• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Cutting Sugar Rapidly Improves Health Markers.

Status
Not open for further replies.
I have a question for those who have been posting about simply quoting soda. I've always wanted to do it but my self control is really lacking.

During the week at work I'll drink at least one Monster a day and most times a soda or two. If it's not those it's coffee in the morning with tons of sugar and creamer. The only time I drink water is when I eat dinner at home.

I'm 37 and often feel tired. Especially in the morning and early evening. I run about 2-3 miles 2-3 times per week. I think that's the only thing keeping me from being overweight.

I know just cutting soda would help me lost a little weight and probably feel better. I've tried a few times but always fall of the wagon. Any tips for quoting soda and Energy drinks?
 
I have a question for those who have been posting about simply quoting soda. I've always wanted to do it but my self control is really lacking.

During the week at work I'll drink at least one Monster a day and most times a soda or two. If it's not those it's coffee in the morning with tons of sugar and creamer. The only time I drink water is when I eat dinner at home.

I'm 37 and often feel tired. Especially in the morning and early evening. I run about 2-3 miles 2-3 times per week. I think that's the only thing keeping me from being overweight.

I know just cutting soda would help me lost a little weight and probably feel better. I've tried a few times but always fall of the wagon. Any tips for quoting soda and Energy drinks?
switch to diet. I hated the taste of diet so much, but I quit the sugar stuff cold turkey then started drinking no calorie stuff and it made it bearable and now I can't stand the taste and syrupy nature of sugar sodas.
 

entremet

Member
I have a question for those who have been posting about simply quoting soda. I've always wanted to do it but my self control is really lacking.

During the week at work I'll drink at least one Monster a day and most times a soda or two. If it's not those it's coffee in the morning with tons of sugar and creamer. The only time I drink water is when I eat dinner at home.

I'm 37 and often feel tired. Especially in the morning and early evening. I run about 2-3 miles 2-3 times per week. I think that's the only thing keeping me from being overweight.

I know just cutting soda would help me lost a little weight and probably feel better. I've tried a few times but always fall of the wagon. Any tips for quoting soda and Energy drinks?

Start with diet.

Then try sparking water.

I'm all about sparkling water now.
 

JustenP88

I earned 100 Gamerscore™ for collecting 300 widgets and thereby created Trump's America
The only time I drink water is when I eat dinner at home.

Why is that? Not a fan of water?

I was drinking liters of pop a day, and I NEVER drank water, before I quit. My key was to never have any pop at home and I started drowning myself in drinking water. I just always had a source of water handy. I also remembered that most restaurants give you water for free.

Eventually, the desire for pop dropped entirely and my habit of always having water with me stuck. It's been like 7 years and to this day I freak out if I forget to grab some water on the way out of the house in the morning.
 
Start with diet.

Then try sparking water.

I'm all about sparkling water now.

I actually have picked up drinking sparkling water. And I love it. Just need to stock up becuase it seems like I'm always out or it's not cold. I cannot drink that stuff room temp for some reason.
 

Iorv3th

Member
I think the average person doesn't feel that way. It's feels physically and mentally impossible for them.

Well depends on what behaviors they have and what food they are used to snacking on drinking etc.

But there are alternatives for most things.
 
Why is that? Not a fan of water?

I was drinking liters of pop a day, and I NEVER drank water, before I quit. My key was to never have any pop at home and I started drowning myself in drinking water. I just always had a source of water handy. I also remembered that most restaurants give you water for free.

Eventually, the desire for pop dropped entirely and my habit of always having water with me stuck. It's been like 7 years and to this day I freak out if I forget to grab some water on the way out of the house in the morning.

I love water with food. Even at restaurants. It's just I cannot be bothered to drink water by itself. I even bought a nice water jug that keeps ice water cold all day and I forget to grab it most days.
 

Ambient80

Member
There was a recent article by Vox that American breakfast is basically dessert. Loaded with fucking sugar.

