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The Sugar Conspiracy

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  • HenryCT
    HenryCT Posts: 43 Member
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    pcoslady83 wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    100df wrote: »
    I don't think sugar should be banned. I think more education is needed so people understand exactly how many calories they are eating, the calorie breakdown of nutrients they are consuming and how many calories they are or are not burning.

    Good luck trying to get kids to develop diabetes on a diet that is without added sugar and without processed carbs, where all they can eat is whole foods. Would never happen.

    From here: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Enjoy-food/Eating-with-diabetes/Diabetes-food-myths/Myth-sugar-causes-diabetes/
    With Type 2 diabetes, though we know sugar doesn’t directly causes Type 2 diabetes, you are more likely to get it if you are overweight. You gain weight when you take in more calories than your body needs, and sugary foods and drinks contain a lot of calories.

    And it's important to add that fatty foods and drinks are playing a part in our nation's expanding waistline.

    So you can see if too much sugar is making you put on weight, then you are increasing your risk of getting Type 2 diabetes. But Type 2 diabetes is complex, and sugar is unlikely to be the only reason the condition develops.

    I still stand behind what I said above.

    I never said that sugar was the only and direct cause of T2D. I said try seeing if kids will develop T2D without processed carbs and sugar in their diet. They wont, because the dopamine response and cravings will be in check. With the exception of people with pre-existing disease, most would only eat what they needed and stay healthy. Many people think that grapes taste good, but you never hear about compulsive eating around them. Wine? Different story ;)

    You can stand behind what you said, but it's obesity that contributes to the risk of T2D. It's not only sugar that makes people obese. Your statement is hypothetical.

    Do you think sugar can cause people to be more prone to overeat?

    There are things that I haven't read enough about to form a solid opinion. This is one of them, which is why I refrain from commenting on that topic. Believe it or not, I'm actually reading this thread to learn why some people answer your question with a yes.

    For me personally, I can tell you that sugar makes me high. Literally. I get a hard buzz when I eat sugar. It makes me so very very very happy while I am eating it. I usually feel terrible later, but at the time of consumption, I like it more than being drunk from alcohol or other options. Since I was a young child, eating candy/chocolate was a primary objective. Back then I didn't know anything about calories, carbs, or weight gain. I was a kid, and I just wanted it. I would eat an entire pillowcase of Halloween candy as fast as I could, only stopping if I felt I was going to vomit.

    I had no other compulsive behaviors. Gambling? Alcohol? Drugs? Other foods? Nothing. Just the sugar. To a degree, high carb foods have a similar but lesser effect on me (bagels, pizza, italian bread), but nothing like sugar.

    I used to race BMX as a kid, and they sew the phrase "Snicker Powered" on my jersey, because I would eat a Snickers bar before each race, get a huge rush of pleasure and energy, and then go out and crush the competition.

    I tried about 10 different diets between the ages of 25 and 40, everything from Atkins, to Body for Life, to calorie counting. None of them worked, even though I badly wanted them too. Until one day, at age 36, I tried Paleo. In Paleo, I was forced to cut added sugar out, and even encouraged to minimize sweet fruits to small amounts.

    I spent two weeks in terrible withdrawal. Really bad headaches, and I felt sick. I told my wife I actually thought there was something seriously wrong with me and I should see a doctor, because I felt like I was dying. But I had read about the "carb flu", and decided to push through it. At the end of week 2, all of my cravings fell away. And over the next 18 months I lost 50 pounds and reached my goal weight.

    I found that if I had any added sugar, even 18 months later, it triggered me to becoming a T-Rex, craving more cookies/donuts/cake/frosting. Heck, I could eat the frosting off of 10 cupcakes and leave the cake behind. So like a guy with an alcohol problem (I have friends who are AA), I have to try to avoid sugar entirely, and even stay out of sugar situations as I lose my ability to make decisions when I get around it too much.

