Food labels are like ancient runes to me – I think that if I just study them hard enough eventually I’ll find the secret to perfect health. This is hilarious on two levels: first because labels lie in so many ways they make ex-boyfriends look lazy and second because while I’m so intent on reading labels, my spawn are usually deconstructing the entire food display. Which is why grocery shopping takes me three hours and always ends in tears and often with a lost shoe. (Dear Target: there is a red and black flip-flop on top of your freezer case. You may keep it as a token of love from the Andersen family.) In the past, when I read labels it was mostly to look at fat grams. But then I grew up and learned fat is awesome and good for me and so moved on to counting calories. Then it was carbs. A brief phase of salt-monitoring. And now finally, my latest food obssession: sugar.
We decided to take sugar out of our family’s diet when my discovery that sugar makes me crabby and tired led to the discovery that sugar also makes my kids crabby and tired and specifically makes my 4-year-old scream-y and rage-y (hence the flip flop). At first, I replaced the regular sugar with sugar-free products like sugar-free jam, sugar-free drink mix and the sugar-free maple syrup that so freaked you guys out when I mentioned it. (Sorry Canadians! I do love real maple syrup!)
Everything got worse. My headaches. The kids crankiness. And weirdly our cravings for sweets only got more intense. How could this be? We’d gone two weeks without sugar and it still felt like we were just white-knuckling it through every day. Then I read this study (I’m posting this for you Anna!) about the effects of diet soda on weight and diabetes. Bad news, diet Coke lovers:
“Researchers found that the diet soda drinkers had waist circumference increases of 70 percent greater than those who non-diet soda drinkers. And people who drank diet soda the most frequently — at least two diet sodas a day — had waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than people who didn’t drink any diet soda.”
500 times greater?? Egads. While I haven’t had a soda in years – strangely that was one “vice” I never had a hard time giving up, I’ve never liked the stuff – I’m guessing it was the artificial sweeteners in the sodas that did all this damage. When I thought about it, I realized I’d just replaced a natural substance in our diets with a chemical cocktail. That never ends well.
My next plan: stevia to the rescue! Stevia is not an artificial sweetener as it comes from a plant and it’s also calorie free. If you’ve been around the fit-o-sphere very long, you’ve seen many a fitblogger ode to the stuff. And yet… it didn’t help. It was at this point I came to a depressing realization: until my kids and I lost our taste for sweet (no matter the source), we were going to still crave it like crazy. And there’s still the problem that our bodies are super smart and we’re really not tricking them with the calorie-free stuff. Other studies have shown that people eat more food after eating or drinking a non-caloric sweetener, perhaps in the body’s attempt to make up for the missing calories.
Which is how we’ve been (valiantly trying to be) sugar free, artificial sweetener free and stevia free for several weeks now. Here’s what I’ve learned:
1. It works. Once I dropped all the sweeteners, my cravings dropped dramatically. Plus regular foods like almonds taste amazingly sweet.
2. Natural is better than artificial. When I do make something that needs some sugar in it, I try to stick to raw honey or pure maple syrup and then not very much of it. Plus, artificial sweeteners make me bloat like a pool toy.
3. It works on my kids too. The tantrums have dropped significantly.
4. The psychological component is huge. The first thing I want to do when I tell myself I’m not eating sugar is to binge on the stuff in one grand farewell party. There’s a fine line between telling myself that I’m choosing not to eat sugar because it makes me feel like crap and I’m depriving myself of treats. Just tonight in fact I made the decision to eat some Swedish Pulla bread (white squishy bread at its finest!) and a few bites of my husband’s chocolate milkshake. They were totally delish and I enjoyed every bite. And when I got a headache and wanted to lay down and take a nap about a half hour later, I made sure to note that too.
5. Be careful of overcompensating. I’ve gained an inch and a half around my waist (I’m not even going to pretend that doesn’t drive me nuts because it does) and I think a large part of it has to do with the fact that instead of eating sugary stuff I’ve been OD’ing on nuts and fruit.
