i have to quit sugar

[lizard_brain]

I kinda sorta did it that way too, but not intentionally. I stopped drinking soft drinks, then later thought "What else can I change?" Cut out fast foods. Cut out salt and processed foods first, at my doc's suggestion - either that or go on blood pressure meds. That got the ball rolling for more changes. More organic foods, more fresh stuff, smaller meals, etc.

 

I keep promising myself a pint of Hagen-Daas a month, but it's been longer than that now. I'm afraid I'll go crazy if I break this stretch without it. It's been almost a month since I've eaten meat, too, but I'll soon take care of that, I promise you, and whatever it is, it's gonna have bacon and cheese on it.

[selkirk]

you all totally RULE!!! i think i just need to pick a date and just not eat it any more. this is harder than quiting anything else. with the kids in the house it is hard to not have treats. i don't want them to feel like they are growing up in a concentration camp (my mom was a total food nazi) but i am way out of control and packing on weight. I way more now than i have since i had my hysterectomy 8 years ago. i recognize that part of all of this is becuase i have been so injured and not able to do my normal stuff so i have sought comfort in food. just the idea of quiting sugar makes me feel nervous and shaky. stoopid addictions any way.

 

No time to start like the present! And just because your weening the sugar out of the house doesn't mean the Things can't have sweets on occasion. It just gives you a good reason to take them out for the occasional ice cream cone.

[cj001f]

I was reading an article on vending machines in schools, and it said that one study was saying that one can of regular Pepsi or Coke per day means almost 10 pounds after a year for the average adult male.

 

14.6 lbs

[godskid5]

I was reading an article on vending machines in schools, and it said that one study was saying that one can of regular Pepsi or Coke per day means almost 10 pounds after a year for the average adult male.

 

14.6 lbs

well that explains alot!

gotta give up soda, and get out more often!

[archenemy]

Sugar is killing the health of our country. Everything has high fructose corn syrup in it these days. I started the Zone diet about 6 weeks ago and could not feel better. I had zero weight to lose, I just wanted better physical performance. It is crazy what this way of eating will do to/for you. I have dropped around 4-5% body fat but I have not lost a pound. I have kept all my strength and feel amazing.

 

Try it for a month or two. It will make a huge difference in your quality of life. It does suck at first though. Very litle bread, no pasta or rice and no sugar. All carbs come from fruits and veggies. I truly believe it is they way we were intended to eat.

I have no experience with this diet so I am not speaking from experience nor knocking it from a scientific standpoint.

 

But over a billion people live on rice as their main food source, and they seem to be all right. They live longer than we do, that's for sure.

 

Many, many cultures live on bread as their main source of food. They've been okay for centuries.

 

Pasta I don't know about; but I haven't met too many unhappy Italians. Plus, they are good in bed.

 

So when I hear about cutting out main food groups of stuff people have eaten for centuries, I have to wonder.

When people talk about cutting out the stuff that has been developed recently (which seems to coincide with our recent fat-ass health problems), they seem to be making sense.

 

IOW:

"Don't eat rice"

What?

 

"Don't drink soda pop"

Right. Got it. Thanks.

 

From my own experience, I can say that I have gotten fat over the last couple years due to increasing my caloric intake, increasing my sugar intake, and decreasing my activity levels. As much as I'd like to think drinking maple syrup in water for two weeks is going to fix that, I know better.

[Bug]

Eat less. Work out more. Doh.

Sugar is easily digestible and so makes it to your bloodstream quickly. This can be evened out by eating a fatty protein first.

Not a huge chunk of ribs, just a bit of meat with fat or fatty fish. It works for me and I am mildly hypoglycemic.

Other things that rate as sugar are potatoes, whiskey, beer, empty carbs.

[cj001f]

From my own experience, I can say that I have gotten fat over the last couple years due to increasing my caloric intake, increasing my sugar intake, and decreasing my activity levels. As much as I'd like to think drinking maple syrup in water for two weeks is going to fix that, I know better.

 

That sounds like hard work.

 

 

Anybody know if the diet they are advertising on signs stuck along the roadway works?

[lizard_brain]

I kinda sorta did it that way too, but not intentionally. I stopped drinking soft drinks, then later thought "What else can I change?" Cut out fast foods. Cut out salt and processed foods first, at my doc's suggestion - either that or go on blood pressure meds. That got the ball rolling for more changes. More organic foods, more fresh stuff, smaller meals, etc.

 

I keep promising myself a pint of Hagen-Daas a month, but it's been longer than that now. I'm afraid I'll go crazy if I break this stretch without it. It's been almost a month since I've eaten meat, too, but I'll soon take care of that, I promise you, and whatever it is, it's gonna have bacon and cheese on it.

 

Today is one month without meat or sugar. I'm gonna go buy a pint of Hagen-Daas chocolate-chocolate chip.

