Eating less sugar

I use truvia for my coffee. I eat cereal that contain nuts so I dont have to add sugar. I still have a hard time losing weight even after cutting out sugar.
 
Portion size is a big issue for us Americans, too. Compare a plate of food today with one from the 1950s, say, and it’s about doubled in size. It’s no wonder we have issues here.
It's not just portion size that's not helping here. I'm not exactly sure what the laws & regulations are, but they are stricter in Europe than in the US. There are limits how much sugar a product may contain.
I've just compared Coca-Cola 39gr carbs (sugar) in the US versus 11gr in NL. This makes it so hard to win the battle against being overweight and obesity.
 
My mom recently had a diabetic nutritional course. We learned a lot. Mainly on how sugar is added everywhere.

Adding sugar to coffee will not make it break any sugar habits. The one or two tsp a day for that is nothing. Read labels! Ex you are better off eating plain yogurt and adding a tsp of jam compared to processed strawberry yogurt. Look at what salad dressings you buy. Olive Garden’ s I read has an insane amount form example ( 1 cup per bottle I think).

you say you add sugar to cereal?! STOP. Just stop. That is an obvious. Stop the sodas.

If your focus is really on reducing sugar I would consider taking a diabetic nutritional class. My mother took one of those and learned a lot. Mainly on how so much sugar is hidden everywhere. And that fruit being “healthy” Can actually be unhealthy due to its sugar content. She learned that fruit juices are the devil in disguise. Even if they’re “natural” no sugar added. What we’ve been doing for years anyways is diluting our juices. Pure orange juice for me is just simply overwhelming and makes my teeth hurt. . I add a lot of ice and some water. Apple juice I drink as a spritzer. I add about 1/3 juice 2/3 water sparkling. Soda we drink rarely and if we doit it’s diet. I have to admit it’s just because I don’t like the taste of regular Coke.


Allowing yourself that piece a cake or donuts once in a while is ok as long as it’s not at binge levels. just look at all the other sugars that are out there.m.

I just find it a shame that so many people are denying themselves a great cup of coffee by taking sugar out if that’s what they prefer. In my mom’s course they even talked about this and the instructor laughed. he said that’s not gonna solve your problem if you think eliminating sugar from your morning coffee is going to save the world. It’s a lot more complex than that.

Hope I didn’t ramble too much but I’m attempting to do laundry right now
 
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OP, my weakness is also sugar. I don't get it out of my life though. I've managed to lose 15 lbs since April (and I didn't have a lot to lose so that's significant for me). Basically I've really just cut my portions and avoid things that tend to cause insulin spikes. I was a big cereal eater because it's convenient when I'm at work. Now with the pandemic, I can fix my own breakfast so I eat a lot more eggs (no sugar) and I make steel cut oatmeal with NO sugar. It took some getting used to but once I tamed my taste for sugar it's manageable. I add plenty of cinnamon to it and about 9 grams of raisins (which basically are sugar, I know). Anyhow, the one thing I tried to do without was sugar in my morning hot tea (not a coffee drinker). I can't do it, I don't enjoy it. So I carefully measure out 1 teaspoon of sugar. I have several cups a day so I end up having about 4 tsps. added sugar per day.

At night I have a Yasso yogurt bar or fudgesicle (sugar there), but that's basically it besides what I get naturally in fruit.

As another poster upthread said: maybe quit eating cereal. Unless you are eating shredded wheat or something, most "healthy" cereals have a lot of sugar added and you are also adding it on top. That's a LOT of sugar. There is nothing good for you about that meal.

I also don't do artificial sweeteners of any kind because they just don't agree with me. I feel bad when I use them too much. I was a 2 a day soda drinker in my youth. Now I only have one if I'm out to dinner or something--it's a treat.

Sugar really does simulate an addictive feel. The more you have the more you want and it dulls your tastebuds to enjoying the regular taste of food and makes it taste horrible.
 


Ex you are better off eating plain yogurt and adding a tsp of jam compared to processed strawberry yogurt.

Love this idea. Will try it - will buy plain yogurt next time I am ready to buy.


I use almond milk instead of whole, 2%, etc. Is this better? If not, I should go to black. I can drink it just don't enjoy it as much. I will eventually get used to it.

I do not use artificial sweeteners and don't buy "less sugar" products.

We love and have lot's of fruit daily.

As far as the best ones for less sugar - all berries and cantaloupes.
 
My mom recently had a diabetic nutritional course. We learned a lot. Mainly on how sugar is added everywhere.