So is it worth it to try and break up with the White Satan? I think so. I feel much better when I don’t eat it. My kids behave better when they don’t eat it. Plus my dentist was super impressed and I’m a people pleaser so that was awesome. There is the whole waistline issue and I’m still trying to decide what to do about that without going all CrazyTown up in here. (And yes I do realize that the extra inch could be because of our vacation or stress or hormonal issues or all of the above. But it’s not just a bloating issue – it’s been this way for a month now. Sigh.)
Any advice for me? What are your feelings on artificial sweeteners? Have you given up sugar – how did you do it?? Stay tuned tomorrow for my first ever good sugar-free recipe! (Complete with hilarious and disgusting pictures – you’re welcome.)
“The first thing I want to do when I tell myself I’m not eating sugar is to binge on the stuff in one grand farewell party.” I so agree with this! It’s such a double edged sword, giving something up always makes me want it more.
I never liked artificial sweeteners, they taste horrible to me and give me an awful stomach ache. Guess I lucked out on that one.
I’ve thought about giving up sugar many times over the years. Didn’t really do anything, just thought about it. I try to cut down, rather than cut out. I’d rather a have a little bit of something really good and decadent than a lot of the fake stuff. I think it affects everyone differently, as well.
Sugar makes me cranky, gassy (sorry, TMI), bloated and depressed so I don’t eat it. I do, however use stevia sparingly, with no ill effects. The caveat is that I can only use a drop or two, or else…you’re right. It will just leave me craving sweets. However, having a tiny bit of stevia seems to work for me and doesn’t cause any cravings or (I don’t think) compensation with other foods. When I want to sweeten something savoury to bring out the flavours, I will usually use a bit of maple syrup or agave, and it adds minimal amounts of sugar to the end product.
As far as giving up sugar, it wasn’t hard for me once I made the connection to how I felt – particularly the bloating! It’s not worth it to eat sugar when I look like I’m 6 months pregnant.
And I agree that when you give up sugar everything naturally tastes sweeter. Almonds are super sweet! And delicious.
This: “As far as giving up sugar, it wasn’t hard for me once I made the connection to how I felt – particularly the bloating! It’s not worth it to eat sugar when I look like I’m 6 months pregnant.” is so true! I just need to remember that before I eat the sugar, lol!
I gave up sugar for a month (still using stevia and dextrose when I felt I absolutely needed it~try as I might, I do not love unsweetened coffee) and gained a few kilos (all around the waist). I mostly stopped craving actual sweets but I couldn’t give up my few squares of dark chocolate of a night time. And like you, things that didn’t taste sweet before suddenly started to. I found that I switched from wanting sweet things to wanting salty things (chips, chips, nuts, chips, more nuts!) so that’s probably where I gained the extra kilos.
But then I caved. I allowed my husband to buy some peanut M& M’s and I’ve been back on the sugar wagon for the 3 weeks. I do watch my intake though. I have 1 sugar in my coffee instead of 2 and unless it’s a rare occasion, I’m trying not to reintroduce actual sweets or baked stuff into my diet. I honestly don’t feel any different and I haven’t gained weight. I think I need to watch my sugar intake, I know when I’ve had too much because I get stomach cramps and my belly sounds like a washing machine. I’ve always had a sweet tooth. I guess I’m still undecided about which is better!
Hi Amy,
excuse me for butting in, but I must point out that dextrose is a form of glucose… not that it would contribute to weight gain if you only had it once in a while, but still – that means you did consume some sugar in that month. maybe if you do it again without the dextrose, the results would be different?
Sorry, yes, I should have clarified I gave up fructose (based on the Sweet Poison book) not all sugars and I really did limit it a lot. And yes, I would be interested to see how I went going entirely sugar free (just not sure I have the commitment in me to do so *blush*).
I’ve read Sweet Poison and quite enjoyed it although I was a little leery of his assertion that it’s just fructose that’s the issue. So interesting too about how your cravings just switched from sweet to salty.