The main ways I cut back on sugar was practically all breakfast. Yogury,juice,breakfast bars, instant oatmeal, cereal. It's almost all bullshit.


Yeah but eggs with a bit of pepper jack cheese and a couple strips of bacon is awesome :) Few carbs, lots of protein.


Start with diet.

Then try sparking water.

I'm all about sparkling water now.

This is what I did. I rarely drink regular soda, usually only if I'm at a restaurant or something, which is maybe once a week at most. Rest of the time I do sparkling water with a few squirts of those water flavoring things. Tastes better, sugar free, and I can drink as much as I want. Plus, I'm meeting my daily water requirement super easily.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Can I put a little honey in instead or is that just as bad?
It's just as bad. I brew mine super strong then do cafe au lait using whole milk. That's not really good for you, either, but better than sugar.
 
cutting soda is hard, but I'm trying real hard

one thing that I noticed is that if I got for days without it, I then don't enjoy it as much the next time I drink some.

The longer I push soda away, the less I like it the next time I take a sip

it's hard because of all the Drive-Thru, combos with not alternatives and shit

but trying real hard to cut it completely out
 

jmdajr

Member
I think we should petition to have the name of the macronutrient "fat" changed to something else. Everybody around me has this idea that ?g of fat content immediately makes a food "fattening" lol. Gotta get low fat/no fat foods that supplement the the missing fat with uh... I dunno...

Back then I asked a friend if skim milk can make you fat.

His response.

"How? It's got no fat."

And for real. That's how many still think. You can't get fat if there isn't fat in it.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
I think we should petition to have the name of the macronutrient "fat" changed to something else. Everybody around me has this idea that ?g of fat content immediately makes a food "fattening" lol. Gotta get low fat/no fat foods that supplement the the missing fat with uh... I dunno...

That's what I thought for years growing up and even somewhat into adulthood :(

People are idiots.

Idiot seems a bit strong... A lot of people are willing to learn, but just haven't encountered the opportunity to do so.
 

jmdajr

Member
People are idiots.

I feel bad calling people idiots because it's not that simple. The government doesn't help. The education system doesn't help. And when it does the info is wrong.

I guess I was an idiot. Finished High School, got a degree, clueless about nutrition.
 
Interesting. Although it's a small, short-term study by an anti-sugar fanatic. Still, tons of sugar in your diet can't be good. It's a shame companies add sugar to everything.


The children were given food and drinks totaling the same number of calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates as their typical diets.

How did they know what the kid's typical diets are? Self reporting?
 

entremet

Member
Interesting. Although it's a small, short-term study by an anti-sugar fanatic. Still, tons of sugar in your diet can't be good. It's a shame companies add sugar to everything.




How did they know what the kid's typical diets are? Self reporting?
Cant find the study. Metabolic ward would be best but doubtful for children.
 

Maxim726X

Member
switch to diet. I hated the taste of diet so much, but I quit the sugar stuff cold turkey then started drinking no calorie stuff and it made it bearable and now I can't stand the taste and syrupy nature of sugar sodas.

I can second this.

Actually, I started drinking Diet Coke when I was younger and have always hated the taste of regular soda.

Switching to diet will have a huge impact on your weight alone. Also, look into this for a nice alternative to your conventional energy drink:

http://www.drinkstarkenergy.com/stark-energy-drinks---energy-drinks---supplement-products.html
 

thespot84

Member
I think we should petition to have the name of the macronutrient "fat" changed to something else. Everybody around me has this idea that ?g of fat content immediately makes a food "fattening" lol. Gotta get low fat/no fat foods that supplement the the missing fat with uh... I dunno...

Triglycerides?
 

Matt

Member
cutting soda is hard, but I'm trying real hard

one thing that I noticed is that if I got for days without it, I then don't enjoy it as much the next time I drink some.

The longer I push soda away, the less I like it the next time I take a sip

it's hard because of all the Drive-Thru, combos with not alternatives and shit

but trying real hard to cut it completely out
So switch to diet soda.
 

