sweet n low- what Ive learned

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tiffanygil
tiffanygil Posts: 478 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
About 2 months ago I was really having a hard time getting all of my water in. I started stopping at Sonic and getting a 44 oz of ice water with lemon. One day they put way to much lemon in it and I had a couple extra sweet n lows in my purse so I put it in the cup and it was soooo good. Ive been hooked ever since. Addicted might be a better word. I was drinking 3-4 44 oz of ice water with lime or lemon with 2 packets of sweet n low in each cup full. This is in addition to the 1 packet I used in my morning coffee.

About 2 months ago I noticed I couldn't quit the sugar cravings. It was insane. I was eating more than I have in the last year, and a couple of times up to 3000 calories and it all was because I couldn't quit snacking and craving sugar. I started hating my work outs and having to force myself to do it. Then force myself to finish. Crazy since I've been doing this for over a year now and have never been this unmotivated. I was gaining and loosing the same 5-7lbs. This was hugely disturbing for me because in my actual dieting phase I never had a problem turning down snacks that were not scheduled or getting through a work out, and this on a lot less calories.

Today I stopped the sweet n low. All of it except the one packet in my morning coffee and I started taking a vitamin. I feel so much better!!!! I got through my work out beautifully and even pushed myself harder. I didn't have one sugar craving and I'm not hungry for more of anything and its the end of the night!!!! I feel like Ive hit a gold mine so I had to share. So for me, sweet n low is not good at all for this body. Maybe a little premature to start a celebration but hopefully not! =)

Replies

  • servingthealiens
    servingthealiens Posts: 144 Member
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    They say that about Nutrasweet (aspartame), too. That it makes you crave more sugar than if you just had the sugar sweetened version of whatever it is you ate/drank.

    Sadly, I'm a terrible soda junkie. Before starting MFP, it was not unheard of (and terribly embarrassing) for me to drink 3-4 cans of sugar sweetened soda a day. And I can't stand plain water, so I always add a drink mix pouch to it. Damned if I do, and damned if I don't sort of a thing.

    I've been trying to use more low-cal drinks with Splenda and seeing if that helps.
  • sebrat
    sebrat Posts: 31 Member
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    A very good friend of mine had to give up Splenda because the stuff was giving her and her husband severe headaches. I cant use Sweet n Low, personally (it tastes terrible!), but Equal and Splenda are my poisions. Oh, that and Diet Dr. Pepper.
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
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    Thats good to know...thanks for posting! I just stopped using sugar in my coffee, and I'm using splenda now...i will look out for those cravings!
  • sempernova
    sempernova Posts: 101 Member
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    Try using Stevia instead...works for me!
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    There has been research that has showed a link between sugar cravings and sweeteners. Personally, for me I find that I feel like something sweet once a day, have a cup of tea with splenda and my craving is gone... so I think it's an individual thing.

    I would be more careful to stevia to be honest. Aspartame and other sweeteners have had so much testing and have still been decided to be safe. On the other hand, stevia has barely been tested at all and is banned in the UK :ohwell: Just because something is natural doesn't mean it isn't poison. Just something to think about.
  • JDollS
    JDollS Posts: 36 Member
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    Stevia all the way! It's awesome - teeny bit goes a long way - and NO calories! It tastes normal too! Totally natural. No weird side effects that I've heard of..... :-) It's been used in Japan for decades, and in Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil for centuries as a natural sweetener..... so... fine by me! But each to their own :-) Good luck !
  • tcac
    tcac Posts: 211 Member
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    There are only 16 cal in a spoon of sugar. I used artifical sweetners for many years off and on. I read that they caused sugar cravings along with other things. So for me over a year ago I quit eating meat and artificial sweetners. I have one cup of coffee in the morning with one spoon of sugar. That is not what made me fat. It was all the snacking and junk food I was putting in my mouth. Since giving up artifical sweetners I have lost 35 pounds. If your goal is to get healthy read up on all of the artifical sweetners and look around most of the people drinking diet drinks are overweight. Just my thoughts and observations.
  • emay45
    emay45 Posts: 32 Member
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    I read that the artificial sweeteners that are commonly used (especially in diet drinks) can be up to 600x sweeter than regular sugar and that is what causes you to crave the sugar. I'm not sure if it was pointed at a specific sweetener or what not, but it was enough to make me not want to use it.
  • utahjazzfreak
    utahjazzfreak Posts: 2
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    add me i need friends
  • Funnydream
    Funnydream Posts: 87 Member
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    I have also jacked Splenda. If I really need to have a sweetish cup of tea or coffee - I just use a 1/4 tsp of sugar. It makes sense to me, the risks of artificial sweeteners are far more extreme than that of sugar cravings - it's nasty stuff for millions of reasons!