I gave up Sugar when my husband was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes three years ago. initially we only did stevia, which to me still seems like the healthiest choice. It has a bitter aftertaste though, so I never found myself overeating it. then I discovered sugar alcohols…have you tried them? xylitol and erythritol taste so sugar-like in recipes, it’s really hard not to have just another cookie, and then another one. and one more. but they don’t elevate my hubby’s blood sugar and allow us a nice break from everyday food. so my solution so far has been to only make sweetened treats in he weekend, and always make half recipes so we run out quickly 🙂
I should say though, that I haven’t noticed any change in my mood or energy level due to consumption of sugar alcohols. I just want to watch my weight. but even when I over eat on them, I never feel bad physically, except for maybe feeling a bit too full.
anyhow – back to your post charlotte, you’ve really given me something to think about. maybe if we take it upon ourselves to go without any type of sweetener we would just not need them anymore. wouldn’t that be awesome. it certainly would be healthier! I think we’ll give it a try!
I have tried sugar alcohols and they make me bloat like I’m 4 months pregnant. Not pretty! If you try it, let me know how it goes!
I am an avid label reader too, grocery shopping takes forever! But I’m not looking at calories, fat, or sugar… I’m looking at ingredients and what order they appear on the list. If it’s something quality and is nourishing for my body, you better believe I’m going to pick it up! That’s not to say I’m unaware of calories/fat/carbs/sugar, it’s just not my primary concern. The easiest things to shop for are those with no ingredient labels, fresh fruits and veggies!
And to answer your question, I avoid artificial sweeteners (along with HFCS, hydrogenated oils, or anything artificial like colors or flavors) like the plague! I do use stevia though.
Good point about focusing more on what healthy ingredients are in there than the bad stuff!
Woah, so timely for me today! I try to eat low carb, with the emphasis on try. The thing I really struggle with is sugar. I don’t add it to anything, but I love chocolate, and crave if like crazy and I think it is the sugar in it that is responsible. I have found the best way for me is to go cold turkey, including sweetners because I obsess about them, binge on them and then I normally end up eating sugar in the end. Staying away is ok, but only after a certain amount of time. The Diet Cure book was helping in pointing out some supplements to cope with cravings.
I’m always amazed at how sensitive to sugar I am. One bite is never one bite…*sigh*. it is sort of sad because I live in fear of birthday cake! I love the intuitive approach, but it feels like the sugar problem is too extreme for me to do it at this time.
“I live in fear of birthday cake” – ME TOO. Those white sugar, white flour goodies just kill me. Kill me! And I love to bake!
I’m trying to cut back on processed foods/carbs/sugar too . . . right now, I’m just in the initial stages. Eventually, I’d like to cut it mostly out except for once or twice a month (not week!) treats.
Good luck to you!
“One bite is never one bite…*sigh*” = 100% me!
The only way I can incorporate it into a more intuitive approach is to tell myself I can have it when I want, but to remember what it feels like when I do. And sometimes I give in, but I give in KNOWING what’s coming. And then not feeling guilty about it afterwards – despite the shakes and general crap feelings – because I knew what I was getting into.
But it’s still all-or-nothing.
This: ” I love the intuitive approach, but it feels like the sugar problem is too extreme for me to do it at this time.” is me too. I keep going back and forth about it. And judging from the other comments, it looks like you summed up the experience well for a lot of us! Thank you!!
I don’t like artificial sweeteners or stevia – they don’t taste good. I just try to limit the amount of sugar I eat. I eat plain yogurt with fruit for breakfast most mornings (natural sugar). I usually do have a little bit of chocolate every day, but a little does the trick. But I will occasionally have a real dessert or a can of Coke. It doesn’t seem to cause me to go on a sugar binge, nor do I notice any ill effects from moderate amounts, so I feel this is the best solution for me. Life is too short to skip the strawberry shortcake when strawberries are in season. 🙂
I’m going to try to not get all nerdy here.
I am always very very wary of these studies. I just spent about 15 minutes trying to find the original peer-reviewed article that this information was based on, to no avail. And all the articles that I found were IDENTICAL. Which likely means that the authors of the study sent out a press release with their findings. That’s one red flag.
Another red flag is that this is an observational study. Granted, it is better than most since it was long-term, but it still relies on self-reporting. One article did say they “corrected” for other factors (age, income, sex, neighborhood, etc), but there is still the fact that people who don’t drink soda (diet or not) are in general more likely to be health nuts.
Last red flag: the finding state that the increase is between people who drink diet soda and those who don’t drink diet soda. Does that mean they don’t drink any soda?
