Has anyone seen great results from cutting out sugar (I need inspiration!)

[HappyGrace]

I want to cut out or at least back on sugar starting in Jan, and I was looking for success stories-good results you've seen from cutting out or cutting back on it! I'm especially hoping my skin will look better-it's starting to age quicker than seems right (age 42).

[Miss Peregrine]

Two Augusts ago I stopped cold turkey and lost 18 lbs. in 2 months!

 

Just from sugar! I didn't change anything else.

[HappyGrace]

Hi Crunchy-you again! We live in parallel universes-lol! Would you say you were sugar dependent before? Did you have side effects when you went off? Wow, you had awesome results-congrats!!

[FO4UR]

I'll go sugar free with you...I've started drinking tea instead of coffee b/c I can't drink coffee w/o tons of sugar. I won't do artificial sugars, so ... :bigear:

 

...and I just polished off the kids last box of Nerds.:blush::tongue_smilie:

[justamouse]

...I didn't see any difference and I went sugar free (I gave it up as a partial fast) for 3 months. None. I didn't gain one pound, I didn't lose one pound. Granted, we don't eat much white carbohydraty stuff here to begin with, so that part wasn't hard. And, I did get very cranky the first two weeks. But no weight loss.

 

I was VERY disappointed.

[myfatherslily]

I'm sorta going through The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program. So far I'm on Step 1 - protein for breakfast. I can say, though, that I've really liked this change. It does make a difference in how I feel in the morning (I found, separately, that making sure I drink enough water is a big thing for me, too). I'm having a hard time moving to the next steps, though!

Edited November 27, 2010 by myfatherslily

[HappyGrace]

Yes, I am very very worried about the cranky........

[Dinsfamily]

YES! Cutting out sugar is the key to weightless for me and keeping it low is crucial for maintenance. Dh and I enjoy the holidays but I usually do a sugar fast in Jan. I've found that I develop a sugar addiction easily and have to go cold turkey in order to regain control and for healthy food to taste good again.

 

It'll be hard this year since I''ll be 7 months pg and craving sweet stuff but I'll manage. :glare:

[mom2denj]

I am not sure if this counts, but I will tell my sugar-free story anyway. I gained 70 pounds with my first 2 pregnancies.:tongue_smilie:When I got pregnant with my 3rd, I found out that I had gestational diabetes. They put me on a sugar-free diet and I only gained 18 pounds with that pregnancy.:D I honestly believe that going sugar-free is the way to go!!!!

[Peela]

I didnt lose weight (because I over-compensated with fat!) but I have been basically sugar free for well over 18 months and I find my health is generally better, and my energy levels are much more stable..and I just dont get sugar cravings any more. I do sometimes crave something sweet, but I dont need a chocolate bar to satisfy it- in fact, a normal chocolate bar would probably make me feel ill nowadays and i have no attraction to it- a date or a piece of fruit or some home made dark raw chocolate would satisfy.

I think low GI diet is great for mood swings- it is very stabilising- good for hormones too. I am not strict about it any more and I do ocasionally have sugar now too...but i am not addicted, and can have a small amount of sugar nowadays without it triggering an addictive pattern. It took many months to get to that place, though. Once you have been away from sugar for a while, the feel of sugar in your body actually isnt so nice (my experience, anyway). Its like a rush.

I did learn to eat breakfast and eat regular meals- when I get hungry, I will eat anything, so I dont let myself get hungry- as in, let my blood sugar drop too far.

Its well worth it.

[kindermommy]

YES! Cutting out sugar is the key to weightless for me and keeping it low is crucial for maintenance. Dh and I enjoy the holidays but I usually do a sugar fast in Jan. I've found that I develop a sugar addiction easily and have to go cold turkey in order to regain control and for healthy food to taste good again. :glare:

 

Yes ditto to alll she said above - exactly.

 

I cut sugar (and caffeine) out pretty much completely last January and my body revolted - cranky, TIRED, headaches. But I adjusted.

