Sugar Evil?

[Gladiola]

Hi All,

I'm new here & have tons of diet questions! I have a big time weakness for sweets & am trying to configure a diet that works for me (been tryin' for over a year!). I know I can't cut them out completely,... if I'm too strict, I 'meltdown' & binge!

The suggestions for sweets-replacements often would make the situations WAY worse for me (make me crave the REAL junk even more!).

I'm wondering if it really is that bad to have a few calories worth of sugar every day - like 60 cal! (2 cups of tea w/ 2 teaspoons sugar each). I know they are 60 empty cal - but I'm not trying to get into competition shape, just loose some bf (I'm around 20% now). Willpower just isn't cuttin' it for me with sweets!

Thanks!
-Glad

 

[BronzedGoddess]

Welcome Gladi- I'm no expert but I don't believe 4 teaspoons of sugar is going to hurt if you have a clean diet overall and you are burning more calories than you consume. That's the most important part.....calories in vs. calories out. You can also try Splenda (a sweetner derived from sugar with 0 cals) if those extra calories are bothering you that much. As far as willpower, you have to deceide how bad you want it and what will make you happier....reaching your goals for your body or eating some sugar.

 

[Gladiola]

You told yourself what you couldn't do no fewer than three times in that post.

EEEK, I know, you are so right!

But the thing is, I don't want to be totally 100% clean, I want to have some room to be 'bad' - partly because I'm not looking to get into competition shape & partly b/c I find perfection in my diet impossible to achieve (cuz I'm not perfect & never will be)...

The problem is that I have to set a goal for myself that is achievable. Perfection is totally unachievable. If I set a goal I can't attain or set out to totally eliminate bad stuff, I end up discouraged, overwhelmed & too preoccupied with this task that seems gargantuan & goal that seems insurmountable.

It's balance I need to find... or perhaps the strength I need to find. I've been searching for both the balance of good/some bad stuff & the strength for a year (reading, experimenting with foods) & still haven't found the control I need.

I know some people do one cheat meal a week (just a meal, not a whole day!) Perhaps I can start that like a few times a week (cuz now it's every other day) & then gradually cut down -- but what should I be looking to 'cut down' to for my goals??? No sweets?

-Glad

 

[Kaizen]

Hey Glad!

Congrats on recognizing the evils of sugar! Warlobo has a thread on the "White Death" that is awesome!! I think perhaps a re-thinking on whether or not you should "diet" is in order....

What I mean by this is we women tend to see food as an evil thing configured simply to make us gain weight...rather than as the fuel our body needs to run smoothly and efficiently... Believe me I am no saint!! If I were I would have hit my goals long ago!! Snickers and Guinness are my downfall!!! What I have discovered through experience and the incredible knowledge of the women and men on this board is that if I am eating every two hours in correct proportion to what I need I don't need the nasty stuff...my body is craving fuel and it will ask for whatever it can get and the lovely handy candy gives it just the energy boost it wants!! The key is to keep an even balance in teh body 40protein 30carb 30fat is a pretty safe palce to start...but it has to be tailored...It's about eating not dieting... Now isn't it better if I say you can eat and it's what you eat and you will lose weight rather than you can't eat anything if you want to lose weight...It's just a matter of what and when and how much with a positive spin!!

yes set up a cheat day.. and eating right isn't that hard really...set up cheats as rewards instead of feeling guilty...Well I did an hour of cardio every day this week so on sunday god rested and so am i with a pint of ben and jerry's I found for myself I didn't want it once I'd done it long enough but everyone is different....

make sure you set small attainable goals a four week goal is usually goo because it is long term enough to set a habit and short term enough to get a tangible result.... the holiday times are hard to stick to a plan so may be even just a simple goal of eating good stuff every three hours during the day and getting a 1/2 gallon of water in a day will be a great start.... and attainable and have positive impact without adding to stress

 

[Kaizen]

spat!

Ooooh baby why yes i have!!! I go to this lovely little place in Boston called the Irish Embassy...and Shane and Siobhan and the crew can pull 'em with the best!!

I think Guinness should be on every BB bulking diet ;-)

 

[MS]

As a long time lifestyle choice you should wean yourself off the sugar. It's not about perfection or competition, but about being in control of yourself. If you're hungry, eat some lean protein, whole grain, veggies and other whole foods. If you're not hungry, but just want something sweet, then don't eat. There is no such thing (in spite of what my kids tell me) of being hungry, but only for sweets. That is NOT hunger, it is a craving, an addiction. Give yourself one or two cheat meals each week to indulge your addiction. Don't do it every day, or every time you have a hot drink. If you can't stand the taste of tea WITHOUT sweeteners then don't drink tea. Use sweets as a reward for going a whole week without.

