Kicking the sugar habit

[LaneyDoll]

I was recently watching the HBO documentary "The Weight of a Nation." In it, health experts discussed a variety of concerns, one of them being the amount of sugar we drink.

Now, I know that I love my first thing in the morning caffeine fix but I do not drink coffee. So, I choose Diet Dr. Pepper instead.

However, after watching this, I realized that I need to cut out a huge amount of the sugar I drink (mmmm, cran-grape juice) but wondered about other options. Options like: diet soft drinks, tea sweetened with Splenda and Crystal Light pour ins for water.

I know I need to drink more and more water and hope to get there one day but during the transition, what are my best options? I know we have some fitness peeps out there, so come help please?

[aishah]

in my experience, fake sweeteners are extremely bad for you (speaking from years of a diet coke habit & being around other folks with similar habits). many of them are toxic to our bodies. when i was trying to transition to drinking less soda, i switched to iced tea and limeade with not much sugar, or even just water infused with a lot of fruit. i would definitely not recommend replacing a regular soda habit with fake sweeteners. because of my bad experiences with sweeteners, when i do drink soda now (rarely) i drink real soda...and try to get the kind with actual sugar when i can.

good luck! this is really hard. i hope it works for you!

[Talon]

Originally Posted by LaneyDoll

I was recently watching the HBO documentary "The Weight of a Nation." In it, health experts discussed a variety of concerns, one of them being the amount of sugar we drink.

Now, I know that I love my first thing in the morning caffeine fix but I do not drink coffee. So, I choose Diet Dr. Pepper instead.

However, after watching this, I realized that I need to cut out a huge amount of the sugar I drink (mmmm, cran-grape juice) but wondered about other options. Options like: diet soft drinks, tea sweetened with Splenda and Crystal Light pour ins for water.

I know I need to drink more and more water and hope to get there one day but during the transition, what are my best options? I know we have some fitness peeps out there, so come help please?

Hi Laney,

Good for you for trying to cut down on your sugar intake. Some ways to sneak water into your diet are herbal iced teas....so many flavors to choose from, and all can be sweetened w/Splenda or Stevia.
Simple iced water where you add fresh oranges, cucumbers, lemons, limes, berries, mint, ect.
Mineral waters/selters where you can add lite cranberry juice cocktail or any number of lite juices (1/2 of each over ice).
You can also make lite juice "ice cubes" and have those handy to add to plain water, too.

One great thing about water is that it's fairly easy to get creative with.
Hope this helps.

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by LaneyDoll

I was recently watching the HBO documentary "The Weight of a Nation." In it, health experts discussed a variety of concerns, one of them being the amount of sugar we drink.

Now, I know that I love my first thing in the morning caffeine fix but I do not drink coffee. So, I choose Diet Dr. Pepper instead.

However, after watching this, I realized that I need to cut out a huge amount of the sugar I drink (mmmm, cran-grape juice) but wondered about other options. Options like: diet soft drinks, tea sweetened with Splenda and Crystal Light pour ins for water.

I know I need to drink more and more water and hope to get there one day but during the transition, what are my best options? I know we have some fitness peeps out there, so come help please?

Wonderful goal.....sugar is deadly stuff.

Unfortunately, for me, I've found that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas make me crave sweets more, not less. Others in the HWL thread have found them to be a huge help....so it's probably a personal body chemistry thing.

I drink a lot of water, black coffee, a little 1% milk, and a whole lot of home brewed iced tea sweetened with agave nectar. Agave is low-glycemic, which means it doesn't spike your blood sugar like sugar, honey, fruit juice, etc. do.

The other good option for me is stevia....a naturally calorie free plant that is very sweet but also doesn't spike the blood sugar.

One of the things I used as I transitioned out of my soda addiction (diet sodas....I'm diabetic), was the Sobe Life Waters. They come in a variety of yummy flavors. Be aware though that only some are zero calorie and sweetened with stevia.....the others are no different from grabbing a soda.

Good luck!

[tantalizingfemme]

I drink three things (I know..sounds boring) tea (hot and iced), water and coffee. I make iced tea at home and use agave nectar as the sweetner. You can also do that with water. You can add a little agave and fresh lemon juice to give it a "lemonadey" flavor. I also use fresh lemon or lime in my water if I want flavor.

Good luck! It is amazing how much sugar is consumed by drinking.

[Amber2010]

That is great that you are trying to get sugar under control. We can't stop from having suger heck it is in the fruit we eat but the stuff that we can get away from is a great start. I was in a college class and they were talking about the sweetner in Diet drinks has the same stuff in it that they put into dead bodies so to me that is not a good thing to put into us. Of course coked is used to clean a car battery so I am thinking that really is not something good to put in our system either. I did work hard on training myself to drink unsweetened a lot. I love Unsweet tea with lemon and my coffee is always black. I think the main thing as you said LaneyDoll is to drink lots and lots of water. It takes about two weeks to start this habit to get your mind and body use to it but it is sure worth it.

[LaneyDoll]

What about the Crystal Light pour-ins? Any thoughts on those?

[JustJo]

Originally Posted by LaneyDoll

What about the Crystal Light pour-ins? Any thoughts on those?

Those are artificial sweeteners as far as I know. At one point they had talked about a stevia-sweetened one, but I'm not sure if it ever came out on the market...

[Apocalipstic]

I drink diet soda and crystal light pour ins and Splenda in my coffee and for cooking.

