Weight Loss the Old Style Way! Part 8. Please read posts 1 and 2 before posting.

stokelady

Hi all, hope you dont mind me posting, I have been reading through your thread and you afre all doing great!

This weight loss thing aint easy, I keep trying to cut down on what I eat but I rarely stick to it for more than a couple of days!

My problem is an uncontrolable sweet tooth - I take 2-3 sugars in my tea - I decided to try and get used to sweeteners - however I really cant ! - just not the same, I have tried a few varieties and nothing comes close to sugar - lots of people say they cut out sugar gradually - reducing by half a spoon a week etc? Just wondered what works best for you?

Also any other ideas for OS sweet treats - lower cals the better? After a meal I like something sweet - have a batch of sugar free jelly setting in the fridge - dont like yogurts - LOVE cakes and biccies (but not a fan of cereal bars, flap jacks etc)

Any tips / hints/ advice much appreciated :-)

jayII

Sparrer and Ragz, that's really good advice. I'm sticking to low targets even though I have a few stone to lose. I'd much rather lose 1lb a week over however long it takes than aim for 2lb a week because 1) I want the weight to stay off, so the slower teh better and 2) it will be a long haul and I want to be able to enjoy life and food along the way.

I've actually lost 2.75lbs this week but I've also felt faint when standing up after sitting for a while on two occasions, so I'm trying to eat a bit more. (I've recently had a full health check including blood tests, so I know it's not diabetes or another health problem.) I haven't been dieting as such, just walking lots and eating sensibly.

jayII

stokelady wrote: »

Hi all, hope you dont mind me posting, I have been reading through your thread and you afre all doing great!

This weight loss thing aint easy, I keep trying to cut down on what I eat but I rarely stick to it for more than a couple of days!

My problem is an uncontrolable sweet tooth - I take 2-3 sugars in my tea - I decided to try and get used to sweeteners - however I really cant ! - just not the same, I have tried a few varieties and nothing comes close to sugar - lots of people say they cut out sugar gradually - reducing by half a spoon a week etc? Just wondered what works best for you?

Also any other ideas for OS sweet treats - lower cals the better? After a meal I like something sweet - have a batch of sugar free jelly setting in the fridge - dont like yogurts - LOVE cakes and biccies (but not a fan of cereal bars, flap jacks etc)

Any tips / hints/ advice much appreciated :-)

Welcome to the thread stokelady.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth and have never liked sugary drinks so I'm not sure how much use my advice will be, but I wonder if you crave the sugar due to low energy levels? (Usually caused by long gaps between meals, a 'low' after a high sugar meal/snack, or by tiredness.)

Apparently, artificial sweeteners make things worse as they make your body anticipate sugary calories, which can lead to increased sugar cravings. Not to mention their side effects!! I tend to have a small sugary snack if I crave sugar after a meal...a kit kat, some 'normal' (sugary) jelly, a piece of fruit, or something else of around 50-100 calories.

I hope that helps.

stokelady

Many thanks - Can honestly say that the sweet thing - is just me being a pig and have been used to eating so much sugary food for so long now that its gonna take some getting used to !

My worst time of day is the evenings........sit down after a busy day in front of the tv or laptop and I like to munch away the evening ...........

sparrer

Morning all, Happy Mothering Sunday to all Mums wherever they may be

B - F&F ss milk
D - Zizzi's, a bit difficult in a pasta restaurant but will try to be careful what I choose
T - 3 crackerbreads w/vegemite, prawns, marmalade
Snacks - usual fruit
Exercise - walking the mother around her town, window shopping, with her hanging onto me. A bit like the blind leading the blind :rotfl:

Have a super day

sparrer

stokelady wrote: »

My worst time of day is the evenings........sit down after a busy day in front of the tv or laptop and I like to munch away the evening ...........

Do you like fruit? I've not got a sweet tooth (cheese is my downfall) but like you I do like something sweet now and again, and get my sugar fix from the sweetest fruits such as grapes, melon, etc. hth:)

jayII

Morning all,

Today:
B: bran flakes with nuts and dried fruit
L: Sunday roast and all the trimmings, choice of deserts. We're eating out.
sandwiches

Have a lovely MOthering Sunday everyone.

ragz_2

Prosaver - please read my posts on the first page, then post your target. You can still join the last 3 weeks of this challenge or wait until Easter when the Summer Challenge starts.

Stokelady - It sounds like you have a sugar addiction, I broke my sugar in drinks thing by cutting down from 2 to 1, then a bit, then none. I still sometimes have sugar in coffee but cannot stand it in tea. The best way to break the habit is to go cold turkey, I find I can happily go without sweet treats all day/for days, until I have ONE and then it's all I want! Low carbing in general involves cutting out sugary treats so maybe try that for a week to get your body used to using other foods for energy, you will find you have a lot more energy after a while. I swing back and forth on this myself, I will think I have cracked it and then have days of eating sweet stuff constantly, doesn't help that I love baking!
If you want homemade sweet stuff try low sugar flapjacks and other stuff sweetened with fruit instead of sugar, fruit sugars don't have quite the same effect on insulin as the rest.
You will most likely find that once you've cracked the sugary drinks thing, you will be satisfied with a lot less sugary treats as they will taste sweeter!

Summer Challenge will run for 12 weeks, from Friday after Easter, ending first week in July. Final weigh in for current challenge is Good Friday, then you can declare new target. First WI will be the next Friday but feel free to give yourself a week off for Easter

I am STILL aiming for 11 stone (even if it takes me until Christmas!) so I have 6lbs to go, hoping another one will shift before the end of this challenge!

FairyPrincessk

stokelady--I too have a sweet tooth although the past few years I think I've done better. I too like sugar in my tea and coffee...and not just a little:eek: I found it easier to reduce the number of times a day I had tea or coffee than to reduce the sugar in my drink. I used to have 3-4 cups a day and now I have one, maybe a second once or twice a week. I found that I really didn't enjoy tea and coffee without sugar.

Personally I avoid all of what I call "synthetic sugars" like artificial sweetners. I do think they have their time and place, and can be really helpful for people with blood sugar problems but I also think they're higher risk and a lot of the time I think they can lull people into a false sense of security--not really changing their habits but thinking its ok because there aren't any calories.

As far as the snacking--I've successfully limited myself to baking once a week. Since it is just OH and me I've found this works out ok--If I bake something for puddings that week then I give him a larger portion and when it is gone, I don't bake again until the next weekend. If I bake scones or cookies for snacks then I usually send most of this to work with him. I don't generally buy things like that so there is a lot less of it in my life these days. I did increase my fruit intake at the same time--which although still high in sugar is also high in fibre, vitamins, and minerals. This helps some--and some evenings if I'm really craving sugar on the sofa I'll cut up a piece of fruit, have that and then if I still want the cakes/sweets I'll get up and get a small portion then. I find having the fruit first helps me to eat more reasonable portions of puddings, and making myself get up a second time to serve it can be a deterrent as well.

Another thing to consider is like someone else said (sorry can't remember who) craving sugar might mean you're eating too infrequently, or not quite the right things. It also might be worth giving some thought to what kinds of sugar you crave. Is it sugar in general, or is it specifically chocolate or something else? Sometimes a craving for a specific food can indicate that you need something else in your diet.

stokelady

Some great ideas and replies - many thanks.

I think I am just so used to having something sweet after a meal and in the evenings I love cake, chocolate, biccies etc.........Last night I just brushed my teeth and went to bed early once the cravings started - somehow fruit doesnt have the same appeal!

MUST TRY HARDER !