    So yes, I personally think that sugar is the cause, at least for me. I have no problem admitting that it's not sugar (which just like nicotine or gambling in itself can be considered a harmless thing) but perhaps my biological make-up, but that was my original point. How it affects some people is different.

    I completely agree with you and it has been my experience as well. I had a particularly hard time when I started living with my husband because he loves sweets. He always has to get cookies/brownies/cakes etc when we or he alone go grocery shopping. I gained around 20Lbs within first few months. He just couldn't understand why I cannot just eat one cookie and stop. He used to tell me that I am an adult and I should decide to eat one cookie and stick to it.
    One day, he was feeling very sad about his alcoholic cousin who binges on alcohol every now and then and how damaging it was for him and his family. I told him that his cousin is an adult and he should decide to have one drink and stick to it. DH got very angry that I was so insensitive to the situation. Then I reminded him that he said the same thing when I couldn't stop at one cookie and how was it different with his cousin? I also asked if he would keep alcohol in front of his cousin in his house day in and day out and ask him to not to drink as he was doing the same thing with me in our house.
    It clicked in his mind and stopped getting so much sugary stuff home. If he feels like eating a cookie or cake, then he gets one cookie/one slice of cake and rarely I do take a bite.

    Yes, I have had similar discussions. It always blew my mind that people who couldn't stop smoking even though they wanted to, would also make fun of overweight people for lack of dietary control. My father quit smoking overnight when he was about 35. He just decided to. It was painful for a week, but then he was fine. My mother, on the other hand, needed 5 years and all kinds of tactics to do the same.

    I can have 5 pints on a friday night, and have no desire to do it again the next few days. I think that is how some people are with sugar. They eat a slice or two of cake, then feel sick and don't want to do it again for a while. I am that way with alcohol in excess, but after cake, I just want more the next day.
  • HenryCT
    HenryCT Posts: 43 Member
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    Except I'm left with a carb intolerance and "triggers" that I believe - for good reason I think - that are physical in nature. I expect the science to catch up to what I already "know" sometime in my lifetime.

    This x 1000.

    Couldn't agree more. I know the science on sugar will eventually reveal the truth that I already feel every day. There are effects, 100 calories of sugar affects me entirely differently than 100 calories of chicken. And it's not just the taste ... I think I like the taste of bacon far more than sugar. But the sugar makes me feel high, and makes me have hunger crashes. There is something to it.

  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    paulgads82 wrote: »
    owensy12 wrote: »
    paulgads82 wrote: »
    I'm out. This is ridiculous now. A calorie is a calorie. It's a measure of energy, not nutrition.

    Wrong.

    Tell me what a calorie is. Your own words.

    Eating 100 calories of two different macro-nutrients can have a different effect on the body. That is all.

    Insulin generation alone (and it's impact on the pancreas and other organs) is a factor. So is how many calories are burned from digesting the macro-nutrient. So is how that macro-nutrient feeds various tissues (or does not feed), and so is how the body gets rid of the waste of that macro as well.

    This is what people mean when they say a calorie is not a calorie. Hopefully you didn't think someone was actually believing that a rock is not a rock. It's an expression. Easy as pie makes no sense grammatically, but we all know what it means.

    I find that people interpret that phrase in different ways. That's why when we talk about science we use clearly defined terminology that everyone agrees upon and understands, not "expressions".

    Sigh ... wow.

    My bad. No one uses the phrase "cold fusion" even though it can happen at room temperature. A "Blue Shift" can be any wavelength, even red.

    But let's focus on the grammar, and not the science.

    I get what you are saying, but "a calorie is not a calorie" is in no way a scientifically defined term. People understand it in different ways because it's just a saying, and when it comes up it's good to establish what it means to the person using it so we can have a discussion based on mutual understanding.

    OK, then what does the phrase a calorie is not a calorie mean? Does anyone actually think it means that a calorie is not an actual calorie?

