cutting out white flour, sugar and soda

shonovo
shonovo Posts: 104
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I just spoke to a friend of mine who lost 75 lbs and i asked her how she did it and she said she just cut out white flour, sugar and soda... thats it! she hasnt been able to work out for 2 months b/c of a bad case of bronchitis and shes still been losing... i already eat only whole wheat flour and whole grains... its been so hard for me to cut out sugar and soda but i think it might help me control my cravings... what do u guys think about this? all help is appreciated thanks so much!!

Replies

  • jojoworks
    jojoworks Posts: 315 Member
    If you are limiting the amount of calories you eat in a day it would make good sense to make the calories you do consume as nutritionally dense as possible. White flour, soda and most products with sugar do not contribute much nutritional value so cutting them out would make room for items that support your body's needs better. I would make exception for healthy fruit items that have sugar in them like berries, etc in their whole, unadulterated form as ok if eaten in moderation.

    make sense?

    your friend is probably losing weight because her diet was top heavy in these categories, cutting them out has created a deficit that her body is responding too.

    good luck and happy eating!
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    Damn, now I want some 7up cake.
  • 10KEyes
    10KEyes Posts: 250 Member
    Research Paleo and Primal lifestyle. They basically cutting all grains and grain based products, sugars, and limiting high starch veggies such as potatoes. The essence of it is simply to eat meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts. There is some exercise recommended on the Primal, I am not sure about Paleo, but it is low cardio, occasional intervals, and some body weight exercises.

    From everything I have read and using myself as evidence, sugar is what causes the cravings. So it seems as long as you eat the sugars, you will continue to get the cravings every 2 or 3 hours. Going primal smoothed this out for me.
  • shonovo
    shonovo Posts: 104
    If you are limiting the amount of calories you eat in a day it would make good sense to make the calories you do consume as nutritionally dense as possible. White flour, soda and most products with sugar do not contribute much nutritional value so cutting them out would make room for items that support your body's needs better. I would make exception for healthy fruit items that have sugar in them like berries, etc in their whole, unadulterated form as ok if eaten in moderation.

    make sense?

    your friend is probably losing weight because her diet was top heavy in these categories, cutting them out has created a deficit that her body is responding too.

    good luck and happy eating!

    Thanks so much! it makes so much sense and i think it will help my curb my cravings.. i think i will try this and the calories i will eat will be more beneficial for me! i am so excited! my diet now is really dense on processed sugar foods so changing this up will help me tremendously... she said the first month was killer for her but once she got thru that it was down hill from there.. i need to get thru this first month! no soda or sugars for me now! thanks guys! i will keep u posted on how im doing..
  • shonovo
    shonovo Posts: 104
    Research Paleo and Primal lifestyle. They basically cutting all grains and grain based products, sugars, and limiting high starch veggies such as potatoes. The essence of it is simply to eat meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts. There is some exercise recommended on the Primal, I am not sure about Paleo, but it is low cardio, occasional intervals, and some body weight exercises.

    From everything I have read and using myself as evidence, sugar is what causes the cravings. So it seems as long as you eat the sugars, you will continue to get the cravings every 2 or 3 hours. Going primal smoothed this out for me.

    thanks i will try this :)!
  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
    That has worked extremely well for me. I only cut white sugar though and I still eat turbinado, honey or stevia. It's a pretty drastic thing to do and the first few days of adjusting are pretty rough. I have physical reasons that made a cut like that necessary. I'm so happy that I did and I feel better than I ever have.

    However, for weight loss and health, when you don't have physical problems making it necessary, moderation is the best route to go. You can go on a carb detox and it will work wonders for cravings but can also be done with the ultimate goal of working healthy carbs and sugars back in. Spending the rest of your life with no cake doesn't really cut it long term and for a healthy lifestyle change that's what you should look for. Will this help me reach my goals and can I live with it for the rest of my life.
  • myak623
    myak623 Posts: 615 Member
    I just spoke to a friend of mine who lost 75 lbs and i asked her how she did it and she said she just cut out white flour, sugar and soda... thats it! she hasnt been able to work out for 2 months b/c of a bad case of bronchitis and shes still been losing... i already eat only whole wheat flour and whole grains... its been so hard for me to cut out sugar and soda but i think it might help me control my cravings... what do u guys think about this? all help is appreciated thanks so much!!