 

For now I try to keep my sugar under 35 grams per day for "maintenance" and 20-25 for weight loss. But I still count the calories overall and try to balance my fat/carb/protein intake appropriately (I use www.fatsecret.com to track). When I eat less sugar (straight sugar and/or white carbs) food DOES taste better, I am not as bloated, and I am actually "full" longer (since I'm replacing the carbs/sugar with lean proteins and "healthy" fat)

[Donna A.]

Yes! Although I was only on it for 6 weeks because I found out I was pg right about the same time I started feeling "unsatisfied" or just "odd" or something... but up until then, those 6 weeks were great. I lost 11 lbs and that was NOT exercising. The plan I was on had you bring exercise in at a later phase of the program, but the goal of the first six weeks as to detox your body of the sugars and white stuff, and to establish new eating habits. WHY I didn't go right back on that plan after my miscarriage 2 months later, I don't know. :glare:

 

Anyway, I wasn't NO sugar, but *very low*. The rule of thumb was to read labels, and you couldn't have anything with more than 4 grams of sugar per serving, or with any form of sugar listed as 4th or above on the ingredients list. Also, no white processed flour products.

 

But I also counted calories, so I didn't overeat on fat or other products, either. My calories were low (1000-1200).... a lot lower than I could handle now, but again, I wasn't exercising and my lifestyle was pretty sedentary, so I didn't *need* a lot of calories. Plus, there were other "food quotas" throughout the day, so the diet was very balanced. It was something like 3 whole grains, X number of fruits and veggies, and I forget what else.

 

It worked, and I should do it again now except with more calories and some exercise thrown in.

 

Oh, and the program I used at the time (which involved videos, journaling, accountability) was the Prism Weight Loss Program. www.pwlp.com

 

I found that eating plan much more doable than Atkins, because I couldn't find the balance with Atkins.

[melik]

Yup, I've done it and I loved how I felt and I lost about 20 lbs. Once you let sugar back it is extremely hard to go back.

 

My only advice is do not replace it with anything. This can be very hard but well worth it.

 

Best wishes,

Meli

[katemary63]

I cut out suger 1/1/ 10 and lost 20 lbs in 4 months. I then started counting calories and lost 10 more pounds. I got injured and have been 100% sedentary for 5 months now and also started eating sugar again. I've gained back 10 lbs. (shucks, but actually not that bad considering I haven't been able to move for months and I've eaten junk.) So now, I'm going off it again and counting calories, even if I can't exercise. I am unable to count calories that include sugar. I just don't stick to it, the lure of sugar is too strong. If sugar is not an option, then I am able to eat anything else I want counting calories and lose weight. Good luck. Wish me luck too! Part of getting better for me is loosing weight. If I don't, I'll never get my health back and get back to farming and riding! (Hip problems.)

[Harriet Vane]

I became unbelievably sick this last summer from a massive, systemic candida infection. It was truly horrible. I was on big, bad meds for a month.

 

In addition to the various medicines, I was told to go on a draconian, no-sugar, no-carb diet for a minimum of six months, more depending on symptoms. I was allowed to eat any size portion I wanted of foods that are on the list, and encouraged to increase my fat intake.

 

Within three months I dropped 25 pounds. After the first 3-4 weeks on the diet, my taste buds changed completely. At this point, things that do not taste sweet to the average person taste VERY sweet to me. For example, I have never thought of cabbage as sweet, but now after being on the diet, cabbage tastes sweet. Granny Smith apples and sweet potatoes taste decadent and sweet to me. Honestly, food tastes better now than it ever has, in my entire life.

 

Also my energy level is much, much better. Monthly hormonal symptoms are better. My moods are better. Everything is better. I find myself both longing to end the diet and eat normally, but scared to ever go back to "normal" because I feel so very, very much better now.

 

Go cold turkey. Power through the first difficult weeks--get some support and accountability. When your taste buds adjust, it will feel amazing, and you'll be all set. You can do it.

[Peela]

 

This is a concern of mine, as I tend toward having trouble keeping weight on. I'm not sure how I would make sure I didn't lose weight. I should be on a very low sodium diet (blood pressure), but when I did that in the past, I lost weight quickly, and that wasn't good :confused:.