Adding sugar to coffee will not make it break any sugar habits. The one or two tsp a day for that is nothing. Read labels! Ex you are better off eating plain yogurt and adding a tsp of jam compared to processed strawberry yogurt. Look at what salad dressings you buy. Olive Garden’ s I read has an insane amount form example ( 1 cup per bottle I think).

you say you add sugar to cereal?! STOP. Just stop. That is an obvious. Stop the sodas.

If your focus is really on reducing sugar I would consider taking a diabetic nutritional class. My mother took one of those and learned a lot. Mainly on how so much sugar is hidden everywhere. And that fruit being “healthy” Can actually be unhealthy due to its sugar content. She learned that fruit juices are the devil in disguise. Even if they’re “natural” no sugar added. What we’ve been doing for years anyways is diluting our juices. Pure orange juice for me is just simply overwhelming and makes my teeth hurt. . I add a lot of ice and some water. Apple juice I drink as a spritzer. I add about 1/3 juice 2/3 water sparkling. Soda we drink rarely and if we doit it’s diet. I have to admit it’s just because I don’t like the taste of regular Coke.


Allowing yourself that piece a cake or donuts once in a while is ok as long as it’s not at binge levels. just look at all the other sugars that are out there.m.

I just find it a shame that so many people are denying themselves a great cup of coffee by taking sugar out if that’s what they prefer. In my mom’s course they even talked about this and the instructor laughed. he said that’s not gonna solve your problem if you think eliminating sugar from your morning coffee is going to save the world. It’s a lot more complex than that.

Hope I didn’t ramble too much but I’m attempting to do laundry right now
Interesting. (Bolded.) A lot has been studied about the relationship between caffeine and blood sugar. It’s well known that caffeine alone can elevate blood sugar in diabetics, so that if they’re starting their day off with coffee, their blood sugar may be higher to start out (some estimates are around 8% higher) before even eating any food, and that’s not good. It just wouldn’t make sense to then add sugar to coffee on top of that, which will elevate blood sugar even further. I don’t know if your mother is pre-diabetic or diabetic, but that could make a difference. Caffeine consumption can work differently in those who are not diabetic. At any rate, for myself, in trying to lower my own sugar intake, the first thing to go was sugar in my coffee, and I really don’t miss it much. As a matter of fact, since I’ve done this some things I previously enjoyed now taste sickeningly sweet to me. It’s all in what we’re used to.
 
Interesting. (Bolded.) A lot has been studied about the relationship between caffeine and blood sugar. It’s well known that caffeine alone can elevate blood sugar in diabetics, so that if they’re starting their day off with coffee, their blood sugar may be higher to start out (some estimates are around 8% higher) before even eating any food, and that’s not good. It just wouldn’t make sense to then add sugar to coffee on top of that, which will elevate blood sugar even further. I don’t know if your mother is pre-diabetic or diabetic, but that could make a difference. Caffeine consumption can work differently in those who are not diabetic. At any rate, for myself, in trying to lower my own sugar intake, the first thing to go was sugar in my coffee, and I really don’t miss it much. As a matter of fact, since I’ve done this some things I previously enjoyed now taste sickeningly sweet to me. It’s all in what we’re used to.

Interesting I had to call my mom and ask. She is pre-diabetic so it was a basic nutritional course on how to lower your overall sugar consumption. She said the focus was more on looking for hidden sugars in learning how to read labels. And that the comment on coffee is that many people think that if they leave sugar out of their coffee they are all good. That’s why the guy laughed because people Eat too much sugar in many ways they don’t even realize but worry about 2 cubes of sugar. That it’s not the 2 sugar cubes in your coffee that will make a difference in the big picture. She did say they mentioned cutting back on alcohol. (binge drinking specifically ) But nothing on caffeine.
 


Interesting I had to call my mom and ask. She is pre-diabetic so it was a basic nutritional course on how to lower your overall sugar consumption. She said the focus was more on looking for hidden sugars in learning how to read labels. And that the comment on coffee is that many people think that if they leave sugar out of their coffee they are all good. That’s why the guy laughed because people Eat too much sugar in many ways they don’t even realize but worry about 2 cubes of sugar. That it’s not the 2 sugar cubes in your coffee that will make a difference in the big picture. She did say they mentioned cutting back on alcohol. (binge drinking specifically ) But nothing on caffeine.
It is true that sugar is in so many things. I am always surprised, though, at how much sugar some people put in their coffees. I had someone over recently who took four spoonfuls in a relatively small cup! Hearing at the drive-thru what some people request is also eye-opening, like 8 Splendas! I couldn’t drink either of those! Nothing is worse than when I get up to the highway, open my coffee and realize it’s loaded with sugar! I’ve tried to drink it, but I can’t, so it’s a total waste. :headache:
 
What we’ve been doing for years anyways is diluting our juices. Pure orange juice for me is just simply overwhelming and makes my teeth hurt. . I add a lot of ice and some water. Apple juice I drink as a spritzer. I add about 1/3 juice 2/3 water sparkling. Soda we drink rarely and if we doit it’s diet. I have to admit it’s just because I don’t like the taste of regular Coke.