 

MMmmmmm....

 

[archenemy]

Halloween is a day of celebration.

 

Get two pints.

[Couloir]

Drink vodka.

[sk]

Sugar is killing the health of our country. Everything has high fructose corn syrup in it these days. I started the Zone diet about 6 weeks ago and could not feel better. I had zero weight to lose, I just wanted better physical performance. It is crazy what this way of eating will do to/for you. I have dropped around 4-5% body fat but I have not lost a pound. I have kept all my strength and feel amazing.

 

Try it for a month or two. It will make a huge difference in your quality of life. It does suck at first though. Very litle bread, no pasta or rice and no sugar. All carbs come from fruits and veggies. I truly believe it is they way we were intended to eat.

I have no experience with this diet so I am not speaking from experience nor knocking it from a scientific standpoint.

 

But over a billion people live on rice as their main food source, and they seem to be all right. They live longer than we do, that's for sure.

 

Many, many cultures live on bread as their main source of food. They've been okay for centuries.

 

Pasta I don't know about; but I haven't met too many unhappy Italians. Plus, they are good in bed.

 

So when I hear about cutting out main food groups of stuff people have eaten for centuries, I have to wonder.

When people talk about cutting out the stuff that has been developed recently (which seems to coincide with our recent fat-ass health problems), they seem to be making sense.

 

IOW:

"Don't eat rice"

What?

 

"Don't drink soda pop"

Right. Got it. Thanks.

 

From my own experience, I can say that I have gotten fat over the last couple years due to increasing my caloric intake, increasing my sugar intake, and decreasing my activity levels. As much as I'd like to think drinking maple syrup in water for two weeks is going to fix that, I know better.

 

I think it is okay to eat anything that isn't prcessed. I like brown rice and I think it is good for me. I like whole greain breads and pasta. I like potatos too.I am moraly opposed to being miserable for any length of time. I think that i will be okay if i can get my sugar intake down to human proportions.

 

my first step was to start reading lables. I am doing that almost all the time now.

 

second step is to only eat one treat a day. that is my challenge for this week. part of what i keep thinking about is that i don't have to never have candy or cake or ice cream again. i just want it to go back to being a once in a while thing.

 

thanks for all the help and tips everyone.

[lizard_brain]

I did eat the pint of Hagen-Daas after doing without for a month. It wasn't as good as I remembered. I kind of wished I had gone for a bacon cheeseburger instead. (I did have a BLT at a party on Friday.)

 

Maybe next time I'll just put bacon on the Hagen-Daas.

[selkirk]

I know one thing Mrs. Selkirk tries to do is only eat those things which will absolutely completely satisfy her craving if she's having one. No cheap chocolate, less than stellar ice cream, nothing that relies on quantity to satisfy. I don't know that the cost is any different, but the quantity comes.

 

Keep your chin up and make those treat's really worthwile!

[i_like_sun]

OK, Muffy,

 

the first thing you need to know about sugar "addiction" is that it really does correspond to a brain event. The reason people get sugar cravings, is because your brain is not getting what it needs to sustain its energy demands. Because the brain only uses glucose for energy, whenever glucose is low the first thing the brain does is send out a chemical message to your pancreas to release the hormone glucagon - which makes you feel HUNGRY. This is a normal and healthy thing.

 

Where it gets complicated: when people eat a diet that is low in nutrition (nutrition is NOT only calories) the brain can go into a constant starvation state even though the daily intake of calories exceeds metabolic rate. When your brain always thinks it is starving, the first CRAVING it [creates] is for simple sugars - the fastest and easiest way to get glucose. So begins the vicious cycle: you plow into some sugar and give your brain some relief. Then, 20 minutes later, because sugar is so rapidly metabolized, you get the same craving all over again and end up consuming way more calories than you are burning. Hence weight gain. The only way to beat this cycle is to supply your body with ample quality nutrition, and get more exercise -which drastically improves HOW you use what you eat.

 

What is interesting to me, is that the brain truly is the master controller of the whole body. Whenever one chemical is off balance, it compensates by off balancing something else! One interesting example, is that after a heavy workout and you've broken down a lot of muscle tissue, the brain lowers the amount of insulin cycling in the blood. It does this because if insulin remained high, the brain would have to compete with your damaged muscles for glucose (since insulin is responsible for pulling sugar into cells). The reason that is not good, is because if the brain fails to get enough glucose, well, shit starts to die! This is partially why post workout nutrition is so important.

 

At any rate, if you want to lower your intake of sugar, which should lower your total calories and help you lose weight, eat a balanced diet that is rich in vegatables, whole grains, and lean protein. And don't forget to make EXERCISE a ***PRIORITY*** - just like you do your job and taking care of your munchkins!