 

 

 

I suggest you substitute for sugar.....lots of whole healthy fats (a la Nourishing Traditions etc). I did that....lots of coconut milk and raw coconut oil, avocados, whole raw milk. Yum. I had no problem stacking the weight on, either :).

Actually, I didnt really "stack" it on but its taken me a while to realise that my free consumption of those types of food- even though I dont eat much sugar- is what has put the weight on and made it hard to lose it. If you have trouble with weight gain, my suggestion is just to increase your fat intake. I think those types of fats are healthier for you than sugar....in moderation :)

[kwg]

So when you guys say no sugar it sounds like the sugar in fruit and milk is ok. You are talking pure white stuff?:bigear:

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I want to cut out or at least back on sugar starting in Jan, and I was looking for success stories-good results you've seen from cutting out or cutting back on it! I'm especially hoping my skin will look better-it's starting to age quicker than seems right (age 42).

 

Nothing helps your skin more than drinking lots of water. Are you drinking enough? If you are running your heat, you may be drying out your body a lot faster. Try drinking a glass right before bed and before every meal.

 

I always notice a big difference in my skin when I'm properly hydrated.

 

hth,

K

[Soror]

The less sugar I eat the better I feel. However, I am more strict about grains than sugar. I do sometimes have things w/ some honey. I generally do very little fruit, no grains, very minimal honey. When I was trying to lose weight I kept my total carb intake(including fiber) to between 30-100g. I don't really count it anymore. I generally do not ever eat white sugar, I did indulge this Thanksgiving and I paid for it. I find my energy level is sky-high, mood is great, motivation wonderful. For me and a lot of people I know who have went through going sugar free the first few days are easy and then day 3 it gets to be pretty hard, that difficulty usually last 1-2 weeks.

[kewb]

I am not sugar free but I use very little sugar in my diet. I find that when I do eat a lot of sugar I have serious mood swings. I am irratible and havee very little patience.

 

As for weight loss-there have been no signifigant changes in my weight from when I ate a sugar loaded diet.

[Stacey in MA]

Yes, processed white stuff is bad, and natural sugars are more acceptable, but not b/c they are less offending in your body, but b/c they are usually less CONCENTRATED in the food item. So you still must be aware of them and maybe limit them too if you're getting too much.

 

FWIW, I actually LOOSE weight when I'm pregnant b/c of the diabetes diet! haha! I'm not pregnant presently, but planning to jump back on the diet in after the holidays b/c it helps me loose weight.

 

My "magic trick", if you will, is cutting sugar out, plus limiting carbs (30-45g per meal and 15g per snack), and BALANCING the carbs you do get with fat and protein. For example, I could not eat a tangerine alone w/out a high blood sugar number, but if I ate a tangerine with a serving of nuts, my blood sugar numbers were fine. I mention blood sugar b/c I believe this is one of the main things that makes people gain and sustain weight - extra sugar roaming around in your blood which is then turned to fat and stored for later use by your body.

 

Also, taking a walk right after a meal did WONDERS for my numbers. Any extra that might have given me a high number would go away from just a 10-15 minute walk!

 

I agree with one of the previous posters who said, once you are off of sugar, everything else (including veggies and especially fruit) taste SOO much noticably sweeter! But to take it one step further...I feel like sugar is like a drug in that once you have some, you need more to get the same amount of "pleasure" from it next time around. I say this to warn you that once you're off it, and you go to all that hard work to detox, try not to "cheat". I find that (at least for me), cheating is a slippery slope that forces me to have to initiate lots of discipline and conscious (and tiring!) self-control afterwards that wouldn't have been necessary if I had just not "slipped up" in the first place.

 

Good luck! Right there with ya! I need to re-vamp my health soon too! It's a great thing to get off the sugar and the processed foods!

 

- Stacey in MA

[Diane1]

I have some urinary symptoms that I believe is candida. I find if I eat sugar or breads, the symptoms return. Solution....I only eat a few fruits, limit bread consumption, and substitute honey for sugar in baking.

[lisabelle]

I'm not completely off sugar right now, but I can tell you that when I did go off sugar I dropped 10 lbs. pretty quickly (I was going low-carb too though).

