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[Tabris]

I am trying to kill my addiction to pop as it really is the worst thing about my diet. Sometimes I drink up to 2-3 cans of pop a day.

Let me know how this is. I am currently combining 1/3rd natural fruit juice or low sugar juice + 2/3rd club soda low sodium. Is this a good alternative to pop? I understand water is always the best alternative but I'm trying to kick the addiction gradually. As I realized my addiction is not to the taste but the "mouth texture".

 

[teh_pwn]

I am trying to kill my addiction to pop as it really is the worst thing about my diet. Sometimes I drink up to 2-3 cans of pop a day.

Let me know how this is. I am currently combining 1/3rd natural fruit juice or low sugar juice + 2/3rd club soda low sodium. Is this a good alternative to pop? I understand water is always the best alternative but I'm trying to kick the addiction gradually. As I realized my addiction is not to the taste but the "mouth texture".

That really isn't that much better. Whether fructose extract comes from cane or fruit or corn, it's the same toxic stuff.

You may want to try:
-watering it down
-use artificial sweetners to get the sweet taste (stevia?)
-black coffee to satisfy any caffeine addiction

 

[Shaneus]

I've found that the best thing is to always have cold water ready to go. Bottle some up in the fridge and when you're thirsty, drink as much of it as you want. I'm now at the point where whenever I'm thirsty, I'll guzzle some water. Shit, I even drink water some of the time when I feel like snacking!

I found the addiction is more to the convenience than anything else. Get rid of any sugary drinks and just keep water around and you'll be fine. It's easier than you think.

 

[Tabris]

That really isn't that much better. Whether fructose extract comes from cane or fruit or corn, it's the same toxic stuff.

You may want to try:
-watering it down
-use artificial sweetners to get the sweet taste (stevia?)
-black coffee to satisfy any caffeine addiction

It's not the caffeine, it's the texture of carbonation. I thought I was watering it down with the club soda so it was only a third of the intake. Reading the side says that's about 20g of sugars per tall glass with about 3 glasses a day. Is that too much? Any alternatives to juice to add to the club soda? (FYI since some people may not know, club soda is carbonated water, only thing in it sodium bicarbonate and it's 1% of daily value.

 

[NomarTyme]

That really isn't that much better. Whether fructose extract comes from cane or fruit or corn, it's the same toxic stuff.

You may want to try:
-watering it down
-use artificial sweetners to get the sweet taste (stevia?)
-black coffee to satisfy any caffeine addiction

I use San Pellegrino for that.

 

[teh_pwn]

It's not the caffeine, it's the texture of carbonation. I thought I was watering it down with the club soda so it was only a third of the intake. Reading the side says that's about 20g of sugars per tall glass with about 3 glasses a day. Is that too much? Any alternatives to juice to add to the club soda? (FYI since some people may not know, club soda is carbonated water, only thing in it sodium bicarbonate and it's 1% of daily value.

20 grams of sucrose by itself is probably too much. But it may be an improvement over 40 grams or whatever you had before.

The problem with the sugar isn't the # of calories that it contains. It's how the sugar affects human (and bacterial) biology in various negative ways that ultimately can cause excessive hunger and consequent fat accumulation.

You don't need to worry about the sodium and preservatives. I think some of them aren't good for you, but they're so trivial compared to the sugar. Sugar is the problem.

 

[Schlep]

I am trying to kill my addiction to pop as it really is the worst thing about my diet. Sometimes I drink up to 2-3 cans of pop a day.

Let me know how this is. I am currently combining 1/3rd natural fruit juice or low sugar juice + 2/3rd club soda low sodium. Is this a good alternative to pop? I understand water is always the best alternative but I'm trying to kick the addiction gradually. As I realized my addiction is not to the taste but the "mouth texture".

I haven't looked, but there are probably fruit juices out there made with Splenda that would cut down on the sugar. I drink about 16oz of sweet tea a day (made with sucralose). Other than that and milk at breakfast, it's water all day long. Ideally the tea would just be water, but I understand having the vice you can't give up; that's mine.

 

[Laguna X]

I would definitely suggest passing on the sucralose and go with stevia instead. Sucralose has been known to have a negative impact on gut health.