As for me, I know sugar is evil. I try to avoid it, and I use stevia whenever possible, but I do enjoy sugar free maple syrup (sorry Canadians, I do) and Crystal Light. I also used to (and still kind of am, if I am honest) be the person who needs something sweet after every meal (breakfast dessert anyone?) and I try to tell myself that I can have dessert after dinner. It helps keep my cravings and bloat in check and I have started eating even more veggies. I didn’t think that was possible.
I LOVE you for this. Research geeks unite! And I do love me some SF maple syrup.
HI Charlotte….
Funny that I would read this today when I am going to battle with cravings – not sugar mind you, but sweetener!
I am giving the Paleo diet a go, and am a really good rule follower (read:people pleaser) . In reading the guidelines (and 1000+ articles) they are pretty adamant about the no carb thing – which is fine with me as I have been no carb for about 6 years. However, in lieu of all things white, I have subbed sweetener. Add to that that I am a chewing gum addict – I ALWAYS have a piece of gum in my mouth or nearby. I thought these were fine because they were sugar free….now thinking I have to give these up too?? YOu would think chewing gum would be a small sacrifice, but really, it is like asking people to give up jelly beans 😉 or coffee or other daily fixes like that. VERY VERY tough.
Everyone has something that is their indulgence! I say if Primal is working for you as is (and it sounds like it) then keep the gum if it makes you happy! Besides, from what I’ve read xylitol is somewhat of a different animal than other artificial sweeteners.
I was using the artificial stuff or awhile but decided to forgo artificialness in my food as much as possible soooo went back to regular sugar. I try to use it sparingly though.
I’ve always been able to taste sweetener and never liked it.
I remember when our parents drove us out to visit our relatives and after a 9+ hour drive we would arrive at my uncle’s house and be offered a pepsi (huge treat!) I ALWAYS FORGOT THAT WHAT HE ACTUALLY HAD IN THE FRIDGE WAS DIET PEPSI. Just smelling it told me it was wrong and the first sip always made me gag but I knew I had to finish it to be polite (and avoid getting in trouble).
I hate the idea of artificialness or a lesser version of anything. Call me French (and I am but of the Canadian variety) but when I eat I want the best of the best taste and flavour (not flavor ;)) out there. Real maple syrup, real butter, real chocolate, real white, crunchy, chewy baguette with a stinky, runny cheese and a real burger with real bacon (none of that turkey substitute).
My only fake addiction (and it’s a biggie) is fast food. I can watch and learn every bad thing about ’em and yet I am drawn… to the sugar and the fake stuff no doubt. I think the best way to rid myself will be to abstain completely. But I haven’t yet.
When I have committed to a more primal way of eating or even when I used to do my maple, cayenne lemonade 12 day fasts (I know, bad for me), the biggest impact was my mental health. I was calmer, no longer obsessive, had enough distance from myself that I could reflect and be grateful for everything in my life (when you obsess, worry, are fixated, you can’t seem to step back, you can’t be grateful, you can’t be happy because you don’t feel in control). Honestly the food addictions definitely alter my mood for the worse and unfortunately, like a smoking habit, reducing doesn’t make me saner, only abstinence. And no matter how good the benefits, I keep telling myself that I will abstain tomorrow. Ech.
Mmm… crusty bread with runny cheese! Wait, what were we talking about? This: ” I was calmer, no longer obsessive, had enough distance from myself that I could reflect and be grateful for everything in my life (when you obsess, worry, are fixated, you can’t seem to step back, you can’t be grateful, you can’t be happy because you don’t feel in control). Honestly the food addictions definitely alter my mood for the worse and unfortunately, like a smoking habit, reducing doesn’t make me saner, only abstinence. And no matter how good the benefits, I keep telling myself that I will abstain tomorrow. ” Is SO powerful. I’ve noticed that too with my mood.
Charlotte, I know you’ve been in the ring with Primal Blueprint a few times before so I’m hesitant to say this, but one of the suggestions from their boards is to eat fats when you crave sugar. Olive oil, butter, bacon, avocado, nuts, etc.