 

[FitFossil]

Gladiola,

I can certainly relate to sugar cravings. There is hope though. Like Kaizen, a 40-30-30 type diet has helped me a LOT, as well as eating small meals every 2-3 hours. The key is to keep your insulin levels steady. The 40-30-30 diet is good for this, because the protein and fat keep your blood sugar from spiking (which causes your body to produce insulin). I'm sure there are other good diets out there, but this works well for me.

You never want to eat sugar or carbs all by themselves (your body sees carbs as sugar), because this spikes your blood sugar, only to have it hit rock bottom about an hour later, leaving you even more tired, hungry and craving more carbs/sugar. It's a vicious cycle. The more sugar you eat, the more you want.

By always having a balance of proteins and fats with my carbs, I crave sugar a lot less, and I'm rarely ever tired or hungry AND I've lost body fat at the same time. I still eat sugar every now and then, but I always "buffer" it as described above. Over time, I've found I've actually lost my taste for most sweets.

 

[Gladiola]

Oops, guess I wasn't clear enough --- I didn't mean to say eating a clean diet is perfection. I mean eating a *perfectly* clean diet is perfection- i.e. Never eating sweets/junk.

I found Lobo's 'white death' post, Thanks! Some of that info I'd read in the book 'Lick the Sugar Habit'. I also read "The Sugar Addicts Guide To Total Recovery' - but don't agree with her reccomendations (ooooh, you all would get a kick out of that!

Setting goals would be a GREAT idea for me! That ought to help my quest to find more strength. I know it comes down to willpower & if I want it enough I can have it, but sometimes it's hard not to rationalize, "I can still achieve my goals with *some* junk food, so it's OK to go ahead and eat...." Nope!

Thanks again,
Gladi

 

[Gladiola]

Be careful not to get into a rut where you're spending so much time deciding on/setting goals that you ACTUALLY DO nothing.

Yup, great advice!

I always looked at my diet from 2 ends... Making sure I got *enough* good stuff, & not too much bad stuff. --- Is that just me?

Over the past year, I've become pretty good with getting all my high-fiber, healthy, close-to-nature carbs, my veggies & proteins, but this last element [further elimination of junk] needs work still.

As far as workouts are concerned, my resolve is quite steady & I rarely *don't* want to go to they gym (much more often I have to force my rests!) I love to lift & for cardio I don't have a choice - since I teach the classes! I could do with some cardio outside of step & hi-lo/floor aerobics on occasion - but I do get in some biking, running & fast rollerblading (plenty of hills!) too.

-Gladi

 

[Gladiola]

Hey - Alright, here's my routine.

I do cardio 2-4 times per week (2-3 aerobics classes - plenty of hi-impact & pretty hi-intensity) & one other cardio, 1-2 yoga/pilates based workouts & 3 days lifting ---- this varies, but I try to keep lifting at a total minimum of 2 days per week. I also take a ballet class once week, but I don't count that as anything but some work for my calves & maybe a *little* flexibility training.

I usually workout after work - 6:00 PM. Only on occasion at 6:00 AM & on weekends around 9:30 AM.

I also teach BodyPump, which is a *very* hi-rep barbell class - hits every body part. I only do that 2X per month though - prefer the 'heavy lifting'. I previously had left my leg work outs up to that & aerobics & blading.

Right now I'm doing chest with tris, back with bis & shoulders with either (whenever I end up having more time) and I just started legs. I was doing chest & back, bis/tris/shoulders but switched 3 weeks ago & plan to switch back in 3 weeks or so. [would appreciate opinions about this though! I thought mixing it up was best]

I aim for 8-12 reps per set (shoot for lower end, 8-10, usually), 3-4 sets per exercise, usually 3 exercises per bodypart per workout. I start with the compound exercises in order to pre-exhaust. I switch it up everytime, doing a different mix of exercises. I always try to get to failure. I'm always sure to warm-up & then stretch enough throughout & give myself minimum 48 hours rest after tough workouts. I also rest at least 60 seconds b/t sets - although I'd often rather keep going after less time!

I was avoiding leg training b/c my thighs are thick already for my frame! But I've come to see the light... I still want to keep my reps in the 12 - 15 range for legs.

I almost never have a spotter cuz I train alone, vastly prefer it that way. Me & 'Rage Against the Machine' on my walkman!

I opt for free weights -dbells or stuff on the cable machine. Other equipment I hit rarely.

I almost felt bad rambling on with such a long post... but since you asked, I'm more than happy to share! Thanks for listening & I really appreciate any advice from anyone who read through this whole darn post!