    I've seen plenty of people in MFP and other places who believe that calories from carbohydrates automatically make you fatter than calories from protein

    I guess it depends on how you mean that - and perhaps this is the core of this discussion.

    When you say "calories from carbohydrates make you fatter than calories from protein", I would say I agree. But that's because I am referring to all of the details that go along with it, and the reactions. Such as how protein burns more calories in digestion, and how protein is usually not as tasty to the taste buds and pleasing to the brain.

    Low carb diets don't burn more calories due to macro nutrient ratios than other diets. Now, a very high protein diet or low protein diet would have a difference (though not that huge in the scheme of things) in terms of how many calories were burnt in digestion, but there are reasons to avoid both such diets. Being able to eat more calories on paper (which likely does not translate into any satiety difference) would not be a good basis to devote a huge percentage of calories to protein, beyond the usual recommendations for performance, preserving muscle mass.

    As for the claim that protein is not as tasty to the taste buds, that's obviously personal. To me, it most certainly is at least as tasty, at least in some of its forms.

    Plain chicken breast: eh.
    Plain steak: yummy.
  • moe0303
    moe0303 Posts: 934 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    moe0303 wrote: »
    You seem to say that someone afflicted with this condition is unable to stop the behavior because there are no alternatives. They have to eat. To me, that point of view makes an assumption that people have to eat all the foods.

    Well, no. The point is that the addiction is to eating, not to specific foods. You can't stop the addictive behavior. You can change what you eat, if you want, but that can't be the solution to eating addiction (or bingeing) as people with eating addiction or BED are not limited to specific foods. That's what you seem to be ignoring. We've had a number of people in these various threads with BED talk about how they would binge on anything, and not specifically sugary things.
    This contrasts with your source. There are some individuals who are triggered by the act of eating. Many more are triggered by the act of eating specific foods as described in the link.
    Your experts identified "specific foods, especially those that are rich in fat and/or sugar" as being capable of producing addiction-like behavior (this is true in my experience as well). I offered donuts as an example of a specific food which is both high in sugar and in fat content and is regarded as "highly palatable" to many people. I was not claiming such a thing as donut addiction, per se, but eliminating specific foods (like donuts or anything on which they binge) is certainly an option for those afflicted the condition.

    Hedonic eating, sure, but that's not an addiction (which is what the links clarified).

    Even people like Nicole Avena, who tends to take the "highly palatable foods are addictive" line does not claim they are exactly like drugs or recommend complete abstinence.

    And again I'm not saying that abstinence from trigger foods CANNOT be a reasonable strategy for some (although I personally would want to work on not having trigger foods). I am cautioning you that claiming that the right solution for anyone who feels "addicted" (which often just means feeling out of control or sometimes overeating -- things that many or most of us have experienced and which are totally normal) is "cut out the food right now and never have it again" can be counterproductive. In many cases the more serious addictive behaviors around food and eating (which are basically eating disorders in reality) developed in large part related to restrictive behaviors and telling oneself that eating certain foods is bad. So to assume and insist that must be the correct approach is wrong. If someone was really struggling seriously like this, I think the correct advice is to get therapy. (And none of this is really applicable to the usual "I think I have a cookie addiction" post on MFP -- those more typically sound like the very same kinds of things that I have worked on and in some cases dealt with, and which I personally would never compare to addiction although as I always say the advice threads aren't the place to argue about terminology.)
    I never said that. Why do you keep arguing with me as if I had? I have never once prescribed any specific course of action to anyone who feels addicted (other than "seek help"), so once again you are arguing with something I've never said. Why? What's the point? >:)

    All I have ever said on the matter of others' addiction is that
    1. The validity of their addiction is irrelevant in terms of the course of action they should follow.
    2. The idea that abstinence is doomed to fail is often offered from the perspective of people who have never experienced food/eating addiction.