 

How are you doing, anyway? I haven't chatted with ya in some time!

 

 

[rob]

Man, cruising the hallways after halloween at my work is dangerous, if you're trying to stay away from refined sugar.

[lizard_brain]

OK, Muffy,

 

the first thing you need to know about sugar "addiction" is that it really does correspond to a brain event. The reason people get sugar cravings, is because your brain is not getting what it needs to sustain its energy demands. Because the brain only uses glucose for energy, whenever glucose is low the first thing the brain does is send out a chemical message to your pancreas to release the hormone glucagon - which makes you feel HUNGRY. This is a normal and healthy thing.

 

Where it gets complicated: when people eat a diet that is low in nutrition (nutrition is NOT only calories) the brain can go into a constant starvation state even though the daily intake of calories exceeds metabolic rate. When your brain always thinks it is starving, the first CRAVING it [creates] is for simple sugars - the fastest and easiest way to get glucose. So begins the vicious cycle: you plow into some sugar and give your brain some relief. Then, 20 minutes later, because sugar is so rapidly metabolized, you get the same craving all over again and end up consuming way more calories than you are burning. Hence weight gain. The only way to beat this cycle is to supply your body with ample quality nutrition, and get more exercise -which drastically improves HOW you use what you eat.

 

What is interesting to me, is that the brain truly is the master controller of the whole body. Whenever one chemical is off balance, it compensates by off balancing something else! One interesting example, is that after a heavy workout and you've broken down a lot of muscle tissue, the brain lowers the amount of insulin cycling in the blood. It does this because if insulin remained high, the brain would have to compete with your damaged muscles for glucose (since insulin is responsible for pulling sugar into cells). The reason that is not good, is because if the brain fails to get enough glucose, well, shit starts to die! This is partially why post workout nutrition is so important.

 

At any rate, if you want to lower your intake of sugar, which should lower your total calories and help you lose weight, eat a balanced diet that is rich in vegatables, whole grains, and lean protein. And don't forget to make EXERCISE a ***PRIORITY*** - just like you do your job and taking care of your munchkins!

 

How are you doing, anyway? I haven't chatted with ya in some time!

 

 

Any books or authors you'd reccommend - or reject - on nutrition, sports nutrition, especially geard toward athletes and laymen? All of the training books I've read (mainly distance running and marathoning and weight training) all have chapters on weight loss and nutrition and such, but they all just scratch the surface and say similar things. Maybe a topic for another thread but... Just askin'

[ClimbingPanther]

Yet another reason to lay off the sugar...

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/consumer/orl-acne1607oct16,0,5930596.story

[minx]

i quit

[lizard_brain]

I got it - smoke sugar!

[archenemy]

Yet another reason to lay off the sugar...

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/consumer/orl-acne1607oct16,0,5930596.story

I find this very interesting:

 

"Along with acne, the Inuits also developed higher rates of obesity, diabetes, dental [cavities] and heart disease," says Smith. "It's interesting that the other maladies are commonly associated with diet, yet acne isn't."

 

I am curious why their obesity rates are going up with Western diets. With such a high fat and protein consumption (think pemmican--yummy) during their pre-westernized diet, how could they get fattened up by eating processed foods? Is that the link? Higher sugar itself won't do it if your caloric intake doesn't go up, right?

[selkirk]

Are you sure they're caloric intake relative to caloric consumption didn't go up though? We do have an awfully lazy society and hard physical labor isn't really required to stay alive anymore. Not to mention being cold burns a lot of calories.

[JayB]

You burn quite a few more calories chasing down a whale than you do chasing down a cheeseburger or a brick of welfare cheese.

 

Death by starvation wasn't terribly uncommon.

 

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D01E7DD173CE433A25752C1A9639C94649ED7CF&oref=slogin

 

[Sherri]

You burn quite a few more calories chasing down a whale than you do chasing down a cheeseburger or a brick of welfare cheese.

 

 

Wow, that one just brought back some repressed childhood memories. We never did figure out what kind of "cheese" those bricks were supposed to be.

[sk]

i have been working at trying to cut back and thinking about what i eat. it is tough. i hate not being able to eat what i want

[G-spotter]

Yet another reason to lay off the sugar...

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/consumer/orl-acne1607oct16,0,5930596.story

I find this very interesting:

 

"Along with acne, the Inuits also developed higher rates of obesity, diabetes, dental [cavities] and heart disease," says Smith. "It's interesting that the other maladies are commonly associated with diet, yet acne isn't."

 

I am curious why their obesity rates are going up with Western diets. With such a high fat and protein consumption (think pemmican--yummy) during their pre-westernized diet, how could they get fattened up by eating processed foods? Is that the link? Higher sugar itself won't do it if your caloric intake doesn't go up, right?

 

Um, *different types* of fat, and way more high glycemic index carbs...