11 ms·

I completely removed added sugar from my diet for the past 6 months. It is hard to describe how my life changed. I am much better at swimming, less tired, I ea

I completely removed added sugar from my diet for the past 6 months. It is hard to describe how my life changed. I am much better at swimming, less tired, I eat a lot less. I lost weight the first 3 months and now my weight is very stable. Cutting added sugar is not very hard but it requires some willingness. The food producers put sugar everywhere: bread, red beans, smoked salmon, yogurt, etc. You just need to read the ingredients to avoid it. You will quickly learn which type of product is ok and which type is not. Today I am more attracted to a fruit than a cup cake or an ice cream, and it feels good :)

lasryaric 11y ago
One more thing: I did that because I wanted to eat all the time. When I learned than sugar is addictive, I stopped.
- jzawodn 11y ago
  This. 100 times. I've had the same experience (and a few relapses, but I do know better).
- hristov 11y ago
  I would like to back that up. I used to be the guy that ordered miltiple additional portions of fries all the time. I thought I really liked fries. Eventually I figured out it was the sugar filled ketchup that was doing it to me. Now I eat fries without ketchup and do not usually order additional portions (unless I am really hungry). Best of all, I do not feel like I am starving myself. When I do not have ketchup, I do not get the desire to eat more.
  - lasryaric 11y ago
    Very similar stories on my side... I used to need a lot of food to feel "satisfied" or "full". Now, a regular meal, like my wife who has always eat small portion and healthy food, and I am good until the next meal.
  - brewdad 11y ago
    I can eat fries without ketchup just fine. My issue is with the salt. Give me more of that wonderful NaCl.
    - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
      Fortunately no issue with NaCl. It has been demonized but turns out, humans with their salty blood are exquisitely tuned to regulate salt. Most of us have absolutely no problem with any amount of salt.
      - Retric 11y ago
        any amount of salt Less Salt water than you might think can kill you. Lower levels can also prove deadly when your body is stressed. However, long term effects do seem limited.
        JoeAltmaier 11y ago
        There's that lady that deliberately lived for months on a raft in the ocean, drinking only salt water. I'm doubting that salt water is terribly harmful.
  - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
    I eat them with mayo. I wonder if that has sugar? Anyway, still crave them, eat as many as I find on my plate (and half of what's on my wife's plate).
elemeno 11y ago
Being a minor pedant - the sugar in Smoked Salmon isn't really 'the food producers putting sugar everywhere', it's part of how the Salmon is cured before it's smoked. Rubs and cures are fairly typically a mix of salt and sugar along with herbs and spices - the sugar is a pretty integral part of the process rather than being an additional ingredient.
- lsniddy 11y ago
  Not to mention its a very small amount of sugar. I noticed in the study they replaced added sugars with simple carbs (bagels/chips). Makes me wonder if the best strategy is just reducing all sugar/simple carbs across the board and replacing with low GI or high fat foods.
  - voidlogic 11y ago
    This works for me, I lost 65 lbs over a year. Now that I hit my goals I eat very low carb (< 20 net grams) for breakfast/lunch and low/moderate carb for supper (30-60 net grams).
- tamersalama 11y ago
  Why? Binding factors? Aesthetics? Is there any alternative (perhaps more expensive)?
  - japhyr 11y ago
    I smoke my own salmon. After cutting the salmon, you let it sit in a mixture of salt and sugar overnight. From my understanding, the salt pulls moisture out of the fish - it's impressive how much moisture is pulled out. The fish starts out sitting in a bowl of salt and sugar, and in the morning the bowl is filled with liquid. You rinse all the salt and sugar off, dry the fish on racks, and then put it in a smoker. I've been told the sugar is used to keep the fish from becoming overly salty, but I imagine it serves other purposes as well. I'd love to know what that is. We've started experimenting with using less sugar, but it seems the fish would get really salty if you cut too much sugar out. Here's a picture of the fish drying: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151063519684708&l=35e73a4cfb https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151063519684708&l=... and after it comes out of the smoker: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064652569708&l=7debbbedce https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064652569708&l=...
eliben 11y ago
Fruit has a lot of sugar in it, too. Do you avoid fruit as well?
- Dolores12 11y ago
  Sugar in fruits is not added sugar.
  - eliben 11y ago
    It actually is. Except it's not added between growing and fruit and consuming it, but before growing the fruit. Fruit have been bred and genetically engineered for high sugar content for millennia. ... none of this is to bash fruit - they are definitely a much better alternative to sugary drinks and even fruit juices, due to their low glycemic load. But still, it's important to remember that fruit, especially some fruit, are far from being sugar free.
    - Dolores12 11y ago
      Added sugars refers to sugar carbohydrates added to food and beverages during their production.(artificially) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Added_sugar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Added_sugar
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- kyle_t 11y ago
  Fruit does not have added sugar and the fiber in fruit helps slow the digestion of the fructose greatly dampening the negative effects of the sugar. Plus fruit is loaded with naturally occurring vitamins essential to the human body.
- voidlogic 11y ago
  1. Fruit is not healthy in large quantities. (Everything in moderation?) 2. If you eat fruit in its natural form (with the fiber etc), it has a much lower glycemic index than processed. Also consider the glycemic index and load of an apple is much lower than a potato. Its worth noting that in the form of something like a smoothy, a person can consume more fruit than would be possible eating actual fruit. Imagine a counter top of fruit turning into a single large smoothy...
zyb09 11y ago
I agree with you on the benefits, but I did find it quite hard to get rid of added sugars from my diet. As you said it's basically in 90% of products you find at the grocery store, so the only way is to buy raw foods only and do a lot of cooking. I work remotely from home, so I have time to choose what to buy and time to cook everyday, but otherwise I don't think I could do it easily.
- lasryaric 11y ago
  I have seen a bunch of friends trying with the same feedback. I think the key is to do it very strictly for a few weeks. Otherwise, you have a hard time understanding some of your feelings. When you completely stop, you can clearly see the difference. Sometimes, I think I am too strict so I take a peace of cake, and I usually regrets eat because I have this weird feeling an hour later. Also, I want to insist on the fact that I had a lot of junk food while I was younger, and I think the effect on my body was big. My observation is that people who grew up eating healthy don't have the same problems.
at-fates-hands 11y ago
>> Today I am more attracted to a fruit than a cup cake or an ice cream, and it feels good :) I had a buddy who has convinced me to do this as well and says everything tastes better when you re-align your taste buds so to speak. He says all his fruit tastes sweeter, vegetables and other foods have more flavor when he stopped eating processed sugar. Clearly, you've had the same experience.
- lasryaric 11y ago
  Exactly, that is why I say it is hard to describe, there is too many things changes. Give me a plain yogurt and a fruit and I am as happy as I was with an Häagen-Dazs® ice cream :)
001sky 11y ago
This is almost surely placebo effect Given the amount of time wasted on diet/nutrition fads I'm starting to thing the US government should actually do some science on these issues.
- lorenzhs 11y ago
  You mean like the article you're commenting on?
  - 001sky 11y ago
    ya, the one where placebo (sugar pill) is documented to work in many times in lieu of actual narcotics.
    - 001sky 11y ago
      "Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, said the study needed to be viewed “with some scepticism” because it was uncontrolled. It did not compare the children with a similar group who continued to eat a high-sugar diet. The comparison instead was made with their weight and health before the study while on their usual diet. “But it is well known that obese children underestimate and under-report food intake, particularly of soft drinks and snack foods,” said Sanders. “This is a fundamental flaw in the study. It is likely that the changes in metabolic outcomes observed can be explained by the experimental diet providing fewer calories than the children’s usual intake.”
magic_beans 11y ago
What do you mean by "added sugar"? What about carbohydrates, which have "added sugar" (because they ARE sugar by default?) What about high-sugar fruits like bananas, citrus, and red apples, which often have as much sugar as processed snacks? Or do you mean that you eat low glycemic index foods?
- lasryaric 11y ago
  Basically, when it is written "sugar" in the ingredients, I don't eat it. I eat fruits but not dry fruits or fruit juice / smoothie etc. I eat bread and pasta. I don't eat snack bar. I try to eat food with a low glycimic index but I know bread has a high one.
- mfoy_ 11y ago
  A lot of breads in North America have a lot of added sugars. You have to actually go out of your way to find breads that aren't sweetened significantly.
  - memonkey 11y ago
    There are breads that DON'T have sugar in them?! Where do I find these mysterious breads?
    - mfoy_ 11y ago
      ADDED sugar. As in "let's dump a bunch of refined white sugar or high fructose corn syrup in this dough to make it sell better to our sugar-addicted customers."
    - lorenzhs 11y ago
      When I lived in the UK, I started making my own bread (I'm from Germany, we have a bit of a reputation for our bread). I have a rye sourdough from which I bake a rye and wheat mixed loaf. It's quite heavy -- slightly over 1kg for a large loaf tin (IKEA DRÖMMAR, to be precise) -- but stores well and I really enjoy the taste. The sourdough is my fridge pet (so to say), but since it lives in the fridge, it needs to be fed only once every two to three weeks, or whenever you bake it. I've had it for 1½ years now.
dekhn 11y ago
Sugar is added to cured salmon because it helps prevent the growth of microorganisms. When this process was originally developed, food spoilage was a huge problem (it meant the difference between survival and death) while metabolic disorders were rare.
marknutter 11y ago
I have become so wary of comments about lifestyle or diet changes that result in a bevy of subjective improvements. Like when people start running and they have all these wonderful side effects — more energy, better sleep, mood improvements, etc — where in my experience I really didn't experience any of it when I trained for a triathlon a couple years back. It just reminds me of infomercial testimonials. I need to see double-blind clinical trials that prove the effects outperform placebo at this point. It all sounds logical, because "sugar bad" but I have become far too skeptical these days.