    Regarding abstinence, someone who has decided to attempt abstinence and called out for strategies to implement it should not have to be subjected to attacks for doing so. If someone is attempting to abstain from sugar (or fat, or salt, or sausages, or watermelon, or duck, or candy, or whatever), comments like "Sugar is awesome" and " It's an excuse" do nothing to help that individual.

    The fact of the matter is that many of the "addicted" threads end up turning into this debate instead of an attempt to help. I know, a lot of folks think they're helping by teaching them that they don't have an addiction, but that is also not the case for many. If they think they have an addiction, they should get treatment for it as an addiction. If they are not addicted, that will also be revealed through treatment. Even the suggestion of treatment might be enough for someone to take an objective look at themselves and come to the realization that maybe they aren't addicted. In any case, we internet minions are ill-equipped to determine the validity of an addiction or any other disorder through interaction on these forums. The only responsible course of action is to suggest that they seek help from those who specialize in that area.


    The comparison (which is also employed by your experts) serves to offer a similar instance of people having problems ingesting a substance so that they basically do so against their will yet are often able to cut it out completely and be "fine".

    I happen to agree that for some people and in some circumstances not eating something can be much easier than moderation.
    Stop it. :blush:

  • HenryCT
    HenryCT Posts: 43 Member
    edited May 2016
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Low carb diets don't burn more calories due to macro nutrient ratios than other diets. Now, a very high protein diet or low protein diet would have a difference (though not that huge in the scheme of things) in terms of how many calories were burnt in digestion, but there are reasons to avoid both such diets. Being able to eat more calories on paper (which likely does not translate into any satiety difference) would not be a good basis to devote a huge percentage of calories to protein, beyond the usual recommendations for performance, preserving muscle mass.

    I'm sure there is some science backing this as well, but despite trying, I rarely hear of anyone losing any weight on a high carb diet (and don't know anyone who has either). I do know a lot of friends who have had a similar experience to me on the lower carb approach. Is it possible that there is some hunger suppression mechanism here that impacts some people?
    As for the claim that protein is not as tasty to the taste buds, that's obviously personal. To me, it most certainly is at least as tasty, at least in some of its forms.

    I'm sure it is 100% person to person. I know a co-worker who doesn't like sugar at all, and I am sure he likes protein options. But I think this is the exception to the rule.

    Yes, protein in the form of shredded/roasted pork shoulder is pretty amazing - but it's the fat that adds the taste. Chicken with skin is much better than plain dry chicken without it. And steak is great too, but the ribeye and filet taste a lot better than the sirloin and cube steak. I think the fat accents it.

    In fact, despite my sugar restraint issues, I like the taste of fat far more than sugar. But for whatever reason, my body says "stop" when I have eaten enough fat. When I am eating sugar, it always says "keep going!" until I feel I want to hurl. Then I stop.

    ETA: And although I think the fat tastes better than the sugar, the fat doesn't give me the euphoria when eating it that the sugar does. Of course, combining the two ... like bacon topped donuts, well that's another story :)
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    HenryCT wrote: »
    paulgads82 wrote: »
    owensy12 wrote: »
    paulgads82 wrote: »
    I'm out. This is ridiculous now. A calorie is a calorie. It's a measure of energy, not nutrition.

    Wrong.

    Tell me what a calorie is. Your own words.

    Eating 100 calories of two different macro-nutrients can have a different effect on the body. That is all.

    Insulin generation alone (and it's impact on the pancreas and other organs) is a factor. So is how many calories are burned from digesting the macro-nutrient. So is how that macro-nutrient feeds various tissues (or does not feed), and so is how the body gets rid of the waste of that macro as well.

    This is what people mean when they say a calorie is not a calorie. Hopefully you didn't think someone was actually believing that a rock is not a rock. It's an expression. Easy as pie makes no sense grammatically, but we all know what it means.

    I find that people interpret that phrase in different ways. That's why when we talk about science we use clearly defined terminology that everyone agrees upon and understands, not "expressions".

    Sigh ... wow.