I do the same thing. Most juices are too sweet for me now, I usually do about 10% juice and 90% water (still or sparkling) just to have some flavor. Flavored seltzers are good, too.
 
I also try to limit sugar and a trick I’ve learned with yogurt is to use frozen blueberries. If you microwave frozen blueberries they will release a lot of juice. I then add unsweetened Greek yogurt after the blueberries are done in the microwave and mix that together. I think it tastes really good. I also add some ground flax seed to that mixture.
 
I have to admit it’s just because I don’t like the taste of regular Coke.
Same here, but I think that's because I grew up in the 80s/90s when 'light' was the better option. My mom only bought light sodas, so that's the taste I am used to. Regular tastes weird to me.
 
If you want to watch a good documentary on the negative effects of sugar, check out That Sugar Film on Amazon Prime.
 
After years of working my way through various degrees of trying to limit my sugar, using artificial sweeteners, trying and failing to like stevia, the only thing that worked for me for breaking my perceived need for sugar was doing a Whole30.

It's kind of a tough love thing, but for 30 days (and you can do anything for 30 days), you won't be having any form of sugar or sweetener at all (along with a bunch of other stuff that you won't be eating), and by the end of it you won't feel the same need for it that you did before. That's not to say that you for sure won't go back to using sugar, just that you'll have the ability to cut it out of your life to whatever degree you want to, if you choose to.
 
It is true that there is sugar in a lot of packaged and processed foods which is why going back to buying ingredients, especially fresh produce and properly raised meat, and cooking meals instead of warming them up in a microwave is a really important step towards regaining our collective health.

If (general) you are looking for something quick and easy it isn't going to drastically improve your health and quality of life. It will require effort and time just like anything worth doing. That isn't something people like to hear but that doesn't make it true.
 
I like unsweetened coconut or almond milk in my coffee. Try it. I've always found sugar in my coffee made it more bitter though. Some low-carbers put a little heavy cream in their coffee. You really only need a tablespoon or less.

In general, eating "cleanly" or less processed foods will naturally help cut the sugar. The less sugar you have, the more you will notice it going forward. A can of regular soda tastes sickly sweet to me now. Start reading labels, make your own sauces and dressings, and eating whole foods.
 
It seems to me that the best way to break a sugar addiction is to keep the sweets out of the house.
 
There is good advice here-but the reality is YOU first have to decide that being thinner/healthier is something you value more than eating sweets. Until that happens you will consistently fail. Once you reach that point-Stop drinking soda-in fact get artificial sweeteners and diet foods out of your diet-they trigger more cravings than just eating the occasional sweet by far. Once you have control of the beast so to speak an occasional soda, diet or otherwise will not be a deal breaker but you have to be able to decide that one soft drink a month is okay. Portion control, count calories! Long term weight loss-regardless of what method or diet plan you use is accomplished when calories coming in is smaller than calories going out. Excluding any group of foods long term is not really tenable. you have to learn to eat mostly whole foods-veggies and proteins first, then carbs and for all the other things to be occasional-not forbidden because that can lead to binges but occasional. I have found counting calories and staying inside a set boundary to be most effective-then I ask myself-is that 300 calorie chocolate bar which really wont taste that good worth skipping something later-the answer is generally no. I eat whatever I want, after consideration, and find that what ever I want is generally protein-meat, fish or dairy and veg with smaller amounts of carbs and a bit of sweet-but it took a while to get there and I still have a long way to go. Its a journey and sometimes you get derailed, the important thing is to get back on the path and keep moving forward.
 
As a rule of thumb: If it tastes good, it is likely loaded with sugar and/or carbs. :earboy2: Don't eat it! ;)
 
I don't eat sugar at all - I quit cold turkey on December 27th, 2018 and have never gone back. You definitely get used to it.

I use Splenda in my coffee, but other than that I don't use a lot of artificial sweeteners. I prefer the liquid Splenda (which you can get at Walmart) to the powder. I do eat Stevia from time to time, but I can only tolerate the taste in certain things - Lily's Chocolate, for example, is great. I don't really use any other artificial sweeteners.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you're cutting out sugar, you should also cut out most (or all) fruit. The nutrients in fruit can easily be gotten from non-fruit sources (green leafy veggies, for example). Cutting out all fruit really helped me lose my sweet tooth!
 

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