 

[Tabris]

I would definitely suggest passing on the sucralose and go with stevia instead. Sucralose has been known to have a negative impact on gut health.

What products have stevia in them?

 

[Laguna X]

What products have stevia in them?

You can get flavored stevia extract and put it in your seltzer water (carbonated water). I don't like the idea of drinking seltzer water, but you said you needed the carbonation. Also, since Stevia is a natural sweetner, you can try your local whole foods or health store for Stevia products.

 

[Masta_Killah]

I am trying to kill my addiction to pop as it really is the worst thing about my diet. Sometimes I drink up to 2-3 cans of pop a day.

Let me know how this is. I am currently combining 1/3rd natural fruit juice or low sugar juice + 2/3rd club soda low sodium. Is this a good alternative to pop? I understand water is always the best alternative but I'm trying to kick the addiction gradually. As I realized my addiction is not to the taste but the "mouth texture".

I've read the reports saying that it'll still make you fat, but I take that with a grain of salt. Drinking it in moderation, in combination with lots of water, should be okay.

 

[Einbroch]

So what can I add to water to make it taste good? I cannot stand the taste of the water around here, and I'm not spending money on bottled water.

I've been using wal-mart artificial sweeteners, and they make water delicious. One little bucket-tube-thing per gallon is fantastic, but is it bad for me?

 

[teh_pwn]

So what can I add to water to make it taste good? I cannot stand the taste of the water around here, and I'm not spending money on bottled water.

I've been using wal-mart artificial sweeteners, and they make water delicious. One little bucket-tube-thing per gallon is fantastic, but is it bad for me?

Brita pitcher in Austin TX fixes the water taste (to neutral, shouldn't taste like anything).

 

[Schlep]

So what can I add to water to make it taste good? I cannot stand the taste of the water around here, and I'm not spending money on bottled water.

I've been using wal-mart artificial sweeteners, and they make water delicious. One little bucket-tube-thing per gallon is fantastic, but is it bad for me?

Buy a Brita filter for your faucet and a couple jugs. It makes water in Texas at this time of year taste like bottled water. For reference, water in Texas is so bad during the summer that it can make a fountain Dr. Pepper taste awful.

 

[Einbroch]

Two posts about Texas water. :lol It must be awful.

 

[Zoe]

Two posts about Texas water. :lol It must be awful.

It depends on where the city gets its water. Austin tastes fine, but the neighboring city, Round Rock, tastes awful.

 

[Laguna X]

So what can I add to water to make it taste good? I cannot stand the taste of the water around here, and I'm not spending money on bottled water.

I've been using wal-mart artificial sweeteners, and they make water delicious. One little bucket-tube-thing per gallon is fantastic, but is it bad for me?

As the others have suggested, using a filter will help in most cases. Some areas just have shitty tasting water and will require it being filtered.

Using an artificial sweetener is not a great choice. Aside from some of the adverse effects on one's health, many of these artificial sweeteners don't do anything to cure oneself from their addiction to sugar. Sometimes it may even lead to much stronger sugar cravings.

If you need to sweeten up your water, try a sweetener that is natural. Adding fruit to water is a good option. Also stevia or xylitol are other natural options. I'd go with the stevia over xylitol as a sweetener.

 

[Kozak]

I've read the reports saying that it'll still make you fat, but I take that with a grain of salt. Drinking it in moderation, in combination with lots of water, should be okay.

Honestly I'm sure its bullshit. They drink it on Biggest Loser and I'm pretty sure they're not trying to gain weight.*

Spoiler

*someone my have to confirm this

 

[Stahsky]

Two posts about Texas water. :lol It must be awful.

Austin water is fine. I still prefer filtered, though.

It depends on where the city gets its water. Austin tastes fine, but the neighboring city, Round Rock, tastes awful.

We should drink water together one of these days.

 

[Messi]

The pop addiction was the worst for me. I cut down from 5L (yeah I know) to none, cold turkey.

 

[Korey]

I've read the reports saying that it'll still make you fat, but I take that with a grain of salt. Drinking it in moderation, in combination with lots of water, should be okay.

Make you fat from what? It literally has zero everything. It's the best alternative for those of us who can't live without soda imo

Yes, but not most of the "yogurt" in supermarkets that is mostly sugar, because this favors the bad bacteria. The bacteria in yogurt is some of the good stuff that seems to work with the intestines to get more nutrition and more satiety out of less food.

Buying sweetened yogurt for the purposes of improving your gut flora would be like buying grass seed that has fertilizer mixed in that only fertilizes weeds.

So I shouldn't be eating this? It has a negative/neutral effect?

http://www.yoplait.com/products_original.aspx

 

[LocoMrPollock]

http://whyjointhenavy.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/coca-cola_zero.jpg[img]

I've read the reports saying that it'll still make you fat, but I take that with a grain of salt. Drinking it in moderation, in combination with lots of water, should be okay.[/QUOTE]



Meh, it's probably not good for you in excess (like most things) but it doesn't make you fat. It does however [I]allegedly[/I] make you hungry or hungrier.

 

[funkmastergeneral]

Make you fat from what? It literally has zero everything. It's the best alternative for those of us who can't live without soda imo


So I shouldn't be eating this? It has a negative/neutral effect?

http://www.yoplait.com/products_original.aspx

Look at the sugar content in that. Sugar is a poison to the body, and that has 27g of it. It's like drinking a 12oz bottle of caffeine free coke.

 

[friskykillface]

Ensure has really been a good thing to drink while I've been on this diet
I drink about 3-4 a day

:lol it'll feel so weird to chew again when I can, if anyone wouldn't mind, can I get a list of what are soft foods to eat?

Think it was 6-8 weeks no chewing, all liquid diet, then 4-6 months no hard foods, just soft, then normal eating after that.

To answer the question on the previous page, main goal right now is to get back to my original weight of 160-165, but looking at my body, it wouldn't hurt to add more pounds. Being 5 foot 7 I've been told i was rather skinny at my original weight.

Funny thing is before my surgery I used to work out a lot and eat a lot of junk foods so I rarely got past 165.
I biked a lot, ran, play soccer, basketball, etc, but that combo of eating straight junk food a lot, I'll stop cause being 21 I guess as I get older it'll have a bigger toll on my body

 

[hsukardi]

The no/low-carb diet took some time to show an effect. For the first two weeks I couldn't see much if any weight loss, and four weeks later I've shaved off 15lbs. 30lbs more to go! Still not completely consistent on low-sugar daily but I'm working towards that.

For those who start off on the low-carb diet, the first week or so can be really hard on your mind. It felt foggy and extremely tired all day, and I could hardly concentrate. Now it's clear and pristine all the time, without the excessive highs and lows brought by sugar.

Exercise definitely needs to come soon..

 

[Schlep]

So I shouldn't be eating this? It has a negative/neutral effect?

http://www.yoplait.com/products_original.aspx

Yoplait doesn't have live cultures, so it's not as useful as Yo-Plus. Personally I like Mountain High because it has a little less sugar than most brands (27g/8 oz instead of 32g for vanilla) and the texture is better.

For equating a serving of yogurt to a can of Coke, I don't agree. While the sugar may be the same, the yogurt brings a lot to the table nutritionally. If you're worried about the source of the sugar, buy unflavored and blend it with fruit.

 

[teh_pwn]

So I shouldn't be eating this? It has a negative/neutral effect?

http://www.yoplait.com/products_original.aspx

That's a sugary yogurt like substance, not yogurt.

If you're choosing between that and yogurt, go to walgreens and buy some probiotic pills. They are usually called Acidophilus.

And you need to eat soluble fiber on a regular basis, like vegetables. Otherwise the bacteria won't get some of it's favorite foods.

If you constantly eat sugar & processed grains, it probably won't be as effective because those sorts of foods fuel the bad bacteria cultures like candida (edit: candida is yeast, but same idea) and hundreds of others.




There are a ton of studies on rats showing how bad bacteria cultures in the gut cause just about every auto-immune disorder there is. Here's some more:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100719162643.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100617120716.htm

These are in rats that start sterile. If you have lots of healthy/symbiotic bacteria in your gut, you're protected because the cultures compete. So if you're taking probiotics and continue to consume mostly sugar, it'll probably do nothing.