    I think she lost weight from a calorie deficit and not so much as to what she cut out.
  • shonovo
    shonovo Posts: 104
    i think cutting out the unnatural sugars will really help me control my cravings... b/c once i start its hard to stop... at least for the time being... and sodas are unneccesary was well... water is just fine... i am hoping it will help me.. i just want my body to be healthier b/c now i just fill it with crap! i already eat only whole grains... and i would love to try to stay away from sugars except fruit and natural sugars...
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    I just spoke to a friend of mine who lost 75 lbs and i asked her how she did it and she said she just cut out white flour, sugar and soda... thats it! she hasnt been able to work out for 2 months b/c of a bad case of bronchitis and shes still been losing... i already eat only whole wheat flour and whole grains... its been so hard for me to cut out sugar and soda but i think it might help me control my cravings... what do u guys think about this? all help is appreciated thanks so much!!

    I think she lost weight from a calorie deficit and not so much as to what she cut out.

    this.

    that isn't to say you shouldn't lower the amount of many things, especially soda. I try to avoid drinking my calories when possible. but diet soda is just fine.

    cutting some things may be beneficial to a person, just because of their makeup. some folks aren't able to effectively practice moderation. but most, I believe, can -- if they truly want to. this is a lifestyle change. make changes you can be happy with the rest of your life.
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    I just spoke to a friend of mine who lost 75 lbs and i asked her how she did it and she said she just cut out white flour, sugar and soda... thats it! she hasnt been able to work out for 2 months b/c of a bad case of bronchitis and shes still been losing... i already eat only whole wheat flour and whole grains... its been so hard for me to cut out sugar and soda but i think it might help me control my cravings... what do u guys think about this? all help is appreciated thanks so much!!

    Excluding a possible medical necessity, your friend used a rather irrational method to simply cut calories.

    Also, sugar is not evil. Don't let the alarmist idiots convince you otherwise.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    That has worked extremely well for me. I only cut white sugar though and I still eat turbinado, honey or stevia. It's a pretty drastic thing to do and the first few days of adjusting are pretty rough. I have physical reasons that made a cut like that necessary. I'm so happy that I did and I feel better than I ever have.

    However, for weight loss and health, when you don't have physical problems making it necessary, moderation is the best route to go. You can go on a carb detox and it will work wonders for cravings but can also be done with the ultimate goal of working healthy carbs and sugars back in. Spending the rest of your life with no cake doesn't really cut it long term and for a healthy lifestyle change that's what you should look for. Will this help me reach my goals and can I live with it for the rest of my life.

    Could you explain to me the differences in sucrose, honey and turbinado that would make sucrose bad yet the others ok?
  • crrc78
    crrc78 Posts: 207 Member
    After struggling with a plateau for 2 years, my OB-GYN gave me his own eating plan that was given to him by his cardiologist. I lost 12 lbs the first month, but then got derailed by the holidays and am back on it as of this morning actually!
    Limit yourself to 75g carbs per day.
    No rice, corn, pasta, bread, potato.
    Focus on green veggies and lean proteins.
    Eat one apple or orange per day (do not count their carbs towards the 75).
    You can eat what you want to get to the 75g carbs, but try to eat things like beans and nuts, rather than sugar when possible.
    Drink tons of water, including WHILE you eat your meals.

    There is a huge difference between LOW and NO carb - no carb is not sustainable (or healthy) for most.

    This is just what has worked for me - I felt so great without the sugar overload and am looking forward to having that feeling again!
  • EinTX
    EinTX Posts: 104 Member
    No doubt. But getting your cravings in control is critical to achieveing the deficit.

    For me, what works is budgeting a very specific number of carbs at a meal and no refined sugar. Thypically it is sweet potatoes over white, whole wheat pasta, etc. no refined sugar and THEN I watch my calories. But the first and utmost important thing for me is that I don't over do it on the carbs. I'm not craving, I'm loosing weight and I'm eating more.

    i forgot to mention that if I start getting hungry at the end of the day I will have a few nuts (typically about 10 almonds) , they really help relieve the hungry feeling without triggering a need to attach a candy dish.
  • shonovo
    shonovo Posts: 104
    No doubt. But getting your cravings in control is critical to achieveing the deficit.

    For me, what works is budgeting a very specific number of carbs at a meal and no refined sugar. Thypically it is sweet potatoes over white, whole wheat pasta, etc. no refined sugar and THEN I watch my calories. But the first and utmost important thing for me is that I don't over do it on the carbs. I'm not craving, I'm loosing weight and I'm eating more.

    this is what i am thinking of doing... making exchanges like whole wheat for white or sweet potato of white... stuff like that...i like ur idea i think it wil help tremendously with my cravings...
  • mzbehaven1
    mzbehaven1 Posts: 55 Member
    read the book "Wheat Belly" that will tell you why...
  • 10KEyes
    10KEyes Posts: 250 Member
    After struggling with a plateau for 2 years, my OB-GYN gave me his own eating plan that was given to him by his cardiologist. I lost 12 lbs the first month, but then got derailed by the holidays and am back on it as of this morning actually!
    Limit yourself to 75g carbs per day.
    No rice, corn, pasta, bread, potato.
    Focus on green veggies and lean proteins.
    Eat one apple or orange per day (do not count their carbs towards the 75).
    You can eat what you want to get to the 75g carbs, but try to eat things like beans and nuts, rather than sugar when possible.
    Drink tons of water, including WHILE you eat your meals.

    There is a huge difference between LOW and NO carb - no carb is not sustainable (or healthy) for most.

    This is just what has worked for me - I felt so great without the sugar overload and am looking forward to having that feeling again!

    I agree with most of this. I believe there should be a certain amount of fat in the diet too. Dietary fat is important. For me the added fat also increases satiety.


    I keep my carbohydrate level between 75g and 100g as well. It works great for me.
  • 10KEyes
    10KEyes Posts: 250 Member
    No doubt. But getting your cravings in control is critical to achieveing the deficit.

    For me, what works is budgeting a very specific number of carbs at a meal and no refined sugar. Thypically it is sweet potatoes over white, whole wheat pasta, etc. no refined sugar and THEN I watch my calories. But the first and utmost important thing for me is that I don't over do it on the carbs. I'm not craving, I'm loosing weight and I'm eating more.

    this is what i am thinking of doing... making exchanges like whole wheat for white or sweet potato of white... stuff like that...i like ur idea i think it wil help tremendously with my cravings...

    Sweet potatoes are awesome!
  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
    That has worked extremely well for me. I only cut white sugar though and I still eat turbinado, honey or stevia. It's a pretty drastic thing to do and the first few days of adjusting are pretty rough. I have physical reasons that made a cut like that necessary. I'm so happy that I did and I feel better than I ever have.

    However, for weight loss and health, when you don't have physical problems making it necessary, moderation is the best route to go. You can go on a carb detox and it will work wonders for cravings but can also be done with the ultimate goal of working healthy carbs and sugars back in. Spending the rest of your life with no cake doesn't really cut it long term and for a healthy lifestyle change that's what you should look for. Will this help me reach my goals and can I live with it for the rest of my life.

    Could you explain to me the differences in sucrose, honey and turbinado that would make sucrose bad yet the others ok?

    Yeah, I'll bite. I can't speak one word about the body uses these sugars, I'm clueless and simply stated what works for me. I know that if I add white sugar to my cereal my 1 hour glucose reading is between 150 and 160. If I add honey or turbinado it's between 110 and 120. I have to test my blood 5 times a day. I have no medical proof that white sugar is the devil and don't claim it is...hence the cake comment later I'm my post. For me, I see and feel a difference between those sugars. Perhaps it's like that for a lot of people but more pronounced for diabetics? Maybe I only notice because I have to monitor it so closely. I'm honestly not sure. There are so many of us who have great success eliminating processed foods. There are so many who have great success keeping those things in moderation. No way is THE way. Perhaps eliminating sugar and lowering carbs could.save someones life like it did.mine. Please keep on mind when hopping on the "we can't stand people who are afraid of food and have no self control" bandwagon that there are people who need this information. I should not stand on a soap box and bang the "clean" drum for the masses. I have no right to do so and it's flat out wrong for some people. Constantly refuting what could be life saving for others is irresponsible and I hope we can all just stop.
  • 10KEyes
    10KEyes Posts: 250 Member
    Yeah, I'll bite. I can't speak one word about the body uses these sugars, I'm clueless and simply stated what works for me. I know that if I add white sugar to my cereal my 1 hour glucose reading is between 150 and 160. If I add honey or turbinado it's between 110 and 120. I have to test my blood 5 times a day. I have no medical proof that white sugar is the devil and don't claim it is...hence the cake comment later I'm my post. For me, I see and feel a difference between those sugars. Perhaps it's like that for a lot of people but more pronounced for diabetics? Maybe I only notice because I have to monitor it so closely. I'm honestly not sure. There are so many of us who have great success eliminating processed foods. There are so many who have great success keeping those things in moderation. No way is THE way. Perhaps eliminating sugar and lowering carbs could.save someones life like it did.mine. Please keep on mind when hopping on the "we can't stand people who are afraid of food and have no self control" bandwagon that there are people who need this information. I should not stand on a soap box and bang the "clean" drum for the masses. I have no right to do so and it's flat out wrong for some people. Constantly refuting what could be life saving for others is irresponsible and I hope we can all just stop.

    Great post!

    Another thing I consider important to me is it's inflammatory nature and reports that evidence suggests that it is the primary "food" for cancer. So anyway, I find this information important.
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