselves as "victims" of addiction. I felt strong and a little righteous when I was abstaining. But fearful that one treat would be my undoing. I have a friend who had abstained for over a year when someone cruelly waved what had been her favourite treat under her nose. She was upset for days. That treat carried way too much power over her now.
Second, because I found some "coping mechanisms". Meat and exercise. Both of them stop my sugar cravings in it's tracks.
When I was on MFP in the early months of 2014 I abstained from treats and spent quite a bit of time fretting about my upcoming birthday. I knew my family would want to have cake. It's tradition. And just having it in the house would be challenging for me. When the time came, I started with a small slice. Yum. So yummy in fact, that I wanted a second. Then, you know what, I'm not going to log today so I will sneak in a third. Then I gave in to the cravings entirely and binged. I'd had titanium willpower until that moment. I thought I would be ok.
This month I have been adding sugar to my coffee or tea when I feel like I want something sweet. Trying to convince myself that I can have a little without going crazy. So far so good. It's much easier for me to have sugar alone than in the ultra alluring combination of sugar + fat, especially when it's wrapped up in a "special day" package, like cake. But even with daily reassurance that I can have SOME sugar without losing it, I found myself worrying about a cake-centric event coming up late February. Yesterday I very purposefully had a piece of chocolate cake. I had it BEFORE lunch. I followed it up immediately with a big serving of cooked chicken. Presto! Cravings halted before they even had a chance to get going.
Maybe it's more difficult for people like me to moderate than to abstain. But I'm going to continue to try.
You may argue that it's not worth the effort. That sugar is bad for me and my efforts are misdirected. I absolutely want to eat less sugar than I was eating. I was eating large amounts at times. Very unhealthy. I want to keep the amount of sugar in my diet at a reasonable level (and perhaps we may debate what amount is reasonable). But I also don't want to feel deprived. Because I love birthday cake. And fruitcake. And pumpkin pie. I could go on ad nauseam. Maybe you know what I mean when I say that as we age, food remains one of our greatest pleasures. I want it all and I'm determined to have it, in met-my-macros-and-calorie-goal moderation.
goldthistime I agree what works for you is the best route for you.
After I finally broke my addiction to carbs and especially the ones from refined sugar and got free from cravings and going hungry most of the time I have two tried carbs again and there was nothing but a negative response by my body so I know they are still bad in my case.
Again I did not learn about cutting out the carbs as a diet aid but as a pain management tool.
Chaperone Mediated Autophagy and reducing my risk of cancer, stroke, Alzheimers, heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, much lower levels of pain, etc are just some of the reasons I plan to stay very low carb for the rest of my life.
Sure I accept the fact I am going to die. I just do not want to rush that reality and I want to have the best possible quality of life until death. In my case that meant in my mind breaking my sugar addiction.
At the same time I no longer love any food that I am fully aware that is going to lower the quality of my life or needless shorten my life. If our kids take as long to have kids as I did I will be 92 before I see my first grandchild.
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goldthistime wrote: »
@GaleHawkins
I second the motion that the kimny72's post was a good one. The OP stated that sugar didn't feel like an addiction for her.
Gale, although I am currently on Team Moderation, if you could go back to my earliest posts, you would see that I spent a good deal of time defending the idea that sugar is like an addiction for some, me specifically. I thought complete abstinence from sugary treats was the best solution. It's only been a month since I switched teams. I'm still a work in progress. Maybe when 2016 rolls around I will be back on Team Abstinence.
So why'd I switch teams?
First, because I agree with the idea that sugar gets more mystical power over us when we abstain completely, and when we think of ourselves as "victims" of addiction. I felt strong and a little righteous when I was abstaining. But fearful that one treat would be my undoing. I have a friend who had abstained for over a year when someone cruelly waved what had been her favourite treat under her nose. She was upset for days. That treat carried way too much power over her now.
Second, because I found some "coping mechanisms". Meat and exercise. Both of them stop my sugar cravings in it's tracks.
When I was on MFP in the early months of 2014 I abstained from treats and spent quite a bit of time fretting about my upcoming birthday. I knew my family would want to have cake. It's tradition. And just having it in the house would be challenging for me. When the time came, I started with a small slice. Yum. So yummy in fact, that I wanted a second. Then, you know what, I'm not going to log today so I will sneak in a third. Then I gave in to the cravings entirely and binged. I'd had titanium willpower until that moment. I thought I would be ok.
