Sugar

Just avoid the processed sugars ?

I try to stick to fruit and veg alot and my sugars come there, some yoghurts have alot of sugar in and also the obvious things like ice cream, cakes, chocolates and biscuits etc. I eat alot of natural food now - except yoghurts and maybe the odd lil bit of chocolate

It also depends on how your body reacts to sugar. Your body will spike more with processed sugars than natural sugars. I don't have much of a sweet tooth and processed carbs (super high in sugar) are the downfall to any weight loss attempt, so fruit and dairy are the primary sources of my sugar. So I try to stick to 1) choosing the lower sugar items (apples instead of oranges, berries instead of pineapple) and 2) always combining carb, fat, and protein every time I eat. Snack time - you're better off smearing some almond butter on that apple and eating a cple slices of turkey for a higher calorie intake than just eating the apple because it'll keep your blood sugar at a stable level making you less hungry for longer. Plus that even blood sugar will make it so that at your next meal it is easier to stay even.

Hope this helps!

I eat no more than 2 fruits a day (but also no less than 1 fruit a day), and don't eat anything that has more than 5g of sugar in it (unless of course it's fruit).

Also... STEVIA.

Be careful with the tropical fruits, however... they are high on the glycemic index-which means they get into your blood stream quickly and cause a sugar spike that ultimately results in a sugar low. Pineapple, bananas, watermelons, etc are all high on the glycemic index. Apples, berries, and cantaloupe are low on the glycemic index.

I agree that carbohydrates and natural sugars of all types are an important part of a balanced diet, but sugar is a killer. I was doing boot camp classes 3 days a week, plus 2 days of zumba classes and the scale didn't move. I looked great b/c I was firmer, but was still 20 lbs overweight. I didn't start losing until I tried South Beach. My BF's doctor recommended it b/c he was working out like crazy and eating normal portions but couldn't move his weight. The dr. said that if he was exercising frequently, eating normal sized portions and not losing any weight, it was probably the result of too much sugar. I decided to support him even though I already ate 'healthily'.

What I figured out was that even though I was eating 'healthy' foods, the carbs/sugars were making up most of my diet! yogurt and granola for breakfast, steel-cut oatmeal OR a whole wheat bagel w/ cream cheese (all healthy but both sugars), apple for morning snack (naturals sugars), turkey sandwich (bread=sugars, cheese has lower sugars but still some), sunchips (lower fat, but still with sugars) and grapes (sugar) for lunch then a lean protein for dinner, but served with rice/potato/pasta and sometimes a starchy veg like corn plus a tossed salad with croutons (without checking for added sugars in the dressing)!! And if I had any tiny little dessert, that's more sugar! So even though that it was healthy and nuutritious foods without tons of sat fats, it's too many sugars. I've switched, ditched, subbed and pitched: switched egg white omelettes for breakfast, ditched the bread on the sandwich, subbed celery for chips, and pitched the chips and desserts. I thought it would be AWFUL but it hasn't been too bad and we are both FINALLY losing... and from the belly at that. I made a 2 week plan with stuff we already liked and emphasized what we COULD eat instead of what we couldn't. We snack on approved stuff ALOT and neither of us have felt hungry b/c we eat and snack when we are supposed to so our blood sugar doesn't get too low and make us feel yucky. I'm no nutritionist, just a girl in her late 30s with a metabolism that had come to a screeching halt. South Beach is HARD.. the 1st 2 weeks suck big time... but the results are so encouraging it makes it easier to stick with it.

If we were to do it over again however, I'd tell my sugar addict BF (who ate dessert every day, sometimes twice!) to actually start w/ Phase 2 for 2 weeks, THEN go back to Phase 1 for 2 weeks... he was really a sugar fiend and his 1st 2 days he felt sick like withdrawl which was hard on him. So it might have helped to wean off a little before going cold turkey.

Depending on what your goals are, Fructose sugars in Fruit and refined white sugar both have a large effect on blood sugar levels, which drive your insulin production. In that case, Sugar is Sugar. Your body will metabolize them a bit differently, where refined sugar is more intensive, but the net effect is the same on blood sugar level.

http://drbenkim.com/articles-bloodsugar.html

The source is more important than the number. Fruit sugars have a wildly different effect on blood sugar than refined sugars. Stick with foods from Nature's Pantry, and you'll stay on the right track.

http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/06/life-of-carbohydrate.html