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
So, home made juice is just as shitty as bought juice? Should I throw my juicer out of the house?

I've heard they retain much more vitamins and what not, but are still just massive sugar bombs.

Someone also once told me that homemade juices have much more fiber and thus the sugar itself digests more slowly which reduces the insulin spike. I have no idea if this science is true or not.
 

thespot84

Member
I find lustig's work generally compelling, and he's been doing studies like the one in OP for some time.

The timing is also strange since this field moves so quickly. His Wikipedia has a sentence that says:

However, there is no scientific consensus that consumed fructose itself affects metabolism.

Sourced from 3 articles, one of which says:

Overall, fructose is a component of insulin resistance and a contributor to visceral adiposity and plasma triglycerides[9]

This is not climate change, but it seems that some similarly hide behind "no scientific consensus." It's hard to keep up with but the general ideas that

a) HFCS and sucrose are comparable, since HFCS contains only 10% more fructose than sucrose by weight, and

b) Fructose, in the absence of fiber, like from fruit, has a big and mostly negative role in some important metabolic pathways

are pretty compelling. I have avoided added sugar and soda for a long time and definitely noticed a difference, which seems to mirror most people's anecdotal experience. Yes, it's sticky to transfer that into epidemiology and ultimate policy, but I find the resistance to the very idea of it confusing.

I've heard they retain much more vitamins and what not, but are still just massive sugar bombs.

Someone also once told me that homemade juices have much more fiber and thus the sugar itself digests more slowly which reduces the insulin spike. I have no idea if this science is true or not.

The interplay with sugar and fiber wrt insulin are correct, and for the juice if it retained the pulp i would imagine some fiber would remain.
 

jmdajr

Member
I've heard they retain much more vitamins and what not, but are still just massive sugar bombs.

Someone also once told me that homemade juices have much more fiber and thus the sugar itself digests more slowly which reduces the insulin spike. I have no idea if this science is true or not.

Maybe blended it has some fiber. But even still the process destroys a lot of it. The fiber needs to be intact to slow down the sugar absorbition in your body.
 

DjRalford

Member
Been on a Keto diet for 3 months so extremely low sugar (less than 20g Carbs a day) lost just over 20kg so far with 2 - 3 gym sessions a week.

Sugar is evil, but unfortunatly it is put in almost everything, having spent a lot of time getting together macro data for all the stuff for my diet it's shocking just how much hidden sugars there are in everyday foods.
 
I have a question for those who have been posting about simply quoting soda. I've always wanted to do it but my self control is really lacking.

During the week at work I'll drink at least one Monster a day and most times a soda or two. If it's not those it's coffee in the morning with tons of sugar and creamer. The only time I drink water is when I eat dinner at home.

I'm 37 and often feel tired. Especially in the morning and early evening. I run about 2-3 miles 2-3 times per week. I think that's the only thing keeping me from being overweight.

I know just cutting soda would help me lost a little weight and probably feel better. I've tried a few times but always fall of the wagon. Any tips for quoting soda and Energy drinks?
Quit cold turkey as of last week. Drink unsweetened Iced Tea with a lemon alongside meals, and water on the downtime. And beer when I go out. I can milk a beer for a full meal.
 
This makes me so sad.

Soda, drink juice, cookies, ice cream, chocolate candy... I love all these things and wish to consume them every day. I already cut my soda intake to 1 per week at the behest of my doctor, but I still consume a shit ton of sugar daily.
 

thespot84

Member
This makes me so sad.

Soda, drink juice, cookies, ice cream, chocolate candy... I love all these things and wish to consume them every day. I already cut my soda intake to 1 per week at the behest of my doctor, but I still consume a shit ton of sugar daily.

I still enjoy some soda, chocolate and ice cream, but after avoiding them your taste buds change, and the cravings tend to subside. I've got only one life to live and there's no way it's going to be without eating ice cream ever again, but if you treat them as, well, 'treats', it's easier to manage.