- lasryaric 11y ago
  I am not saying this is the solution to all people who are overweight or anything like that. I am only saying that for someone like me who was clearly addicted go suggar, the result is clearly here. I tried to stop eating too much since I was ~17 years old and I was never able to do so until I cut added sugar. I am only speaking for myself (and for my dad who needs to cut added sugar :))
  - marknutter 11y ago
    Eating too much sugar and then bringing it down to "normal" levels is one thing, but cutting it out of your diet completely is another. I think eating too much of anything is going to have negative side-effects and bringing that consumption back to normal levels will have the reverse effect. It doesn't seem particularly compelling to me. Sugar is no more harmful to us than most of the other chemicals we consume when done in moderation, so I feel it's being unfairly singled out.
    - dota_fanatic 11y ago
      It's being "unfairly" singled out because it's being "unfairly" added to most processed foods. Why is it added? Because it's addicting, people will always want more, and are therefore willing to pay for it. Want your food product to sell more? Add sugar. It's nice that you think people should "just eat normal levels", but it's extremely hard in practice when the food landscape is heavily saturated in the stuff, especially the cheaper products. Healthy food, or "moderate" behavior, exists alongside a mountain of more appealing options in the moment, especially considering cost. Go to the grocery (in the US), and look at many products attractive to children. Notice the heavy prevalence of added sugar. Unfairly singled out? lmfao
jeremywho 11y ago
Do you drink coffee?
- lasryaric 11y ago
  I do! Why?
  - lfx 11y ago
    Without sugar or you add something other like cinnamon?
    - malnourish 11y ago
      A lot of people (like myself) enjoy coffee black. If you prefer a cream you can add unsweetened coconut or almond milk.
    - lasryaric 11y ago
      Coffee without anything. Has been like that even before I cut added sugar.
    - irl_zebra 11y ago
      I've always drank black coffee. Occasionally I will add a little skim milk, but that's more to cool it down if I'm in a hurry. Have never added sugar.
criddell 11y ago
> It is hard to describe how my life changed I've sought out these types of experiences but never see the dramatic changes that other people do. For a time, I cut sugar out of my diet. I didn't notice any changes other than my desire to eat sweet foods went away. I did experience the flu like symptoms for a few days, but that passed. Now, if I really binge on sugar, I get a headache, but consuming it moderation doesn't make me feel any different than when I had cut it out completely. I've also experimented with cutting out caffeine, eating vegetarian, different sleep patterns, and different exercise routines. Only messing with my sleep had much effect (I need it, duh).
ahallock 11y ago
I take issue with this because was it really the sugar or were you reducing and eliminating other bad elements from your diet? Cup cakes and ice cream, for example -- it's not the sugar -- it's the high fat combined with sugar causing you problems.
- lasryaric 11y ago
  Good point. My feeling is that this rule of cutting added sugar is a good rule to actually eat mostly healthy food. There is counter example to that of course. I am not doing a scientific study, I am just tired to gain weight if I don't run 3 times a week.
- astrange 11y ago
  There's nothing wrong with high fat on its own. Sugar on its own is not good (might as well eat anything else, you'll save your teeth). But put the two together and you get heart disease.
thearn4 11y ago
I've cut it out for the most part as well, and I (as anecdotal as it is of course) completely agree. I've also lost 35 lbs since the beginning of summer as well, with few other specific changes than learning to pass up sweet stuff. Naturally, it's calories in vs. calories out for weight loss, but there seems to be a dangerous feedback loop when it comes to me and sugar. Easiest way to exercise will power for me is to just say no altogether.
Dylan16807 11y ago
One way to improve your diet is just to pay attention to it. And you're paying a lot of attention to your diet. Unfortunately your anecdote isn't very helpful to learn specifically about sugar.
peteretep 11y ago
I tried this for about 9 months, and then a year later, for about a month and a half. I can massively agree with this: > It is hard to describe how my life changed. I lost a load of weight, and felt much better. However: > Cutting added sugar is not very hard but it requires > some willingness. Your mileage may vary. Having had strong to mild nicotine, alcohol, and benzodiazepine dependencies in the past, kicking sugar was much much more difficult than any of the others. At least part of the problem was that it's virtually impossible to get away from sugar; you'll eat something you thought wouldn't be sweet, but it is, and suddenly you have chocolate smeared around your mouth sitting in a field of candy wrappers... Watching my wife try and give up sugar was also an education. Wild mood swings, bargaining, secret consumption ... it was quite something. We're both pretty athletically shaped and very active, but giving up sugar was comfortably ... impossible. I have had excellent results recently eating 90% of my meals from a paleo food delivery service. I don't think I can get behind any of the "science" the paleo community puts forward, but eating balanced and very high quality meals had made many parts of my body much happier.