I’ve gone about 3 weeks on PB at this point, and cutting out the sugar in my coffee has helped me immensely (on top of everything else). I can taste minute amounts of sugar in everything (like sausage!) and a lot of things that I formerly loved are now too sweet. I don’t like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups anymore, for example. It’s staggering.
I don’t usually do artificial sweeteners because I don’t like the taste. The only exception is when I have coffee at work. That stuff is motor oil and just pouring cream in it isn’t enough.
I do use a _lot_ of coconut milk now. Wonderful stuff. I’ve started brewing my coffee with cardamom and adding a mixture of coconut milk and cream. It’s phenomenal.
Girl, never be afraid to talk to me about primal/paleo! I think it’s a great program – the reason it failed for me was *me*. Anyhow, I love the fats suggestion – I eat a TON of fat and I’ve even learned to love bacon! Coconut milk is divine:) And true story about sweets being too sweet!
ummm…YIKES about the diet coke thing! I mean, I have heard that before, but I don’t think I ever really paid attention…and I love me some diet coke! (the regular stuff is actually ick to me…)
i used to be allll about the artificial stuff until too much of it made me look 6 months preggers…that bloating went down eventually, and my hypothetical baby and I are very pleased.
it’s hard to find sweeteners that are still good for you but don’t taste like crap…
loved this post!
This: “i used to be allll about the artificial stuff until too much of it made me look 6 months preggers…that bloating went down eventually, and my hypothetical baby and I are very pleased.” made me laugh out loud. You are awesome. And also quite correct. They make me bloat like nobody’s business too.
I refuse to feel guilty for my treats (generally a small piece of candy at some point in the day and usually some ice cream in the evening.) I’ve never really noticed an affect on my body or moods and I don’t crave sweet things. Plus it helps me feel like I’m not restricting myself which is super important. On the other hand I do feel bad about my Diet Coke (1-2 a day) and Splenda intake. I can’t drink coffee or tea without like 5 Splenda packets in them. I’m pretty sure that’s not good. Luckily that only happens like once a week or so but still. I keep thinking I should probably work on that.
Oh good! Glad I could make you feel bad about something! Kidding!! I love that you enjoy your treats and I say if the splenda is only once a week then don’t worry about that either! Sanity is always better:)
LOL 🙂 No, you didn’t make me feel bad. No more so than reading anything about what other people eat makes me feel guilty! I think you know what I mean. It’s the reason I don’t read food blogs. But I like reading your stuff. You inspired me to eat more fat and it’s awesome!
I switched from fake sugar to real when we started trying to get pregnant – gave up those super sweet low cal yogurts for greek yogurt, stopped using Splenda in my americanos (use real sugar), etc. I never noticed any weight difference, positive or negative. Then again, I don’t own a scale or a tape measure. I don’t believe you truly put on an inch and a half around your waist – that’s pretty significant for someone who works out as much as you do and watches their intake as closely. I’m chalking that up to sugar deprivation-induced hallucinations 🙂
Sugar deprived hallucinations! Hadn’t taken that into account, lol!
Consider Chromium Picolinate 200-400 micrograms a day for diminishing sugar cravings. Oh yeah, eat less sugar too!
I’ve never heard this one before! Good to know!
I have read this over & over again thru the years. Me, it really never has effected me even way back when -years & years ago- when I did drink diet soda. I have not had soda for years but I do use stevia & artificial sweeteners. I am pretty good with my willpower or willingness as Carla calls it so maybe for me, I am just good at eating the way I think is best for me.I equally love my almond treats or things I may use stevia or another sweetener in… just me.
I’m a biologist, so I REALLY should know better (actually I know better but I don’t act on it, I guess)….I am a total Splenda junkie. I think that after someone has gone through a period of restriction their body almost craves superstimulus, because I never added a ton of sugar to things growing up, but when I started with the ED around age 13 I became a sweetner fanatic and have never stopped. I probably go through 4-10 packets of Splenda a day, plus other items with it incorporated. My boyfriend calls it my cancer powder addiction. It’s kind of funny, early in our relationship he came over for a stay-at-home coffee date (broke kids!) and had to bring his own sugar in a little baggy because I didn’t have any of the real stuff in my apartment. I’m really glad he didn’t get pulled over on the way there, with a baggy of white powder in his passenger’s seat….