This month I have been adding sugar to my coffee or tea when I feel like I want something sweet. Trying to convince myself that I can have a little without going crazy. So far so good. It's much easier for me to have sugar alone than in the ultra alluring combination of sugar + fat, especially when it's wrapped up in a "special day" package, like cake. But even with daily reassurance that I can have SOME sugar without losing it, I found myself worrying about a cake-centric event coming up late February. Yesterday I very purposefully had a piece of chocolate cake. I had it BEFORE lunch. I followed it up immediately with a big serving of cooked chicken. Presto! Cravings halted before they even had a chance to get going.
Maybe it's more difficult for people like me to moderate than to abstain. But I'm going to continue to try.
You may argue that it's not worth the effort. That sugar is bad for me and my efforts are misdirected. I absolutely want to eat less sugar than I was eating. I was eating large amounts at times. Very unhealthy. I want to keep the amount of sugar in my diet at a reasonable level (and perhaps we may debate what amount is reasonable). But I also don't want to feel deprived. Because I love birthday cake. And fruitcake. And pumpkin pie. I could go on ad nauseam. Maybe you know what I mean when I say that as we age, food remains one of our greatest pleasures. I want it all and I'm determined to have it, in met-my-macros-and-calorie-goal moderation.
Great post. My experience has been similar, not with sugar specifically, but with what is commonly called "junk food" in general. For me, abstinence just made the heart grow fonder, and I didn't trust myself at all.
There is something incredibly unfair about the idea of abstaining from your favorite foods forever. Now it seems hardly that big of a mystery why anyone would have a compulsion to rebel against such an unfair imposition placed on ourselves.
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GaleHawkins wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »shaddowstorm wrote: »Hi,
What are your thoughts on quitting sugar?
Has anyone ever quit sugar and what were you results?
OP, sugar is a hot-button topic here!
While it is trendy right now to consider sugar the root of all evil, there are a lot of theories but nothing as far as proof.
Having said that, I used to eat treats like candy, cookies, ice cream, etc mindlessly and it added a lot of calories to my life! When I started making sure to get enough protein and fiber to fill me up, I had to eat less sweets to stay within my calorie goal.
So if you are having trouble staying within your goal, or if you are making your goal but hungry all the time, cutting back on sugary foods could help with satiety. But if you are hitting your calorie goal and doing well, there is no reason to waste your will-power avoiding sugar, unless you have a medical reason. Just make sure you are getting enough nutrition and food, and if a candy bar or an ice cream cone fit, enjoy!
I wanted to bump this post. This is a wonderful response.
Do the two of you understand short of breaking a sugar addiction (going 'cold turkey' for two weeks in my case) there is little to no will power required to cut out sugar because the actual cravings cease but the memory can persist.
If one has never had a sugar addiction at one has overcome getting off of sugar may sound crazy because it does not apply in that person.
Sugar is not evil just like beer is not evil because they are both just carbs. But if after one taste of either one consumes all in the house and goes out for more could be a sign of the problem with that food/food group.
@GaleHawkins
I second the motion that the kimny72's post was a good one. The OP stated that sugar didn't feel like an addiction for her.
Gale, although I am currently on Team Moderation, if you could go back to my earliest posts, you would see that I spent a good deal of time defending the idea that sugar is like an addiction for some, me specifically. I thought complete abstinence from sugary treats was the best solution. It's only been a month since I switched teams. I'm still a work in progress. Maybe when 2016 rolls around I will be back on Team Abstinence.
So why'd I switch teams?
First, because I agree with the idea that sugar gets more mystical power over us when we abstain completely, and when we think of ourselves as "victims" of addiction. I felt strong and a little righteous when I was abstaining. But fearful that one treat would be my undoing. I have a friend who had abstained for over a year when someone cruelly waved what had been her favourite treat under her nose. She was upset for days. That treat carried way too much power over her now.
Second, because I found some "coping mechanisms". Meat and exercise. Both of them stop my sugar cravings in it's tracks.
When I was on MFP in the early months of 2014 I abstained from treats and spent quite a bit of time fretting about my upcoming birthday. I knew my family would want to have cake. It's tradition. And just having it in the house would be challenging for me. When the time came, I started with a small slice. Yum. So yummy in fact, that I wanted a second. Then, you know what, I'm not going to log today so I will sneak in a third. Then I gave in to the cravings entirely and binged. I'd had titanium willpower until that moment. I thought I would be ok.
