Cutting out the sugar.

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msbeavert
msbeavert Posts: 75
in Motivation and Support
I'm having such a hard time cutting sugars from my diet. I thought I would be okay; I don't drink soda (occasionally a diet one but the fizz does bad things to my stomach), I don't add sugar to my coffee or anything, a lot of things I purchase are "sugar free" or made with Splenda. My problem is fruit! I need to fiber in my diet, I need some sugar to keep my insulin from dropping, but I can't seem to figure out the balance. I never realized how much sugar was in a banana! I guess I always thought fruit was healthy and it was okay to have a good amount of it. Boy, was I wrong! I don't have a particularly sweet tooth, but I find myself wanting in more now that I can't have it as much.

What can I do to stave off that craving? I drink at least two quarts of water a day, so I'm drinking plenty. Last night I laid in bed wanting to eat a KitKat so bad it drove me nuts. I was never like this before. :(

Replies

  • skinnyhappy
    skinnyhappy Posts: 152 Member
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    Fruit is OK please don't stop eating it! It takes a looooooooooong time to break the addiction. When I first stopped eating meat all I could think of was hamburgers. I'm slowly cutting out any refined sugars and it's SLOWLY getting easier. You NEED sugar, so keep eating the fruits! Try a Larabar if you still feel you need something dessert-y because they don't add sugar. While the number is high, it's coming from things like dates and other fruits so you can enjoy it without a lot of guilt.

    Anyway, good luck to you, and stay patient and strong :)
  • bsteffneyjr
    bsteffneyjr Posts: 40 Member
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    My suggestion is don't deprive yourself a kit kat once in a while, or just have half the pack. i use truvia all natural sweetner which is better for you than splenda,equal, etc.. as long as you stay under your calories you should be ok.
  • jellybeanjig
    jellybeanjig Posts: 5
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    I understand your battle, just read this article yesterday, and thought I'd share it with you... http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2011/01/slay-the-sugar-monster-in-four-doable-steps/
  • wickedcricket
    wickedcricket Posts: 1,246 Member
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    yeah just cut out REFINED sugar - EAT your fruits & veggies
  • _CowgirlUp_
    _CowgirlUp_ Posts: 585 Member
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    I'm interested in what people have to say too.

    I would think natural sugars from fruit would be fine. What makes you think you can't have natural sugars? I'm fairly new at all of this and sugars are my next goal to try to cut down on. I wasn't planning to cut out any natural sugars from fruit though. I'm interested to hear why they're "bad" for you. I don't eat sweets, add sugar to my coffee or any of that but I do like my yogurt with fruit in the bottom which has a lot of sugar in it, as does my granola bars that I enjoy...those are the things I need to focus on...cutting out the EXTRA sugars that are added to stuff, not the stuff that comes naturally.

    Bump!
  • msbeavert
    msbeavert Posts: 75
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    I'm interested in what people have to say too.

    I would think natural sugars from fruit would be fine. What makes you think you can't have natural sugars? I'm fairly new at all of this and sugars are my next goal to try to cut down on. I wasn't planning to cut out any natural sugars from fruit though. I'm interested to hear why they're "bad" for you. I don't eat sweets, add sugar to my coffee or any of that but I do like my yogurt with fruit in the bottom which has a lot of sugar in it, as does my granola bars that I enjoy...those are the things I need to focus on...cutting out the EXTRA sugars that are added to stuff, not the stuff that comes naturally.

    Bump!



    I don't think the natural sugars are "bad" per se, but I'm concerned as to whether or not there can be too much of them as well. When I want that KitKat or whatever I'll grab a peach or banana instead. My thinking was "aren't I just replacing one sugar with another and not really making a difference?" But I'm new to the whole watching calories, fat, etc thing...so I really have no idea anyway. LOL
  • _CowgirlUp_
    _CowgirlUp_ Posts: 585 Member
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    I just read the article that jellybeanjig posted and it explains it well. Thanks jellybeanjig!
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    It depends on how far you want to take it, and where you're at. Cutting out processed, refined sugars is paramount. That will go a LONG way to help reduce body fat. However, if you want to take it to the nth degree, and start seeing abs, etc, then you need to watch ALL sugars, even in fruit. Altho fruit sugars are naturally occurring, and much healthier for you, they still are sugars, and your body treats them as that.

    That said, I personally do eat fruit every day, and I usu. will have one small piece of dark chocolate. I just make sure that the sugars/carbs fit into my daily allotment. The fruit I eat is low in sugars, compared to other fruits. For ex, I eat lots of berries and stone fruits, and you'll never see me eating a banana, or rarely an apple. A banana will throw off my carb/sugar count for the day. You can google the glycemic index of various fruits, to see how they stack up against each other.