    My bad. No one uses the phrase "cold fusion" even though it can happen at room temperature. A "Blue Shift" can be any wavelength, even red.

    But let's focus on the grammar, and not the science.

    I get what you are saying, but "a calorie is not a calorie" is in no way a scientifically defined term. People understand it in different ways because it's just a saying, and when it comes up it's good to establish what it means to the person using it so we can have a discussion based on mutual understanding.

    OK, then what does the phrase a calorie is not a calorie mean? Does anyone actually think it means that a calorie is not an actual calorie?

    I've seen plenty of people in MFP and other places who believe that calories from carbohydrates automatically make you fatter than calories from protein

    I guess it depends on how you mean that - and perhaps this is the core of this discussion.

    When you say "calories from carbohydrates make you fatter than calories from protein", I would say I agree. But that's because I am referring to all of the details that go along with it, and the reactions. Such as how protein burns more calories in digestion, and how protein is usually not as tasty to the taste buds and pleasing to the brain.

    Low carb diets don't burn more calories due to macro nutrient ratios than other diets. Now, a very high protein diet or low protein diet would have a difference (though not that huge in the scheme of things) in terms of how many calories were burnt in digestion, but there are reasons to avoid both such diets. Being able to eat more calories on paper (which likely does not translate into any satiety difference) would not be a good basis to devote a huge percentage of calories to protein, beyond the usual recommendations for performance, preserving muscle mass.

    As for the claim that protein is not as tasty to the taste buds, that's obviously personal. To me, it most certainly is at least as tasty, at least in some of its forms.

    Mmmm, like a good sirloin steak... :p
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    I know lots of high carb people who lost weight some of which are my vegan friends.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/20/478837157/the-added-sugar-label-is-coming-to-a-packaged-food-near-you

    Here is a source straight from a publicly supported source in the USA.

    Sugar Science is the source of the link below.

    sugarscience.org/hidden-in-plain-sight/#.Vz9y__krJpg

    Scientifica America is a premier source for scientific info in the minds of many.

    scientificamerican.com/article/should-added-sugar-be-on-the-nutrition-facts-labels/


  • paulgads82
    paulgads82 Posts: 256 Member
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    I've seen lots on the forum. I'm one. I eat a lot of fruit. If my diary is open you'll see more protein than I usually consume as I'm experimenting with higher protein for my health but as for weight loss, I've been high carb for over a year. I'm 45lb down.
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
    edited May 2016
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    HenryCT wrote: »

    But for whatever reason, my body says "stop" when I have eaten enough fat. When I am eating sugar, it always says "keep going!" until I feel I want to hurl.

    Hmm... I'm curious how much of a role ghrelin and leptin play in this. (Not trying to minimize your experience, just interested.)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    moe0303 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    moe0303 wrote: »
    You seem to say that someone afflicted with this condition is unable to stop the behavior because there are no alternatives. They have to eat. To me, that point of view makes an assumption that people have to eat all the foods.

    Well, no. The point is that the addiction is to eating, not to specific foods. You can't stop the addictive behavior. You can change what you eat, if you want, but that can't be the solution to eating addiction (or bingeing) as people with eating addiction or BED are not limited to specific foods. That's what you seem to be ignoring. We've had a number of people in these various threads with BED talk about how they would binge on anything, and not specifically sugary things.

    This contrasts with your source. There are some individuals who are triggered by the act of eating. Many more are triggered by the act of eating specific foods as described in the link.

    No, it doesn't. I gave three links talking about somewhat different things. The hedonic eating was not considered an actual addiction. (And I suspect I have as many issues with that as you, but simply focused on different foods and to me it seems clearly not an addiction and rather offensive to call it such. It's a problem to deal with, yes.)
    Your experts identified "specific foods, especially those that are rich in fat and/or sugar" as being capable of producing addiction-like behavior (this is true in my experience as well). I offered donuts as an example of a specific food which is both high in sugar and in fat content and is regarded as "highly palatable" to many people. I was not claiming such a thing as donut addiction, per se, but eliminating specific foods (like donuts or anything on which they binge) is certainly an option for those afflicted the condition.