 

The first week or so...I don't know...I *wished* for sugar. I wouldn't say I was crabby, but I was frustrated about having to take the time and care of figuring out what to feed myself. I'd go into the kitchen and want to grab a cookie as usual, and have to make myself grab something like a slice of cheese or some celery sticks. But after that first week it was surprising how I didn't even *want* sugar. It's like once you get over a certain hump, your body just wants other kinds of things.

 

For me, the thing that made it *so* worth it is that a lot of my little aches and pains, that I attributed to just plain getting older (I'm 42 too), went away. I felt so much better. I've done a pretty good job of keeping the weight off--I lost a total of 18 pounds and bounce around in a 5-lb. range of that--and I can't attribute the feeling better to the weight loss. If I have sugar--like if I'm having dinner at a friend's and I'm polite and don't refuse dessert--I'm achy the next day.

[fairfarmhand]

Yes, I am very very worried about the cranky........

 

 

then you must consume adequate protein all throughout the day. IT REALLY helps with the crabbiness.

[TheAutumnOak]

Do you mean that you don't add sugar to anything or that you don't eat processed sugar, or what?...I can't imagine being totally "sugar free"...Does this also include maple syrup and honey?...Do you eat Oatmeal plain?

 

Sorry if I am asking many questions...I really need to cut back my sugar intake, but never even thought of being "sugar free"...This has given me something to think about...

[Harriet Vane]

Do you mean that you don't add sugar to anything or that you don't eat processed sugar, or what?...I can't imagine being totally "sugar free"...Does this also include maple syrup and honey?...Do you eat Oatmeal plain?

 

Sorry if I am asking many questions...I really need to cut back my sugar intake, but never even thought of being "sugar free"...This has given me something to think about...

 

In my case, I am actually totally sugar-free. I would not recommend this diet, though, unless you have significant health concerns as I did (massive candida infection).

 

For me, sugar-free for the first month was really extreme: no fruit, no white flour products, no rice except wild rice, no vinegar, no honey or maple syrup or sugar of any kind, no milk products, EVER.

 

After the first month I was allowed to add in potatoes and sweet potatoes in small quantities only 2-3 times per week, and certain fruits (Granny Smith apples, blueberries, raspberries) in small quantities 2-3 times per week. I can also now have fresh cheese but no aged cheese. The one item I cheat with is I do allow myself to have cream in my coffee.

 

For someone who does not have the health situation that I did, I would recommend:

 

--No whites for a month (white flour, white sugar, potatoes, etc.). Then add back in whole wheat, low-sugar products and potatoes in small quantities.

 

--No white sugar ever. Stick with honey in small quantities. If you can get raw honey, even better.

 

--Be extremely choosy about packaged products or just cook from scratch. There is sooooo much sugar and sodium in packaged products, as well as other scary additives.

 

--Boost your protein intake and fat intake. Protein really, really helps with the cravings.

 

--Unlimited fruits and veggies.

[Donna A.]

Do you mean that you don't add sugar to anything or that you don't eat processed sugar, or what?...I can't imagine being totally "sugar free"...Does this also include maple syrup and honey?...Do you eat Oatmeal plain?

 

Sorry if I am asking many questions...I really need to cut back my sugar intake, but never even thought of being "sugar free"...This has given me something to think about...

 

Not sure if you saw my earlier post, but no, you don't *have* to go 100% sugar free. I would check the # of sugar grams in a serving size, as well as check to see how far down the ingredients ANY form of sugar is listed. This includes High Fructose Corn Syrup, Fructose, Glucose, etc. There are many different forms of "processed" (refined white) sugar.... so you're not just looking for the word SUGAR.

 

I would get *natural* sugar (processes better in your body) via fruit, honey, etc. But don't eat tons of fruit, either. That's where calorie counting would come in. Most fruit is fairly high in calories (as compared to veggies, for example), so if you're counting calories, you're only going to be able to eat so much fruit, thus keeping your diet balanced throughout the day.

