Maintaining and cutting out sugar

rosewolf13
rosewolf13 Posts: 12 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have a MAJOR sugar addiction. In recent weeks I've gotten much better about slowly cutting out sugar and using natural replacements (ie when I craving hits I jump to an orange as opposed to ice cream). I've noticed that with less sugar I eat the more salty things I'm craving. I used to never crave salt, this new craving is causing my scale to go haywire. I'm up a pound down a pound daily almost. Will this all settle out? Will my body adjust? Anyone experiencing anything similar?

Replies

  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
    Instead of focusing on the daily number, focus on the averages instead.
  • oocdc2
    oocdc2 Posts: 1,361 Member
    Alternatively, you may want to gauge how your clothes fit rather than numbers. As long as I can fit into my current size, I'm good.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Salty foods create temporary water retention. It's perfectly natural. :)

    My maintenance range is 10 lbs. I fluctuate within that daily. Likely hourly, too, if I cared to check. It's the trend - measured over time - that matters.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,935 Member
    If you keep varying your sodium intake, your weight will fluctuate accordingly. If you're within your well-determined maintenance calorie goal, you won't gain fat. If you don't have high blood pressure, the salt is unlikely to be a problem otherwise, within reason. So, why worry?

    I love salt. Always have. Nowadays, I mostly get it from things like raw sauerkraut, kim chi, pickles, etc.: Very calorie-affordable, and delicious.
  • jrwms714
    jrwms714 Posts: 421 Member
    OP, salt can affect different people different ways. For me, one restaurant meal and I can gain 3 lbs. of water weight that takes 2 -3 days to flush out of my system. So I avoid salt as much as I can .. never use it at home, don't cook with it, but can't avoid it when eating out. It's in everything. Even if I say, "Please, no salt" when I order, I know it's already in much of the food before it comes out. What I'm asking is that the chef/cook doesn't just pitch extra on there before serving and sometimes that helps. I also pretty much know the safest things to order. Just know that switching from sugar to salt can have the effect that you mentioned, and, after you retain water from salt, what helps me is drinking even more water than usual for the next few days until it is gone from my system.
  • Suzyqk0205
    Suzyqk0205 Posts: 11 Member
    make sure your drinking enough water, when I eat a lot of salty foods I retain water also, so the more water I drink the faster my body flushes the sodium out...I eat a lot of berries when I crave sugar and I use monk fruit sweetener
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Is it actually sugar that is causing your weight gain? Or the things that have sugar in them?

    Sugar is such a small part of my calories for the day. Now the FAT in cake frosting will get you. The BUTTER in cookies will get you. But it's not sugar - it's the fat and the carbs.

    I don't fight my sugar craving - I just don't eat that much. I have ONE piece of chocolate (35 calories) or a quarter cup of ice cream (150 calories of Ben and Jerry's or 90 of some cheap stuff). I'll eat a date (60 calories). Very little sweet scratches me itch.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    And salt will put 3 pounds on me in a day. Especially if I'm on the road and not moving enough.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,974 Member
    I eat a lot of fruit/veggies w/natural sugar in them but otherwise strictly limit my sugar intake from other food and/or beverage sources. I salt my food normally and to not have any extraordinary craving for salt as a result.
  • islanddrake
    islanddrake Posts: 1 Member
    Does anyone know much about agave syrup? I have been in maintenance mode for about a month and it seems to be going pretty well. I have agave syrup on some paleo waffles in the mornings along with black coffee. I haven’t had any adverse affects from it but it’s pretty sweet stuff. Does anyone have any experience with it causing an insulin response or weight gain? I know it’s a low glycemic index sweetener but it seems crazy!?

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