Anyway, really interesting to read about your experience with the sweetener issue. I was on a field expedition in the tropics for about a month once that gave me no access to any sweeteners, and we had sugar but it also served as the kitchen’s HQ for several species of ants, so I never touched it. The first thing I did when I got back to the US was buy a Propel water, which I had been craving…and I LITERALLY had to spit it back out, because it just tasted like chemicals. Which it was, of course. Funny how our taste buds can adapt like that.
Glad you’ve found a system that works for you and your kids (and their teeth). Always amazed at what a great parent you are, most people would just toss more cookies at their kids to try to get them to be quiet when tantrums start up, instead of actually paying attention to possibly causes and solutions for the behavior. Mucho respect to you.
That white powder story is hilarious!! I once found white powder on our front seat except it really was crack. Not ours – it was left there by the person who broke into my car and stole my stereo. There’s a long unfunny story! And “great parent” buwhahahah! I’m glad it comes off that way:)
That is very interesting about your kids (and you!). I have seen so many people nix sugar and I’ve said I won’t do it. But it’s possible that one day I might. I never have large quantities. Only a bite here (literally a bite sometimes) and a nibble there (or two) …which by the way is the worst for your teeth- worse than having it all at once (I digress). And for all my other things: tea, coffee, greek yogurt, shakes…I have stevia. But I have a lot of it- my husband is aghast when he sees how much I use. One day for an experiment, I might try going cold turkey. Or probably smarter would just be to slowly decrease the usage. Then I might not feel so deprived.
Thanks again for the reminder and also for the example in your family.
Waist circumference increases 500 times greater? Whoops, no; what it said was “500 percent greater.” For example, say the increase averaged 1 inch for people not drinking diet soda. If it was 500 times greater, for those drinking diet soda, that would be 500 inches. Egads, indeed. 500 percent greater is 5 *times* greater, or in this example, 5 inches. Still not good but a lot different from an increase of 500 inches.
Whoops! Good catch. Thanks you!
I totally agree with what you were saying about almonds tasting better after giving up sweeteners altogether. When I’m really good about eating whole, healthy foods, I feel like it re-sensitizes my taste buds. Which is important because American supermarket produce already tastes more like cardboard than food.
Sodas (diet… I don’t like the taste of regular anymore) have started giving me headaches and/or stomach problems. I’m still not sure if it’s the sweeteners, the carbonation, or any of the other unpronounceable ingredients in the can, but the way it makes me feel has naturally cut down on my soda consumption to 1-2 cans a week, if that. And I probably wouldn’t have any if we didn’t keep it in the house for the bf.
You know what’s an amazing (and caffeine-free) sub for a cold soda in the summer? Iced barley tea. LOVE that stuff. Love love love. I pop a couple of these in a pitcher of water in the fridge overnight: http://www.amazon.com/House-Mugicha-Barley-large-bags/dp/B0002BKIRW
Wow, I’ve never even heard of this before! I’ll definitely check it out. Love that it’s caffeine free!!
I feel so much better off the sugar, all of it, stevia included…I’m off on off on. So all or nothing with it. Why it is so good?!?
I will say that since I eat less sugar, when I do eat sweets, anything super sweet makes me ill. I used to put 3 Splendas in my Venti iced coffee. Blech – I have no idea how that possibly tasted good to me. When I make baked goods nowadays, I hardly use any sweetener if any at all – the less sweet, the better in my opinion. All that to say that the less sweetener you use, your taste buds will adjust over time, BUT I still love my stevia, just not a lot of it.
You and I are alike in SO many ways.
