Splenda and sugar

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wishlady2
wishlady2 Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, so I know that sugar packs on pounds and splenda/artificial sweeteners trick your body and make you hungrier. Will mixing the two chelp to counteract these effects? Example instead of putting 2 teaspoons of sugar in my coffee, I put 1 sugar and 1 splenda. My supposition is that because it is less calories while not making me hungrier as the sugar is real.

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  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    Sugar doesn't pack on the pounds. Splenda doesn't make you hungrier.
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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I've read that artificial sugar can make some people hungrier. But I've not seen scientific studies on this.....so I don't know if it's true. I do know it's not true for me. There are so many artificial sweeteners.....why would the exact same thing be true for all of them?

    Lifestyle changes. Do you plan on the half Splenda - half sugar for a lifetime? If not, just use what you can commit to, instead of worrying about something else when you get to goal. Is there any way you can cut back to 1 teaspoon of sugar in your coffee? I weened myself off sweetened iced tea years ago.
  • Skyblueyellow
    Skyblueyellow Posts: 225 Member
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    Well firstly I find that artificial sweeteners are MUCH sweeter than sugar, at least to my taste buds.

    Secondly, sugar won't pack on any pounds unless you are going over your maintenance calories, and even then it isn't specifically the sugar that is packing on the pounds unless that is all you consumed that particular day.

    I use artificial sweeteners in drinks. I'm diabetic. When I have cookies, candy, etc I just have the "real" thing. When I bake I use regular old sugar.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    I've used sucralose which is the generic name for Splenda, in my non-yeast recipes. The industrial taste is noticed, but it doesn't seem to make me want to eat more.
  • wishlady2
    wishlady2 Posts: 14 Member
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    Hmm, I will admit I haven't found any studies only anecdotal evidence. I keep both in the house because my mom has diabetes. I am mostly thinking of what I drink, koolaid, coffee, and tea. Other than my drinks I don't eat many sweets, my downfall is savory things.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Sugar is 15 calories per teaspoon. Sweetener is zero calories.

    Log everything you eat, and stay within your allotted calories - that is the sweet spot. (You see what I did there?!? :p )
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    The only thing that packs on pounds is consuming more calories than you burn. It's true that eliminating sugary drinks is a good/easy way for many people to cut calories but it is not necessary for weight loss.

    As far as artificial sweeteners making you hungrier, I've never experienced this so it's definitely not a universal thing. See how you react to it, chances are you'll be fine.
  • steplaj
    steplaj Posts: 586 Member
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    Sugar has been an issue for me in the past. I now drink my morning iced tea with A.S. and it does not seem to make me hungry or thirst any more than when I used sugar. The only difference is I am not running up my sugar count.

    I have found that the best way for me to lose is to follow the mfp recommendations and stay within their set goals. I do increase my protein which helps me to feel "full" and aids in my diet. Otherwise, I don't think sugar in your coffee vs. (A.S.+Sugar) is going to change anything.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    wishlady2 wrote: »
    Okay, so I know that sugar packs on pounds

    Not unless you consume so much you go over calories. I don't like sugar in drinks, but there's not that many calories in a teaspoon or maybe two of sugar. Easy to learn to like it less sweet too, if you want to save calories.
    splenda/artificial sweeteners trick your body and make you hungrier.

    No, probably not. I guess try it and see, but it is just a theory/something that some people, not all, report. If you are "hungrier" and can't stay in calories, surely you'd know it, but I can't imagine one teaspoon of sweetener would make much difference. Also, there are tons of things one can do to make a diet more filling if you do think you are hungrier. (That said, I wouldn't personally bother with artificial sweetener in coffee as I don't think it would taste good, even if one did like sugar in it. But if you do, try it.)
    Will mixing the two chelp to counteract these effects?

    That doesn't make sense, but if you like it better with one teaspoon of each vs. no sweetener or no sugar, and want to save a few calories, go for it.
  • ConnieT1030
    ConnieT1030 Posts: 894 Member
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    Use whatever you like the taste of/want to spend the calories on. As others have said, weight gain is caused by eating too many calories (over what you burn).
    I never noticed other sweeteners causing me to be "more" hungry, but if I eat candy/chocolate/sugary dessert, it does spike/then crash blood sugar and so usually makes me want more not long after. I dont recall that effect ever happening with stevia/splenda/nutrasweet.

    That's probably where people get the idea that sugar will "pack on pounds" because you want to keep eating it. If you eat some fiber with it, it tends to absorb slower so you dont get such a jolt, but if you do, just be prepared for it and either ride it out or eat something else low calorie/low glycemic when the hungries hit.

    I switched to stevia packets from sugar many years ago, doesnt have any weird effects on me. I still eat food with sugar in it (though I will take splenda alternatives when I can find them) but I haven't bought an actual bag of white sugar since 2009. If you have a specific reaction to something you eat, something you personally confirmed, not something someone told you, then don't eat it. I don't eat maltitol because a small amount will make me run to the bathroom in a hurry. Not everyone has that reaction (although it is fairly common for that particular one) and other sugar alcohols don't affect me adversely either.
    Otherwise, just count your calories, and you'll do fine. There is no "bad" food, but some food doesn't contribute to nutrition as much as others.

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