 

During Phase 1 of the program I was doing (each phase is 6 weeks long), I would have NO bread or potatoes. None. I would eat 3 servings of whole grain each day, but NOT in the form of bread or potatoes. It would be something like oatmeal (not flavored), Cream of Wheat, brown rice, plain rice cakes (I would spread Natural Peanut Butter and All-Fruit fruit spread on my rice cake), etc. Then, whole grain bread and potatoes were gradually added back in during Phrase 2. Other foods might be added in even later, as Phase 1 was the most restrictive in order to allow your body to "detox" while learning balance and learning how to COOK vs. snacking, grazing, eating "easy" stuff that's not that good for you. Many of us are in the habit of grabbing a sandwich or bowl of cereal instead of preparing a well balanced meal. ;)

 

I would eat my oatmeal with cinnamon and honey (natural sugars... and again, counting the calories for each of those). I would use milk, but only minimally. Because, just like with fruit, I was counting calories so I had to learn how to balance serving sizes, how many times a day I ate, etc. in order to not exceed my calorie limit. Thus, I didn't overeat in any one department, including milk, grains, or forms of natural sugar.

 

I did avoid all forms of "fake" sugar, though. No aspartame or anything like that.

 

And I'm speaking in past tense terms because I did this successfully for 6 weeks until learning I was pregnant, but I desperately need to do it again. :tongue_smilie:

[Donna A.]

So when you guys say no sugar it sounds like the sugar in fruit and milk is ok. You are talking pure white stuff?:bigear:

 

In the plan I followed, yes, that's accurate. But even the sugar in milk and fruit is *limited* by the method of counting calories.

[mcconnellboys]

I cut most all sugars for about 6 months and lost 30 pounds that I kept off for a couple of years. I gained it back when my boys got really busy and we were running through drive throughs all the time. I'm ready to do it again!

 

In order to cut out sugars, you really have to check everything you eat as HFCS is tucked into most foods - even things you'd never think of. And you really need to (or I did, at least) cut out carbs, too, which are nothing but sugars....

[Dawn in OH]

In April of 2009 I cut my sugar down to 1 tsp a day in my coffee plus any negligible amount in dinner (all homemade, something might call for some sugar or brown sugar), and an occassional dessert. I already ate a low sugar diet as I don't do processed foods and soda.

 

I lost 12 lbs in 3 months. I'm sure I would have lost more had I had a more sugar oriented diet. I may have even lost a bit more weight had I continued eating like that, but in July I became pregnant.

 

A friend of mine, who did drink soda and eat more processed foods also quit sugar and she lost 25lbs in 4 months.

[HappyGrace]

Hearing all this has been very helpful and motivational! We are already HFCS free here, so that's good. We don't drink any soda or anything except water, milk or one glass of OJ per day, so that's good too.

[Garga]

I only have 8 pounds that I want to lose. Are y'all telling me that I just have to give up my sweet tooth and those pounds'll go away!?!? Is it that easy?? (Or that hard, since I have a Serious Sweet Tooth.)

 

Ok....so as soon as all the cookies are eaten from the cookie swap I went to today, I'm going to cut out the sugar and see what happens.

[Donna A.]

I only have 8 pounds that I want to lose. Are y'all telling me that I just have to give up my sweet tooth and those pounds'll go away!?!? Is it that easy?? (Or that hard, since I have a Serious Sweet Tooth.)

 

Ok....so as soon as all the cookies are eaten from the cookie swap I went to today, I'm going to cut out the sugar and see what happens.

 

Go for it! What have you got to lose? :lol:

[Frontier Mom]

I cut most all sugars for about 6 months and lost 30 pounds that I kept off for a couple of years. I gained it back when my boys got really busy and we were running through drive throughs all the time. I'm ready to do it again!

 

In order to cut out sugars, you really have to check everything you eat as HFCS is tucked into most foods - even things you'd never think of. And you really need to (or I did, at least) cut out carbs, too, which are nothing but sugars....

 

Wow, this is really making me think. Can you tell me what someone would normally eat while doing this? Is this similar or not to Atkins which I have a book for?

[Peela]

 

In order to cut out sugars, you really have to check everything you eat as HFCS is tucked into most foods - even things you'd never think of. And you really need to (or I did, at least) cut out carbs, too, which are nothing but sugars....