EDIT all this got me reading more about keto. I'm not ready to jump on that but shit's fascinating.
 

Malvolio

Member
EDIT all this got me reading more about keto. I'm not ready to jump on that but shit's fascinating.

It really is. First "diet" I ever tried and it worked flawlessly and felt so easy to manage. It taught me so much about carbs and what they are really needed for. I've been at maintenance weight for a couple years now, but as soon as I realize I've put a few pounds on, I lower carbs to keto levels for a few weeks and the weight just melts away.
 
This makes me so sad.

Soda, drink juice, cookies, ice cream, chocolate candy... I love all these things and wish to consume them every day. I already cut my soda intake to 1 per week at the behest of my doctor, but I still consume a shit ton of sugar daily.

Your desire for sugary foods will lessen if you stop eating them.
 

linsivvi

Member
People are idiots.

Nah, for decades people have been fed false information perpetuated by US government recommendation. It got so bad that almost the entire world believed in it until recently.

Just gotta spread the message so people will understand it was all based on a flawed study.
 

JustenP88

I earned 100 Gamerscore™ for collecting 300 widgets and thereby created Trump's America
It really is. First "diet" I ever tried and it worked flawlessly and felt so easy to manage. It taught me so much about carbs and what they are really needed for. I've been at maintenance weight for a couple years now, but as soon as I realize I've put a few pounds on, I lower carbs to keto levels for a few weeks and the weight just melts away.

This has been my experience as well. I first tried it a few years ago and, while it's hard to maintain for too long given my affinity for beer, it's pretty damn easy compared to an "I can eat whatever I want, I just have to count calories type of diet". I keep giving it up and gaining weight back, but the switch flips so easily when I get back into it and friends who struggle with their weight, but think the idea of a very low-carb diet is ridiculous, are always shocked at my ability to drop weight quickly. If you've got any desire to see it through at all, it really is an easy way to lose weight.

I got into it after reading a book by a dude named taubes or something. Meats, cheeses, eggs, cream. I don't know if there's any hard science out there supporting this, but I notice a clear difference in lasting satiety (staying full) when eating keto-friendly (fat or protein heavy) versus eating carb heavy (yeah, sure I'm just gonna eat one bread stick). I've never even counted calories on it. I just limit my options to keto-friendly choices and the rest takes care of itself.
 

marzlapin

Member
I think the thing that made it easier for me to cut way down on sugar was to change the way I was thinking about it. Instead of telling myself I was going to give up sugar forever, I said I was going to give it up for one week and see how I felt. So I did that and then I just checked in with myself after a week and asked if I really needed to eat sugar or not. I think the first time I went over a month before I wanted to take a cheat day.

The reason this worked was because if I thought I'd NEVER GET TO EAT ICE CREAM AGAIN OMG I'd get frustrated and it would seem impossible to stick to it so why even try? And then I'd fall off the wagon and never get back on. I could go a week or two, or a month, without sweets. That was easier. The thing is, when I did that, my sugar cravings went way, way down. Actually, all food cravings in general went way down, not just cravings for sweet things. Once that happened, it was much easier to avoid sugary stuff because I just didn't crave it much anymore. Then when I did eat it, it didn't even taste as good as before.

Whenever I do let myself have a cheat day, my cravings come roaring back though for several days afterward. It's still something I have to be careful of. Sugar really is addictive, at least for me.
 

jmdajr

Member
Absoutely.
It's looking more and more likely that meats and cheese have almost nothing to do with heart disease and especially diabetes.

Colon cancer though. That could be an issue.
Bu the risk has to still be way less than that of sugar.

You could eat meat all your life and not get cancer until 60.

But sugar? You'll be a fat fuck practically
immediately!
 
Current nutrition labels don't show added sugar, so its hard to separate it out. New ones will (in 2018):

smrkxvj.png

FUCKING GAME-CHANGER
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom