Quitting processed sugar

[NoTeleBob]

How so? Examples?

Examples: Yogurt, bran cereal, ketchup, salsa... you'll find sugars in lots of unexpected places. It's often disguised high fructose corn syrup. You have to read a LOT of labels. And shop in multiple locations

You can minimize it. Hard to eliminate it.

 

[Trenchant63]

Also looking at probably cutting out alcohol completely.

Good move. I used to say “only a couple on Fri or Sat”. The problem is that once I cut back alcohol a lot, my body adjusted. The few on Fri/Sat impacted me more because switching my body into toxin removal mode so infrequently felt worse than when I drank a few daily when it was a routine to which my body was accustomed - weird as that sounds. So totally dry became the only option for me because the recovery cost of having a few one night a week was much higher per drink than when I drank daily - of course daily drinking brought a whole host of other issues.

 

[1293]

.Examples: Yogurt, bran cereal, ketchup, salsa... you'll find sugars in lots of unexpected places. It's often disguised high fructose corn syrup. You have to read a LOT of labels. And shop in multiple locations

You can minimize it. Hard to eliminate it.

Uh, yeah. That stuff has labels. How is it unexpected? I don't eat that stuff. Too much sugar. I keep sugar to <2g/day. It's easy.

 

[1293]

Not really, it increases your metabolism and increases your muscle mass; muscle burns more calories than fat.

How many calories does that amount to?

 

[Colo Springs E]

I keep sugar to <2g/day. It's easy.

Simple does not equal easy.(not for many of us anyway)

 

[johnny k]

switch from ketchup to hot sauce maybe ?

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This one will keep you warm and yout might lose a few grams in sweat and snot.

 

[Kev-wilson]

If you eat no sugar at all the body makes it anyway, 'glucogenesis' it's called, and afaIa the keto diet takes advantage of this, I know of type ones who take advantage of this when using an insulin pump to reduce the amount of insulin they need, each to their own but not for me as I can work my injections around porridge & brown rice and other complex carbs pretty well.

 

[jdl57]

Unfortunately for me, I have a lot of experience at this. All carbs are sugar, your body doesn't care what form they take. When you eliminate carbs, you go into a withdrawal people call the keto flu. You just have to muscle through it, it will end in three or four days. If you don't think sugar is an addiction, this should change your mind. The fact that you are still eating fruit, and probably high carb vegetables i.e. corn, peas, beans, potatoes, rice, and flour (whole wheat doesn't change the carb count), is probably why the cravings haven't stopped. Imagine telling an alcoholic to only drink every other day.

The other thing about carbs is that they never fill you up. This is why you always have room for dessert. You can eat carbs all day and never be satisfied. The only thing that turns off your hunger is saturated fat. Sorry, but it's true. You can probably eat a whole bag of chips (cooked in seed oil, as they all are), but try eating a whole stick of butter. You will be feeling nauseous less than halfway through--that's your body telling you you're full. Your government told you back in the 1970's that fat, especially saturated, was bad, and that's when the obesity crisis started.

So, if you are serious about this, do not intentionally eat ANY carbohydrates--you will get plenty without trying. The exception is green leafy vegetables or other "5 gram" vegetables. Do not avoid natural fats--butter, olive oil, coconut oil, the fat in your meats, chicken skin, and cream. Olive oil is the only oil that comes in a bottle that you should eat, and don't eat margarine. Your body will naturally control the amounts of these fats you will consume. Don't eat anything that comes pre-packaged.

This isn't easy, and it isn't fun, but it does work. Good luck.

BTW, this diet dropped my blood pressure 20 points.

 

[sloppychops]

 

[andy__d]

I’ve been avoiding the processed foods (and red wine) for the last few months, and have dropped 32lbs.

One trick that I’ve found works for replacing a lot of sauces, where you want something to dip your food into, is taking a few tablespoons of unsweetened Greek style natural yoghurt, and stirring in some hotsauce. I do that for wings and ribs, and never miss the sugary sauces at all.

I also noticed that most of my bad decisions around processed and high carb foods came at breakfast, so I started what they call “intermittent fasting” - which is just a fancy term for skipping breakfast, and just drinking black coffee: and it’s done wonders for my mid morning blood sugars - (I’m a T1) - which would often go a bit loopy after breakfast- and I’m surprised to find that I don’t really miss it or feel hungry. Ymmv, of course.

Avoiding processed food is a lot easier if you can avoid restaurants and fast food - especially at lunch: we’ve got into the habit of cooking for 4 at dinner time, so lunch is already done as leftovers the next day, and we only need to think about cooking once a day. Plus, if you do get any sort of restaurant meal, ask for it “naked” - that seems to be more universally understood by servers than “no sauce”, for some weird reason…

 

[teletail]

How many calories does that amount to?

How long is a piece of string?

 

[1stpitch]

To avoid sugar, stay away from restaurants. They put sugar in everything these days. Even vegetables. Any processed food is the same, not just desserts. It's no wonder we are all so fat.

 

[1293]

Simple does not equal easy.(not for many of us anyway)

I didn't say it was simple. I said it was easy.

 

[VWAmTele]

Excerise is great, but all but useless for weight loss.

?. That's just not true. Maybe it's not necessary to lose weight, but it speeds the process and makes you feel better while doing it.

 

[1293]

?. That's just not true. Maybe it's not necessary to lose weight, but it speeds the process and makes you feel better while doing it.

Speed the process? Not really. No argument on making you feel better and be better.

 

[1293]

How long is a piece of string?

You didn't answer the question. Your argument is devoid of evidence.

 

[teleman1]

P.S. Grapes are not your friend. They call them spikers for good reason.

 

[billy logan]

Snack on nuts where, in the past, it would've been something w/sugar. Yes, nuts have calories, but they aren't empty calories Walnuts have a beneficial oil, they say.

Pistachios provide copper, one of the specific ingredients in supplements meant to protect my eyes as I age.

btw Pistachios taste like waffle cones (of ice cream cones) to me. For no logical reason.

 

[Hey_you]

Best of luck. I tried and failed, tho I cut back greatly. Ice cream, I have to have it.
One day I added up just how much sugar I typically used in a day. I weighed it out and put it in a bowl with a spoon in it. Grossed me out looking at the amount!

 

[brookdalebill]

Y’all are making me feel like I lowdown junkie!