 

I agree about the HFCS. Not an issue here because I just dont eat processed foods. Also, corn is not such a big industry in Australia so we don't have corn syrup in everything.

 

However, I disagree about the carbs.

There is a whole lot more to carbs than sugar. Sure, white flour products can go with the white sugar, but whole grains have many important nutrients in them, and chucking a whole food group is unecessary and actually dangerous, IMO. There are 3 major food groups....fats, proteins and carbohydrates...we are MEANT to eat from all 3. Chucking the worst offenders of the carb food group...highly processed foods- and reverting to the least processed, whole grain forms of those foods, is of course best.

[Donna A.]

However, I disagree about the carbs.

There is a whole lot more to carbs than sugar. Sure, white flour products can go with the white sugar, but whole grains have many important nutrients in them, and chucking a whole food group is unecessary and actually dangerous, IMO. There are 3 major food groups....fats, proteins and carbohydrates...we are MEANT to eat from all 3. Chucking the worst offenders of the carb food group...highly processed foods- and reverting to the least processed, whole grain forms of those foods, is of course best.

 

:iagree:

[Quiver0f10]

However, I disagree about the carbs.

There is a whole lot more to carbs than sugar. Sure, white flour products can go with the white sugar, but whole grains have many important nutrients in them, and chucking a whole food group is unecessary and actually dangerous, IMO. There are 3 major food groups....fats, proteins and carbohydrates...we are MEANT to eat from all 3. Chucking the worst offenders of the carb food group...highly processed foods- and reverting to the least processed, whole grain forms of those foods, is of course best.

 

:iagree:

[Ester Maria]

Carbs themselves are not your enemy in moderate quantities (not at all - just look at our delicious Italian cuisine with more than enough pasta, and yet how beautiful and thin we have traditionally been :D), it's fructose. More specifically, not the kind of fructose that naturally occurs in fruit (again, in moderation even with that), but the kind of fructose they add into pretty much everything out there, especially in low-fat products (in order to make up for the taste that's gone when you lower the fat, they fill it with fructose), as well as insane amounts of refined sugar. But technically, in very small quantities, even refined sugar is okay - a few pieces of chocolate now and then won't kill you or even make you addictive. If it's a few small pieces. And if it's now and then, not every day.

 

We are quite sugar-free here. We have an occasional dessert (Nutella pancakes :tongue_smilie:), but that's about it. No sweet nor salty snacks in the house. Fruit is eaten as a separate meal, not after other foods (in order not to rot in your stomach), and not in huge quantities either. We don't add sugar in tea (we mostly drink tea and water), don't consume any sodas - sugar in drinks is huge, take care of that. None of us has ever had weight problems - if anything, my eldest is slightly underweight, as I was when I was her age too.

 

We have to keep an eye on our middle daughter, who is very sensitive on sugar - she quite easily gets mood swings and attention issues if she gets too much sugar. We do see a HUGE effect sugar has on her and maximally limit - to the point of exclusion - her refined sugar intake. I also feel considerably better when I just don't consume refined sugars and even keep my fruit at a normal level. Combine protein and vegetables to keep yourself full, keep carbs down to a reasonable level (and even carb meals should be combined with protein and vegetables in 1:1:1 ratio, in an ideal world of course :D, we don't really pay attention to that, but if you're carb-dependent too, do pay attention to it and eat only one such meal daily), eat a piece of fruit as a snack several hours before and after a meal (never right after a meal), and go cold turkey with everything else that's refined, added, etc. You should feel a lot better quite soon.

[Soror]

Italians are also soaring with Celiac disease as well just sayin'

[Ester Maria]

Italians are also soaring with Celiac disease as well just sayin'

However, there are also obligatory screenings for school children as well as anyone who shows the symptoms, so in most cases, supposedly it's diagnosed quite early.

There are also a lot of gluten-free accomodations in restaurants, etc. Everyone knows about it.

 

And even with all that, honestly, I know very few Celiacs. I always wondered how much it's a myth and how much a fact - statistically, it's supposed to be a fact, but somehow my experiences aren't representative of that.