Depending on what gets attacked by your immune system determines the symptoms. If it's the hypothalamus, it gets inflamed, and we do have studies showing inflamed hypothalamus is unresponsive to leptin and so the body defaults to persistent hunger.

 

[teh_pwn]

The no/low-carb diet took some time to show an effect. For the first two weeks I couldn't see much if any weight loss, and four weeks later I've shaved off 15lbs. 30lbs more to go! Still not completely consistent on low-sugar daily but I'm working towards that.

For those who start off on the low-carb diet, the first week or so can be really hard on your mind. It felt foggy and extremely tired all day, and I could hardly concentrate. Now it's clear and pristine all the time, without the excessive highs and lows brought by sugar.

Exercise definitely needs to come soon..

While low carb makes it very difficult to gain weight (because insulin is low), and most people generally subconsciously eat fewer calories on Atkins, you may want to create a food log. Make sure you aren't overeating out of habit.

CaloriesIn-CaloriesOut still matter, but not in terms of causality. Lots of obese people have increased appetites, and figuring out what causes that is more important than some crusade of willpower on calorie consumption and energy expenditure.

If this gut flora theory is correct for some cases of obesity, it would infer that after correcting the gut flora population, it would take some number of days/weeks for the liver to clean up the body, and the hypothalamus to repair (if it can).

 

[CrankyJay]

My first time venturing into this thread and I'm working hard to drop some weight. Someone like 20 pages back suggested the Lose It app. Been plugging in stuff I've been eating. So cool.

Got laid off so I've been hitting up the gym 5 days a week. Dropping about 2 pounds a week. I'm currently 201. Hope to be at around 185. I'm 6'2.

 

[Acid08]

So I've started swimming to get into better shape recently. I've dropped 10 pounds just doing laps everyday over the past month. Are there other specific exercises I can do in the water that are higher impact?

I don't really have the money to buy any equipment either so I'm just doing things that I can do on my own. Thanks got the help everyone

 

[Jzero]

So I've started swimming to get into better shape recently. I've dropped 10 pounds just doing laps everyday over the past month. Are there other specific exercises I can do in the water that are higher impact?

I don't really have the money to buy any equipment either so I'm just doing things that I can do on my own. Thanks got the help everyone

Well you can swim the butterfly(gets you nice Abs) and breast stroke they tire you out after a couple laps(im a swimmer) Or you can also play Water polo

 

[Acid08]

Well you can swim the butterfly(gets you nice Abs) and breast stroke they tire you out after a couple laps(im a swimmer) Or you can also play Water polo

So butterfly will help get rid of stomach fat? That's what I'm mostly trying to get rid of.

 

[Jzero]

So butterfly will help get rid of stomach fat? That's what I'm mostly trying to get rid of.

yea definitely but for me it was the hardest one to master http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AviVdYspKLQ

 

[Zoe]

So butterfly will help get rid of stomach fat? That's what I'm mostly trying to get rid of.

There's no such thing as spot reducing.

Butterfly is more of a shoulder exercise. What will really help you work your abs is nailing tight flips (front and back).

 

[Acid08]

There's no such thing as spot reducing.

Butterfly is more of a shoulder exercise. What will really help you work your abs is nailing tight flips (front and back).

Well I'm overall trying to get slimmer. I just want to drop about 40 pounds and swimming seems like a good exercise avenue for me personally.

 

[nomster]

Well I'm overall trying to get slimmer. I just want to drop about 40 pounds and swimming seems like a good exercise avenue for me personally.

It all works, she's just saying targeting stomach muscles won't just make you lose belly fat any faster than some other exercise. Swimming is fine.

 

[hsukardi]

While low carb makes it very difficult to gain weight (because insulin is low), and most people generally subconsciously eat fewer calories on Atkins, you may want to create a food log. Make sure you aren't overeating out of habit.

CaloriesIn-CaloriesOut still matter, but not in terms of causality. Lots of obese people have increased appetites, and figuring out what causes that is more important than some crusade of willpower on calorie consumption and energy expenditure.

If this gut flora theory is correct for some cases of obesity, it would infer that after correcting the gut flora population, it would take some number of days/weeks for the liver to clean up the body, and the hypothalamus to repair (if it can).

Yeah, but keeping everything in order and logged is abit tiring : p

I definitely eat less now naturally, the food that I eat keeps me full longer. It's now about resisting Starbucks, going for pure water, and avoiding sweet food though plenty of Chinese food is cooked with sugar.

 

[BronzeWolf]

Well I'm overall trying to get slimmer. I just want to drop about 40 pounds and swimming seems like a good exercise avenue for me personally.

Also, 40 pounds is a ton of weight, about 20 weeks of work.

And of course, a good diet that will last forever

 

[Zoe]

Well I'm overall trying to get slimmer. I just want to drop about 40 pounds and swimming seems like a good exercise avenue for me personally.

You are doing flips though, right?

If you want to make the swim harder, put on more clothes. Double up on trunks or wear a t-shirt. If you wanna go hardcore, wear pantyhose (seriously).

 

[teh_pwn]

Yeah, but keeping everything in order and logged is abit tiring : p

I definitely eat less now naturally, the food that I eat keeps me full longer. It's now about resisting Starbucks, going for pure water, and avoiding sweet food though plenty of Chinese food is cooked with sugar.

Yeah, it is a bit of a hassle, but it can expose useful stuff. For me, I noticed that I was eating far more of the Plantar's seasoned peanuts than other nuts after doing the food log. I then carefully read the ingredients and found monosodium glutamate. That's MSG, which increases hunger. I get the "cocktail peanuts" now and feel full after about 1 serving.

The food log isn't about nagging yourself into eating fewer calories. It's about finding out what causes you to overeat. After a while the food log isn't necessary.

 

[ch0mp]

Bit of a milestone for me today - weighed under 100kg (99.5). Down from 135kg. \o/

 

[elrechazado]

Bit of a milestone for me today - weighed under 100kg (99.5). Down from 135kg. \o/

congrats, keep it up.

It's amazing how easy it is for me to put on weight. Gained 14 pounds in two weeks (vacation, ate whatever I wanted, and I wanted a lot) after losing 80 in 6 months. It was actually great motivation to continue eating right now that I'm back home and back on low carb.

 

[teh_pwn]

Recently went to whole foods and dodged some hippies to get some better dairy/beef/fat.

Unfortunately, they only seem to have low fat grass fed beef. Meh. But they do have fully fat grass fed steak.

They do have a way better selection of dairy. They've got pastured butter and yogurt. And I have to say that Whole plain yogurt + lemon flavored fish oil = the best food ever. Beats the fucking shit out of yoplait. (pretty expensive though).

It's amazing how easy it is for me to put on weight. Gained 14 pounds in two weeks (vacation, ate whatever I wanted, and I wanted a lot) after losing 80 in 6 months. It was actually great motivation to continue eating right now that I'm back home and back on low carb.

That's some serious hunger. Must still have some leptin resistance & insulin resistance going on. I'd try adding active yogurt/probiotics to the mix. I really like this gut flora theory because it explains why some cultures can eat lots of starches and never develop insulin resistance, why babies are obese now (because formula doesn't have probiotics like mother's milk, and it's full of sugar), and why adults are obese now (anti-biotics sterilize intestine, sugar/grains supports bad bacteria). That's basically the equivalent steps of the rat study.

antibiotics (sterilize) + bad bacteria (supported by sugar, unopposed due to absense of good bacteria & it's fiberous food) => leaky gut => various auto-immune problems => auto-immune of hypothalamus and/or indirect inflammation of the hypothalamus => leptin resistance => persistant hunger.

It could be that low carb tilts the scale in favor of good bacteria through the elimination of sugar.

Of course it probably doesn't explain all cases, but it's always good to rule out all possibilities.
Fructose can be the direct cause in some cases.

Because you aren't what you eat. You're what you and your bacteria digest.

 

[Blackface]

Yoplait doesn't have live cultures, so it's not as useful as Yo-Plus. Personally I like Mountain High because it has a little less sugar than most brands (27g/8 oz instead of 32g for vanilla) and the texture is better.