This month I have been adding sugar to my coffee or tea when I feel like I want something sweet. Trying to convince myself that I can have a little without going crazy. So far so good. It's much easier for me to have sugar alone than in the ultra alluring combination of sugar + fat, especially when it's wrapped up in a "special day" package, like cake. But even with daily reassurance that I can have SOME sugar without losing it, I found myself worrying about a cake-centric event coming up late February. Yesterday I very purposefully had a piece of chocolate cake. I had it BEFORE lunch. I followed it up immediately with a big serving of cooked chicken. Presto! Cravings halted before they even had a chance to get going.
Maybe it's more difficult for people like me to moderate than to abstain. But I'm going to continue to try.
You may argue that it's not worth the effort. That sugar is bad for me and my efforts are misdirected. I absolutely want to eat less sugar than I was eating. I was eating large amounts at times. Very unhealthy. I want to keep the amount of sugar in my diet at a reasonable level (and perhaps we may debate what amount is reasonable). But I also don't want to feel deprived. Because I love birthday cake. And fruitcake. And pumpkin pie. I could go on ad nauseam. Maybe you know what I mean when I say that as we age, food remains one of our greatest pleasures. I want it all and I'm determined to have it, in met-my-macros-and-calorie-goal moderation.
goldthistime I agree what works for you is the best route for you.
After I finally broke my addiction to carbs and especially the ones from refined sugar and got free from cravings and going hungry most of the time I have two tried carbs again and there was nothing but a negative response by my body so I know they are still bad in my case.
Again I did not learn about cutting out the carbs as a diet aid but as a pain management tool.
Chaperone Mediated Autophagy and reducing my risk of cancer, stroke, Alzheimers, heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, much lower levels of pain, etc are just some of the reasons I plan to stay very low carb for the rest of my life.
Sure I accept the fact I am going to die. I just do not want to rush that reality and I want to have the best possible quality of life until death. In my case that meant in my mind breaking my sugar addiction.
At the same time I no longer love any food that I am fully aware that is going to lower the quality of my life or needless shorten my life. If our kids take as long to have kids as I did I will be 92 before I see my first grandchild.
You got me with Chaperone Mediated Autophagy. I had to google. Seems to be a mechanism to clean up cells. I didn't see anything about sugar (admittedly this was wiki research). I did see that CMA activity declines with age and with high fat diets. Decreased CMA activity seems to be associated with cancer but also neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's. I'm sure you must have come across different information somewhere but unless I am mistaken, fear of declining CMA activity would be a huge reason NOT to follow a low carb diet.
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GaleHawkins wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »shaddowstorm wrote: »Hi,
What are your thoughts on quitting sugar?
Has anyone ever quit sugar and what were you results?
OP, sugar is a hot-button topic here!
While it is trendy right now to consider sugar the root of all evil, there are a lot of theories but nothing as far as proof.
Having said that, I used to eat treats like candy, cookies, ice cream, etc mindlessly and it added a lot of calories to my life! When I started making sure to get enough protein and fiber to fill me up, I had to eat less sweets to stay within my calorie goal.
So if you are having trouble staying within your goal, or if you are making your goal but hungry all the time, cutting back on sugary foods could help with satiety. But if you are hitting your calorie goal and doing well, there is no reason to waste your will-power avoiding sugar, unless you have a medical reason. Just make sure you are getting enough nutrition and food, and if a candy bar or an ice cream cone fit, enjoy!
I wanted to bump this post. This is a wonderful response.
Do the two of you understand short of breaking a sugar addiction (going 'cold turkey' for two weeks in my case) there is little to no will power required to cut out sugar because the actual cravings cease but the memory can persist.
If one has never had a sugar addiction at one has overcome getting off of sugar may sound crazy because it does not apply in that person.
Sugar is not evil just like beer is not evil because they are both just carbs. But if after one taste of either one consumes all in the house and goes out for more could be a sign of the problem with that food/food group.
@GaleHawkins
I second the motion that the kimny72's post was a good one. The OP stated that sugar didn't feel like an addiction for her.
Gale, although I am currently on Team Moderation, if you could go back to my earliest posts, you would see that I spent a good deal of time defending the idea that sugar is like an addiction for some, me specifically. I thought complete abstinence from sugary treats was the best solution. It's only been a month since I switched teams. I'm still a work in progress. Maybe when 2016 rolls around I will be back on Team Abstinence.
So why'd I switch teams?
First, because I agree with the idea that sugar gets more mystical power over us when we abstain completely, and when we think of ourselves as "victims" of addiction. I felt strong and a little righteous when I was abstaining. But fearful that one treat would be my undoing. I have a friend who had abstained for over a year when someone cruelly waved what had been her favourite treat under her nose. She was upset for days. That treat carried way too much power over her now.
Second, because I found some "coping mechanisms". Meat and exercise. Both of them stop my sugar cravings in it's tracks.
When I was on MFP in the early months of 2014 I abstained from treats and spent quite a bit of time fretting about my upcoming birthday. I knew my family would want to have cake. It's tradition. And just having it in the house would be challenging for me. When the time came, I started with a small slice. Yum. So yummy in fact, that I wanted a second. Then, you know what, I'm not going to log today so I will sneak in a third. Then I gave in to the cravings entirely and binged. I'd had titanium willpower until that moment. I thought I would be ok.
This month I have been adding sugar to my coffee or tea when I feel like I want something sweet. Trying to convince myself that I can have a little without going crazy. So far so good. It's much easier for me to have sugar alone than in the ultra alluring combination of sugar + fat, especially when it's wrapped up in a "special day" package, like cake. But even with daily reassurance that I can have SOME sugar without losing it, I found myself worrying about a cake-centric event coming up late February. Yesterday I very purposefully had a piece of chocolate cake. I had it BEFORE lunch. I followed it up immediately with a big serving of cooked chicken. Presto! Cravings halted before they even had a chance to get going.
Maybe it's more difficult for people like me to moderate than to abstain. But I'm going to continue to try.
You may argue that it's not worth the effort. That sugar is bad for me and my efforts are misdirected. I absolutely want to eat less sugar than I was eating. I was eating large amounts at times. Very unhealthy. I want to keep the amount of sugar in my diet at a reasonable level (and perhaps we may debate what amount is reasonable). But I also don't want to feel deprived. Because I love birthday cake. And fruitcake. And pumpkin pie. I could go on ad nauseam. Maybe you know what I mean when I say that as we age, food remains one of our greatest pleasures. I want it all and I'm determined to have it, in met-my-macros-and-calorie-goal moderation.
goldthistime I agree what works for you is the best route for you.
After I finally broke my addiction to carbs and especially the ones from refined sugar and got free from cravings and going hungry most of the time I have two tried carbs again and there was nothing but a negative response by my body so I know they are still bad in my case.
Again I did not learn about cutting out the carbs as a diet aid but as a pain management tool.
Chaperone Mediated Autophagy and reducing my risk of cancer, stroke, Alzheimers, heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, much lower levels of pain, etc are just some of the reasons I plan to stay very low carb for the rest of my life.
Sure I accept the fact I am going to die. I just do not want to rush that reality and I want to have the best possible quality of life until death. In my case that meant in my mind breaking my sugar addiction.
At the same time I no longer love any food that I am fully aware that is going to lower the quality of my life or needless shorten my life. If our kids take as long to have kids as I did I will be 92 before I see my first grandchild.
ignore the fake profile...0 -
goldthistime wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »shaddowstorm wrote: »Hi,
What are your thoughts on quitting sugar?
Has anyone ever quit sugar and what were you results?
OP, sugar is a hot-button topic here!
While it is trendy right now to consider sugar the root of all evil, there are a lot of theories but nothing as far as proof.
Having said that, I used to eat treats like candy, cookies, ice cream, etc mindlessly and it added a lot of calories to my life! When I started making sure to get enough protein and fiber to fill me up, I had to eat less sweets to stay within my calorie goal.
So if you are having trouble staying within your goal, or if you are making your goal but hungry all the time, cutting back on sugary foods could help with satiety. But if you are hitting your calorie goal and doing well, there is no reason to waste your will-power avoiding sugar, unless you have a medical reason. Just make sure you are getting enough nutrition and food, and if a candy bar or an ice cream cone fit, enjoy!
I wanted to bump this post. This is a wonderful response.
Do the two of you understand short of breaking a sugar addiction (going 'cold turkey' for two weeks in my case) there is little to no will power required to cut out sugar because the actual cravings cease but the memory can persist.
If one has never had a sugar addiction at one has overcome getting off of sugar may sound crazy because it does not apply in that person.
Sugar is not evil just like beer is not evil because they are both just carbs. But if after one taste of either one consumes all in the house and goes out for more could be a sign of the problem with that food/food group.
@GaleHawkins
I second the motion that the kimny72's post was a good one. The OP stated that sugar didn't feel like an addiction for her.
Gale, although I am currently on Team Moderation, if you could go back to my earliest posts, you would see that I spent a good deal of time defending the idea that sugar is like an addiction for some, me specifically. I thought complete abstinence from sugary treats was the best solution. It's only been a month since I switched teams. I'm still a work in progress. Maybe when 2016 rolls around I will be back on Team Abstinence.
So why'd I switch teams?
First, because I agree with the idea that sugar gets more mystical power over us when we abstain completely, and when we think of ourselves as "victims" of addiction. I felt strong and a little righteous when I was abstaining. But fearful that one treat would be my undoing. I have a friend who had abstained for over a year when someone cruelly waved what had been her favourite treat under her nose. She was upset for days. That treat carried way too much power over her now.
Second, because I found some "coping mechanisms". Meat and exercise. Both of them stop my sugar cravings in it's tracks.
When I was on MFP in the early months of 2014 I abstained from treats and spent quite a bit of time fretting about my upcoming birthday. I knew my family would want to have cake. It's tradition. And just having it in the house would be challenging for me. When the time came, I started with a small slice. Yum. So yummy in fact, that I wanted a second. Then, you know what, I'm not going to log today so I will sneak in a third. Then I gave in to the cravings entirely and binged. I'd had titanium willpower until that moment. I thought I would be ok.
This month I have been adding sugar to my coffee or tea when I feel like I want something sweet. Trying to convince myself that I can have a little without going crazy. So far so good. It's much easier for me to have sugar alone than in the ultra alluring combination of sugar + fat, especially when it's wrapped up in a "special day" package, like cake. But even with daily reassurance that I can have SOME sugar without losing it, I found myself worrying about a cake-centric event coming up late February. Yesterday I very purposefully had a piece of chocolate cake. I had it BEFORE lunch. I followed it up immediately with a big serving of cooked chicken. Presto! Cravings halted before they even had a chance to get going.
Maybe it's more difficult for people like me to moderate than to abstain. But I'm going to continue to try.
You may argue that it's not worth the effort. That sugar is bad for me and my efforts are misdirected. I absolutely want to eat less sugar than I was eating. I was eating large amounts at times. Very unhealthy. I want to keep the amount of sugar in my diet at a reasonable level (and perhaps we may debate what amount is reasonable). But I also don't want to feel deprived. Because I love birthday cake. And fruitcake. And pumpkin pie. I could go on ad nauseam. Maybe you know what I mean when I say that as we age, food remains one of our greatest pleasures. I want it all and I'm determined to have it, in met-my-macros-and-calorie-goal moderation.
goldthistime I agree what works for you is the best route for you.
After I finally broke my addiction to carbs and especially the ones from refined sugar and got free from cravings and going hungry most of the time I have two tried carbs again and there was nothing but a negative response by my body so I know they are still bad in my case.
Again I did not learn about cutting out the carbs as a diet aid but as a pain management tool.
Chaperone Mediated Autophagy and reducing my risk of cancer, stroke, Alzheimers, heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, much lower levels of pain, etc are just some of the reasons I plan to stay very low carb for the rest of my life.
Sure I accept the fact I am going to die. I just do not want to rush that reality and I want to have the best possible quality of life until death. In my case that meant in my mind breaking my sugar addiction.
At the same time I no longer love any food that I am fully aware that is going to lower the quality of my life or needless shorten my life. If our kids take as long to have kids as I did I will be 92 before I see my first grandchild.
You got me with Chaperone Mediated Autophagy. I had to google. Seems to be a mechanism to clean up cells. I didn't see anything about sugar (admittedly this was wiki research). I did see that CMA activity declines with age and with high fat diets. Decreased CMA activity seems to be associated with cancer but also neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's. I'm sure you must have come across different information somewhere but unless I am mistaken, fear of declining CMA activity would be a huge reason NOT to follow a low carb diet.
I had another post that didn't "take" for some reason. Just saying that if I were you, and low sugar consumption reduced my pain, I would also avoid it.
While I'm back posting again though, out of curiosity, would you counsel the average person to stay away from sugar as much as possible? Or do you believe that if we follow MFP's general sugar targets there are likely to be no deleterious health effects?
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DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Hi OP:
Here's my experience with sugar.
About 10 years ago, I stopped eating dessert foods -- both sugar and sugar free -- because I couldn't stop eating them. I only ate foods that had sugar listed as the 4th or fewer ingredient.
Once I made the decision to give dessert foods up, it was fantastic. In addition to losing a lot of weight, I stopped having period cramps, mood swings, sweet food cravings, and binges.
That's my experience.
***disclaimer: Just for clarity, nowhere in this post do I claim the following:- the chemical glucose causes people to be fat;
- sugar is toxic;
- sugar is the devil;
- everyone should do exactly what I do;
- sugar is addictive;
- natural sugar and refined sugar are totally different things;
- CICO doesn't work;
- "clean eating" is the only way lose weight
- Sasquatch is real
- the moon landing wasn't real
You made me laugh. Thank you for that, excellent post.
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This was the one I lost I guess and started the one below.
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Paul_Collyer wrote: »Big difference between "giving up" sugar and "controlling" it....
Controlling it generally means you consume it but not at the expense of compromising your nutritional needs and calorie target......personally I have found this approach productive.
And of course everyone has to indulge once in a while anyway.
As I sit here and munch on the m&m's I've worked into my daily caloric target, I am agreeing wholeheartedly.
Unless you have medical reasons that indicates otherwise, there's nothing wrong with enjoying sugar in moderation. For me, it's all about making sure that my nutritional needs are met during the day. If I can fit in some chocolate here and there, great. I've had no problems so far and this approach works a lot better for me than cutting things out entirely.
If I were to completely "give up" sugar, I'd just find myself curled up in a corner with a box of donuts, a 2-liter, and a carton of frosting, just going to town. But that's just me. I'd probably last 2 weeks and then binge my sugar-loving face off.1 -
goldthistime CMA seems to get triggered by cutting sugar/all carbs to <50 grams a day. CMA seems to be a protein sparing feature of low carb eating lifestyle perhaps. As you know I do not do low carb high fat for weight loss per se and I never planned to do a LCHF eating lifestyle.. Here is another link with a lot of details about autophagy in general.
anti-agingfirewalls.com/2013/04/19/autophagy-the-housekeeper-in-every-cell-that-fights-aging-2/
I do not counsel about diet but do post links about some of my various readings as they relate to different eating lifestyle. I assume any actual dieting counseling proved by the corporation owning MFP is vetted in a standard way. What is posted by people like you, me and others should never be taken at face value by any reader. I like the diverse input by strangers as something to google and study. MFP posts have caused my understanding about food and the human body to evolve over time.
At my age I into how to prevent major health risks by the eating lifestyle I select to implement. World wide at this time LCHF is having its day in the sun again based on some of the research I am reading and watching. It is the only way I have found to lose weight without experiencing cravings and hunger all of the time.
What kind of car one parks in the carport or what kind of food one put into his/her body really is not the business of another unless they are paying the bills. Most people/corporations are into short term objectives and the same goes for health concerns the best I can tell. I think most people only diet to be part of a fad. We know that can be the case with gym memberships.
Deciding to give up my long term sugar addiction was done for my own selfish reasons. 0 -
GaleHawkins wrote: »goldthistime CMA seems to get triggered by cutting sugar/all carbs to <50 grams a day. CMA seems to be a protein sparing feature of low carb eating lifestyle perhaps. As you know I do not do low carb high fat for weight loss per se and I never planned to do a LCHF eating lifestyle.. Here is another link with a lot of details about autophagy in general.
anti-agingfirewalls.com/2013/04/19/autophagy-the-housekeeper-in-every-cell-that-fights-aging-2/
I do not counsel about diet but do post links about some of my various readings as they relate to different eating lifestyle. I assume any actual dieting counseling proved by the corporation owning MFP is vetted in a standard way. What is posted by people like you, me and others should never be taken at face value by any reader. I like the diverse input by strangers as something to google and study. MFP posts have caused my understanding about food and the human body to evolve over time.
At my age I into how to prevent major health risks by the eating lifestyle I select to implement. World wide at this time LCHF is having its day in the sun again based on some of the research I am reading and watching. It is the only way I have found to lose weight without experiencing cravings and hunger all of the time.
What kind of car one parks in the carport or what kind of food one put into his/her body really is not the business of another unless they are paying the bills. Most people/corporations are into short term objectives and the same goes for health concerns the best I can tell. I think most people only diet to be part of a fad. We know that can be the case with gym memberships.
Deciding to give up my long term sugar addiction was done for my own selfish reasons.
I skimmed the article in your link. Lots of interesting stuff. But nowhere did I see a reference to <50g of carbs per day. The article DID say caffeine increased CMA activity, as well as sunlight, resveratrol, lithium and a bunch of other things. Below is the reference saying almost the opposite, that dietary fat inhibits CMA activity.
Rodriguez-Navarro, JA; Kaushik, S; Koga, H; Dall'Armi, C; Shui, G; Wenk, MR; Di Paolo, G; Cuervo, AM (20 March 2012). "Inhibitory effect of dietary lipids on chaperone-mediated autophagy.". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109 (12): E705–14. PMID 22331875.
I was hoping that you would concede that for the average person, a moderate amount of sugar is fine. It's large amounts of sugar that is the problem, or perhaps even moderate amounts for people with medical or other unusual conditions.
I was surprised by the statement "I think most people only diet to be part of a fad". Ouch! I'm here mostly for my health, although also a little for looks. But not because it's the hot thing to do right now.
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GaleHawkins wrote: »goldthistime CMA seems to get triggered by cutting sugar/all carbs to <50 grams a day. CMA seems to be a protein sparing feature of low carb eating lifestyle perhaps. As you know I do not do low carb high fat for weight loss per se and I never planned to do a LCHF eating lifestyle.. Here is another link with a lot of details about autophagy in general.
anti-agingfirewalls.com/2013/04/19/autophagy-the-housekeeper-in-every-cell-that-fights-aging-2/
I do not counsel about diet but do post links about some of my various readings as they relate to different eating lifestyle. I assume any actual dieting counseling proved by the corporation owning MFP is vetted in a standard way. What is posted by people like you, me and others should never be taken at face value by any reader. I like the diverse input by strangers as something to google and study. MFP posts have caused my understanding about food and the human body to evolve over time.
At my age I into how to prevent major health risks by the eating lifestyle I select to implement. World wide at this time LCHF is having its day in the sun again based on some of the research I am reading and watching. It is the only way I have found to lose weight without experiencing cravings and hunger all of the time.
What kind of car one parks in the carport or what kind of food one put into his/her body really is not the business of another unless they are paying the bills. Most people/corporations are into short term objectives and the same goes for health concerns the best I can tell. I think most people only diet to be part of a fad. We know that can be the case with gym memberships.
Deciding to give up my long term sugar addiction was done for my own selfish reasons.
Oh wait, I just realized that you characterized CMA as being "protein sparing". It's the opposite. CMA cleans up partial proteins and kicks them out of the cell. If you wanted to stop this from happening (which from your link and others, you don't), then a low carb high fat diet would be the right idea.
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goldthistime wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »goldthistime CMA seems to get triggered by cutting sugar/all carbs to <50 grams a day. CMA seems to be a protein sparing feature of low carb eating lifestyle perhaps. As you know I do not do low carb high fat for weight loss per se and I never planned to do a LCHF eating lifestyle.. Here is another link with a lot of details about autophagy in general.
anti-agingfirewalls.com/2013/04/19/autophagy-the-housekeeper-in-every-cell-that-fights-aging-2/
I do not counsel about diet but do post links about some of my various readings as they relate to different eating lifestyle. I assume any actual dieting counseling proved by the corporation owning MFP is vetted in a standard way. What is posted by people like you, me and others should never be taken at face value by any reader. I like the diverse input by strangers as something to google and study. MFP posts have caused my understanding about food and the human body to evolve over time.
At my age I into how to prevent major health risks by the eating lifestyle I select to implement. World wide at this time LCHF is having its day in the sun again based on some of the research I am reading and watching. It is the only way I have found to lose weight without experiencing cravings and hunger all of the time.
What kind of car one parks in the carport or what kind of food one put into his/her body really is not the business of another unless they are paying the bills. Most people/corporations are into short term objectives and the same goes for health concerns the best I can tell. I think most people only diet to be part of a fad. We know that can be the case with gym memberships.
Deciding to give up my long term sugar addiction was done for my own selfish reasons.
Oh wait, I just realized that you characterized CMA as being "protein sparing". It's the opposite. CMA cleans up partial proteins and kicks them out of the cell. If you wanted to stop this from happening (which from your link and others, you don't), then a low carb high fat diet would be the right idea.