    Is Stevia available in pill form by the way? Heard a very interesting radio programme about it. I don't want to use it, but was just curious.
  • navstar
    navstar Posts: 113 Member
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    Stevia all the way! It's awesome - teeny bit goes a long way - and NO calories! It tastes normal too! Totally natural. No weird side effects that I've heard of..... :-) It's been used in Japan for decades, and in Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil for centuries as a natural sweetener..... so... fine by me! But each to their own :-) Good luck !

    This is why its banned in the UK and the rest of the EU (European Union)

    The data considered by the Committee indicated that the extract has the potential to produce adverse effects in the male reproductive system that could affect fertility and that a metabolite produced by the human gut microflora, steviol, is genotoxic (ie. damages DNA).

    I copied and pasted this from the Website for The Food Standards Agency (governing body that regulates food here in the UK)

    http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/webpage/stevia
  • sheyna1983
    sheyna1983 Posts: 137
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    A very good friend of mine had to give up Splenda because the stuff was giving her and her husband severe headaches. I cant use Sweet n Low, personally (it tastes terrible!), but Equal and Splenda are my poisions. Oh, that and Diet Dr. Pepper.

    I think they put crack in diet Dr. Pepper. I'm drinking one right now. It's the one thing I COULDN'T give up for the Paleo diet
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    About 2 months ago I was really having a hard time getting all of my water in. I started stopping at Sonic and getting a 44 oz of ice water with lemon. One day they put way to much lemon in it and I had a couple extra sweet n lows in my purse so I put it in the cup and it was soooo good. Ive been hooked ever since. Addicted might be a better word. I was drinking 3-4 44 oz of ice water with lime or lemon with 2 packets of sweet n low in each cup full. This is in addition to the 1 packet I used in my morning coffee.

    About 2 months ago I noticed I couldn't quit the sugar cravings. It was insane. I was eating more than I have in the last year, and a couple of times up to 3000 calories and it all was because I couldn't quit snacking and craving sugar. I started hating my work outs and having to force myself to do it. Then force myself to finish. Crazy since I've been doing this for over a year now and have never been this unmotivated. I was gaining and loosing the same 5-7lbs. This was hugely disturbing for me because in my actual dieting phase I never had a problem turning down snacks that were not scheduled or getting through a work out, and this on a lot less calories.

    Today I stopped the sweet n low. All of it except the one packet in my morning coffee and I started taking a vitamin. I feel so much better!!!! I got through my work out beautifully and even pushed myself harder. I didn't have one sugar craving and I'm not hungry for more of anything and its the end of the night!!!! I feel like Ive hit a gold mine so I had to share. So for me, sweet n low is not good at all for this body. Maybe a little premature to start a celebration but hopefully not! =)

    WTG! That is brilliant news for you.

    Bit ironic though, if you had never eaten it, you would never have found that out, now you know what to avoid or not do.

    (I wish they had a "thumbs up" smiley, because if they did, I would place one here --->
    but as they don't I'll put a :drinker: here instead :happy:
  • bree1609
    bree1609 Posts: 136
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    Also try Truvia. I don't use it a lot, but I like it on my strawberries and anything else I would normally put sugar on. I heard about it by watching The Biggest Loser.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    8 year old zombie thread
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited April 2018
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    tiffanygil wrote: »
    About 2 months ago I was really having a hard time getting all of my water in. I started stopping at Sonic and getting a 44 oz of ice water with lemon. One day they put way to much lemon in it and I had a couple extra sweet n lows in my purse so I put it in the cup and it was soooo good. Ive been hooked ever since. Addicted might be a better word. I was drinking 3-4 44 oz of ice water with lime or lemon with 2 packets of sweet n low in each cup full. This is in addition to the 1 packet I used in my morning coffee.

    About 2 months ago I noticed I couldn't quit the sugar cravings. It was insane. I was eating more than I have in the last year, and a couple of times up to 3000 calories and it all was because I couldn't quit snacking and craving sugar. I started hating my work outs and having to force myself to do it. Then force myself to finish. Crazy since I've been doing this for over a year now and have never been this unmotivated. I was gaining and loosing the same 5-7lbs. This was hugely disturbing for me because in my actual dieting phase I never had a problem turning down snacks that were not scheduled or getting through a work out, and this on a lot less calories.

    Today I stopped the sweet n low. All of it except the one packet in my morning coffee and I started taking a vitamin. I feel so much better!!!! I got through my work out beautifully and even pushed myself harder. I didn't have one sugar craving and I'm not hungry for more of anything and its the end of the night!!!! I feel like Ive hit a gold mine so I had to share. So for me, sweet n low is not good at all for this body. Maybe a little premature to start a celebration but hopefully not! =)

    No, it wouldn't. Let's not play quite so fast and loose with terms that actually ruin lives to reference a fun treat that you enjoy.


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