lasryaric 11y ago

One more thing: I did that because I wanted to eat all the time. When I learned than sugar is addictive, I stopped.

jzawodn 11y ago
This. 100 times. I've had the same experience (and a few relapses, but I do know better).
hristov 11y ago
I would like to back that up. I used to be the guy that ordered miltiple additional portions of fries all the time. I thought I really liked fries. Eventually I figured out it was the sugar filled ketchup that was doing it to me. Now I eat fries without ketchup and do not usually order additional portions (unless I am really hungry). Best of all, I do not feel like I am starving myself. When I do not have ketchup, I do not get the desire to eat more.
- lasryaric 11y ago
  Very similar stories on my side... I used to need a lot of food to feel "satisfied" or "full". Now, a regular meal, like my wife who has always eat small portion and healthy food, and I am good until the next meal.
- brewdad 11y ago
  I can eat fries without ketchup just fine. My issue is with the salt. Give me more of that wonderful NaCl.
  - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
    Fortunately no issue with NaCl. It has been demonized but turns out, humans with their salty blood are exquisitely tuned to regulate salt. Most of us have absolutely no problem with any amount of salt.
    - Retric 11y ago
      any amount of salt Less Salt water than you might think can kill you. Lower levels can also prove deadly when your body is stressed. However, long term effects do seem limited.
      - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
        There's that lady that deliberately lived for months on a raft in the ocean, drinking only salt water. I'm doubting that salt water is terribly harmful.
- JoeAltmaier 11y ago
  I eat them with mayo. I wonder if that has sugar? Anyway, still crave them, eat as many as I find on my plate (and half of what's on my wife's plate).

elemeno 11y ago

Being a minor pedant - the sugar in Smoked Salmon isn't really 'the food producers putting sugar everywhere', it's part of how the Salmon is cured before it's smoked. Rubs and cures are fairly typically a mix of salt and sugar along with herbs and spices - the sugar is a pretty integral part of the process rather than being an additional ingredient.

lsniddy 11y ago
Not to mention its a very small amount of sugar. I noticed in the study they replaced added sugars with simple carbs (bagels/chips). Makes me wonder if the best strategy is just reducing all sugar/simple carbs across the board and replacing with low GI or high fat foods.
- voidlogic 11y ago
  This works for me, I lost 65 lbs over a year. Now that I hit my goals I eat very low carb (< 20 net grams) for breakfast/lunch and low/moderate carb for supper (30-60 net grams).
tamersalama 11y ago
Why? Binding factors? Aesthetics? Is there any alternative (perhaps more expensive)?
- japhyr 11y ago
  I smoke my own salmon. After cutting the salmon, you let it sit in a mixture of salt and sugar overnight. From my understanding, the salt pulls moisture out of the fish - it's impressive how much moisture is pulled out. The fish starts out sitting in a bowl of salt and sugar, and in the morning the bowl is filled with liquid. You rinse all the salt and sugar off, dry the fish on racks, and then put it in a smoker. I've been told the sugar is used to keep the fish from becoming overly salty, but I imagine it serves other purposes as well. I'd love to know what that is. We've started experimenting with using less sugar, but it seems the fish would get really salty if you cut too much sugar out. Here's a picture of the fish drying: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151063519684708&l=35e73a4cfb https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151063519684708&l=... and after it comes out of the smoker: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064652569708&l=7debbbedce https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064652569708&l=...

eliben 11y ago

Fruit has a lot of sugar in it, too. Do you avoid fruit as well?