The reason some look as Chaperone Mediated Autophagy (CMA) as protein sparing is because it is thought to go after the junk protein fragments in the cells and digest it vs going after muscles for a protein source. Some think CMA makes for healthier cell life.
goldthistime the only one I personally know that sugar is bad for is myself. There are people eating 200 pounds a year still walking and talking with no physical joint or skeleton deformation like that I have. As I type my daughter is baking cup cakes for the super bowl party this Sunday and is using processed food cake mix high in sugar. No I will not eat any because sugar is toxic in my body.
I got my teeth cleaned today and the tech who I have never seen before is somewhat younger than I am but her endocrinologist has her limited to 90 grams of carbs a day because she is pre diabetic. She states she feels bad when she goes over 90 grams a day.
There many people not over weight that are eating LCHF lifestyles because it is best for them.
`
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Ummmmm no. I stopped eating sweets like cookies and ice cream and stuff like that because once I start eating those things I just can't stop. But I wouldn't give up sugar completely. that would be ridiculous1
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Sugar is goooood!!!! Yum yum!0
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You know no one else that sugar is bad for but yourself but you still run around telling people how evil sugar is. Yeah, makes sense.GaleHawkins wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »goldthistime CMA seems to get triggered by cutting sugar/all carbs to <50 grams a day. CMA seems to be a protein sparing feature of low carb eating lifestyle perhaps. As you know I do not do low carb high fat for weight loss per se and I never planned to do a LCHF eating lifestyle.. Here is another link with a lot of details about autophagy in general.
anti-agingfirewalls.com/2013/04/19/autophagy-the-housekeeper-in-every-cell-that-fights-aging-2/
I do not counsel about diet but do post links about some of my various readings as they relate to different eating lifestyle. I assume any actual dieting counseling proved by the corporation owning MFP is vetted in a standard way. What is posted by people like you, me and others should never be taken at face value by any reader. I like the diverse input by strangers as something to google and study. MFP posts have caused my understanding about food and the human body to evolve over time.
At my age I into how to prevent major health risks by the eating lifestyle I select to implement. World wide at this time LCHF is having its day in the sun again based on some of the research I am reading and watching. It is the only way I have found to lose weight without experiencing cravings and hunger all of the time.
What kind of car one parks in the carport or what kind of food one put into his/her body really is not the business of another unless they are paying the bills. Most people/corporations are into short term objectives and the same goes for health concerns the best I can tell. I think most people only diet to be part of a fad. We know that can be the case with gym memberships.
Deciding to give up my long term sugar addiction was done for my own selfish reasons.
Oh wait, I just realized that you characterized CMA as being "protein sparing". It's the opposite. CMA cleans up partial proteins and kicks them out of the cell. If you wanted to stop this from happening (which from your link and others, you don't), then a low carb high fat diet would be the right idea.
The reason some look as Chaperone Mediated Autophagy (CMA) as protein sparing is because it is thought to go after the junk protein fragments in the cells and digest it vs going after muscles for a protein source. Some think CMA makes for healthier cell life.
goldthistime the only one I personally know that sugar is bad for is myself. There are people eating 200 pounds a year still walking and talking with no physical joint or skeleton deformation like that I have. As I type my daughter is baking cup cakes for the super bowl party this Sunday and is using processed food cake mix high in sugar. No I will not eat any because sugar is toxic in my body.
I got my teeth cleaned today and the tech who I have never seen before is somewhat younger than I am but her endocrinologist has her limited to 90 grams of carbs a day because she is pre diabetic. She states she feels bad when she goes over 90 grams a day.
There many people not over weight that are eating LCHF lifestyles because it is best for them.
`
Has he stated this lately? He talks about having learned from the forums. You guys can be very persuasive.
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If a person does not know where sugar is good or bad for them they just need to visit a health care professional. No one on this forum can say that sugar is good or bad for another with validity.0
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Yeah I did...it appears to curb cravings...for me. Don't miss it.0
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I cut out all sodas with sugar in it couple of years ago and lost 10 pounds?0
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GaleHawkins wrote: »If a person does not know where sugar is good or bad for them they just need to visit a health care professional. No one on this forum can say that sugar is good or bad for another with validity.
LOL
its only bad if you have a medical condition ..
everyone knows you are a fake profile and are just posting nonsense..
enough already ….0
This discussion has been closed.
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