    Hedonic eating, sure, but that's not an addiction (which is what the links clarified).

    Even people like Nicole Avena, who tends to take the "highly palatable foods are addictive" line does not claim they are exactly like drugs or recommend complete abstinence.

    And again I'm not saying that abstinence from trigger foods CANNOT be a reasonable strategy for some (although I personally would want to work on not having trigger foods). I am cautioning you that claiming that the right solution for anyone who feels "addicted" (which often just means feeling out of control or sometimes overeating -- things that many or most of us have experienced and which are totally normal) is "cut out the food right now and never have it again" can be counterproductive. In many cases the more serious addictive behaviors around food and eating (which are basically eating disorders in reality) developed in large part related to restrictive behaviors and telling oneself that eating certain foods is bad. So to assume and insist that must be the correct approach is wrong. If someone was really struggling seriously like this, I think the correct advice is to get therapy. (And none of this is really applicable to the usual "I think I have a cookie addiction" post on MFP -- those more typically sound like the very same kinds of things that I have worked on and in some cases dealt with, and which I personally would never compare to addiction although as I always say the advice threads aren't the place to argue about terminology.)

    I never said that. Why do you keep arguing with me as if I had? I have never once prescribed any specific course of action to anyone who feels addicted (other than "seek help"), so once again you are arguing with something I've never said. Why? What's the point? >:)

    I have misunderstood you, then. I have been focused on a post of yours (I can find it if you like) where I thought you WERE saying that the correct response should be abstinence, and those who didn't identify as addicted and who thus recommended other things that worked for them rather than abstinence were failing to get it.

    If you were not saying abstinence is required and the best solution in all such cases, I'm not sure what we are even disagreeing about. (Well, except that it's not really an addiction. It's an eating disorder of sorts or simply normal human reaction to the current environment.)
    All I have ever said on the matter of others' addiction is that
    1. The validity of their addiction is irrelevant in terms of the course of action they should follow.
    2. The idea that abstinence is doomed to fail is often offered from the perspective of people who have never experienced food/eating addiction.

    I mostly agree, although I think the term "addiction" can be harmful in some cases, as people think what they are experiencing means there's something wrong with them, and that it's really rare and makes things much harder for them than others (and they then assume that they can't be successful even if others are, those people are just LUCKY). I also think labeling foods bad can be counterproductive and whether or not restrictive can help or will hurt is going to vary by person (so people shouldn't assume that's the way to go).
    Regarding abstinence, someone who has decided to attempt abstinence and called out for strategies to implement it should not have to be subjected to attacks for doing so. If someone is attempting to abstain from sugar (or fat, or salt, or sausages, or watermelon, or duck, or candy, or whatever), comments like "Sugar is awesome" and " It's an excuse" do nothing to help that individual.

    We agree on this. I don't do that.

    I do think that if someone seems not to have thought through what they are doing, but to be assuming that one MUST cut out certain foods if dieting (as I often see at MFP), letting them know that's not necessary is reasonable. But if someone wants to try something as a strategy, that's their business.
    The fact of the matter is that many of the "addicted" threads end up turning into this debate instead of an attempt to help.

    You keep revisiting this as if everyone here weren't already in agreement on it. I don't understand the point.

    I do agree that recommending therapy if someone thinks they might be addicted is a good idea, and I will implement that approach as an addition to my current one.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    High Carb = Food

    Low Carb = Food

    Food can give weight loss, maintenance or weight gain.

    If High Carb leads one to over eat one can expect weight gains.

    If Low Carb leads one to over eat one can expect weight gains.

    While eating carbs is optional in a biological sense protein and fat are essential to prevent a premature death.