[Forget-Me-Not]

So those of you who do/have done this, can you post some meal/snack ideas? Pretty please?

 

I've had good results with keeping my carbs/protein/fat in a 40%/40%/20% ratio. I think that's what I'm going to try to do now, and just keep all carbs natural/whole grain and eliminate refined products.

[jplain]

At this point, things that do not taste sweet to the average person taste VERY sweet to me. For example, I have never thought of cabbage as sweet, but now after being on the diet, cabbage tastes sweet. Granny Smith apples and sweet potatoes taste decadent and sweet to me. Honestly, food tastes better now than it ever has, in my entire life.

Yep, cabbage was a surprise to me. Cashews taste like candy to me now.

 

I've been low-carb and almost grain-free (no wheat, very small amounts of corn and rice) for a year, aside from brief vacations and family visits when I loosen up a little and eat a few grain-free desserts. I'm not completely sugar free though, as I do eat a half dozen small squares of Green & Black 70% dark chocolate every day (= 9g sugar).

 

I was already quite slender (BMI 20), but after going low carb I lost additional weight without trying, and am now at a lean 19 BMI. My blood lipid profile is fantastic, which is important to me as there's a strong history of both cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes in my family. I get sick much less often, and when I do get sick it's usually very mild.

 

I do feel fantastic, but I have to say that being this lean makes wrinkles on my face more prominent. Unfortunately, this is backed up by research. A twin study showed that a higher BMI actually makes women look younger once they're over the age of 40 (link). Oh well, I'm not going to let it bother me. I wouldn't trade how I feel for anything. I'm a fair redhead and though I'm careful not to get burned, I don't shun the sun, so wrinkles were probably guaranteed.

[jplain]

Carbs themselves are not your enemy in moderate quantities . . . it's fructose.

I'll agree with this, even though my personal choice is to eat low carb. Glucose probably isn't a problem if you aren't already diabetic. Fructose is much more problematic. (And in my opinion, excess omega-6 fatty acids are the other major bad actor.) Bottom line: if it isn't an artificial sweetener, and it tastes sweet, what you're tasting is probably fructose.

 

Robert Lustig's talk on fructose is eye-opening, though a little theatrical at times.

 

 

And even with all that, honestly, I know very few Celiacs. I always wondered how much it's a myth and how much a fact - statistically, it's supposed to be a fact, but somehow my experiences aren't representative of that.

I don't know many true celiacs either. But there are both anecdotal reports and some research that suggests even those who aren't true celiacs might have trouble with gluten. William Davis (a cardiologist) has lots of stories of presumably non-celiac patients doing much better after eliminating wheat, with chronic unexplained symptoms simply vanishing. His blog is Heart Scan Blog, but if you're curious about success stories involving eliminating wheat, read these entries: here and here and here. A study discussed here found that 5 out of 6 non-celiacs mounted an intestinal immune response to gluten. It isn't d.amning, as the clinical significance of that immune response is unknown, and I'd like to have seen several control groups added to the study, but it certainly is intriguing.

Edited November 28, 2010 by jplain

[LuvingLife]

My aunt did this and she looks amazing! She is a whole new person and I like it, she looks good for her age (52).

[mcconnellboys]

Yeah, or South Beach was the other one, I think. And more recently I think another version of this has been the Cave Man or something like that.

 

You eat meats and vegetables and fruits (natural sugars). You stop eating pre-packaged foods and most "white" foods, like potatoes, pastas, milk, etc. You eat hard cheeses, rather than fresco cheeses, which are higher in carbs. You make your own dressings and use spices for seasonings/flavor, so that you're not ingesting sugars from all the pre-made condiment products.

 

You drink teas, waters, etc. that don't contain a bunch of sugars (something I already did, anyway)....

[HappyGrace]

Great conversation!

 

I don't think I could cut out grain-based carbs totally. I will be lucky if I can even cut back sugar-lol!

[mcconnellboys]

No, I'm not talking about chucking whole grains - just the plethora of over-refined fluff we have in everything here! I don't consider whole grains "white" foods, but "brown", LOL....