    So really, if you cut out processed foods/refined sugars, that will really help a lot for overall weight loss and body fat loss. If you've lost all your weight, and now want good muscle definition, you need to pay attention to EVERYTHING, even fruit.
  • msbeavert
    msbeavert Posts: 75
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    It depends on how far you want to take it, and where you're at. Cutting out processed, refined sugars is paramount. That will go a LONG way to help reduce body fat. However, if you want to take it to the nth degree, and start seeing abs, etc, then you need to watch ALL sugars, even in fruit. Altho fruit sugars are naturally occurring, and much healthier for you, they still are sugars, and your body treats them as that.

    That said, I personally do eat fruit every day, and I usu. will have one small piece of dark chocolate. I just make sure that the sugars/carbs fit into my daily allotment. The fruit I eat is low in sugars, compared to other fruits. For ex, I eat lots of berries and stone fruits, and you'll never see me eating a banana, or rarely an apple. A banana will throw off my carb/sugar count for the day. You can google the glycemic index of various fruits, to see how they stack up against each other.

    So really, if you cut out processed foods/refined sugars, that will really help a lot for overall weight loss and body fat loss. If you've lost all your weight, and now want good muscle definition, you need to pay attention to EVERYTHING, even fruit.

    Oh I don't want to see abs (least not yet), I just want to start by being able to see my feet! LMAO
  • stevemcknight
    stevemcknight Posts: 647 Member
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    It depends on how far you want to take it, and where you're at. Cutting out processed, refined sugars is paramount. That will go a LONG way to help reduce body fat. However, if you want to take it to the nth degree, and start seeing abs, etc, then you need to watch ALL sugars, even in fruit. Altho fruit sugars are naturally occurring, and much healthier for you, they still are sugars, and your body treats them as that.

    That said, I personally do eat fruit every day, and I usu. will have one small piece of dark chocolate. I just make sure that the sugars/carbs fit into my daily allotment. The fruit I eat is low in sugars, compared to other fruits. For ex, I eat lots of berries and stone fruits, and you'll never see me eating a banana, or rarely an apple. A banana will throw off my carb/sugar count for the day. You can google the glycemic index of various fruits, to see how they stack up against each other.

    So really, if you cut out processed foods/refined sugars, that will really help a lot for overall weight loss and body fat loss. If you've lost all your weight, and now want good muscle definition, you need to pay attention to EVERYTHING, even fruit.

    Yep. Once again, great advice! Depending on how hardcore you want to be, fruit may be something you're willing to allow or cut it out. Personally, I found the sugar from fruit isn't worth it for me to stay lean. Everyone has to make their own decision on it, but although fruits have tons of great micronutrients, in the end, fructose is fructose and glucose is glucose. Find what works for you, and live with it :)
  • jellybeanjig
    jellybeanjig Posts: 5
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    you're welcome!!
  • Becca_007
    Becca_007 Posts: 596 Member
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    Any thoughts on bread? I realize I eat it out of habit and I could easily find other healthier grains that probably will do more for my body than bread.

    Bread is simply a habit, tuna sandwich, a quick on the run piece of toast with PB etc.

    Haven't bought any for a week or so and am doing some Pita pizzas that satisfy more as I pile on the veggies and am getting quite creative in my toppings. LOL

    SO far this week I've added artichokes, goat cheese crumbles, shredded chicken in TJ's Asian Style Spicy Vinaigrette, etc. Fun to try new ways that are way beyond what you'd ever order or purchase in a store.

    Pita pizzas can be for any meal, as a matter of fact I had one for breakfast that was less than 171 cals, I had to scramble to add more cals for that meal. :laugh:
  • Becca_007
    Becca_007 Posts: 596 Member
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    I understand your battle, just read this article yesterday, and thought I'd share it with you... http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2011/01/slay-the-sugar-monster-in-four-doable-steps/
    Thanks for posting this link, off to bed now but will check it out tomorrow (today-Friday..lol). :wink: :flowerforyou:
  • wedjul05
    wedjul05 Posts: 472
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    I eat fruit, ignore the sugars in it. I think it is a very sad day when you don't eat fruit because of the natural sugars in them. Fruit is good for you and so much better than eating a chocolate bar IMO.

    I eat a grapefruit practically every day and it's like 20g of sugar. I don't care, I eat it and love it.
  • jamja
    jamja Posts: 190
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    Well said.
  • jamja
    jamja Posts: 190
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    Well said dgfurman...

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