Thanks for this post. I somehow got sidetracked from my regular eating plan and realize that sugar has gotten the best of me lately. I feel lousy, my waistline is doughy, my brain is foggy, and my distant eyesight is changing. All this in just 2 months! I don’t limit my sugar intake. I just usually don’t crave it. If I’m on my game! I eat real foods including sugar and whole/full fats. I read labels and don’t buy chemicals. IF I drink a RARE can of pop, I call it what it is – a treat, ie not food or even a substitute for a food category. I drink throw-back. I recognize the dangers of sugar, but I’d rather have RARE sugared treat than a can of HFCS. I eat 6 meals that consist of a protein, a good fat, and a good carb. My first BFast of the day at 430am (i have swimmers in the pool early) is always 1-2 organic eggs, scrambled fresh spinach, onions, etc cooked in butter or coconut oil. My second breakfast around 9 is steel cut oatmeal with berries and whole milk. Lunch is a salad, dressing, and bean soup OR salad, dressing with wild salmon or wild tuna mixed in…Or maybe sardines. Snacks for late afternoon and late evening are apple, cheese, whole wheat crackers or banana, PB, whole milk, etc. Dinner is made from scratch at home using the same guidelines with veggies and/or salad filling the major part of my plate. I had no cravings, lost weight easily, and felt energized, clear-headed, focused, and happy. I didn’t even realize that I lost it with the start of summer vacation. I so much want to feel that good again. I start tomorrow!
How’s it going so far? It’s interesting how much our body chemistry affects isn’t it?
“Be careful of overcompensating.” This couldn’t be more true with me especially with nuts and some starches. Ugh. I’m happy to hear you are doing so well!!
Oh I love this! I just read Sugar Blues and am 50/50 on all this. On the one hand I feel like he loves honey…which is sugar. When I eat enough fat (and I need dairy fat specifically) my cravings are noticeably lower. I actually can go hours without eating and not get cranky. However, I struggle with the all or nothing thing and that is where I am. Hmmmmmm, still working I guess! PS- other times I have given up sugar for short periods and gained weight too bc I was eating around things. Why???
Glad to know I’m not the only one who’s done the overcompensating thing! And Sugar Blues FREAKED me out. Yeesh.
Charlotte, I’d like to know why think your increase in waist size could be attributed to eating more nuts & fruit. I turned 45 last month and my waist has increased 2 inches and I’ve gained 8 pounds….in 1 month! I had been 115 pounds for 10 years so this is quite a shock to me….nothing has changed except my age (NO, I’m not pregnant). I’ve been paying closer attention to what I eat the past 5 years (more whole foods/less processed) to maintain my weight, but this is ridiculous. I’ve naturally been eating more fruit this past month (in season in MN) and wonder what your thoughts are.
I just meant that I felt deprived not eating sugar so I’d been overeating fruit and nuts to get the “sweetness.” As for your question though, I know that the Primal/Paleo/Gary Taubes crowd are quite adamant that a sugar is a sugar is a sugar and that fruit should therefore be strictly limited too. It sounds to me though (not like I know anything!) that maybe you’re having a hormonal issue? Have you read “What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About Perimenopause” by Dr. Lee?? Run to your library!
Thanks for the book suggestion. Last November when I went to the dr complaining that I had developed the lower ab “pouch”, she suggested I read and follow the Flat Belly Diet to see if that helps, so I’m starting that today (as I sit here with my cucumber/ginger water). You are probably right…my metabolism is now changing and I’m now starting to be affected by foods differently than in the past.
not given up sugar and admire you for doing it! don’t use many artificial sweeteners either.
as for the inch on your waist? why are you still measuring anyway? please stop:)
I know, right?? Lesson learned. Thanks for the reality check!
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Charlotte,
I have an addiction to sugar which left uncontrolled can spiral my weight to very detrimental levels. That being said, I have learned to curb my addiction to sugar by doing the following; I always have a fruit shake for breakfast, I have no more than 6 nuts in a day , I snack on dates or figs , I try to put three pieces of plantain in my main mail. And every once in awhile I allow myself to indulge in some really expensive, gourmet desert. It works for me and I haven’t seen that it does any damage to my weight. I did stop sugar for three weeks once. It was a bad idea for me because as soon as the three weeks passed I spent the next five days eating coconut cake. I think the important thing is to find balance. I doubt our bodies would crave sugar if it didn’t need sugar.
Good luck with your waist though. Here in Jamaica we would consider you to be amazingly thin so it is interesting to read that you are worried about it but good luck anyway….
Correction… I snack on dates or figs – no more than 4 at a time and not more than once in a day*
*I try to put three pieces of plantain in my main meal.*
Sounds like a great program – I’m so glad you’ve found what works best for your body!
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