I have been trying to make the switch to Stevia, at least in my coffee.

I really like the idea of lemonade with agave too, I am going to try that this weekend. I would like to replace my diet soda intake, I have tried, but so far have been quite unsuccessful.

Best of luck to you!

[DapperButch]

Two options of sweetners if you want to stay away from sugar and not die from the toxic stuff of artificial sweetners:

Stevia (truvia) or Agave Nectar.

Otherwise, sugar won't kill you as quickly as the artificial sweetners will, so pick regular Dr. Pepper over diet Dr. Pepper.

Also, Jo mentioned that diet soda makes her crave sugar more. It is true. That is why people see a weight reduction even when they quit drinking diet soda; the person eats less sugar b/c they crave it less...therefore, they lose weight.

ETA: No to crystal light - it is not made from stevia or agave.

[vixenagogo]

i have found that when going away from soda (or pop as we would say in michigan)... it wasn't the "sweet" that i missed, but the fizziness.

that's why i enjoy fizzy water- like san pellegrino.

[Sachita]

I agree that artificial sweeteners are not the way to go. I'd rather see you drink cane sugar then that any day. The problem with soda is they haven't used real sugar in a very long time. Now it's made with high fructose corn syrup like many sugar drinks and foods. There is a myth that mexico has coke with real cane sugar but I personally have not seen it.

Sugar is a big one for me. I am a huge sugar addict. But I try to drink water daily and a lot of it. I've always been a huge water drinker but I admit I did get into the diet soda trap. But it does make me more hungry and after a while i feel like shit.

Once you start drinking good clean water you're body will begin to crave it. You can try adding lemon, maybe a small dash of agave (which is sweeter then sugar or add a bit of organic raw sugar).

If I was you i would try and stay away from the new milo's and other artificial flavors. Learn to drink and like water. I use a good water filter at home and when I leave the house I bring my water with me

[Sachita]

oh and people can say all they want about agave. I use it in my coffee everyday. I don't have to use very much and I never get the sugar rush I get with other sugars.

[aishah]

it's not a myth...there are places you can buy imported mexican coke where i live with real sugar, and it definitely tastes better than the kind with hfcs. it's just really expensive.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by aishah

it's not a myth...there are places you can buy imported mexican coke where i live with real sugar, and it definitely tastes better than the kind with hfcs. it's just really expensive.

Here you can find real sugar for Mountain Dew, Pepsi and one of those lemon/lime/sprite (but not sprite) type sodas. They are not everywhere those products are sold, though.

[deedarino]

There have been some studies come out recently that say over time, our bodies start to "see" artificial sweetners as sugar and they affect blood sugar the same. I only drank diet pepsi forever and I am pretty sure it just about killed me. I know it didn't keep me from gaining weight.

I like water with fresh lemons or limes. No sweetener or sugar. Like everyone said, stevia or agave are good if you want sweet.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by deedarino

There have been some studies come out recently that say over time, our bodies start to "see" artificial sweetners as sugar and they affect blood sugar the same. I only drank diet pepsi forever and I am pretty sure it just about killed me. I know it didn't keep me from gaining weight.

I like water with fresh lemons or limes. No sweetener or sugar. Like everyone said, stevia or agave are good if you want sweet.

Fascinating. Thanks for posting.

[deedarino]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Fascinating. Thanks for posting.

Not sure how it all is playing out, but here is a little bit about it:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/2...on-to-dieters/

[G Snap!]

We have cut back on sugar in our household, also gluten and dairy, and I have had little to no allergies this year! We also splurge on some local honey.

I think artifical sweetners make you crave more sweetness because your body demands carbs and you instead give it chemicals. You are just fooling your tastebuds. I have heard artifical sweetners aggravate fibromyalga (sp?) so it may be possible those aches and pains you are feeling are from that diet soda.

I refuse to buy bottled water and hate having to buy and carry stuff "to drink". I have a Brita pitcher and refill water bottles. We also get 100% fruit juice and mix it half with water (it's the same exact thing as light.) I honestly am a stickler for buying things "to drink", for a country where everyone gets clean drinkable water piped into their homes we sure blow a lot of $$ on stuff "to drink". Of course, beer is a different story...

I don't recommend anyone try kicking their sugar habit in just one day, try cutting back here and there and hopefully you will find yourself craving it less.
We cut back how much sugar we put in our morning coffee or tea just by using a little less each day, and since we do no dairy we get vanilla soy or almond milk and it had a little sugar in it already.

All of this thread has discussed sugar in what we drink. How about what you eat? I am the person who "reads the lease" so I will read food labels and find a lot of stuff has one thing or another in it to sweeten it...

[LaneyDoll]

OK, a few thoughts I have, based on various replies...

* I actually do like water. But I prefer it COLD!!! And, I do not like it when I eat so I wanted an option for meals. The water in my home is pretty good so I am lucky in that respect.

* I asked about diet drinks b/c I once read that they are actually worse than the sugared drinks.

* I have heard of stevia so I will try to find some of that; agave is probably something I will have to search for.

* I think it is a fizzy thing for me; I find that I crave drinks that are what I call "sparkly."

* Real Coca-Cola from Mexico kicks ass!!! It really does.

* Right now I am focusing on drinks b/c according to what I have found, we as Americans consume about 400 calories per day in just what we drink! Between soft drinks, coffee products and juices. That is huge!

Thanks for everyone's input!!!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled thread...