    Find the macro that works at a personal level for one's best health be it free of added sugar, low added sugar or high added sugar and enjoy one's improving health.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2016
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    HenryCT wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Low carb diets don't burn more calories due to macro nutrient ratios than other diets. Now, a very high protein diet or low protein diet would have a difference (though not that huge in the scheme of things) in terms of how many calories were burnt in digestion, but there are reasons to avoid both such diets. Being able to eat more calories on paper (which likely does not translate into any satiety difference) would not be a good basis to devote a huge percentage of calories to protein, beyond the usual recommendations for performance, preserving muscle mass.

    I'm sure there is some science backing this as well, but despite trying, I rarely hear of anyone losing any weight on a high carb diet (and don't know anyone who has either). I do know a lot of friends who have had a similar experience to me on the lower carb approach. Is it possible that there is some hunger suppression mechanism here that impacts some people?

    I know a number of people who have lost on a high carb (often vegetarian or vegan, not always -- there are a few MFP posters who have been successful as high carb omnivores). Not me, even though I find many carbs pretty satiating, since I just don't like most carbs (other than fruits and veg and maybe potatoes and fresh in season corn on the cob) as much as fat and protein. (I find fat completely non satiating, however, which is sad for me, and also just can't imagine enjoying a super high fat diet -- I like a mix of foods best.)

    I do think that ketosis tends to kill appetite for many (maybe even most). Some of the described effects are ones I wouldn't want, since I don't want my appetite killed -- I like food and if I don't graze hunger isn't really an issue for me. And even with the grazing I know it's hedonic, not hunger.
    In fact, despite my sugar restraint issues, I like the taste of fat far more than sugar. But for whatever reason, my body says "stop" when I have eaten enough fat. When I am eating sugar, it always says "keep going!" until I feel I want to hurl. Then I stop.

    I don't much like any foods that are just sugar and no fat. I also find some foods too sweet, and even as a kid hated sugary cereals. On the other hand, I love the sugar/fat combination, although not really more than some savory fat/carb combinations. And boy can I overeat fancy cheeses! ;-)

    Weirdly enough, bacon is just okay to me.

    There are lots of leaner meats I find delicious, though (although you and I agree that chicken is best with its skin on). Lean beef, lean cuts of pork (although mine is from a farm, so less lean than the supermarket stuff), pretty much any seafood.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    rickyll wrote: »
    lots of people here think sugar isn't bad for you? Weird.
    I know, I know: everything in moderation...even moderation. But moderation for sugar is a VERY small amount...I'm not a nutritionist but do our bodies really need the amount of sugar we constantly eat? I doubt it.

    I get about 30-40 grams of sugar a day while AVOIDING it. If I were to have a glass of orange juice on any given day I would almost DOUBLE my average daily intake. Think about that and tell me that the overindulgence of sugar is not an issue with out society.

    So yes, I think sugar should be a "villain" at least temporarily because that's the only way A LOT people will learn to pay attention to it and control their intake.

    @rickyll sugar I very toxic to my body. Where it is or not to others I can not say.
  • pcoslady83
    pcoslady83 Posts: 55 Member
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    fatfudgery wrote: »
    All this hating on sugar and I'm sitting here eating 450g of carbs a day like...

    14i8lt.jpg

    Because you are a super hero...!!!
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    rickyll wrote: »
    lots of people here think sugar isn't bad for you? Weird.
    I know, I know: everything in moderation...even moderation. But moderation for sugar is a VERY small amount...I'm not a nutritionist but do our bodies really need the amount of sugar we constantly eat? I doubt it.

    I get about 30-40 grams of sugar a day while AVOIDING it. If I were to have a glass of orange juice on any given day I would almost DOUBLE my average daily intake. Think about that and tell me that the overindulgence of sugar is not an issue with out society.

    So yes, I think sugar should be a "villain" at least temporarily because that's the only way A LOT people will learn to pay attention to it and control their intake.

    Sugar or added sugar?