Staying away from sugar
My husband decided he needed to bake cookies this evening. As you all know I have removed processed sugar from my diet. Of course, it is possible to eliminate all processed sugar, because it is in so many things. He asked me to watch his cookies and make sure they didn't burn. I went into the kitchen to check on the cookies.
The smell of the cookies was intoxicating! I loved the smell. I didn't want the cookies. I took his cookies out of the oven and let them cool. After they had cooled I put them in a baggie for him. I didn't even feel the urge to taste one.
Why is that? I think it is because I have had sugar out of my diet for long enough that it doesn't seem to effect me any more. Previously, I was a sugarholic. I could sit and eat a can of frosting with a spoon. I have always been so addicted to sugar.
I know some people are heavy wheat eaters, eating things like bread and chips. Those have never been a problem for me.
Here is a video that I found very interesting. It is made in Australia and it is called Sweet Poison. The man in the video describes the destructive effects of sugar and how to lose weigh quickly simply by eliminating sugar from your diet.
How Can You Eliminate Processed Sugar From Your Diet?
1. One of the easiest ways is to eliminate sugar-filled drinks. Most people need to drink more water. There is really no benefit from drinking soft drinks. Fruit juices and sports drinks are full of sugar.
2. Overhaul breakfast. Most cereals are full of sugar. Pancake syrups, jellies, and breads are all loaded with sugar. Have an omelet. There are some great recipes for make ahead eggs that you can reheat quickly in the mornings.
3. If you are eating processed foods, check the labels for sugar and carbohydrate contents. Carbohydrates turn into sugar. If you really take a look though, you will see lots of your usual foods have a high sugar content. Look at the labels on things like barbecue sauce, ketchup, canned baked beans, and many others. You may be surprised at the amount of sugar that you have been eating.
4. Of course, you need to give up the obvious things like desserts. Cookies, candy, cakes, pies and all high sugar desserts.
Sugar is hard to cut back on. It is much easier just to cut out process sugars completely. I am sure that there are some things that you might not be able to completely give up, but if you can get rid of most of the added sugars you will see a big difference in your weight.
I am not a doctor or a nutrition specialist, but I know that eliminating processed sugar will help you with your weight loss. My 18 year old son has always struggled with weight. He was a chubby boy. He has always been very athletic. He played sports year round from the time he was really young. In high school football at one time he was 6 foot and weighed 221 pounds.
My son would go through 2 a day practices and work hard for hours a day and he would lose 10 to 15 pounds. As soon as he slowed down again the weight would come back. He did get to the point that he was down to around 200 and was staying there. He was cutting out many foods and still not getting his weight where he wanted it.
Earlier this year, he decided to give up processed sugar for Lent. He drank Diet Coke for several years to try to cut calories. He started drinking only water and milk. He has always been a milk drinker. I know that has sugar but he didn't really think about that being a source of processed sugar. He lost weight during Lent. He ate Bananas Foster on Easter. It is one of his absolute favorites. That was his splurge.
The next day he went right back to his restrictions on sugar. He is now at around 180 pounds. He has absolutely no belly and has dropped from a 36 waist to a 32-33 waist. He hasn't really cut back much on any other foods. He does cut back a little on breads. He will only use one piece of bread on a sandwich and he tries not to eat many sandwiches. He still eats fried foods. He and his buddies go eat hot wings pretty often. He eats pizza, tacos, and all the other foods that teenagers eat.
Now, he is still very active, but that hasn't really changed over the years. His real change was eliminating processed sugar.