For equating a serving of yogurt to a can of Coke, I don't agree. While the sugar may be the same, the yogurt brings a lot to the table nutritionally. If you're worried about the source of the sugar, buy unflavored and blend it with fruit.

It depends

if the Yogurt has no added Sugar, it's the same as eating a piece of fruit. People like to read and see "Sugar is poison for the body", but they don't really know what they are talking about. Mainly spewing off talking points from something they read or saw.

Sugar isn't great for the body, but it's also not poison. REFINED SUGAR is poison. Natural sugar found in fruit and vegetables is where a majority of the vitamins are found (particularly in fruit) and has many benefits. You obviously don't want to go overboard, but having some fruit or yogurt is perfectly fine.

The problem is most Yogurt has added refined sugar. When this is the case, it's just as bad as drinking Soda. Sure you get more vitamins, but that doesn't make up for the fact you are putting something into your body that does nothing but harm you.

Find a yogurt with no added Sugar. Meaning all the Sugar in the yogurt is natural.

 

[teh_pwn]

It depends

if the Yogurt has no added Sugar, it's the same as eating a piece of fruit. People like to read and see "Sugar is poison for the body", but they don't really know what they are talking about. Mainly spewing off talking points from something they read or saw.

Sugar isn't great for the body, but it's also not poison. REFINED SUGAR is poison. Natural sugar found in fruit and vegetables is where a majority of the vitamins are found (particularly in fruit) and has many benefits. You obviously don't want to go overboard, but having some fruit or yogurt is perfectly fine.

The problem is most Yogurt has added refined sugar. When this is the case, it's just as bad as drinking Soda. Sure you get more vitamins, but that doesn't make up for the fact you are putting something into your body that does nothing but harm you.

Find a yogurt with no added Sugar. Meaning all the Sugar in the yogurt is natural.

You're right about fruit, but not because of the marketing terms (natural). I mean, heroine and cocaine are natural. Doesn't mean it's good for you, especially in their refined forms.

sugar = sucrose

sucrose = fructose-glucose

The fructose half is the bad part. It is by definition a poison by the way it metabolizes in the body: It can only be metabolized by the liver, and it has harmful byproducts.

With that said, most whole fruits are healthy. It's not because the sugar in fruit is natural. It's because there is little sugar and it's handle by the liver slowly, which it can do. We evolved to do it.

You can make an analogy with alcohol:
6 beers on an empty stomach = Yoplait
Steak, green vegetables and a small glass of red wine = apple

The alcohol/fructose is still natural in both cases. It's just a matter of how much time the liver had to handle it.

 

[JohnsonUT]

It depends on where the city gets its water. Austin tastes fine, but the neighboring city, Round Rock, tastes awful.

I live in Round Rock and have lived all over Austin and all over San Antonio. I have never been able to distinguish between any and I always just drink tap water. My wife on the other hand requires filtered water or bottled.

 

[EviLore]

People like to read and see "Sugar is poison for the body", but they don't really know what they are talking about. Mainly spewing off talking points from something they read or saw.

 

[Zoe]

I live in Round Rock and have lived all over Austin and all over San Antonio. I have never been able to distinguish between any and I always just drink tap water. My wife on the other hand requires filtered water or bottled.

Do you have a water softener? That's the only thing that really makes it palatable to me. Any time I go to the Gold's there, I try to avoid the water from the fountains unless it's cold.

 

[NintendoGal]

I'm curious how folks try to stop eating sweets. I notice I get cravings throughout the day for sugar, whether it be the fudge I just bought or my birthday ice cream cake. I've tried easing away from it (fruits only practically) and cold turkey approaches, but I cave eventually and give in to my sweet tooth.

Any advice?

 

[grumble]

When calories are kept constant, high-carb and low-carb diets have you gain and lose a similar amount of weight. When protein is kept constant, satiety is kept pretty much the same.

What I get out of these two points is that eating a high-protein diet with restricted calories will have you lose weight the easiest and fastest. Low-carb diets tend to also be high-protein and quite low-calorie diets due to eliminating a major energy source, which is the basis for their effectiveness. If you want to lose weight, they might be the easiest way since they do things for you automatically (up to a point), but they are not intrinsically better than moderate-carb diets for losing weight.