Dolores12 11y ago
Sugar in fruits is not added sugar.
- eliben 11y ago
  It actually is. Except it's not added between growing and fruit and consuming it, but before growing the fruit. Fruit have been bred and genetically engineered for high sugar content for millennia. ... none of this is to bash fruit - they are definitely a much better alternative to sugary drinks and even fruit juices, due to their low glycemic load. But still, it's important to remember that fruit, especially some fruit, are far from being sugar free.
  - Dolores12 11y ago
    Added sugars refers to sugar carbohydrates added to food and beverages during their production.(artificially) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Added_sugar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Added_sugar
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
kyle_t 11y ago
Fruit does not have added sugar and the fiber in fruit helps slow the digestion of the fructose greatly dampening the negative effects of the sugar. Plus fruit is loaded with naturally occurring vitamins essential to the human body.
voidlogic 11y ago
1. Fruit is not healthy in large quantities. (Everything in moderation?) 2. If you eat fruit in its natural form (with the fiber etc), it has a much lower glycemic index than processed. Also consider the glycemic index and load of an apple is much lower than a potato. Its worth noting that in the form of something like a smoothy, a person can consume more fruit than would be possible eating actual fruit. Imagine a counter top of fruit turning into a single large smoothy...

zyb09 11y ago

I agree with you on the benefits, but I did find it quite hard to get rid of added sugars from my diet. As you said it's basically in 90% of products you find at the grocery store, so the only way is to buy raw foods only and do a lot of cooking. I work remotely from home, so I have time to choose what to buy and time to cook everyday, but otherwise I don't think I could do it easily.

lasryaric 11y ago
I have seen a bunch of friends trying with the same feedback. I think the key is to do it very strictly for a few weeks. Otherwise, you have a hard time understanding some of your feelings. When you completely stop, you can clearly see the difference. Sometimes, I think I am too strict so I take a peace of cake, and I usually regrets eat because I have this weird feeling an hour later. Also, I want to insist on the fact that I had a lot of junk food while I was younger, and I think the effect on my body was big. My observation is that people who grew up eating healthy don't have the same problems.

at-fates-hands 11y ago

>> Today I am more attracted to a fruit than a cup cake or an ice cream, and it feels good :) I had a buddy who has convinced me to do this as well and says everything tastes better when you re-align your taste buds so to speak. He says all his fruit tastes sweeter, vegetables and other foods have more flavor when he stopped eating processed sugar. Clearly, you've had the same experience.

lasryaric 11y ago
Exactly, that is why I say it is hard to describe, there is too many things changes. Give me a plain yogurt and a fruit and I am as happy as I was with an Häagen-Dazs® ice cream :)

001sky 11y ago

This is almost surely placebo effect Given the amount of time wasted on diet/nutrition fads I'm starting to thing the US government should actually do some science on these issues.

lorenzhs 11y ago
You mean like the article you're commenting on?
- 001sky 11y ago
  ya, the one where placebo (sugar pill) is documented to work in many times in lieu of actual narcotics.
  - 001sky 11y ago
    "Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, said the study needed to be viewed “with some scepticism” because it was uncontrolled. It did not compare the children with a similar group who continued to eat a high-sugar diet. The comparison instead was made with their weight and health before the study while on their usual diet. “But it is well known that obese children underestimate and under-report food intake, particularly of soft drinks and snack foods,” said Sanders. “This is a fundamental flaw in the study. It is likely that the changes in metabolic outcomes observed can be explained by the experimental diet providing fewer calories than the children’s usual intake.”

magic_beans 11y ago

What do you mean by "added sugar"? What about carbohydrates, which have "added sugar" (because they ARE sugar by default?) What about high-sugar fruits like bananas, citrus, and red apples, which often have as much sugar as processed snacks? Or do you mean that you eat low glycemic index foods?

lasryaric 11y ago
Basically, when it is written "sugar" in the ingredients, I don't eat it. I eat fruits but not dry fruits or fruit juice / smoothie etc. I eat bread and pasta. I don't eat snack bar. I try to eat food with a low glycimic index but I know bread has a high one.
mfoy_ 11y ago
A lot of breads in North America have a lot of added sugars. You have to actually go out of your way to find breads that aren't sweetened significantly.
- memonkey 11y ago
  There are breads that DON'T have sugar in them?! Where do I find these mysterious breads?
  - mfoy_ 11y ago
    ADDED sugar. As in "let's dump a bunch of refined white sugar or high fructose corn syrup in this dough to make it sell better to our sugar-addicted customers."
  - lorenzhs 11y ago
    When I lived in the UK, I started making my own bread (I'm from Germany, we have a bit of a reputation for our bread). I have a rye sourdough from which I bake a rye and wheat mixed loaf. It's quite heavy -- slightly over 1kg for a large loaf tin (IKEA DRÖMMAR, to be precise) -- but stores well and I really enjoy the taste. The sourdough is my fridge pet (so to say), but since it lives in the fridge, it needs to be fed only once every two to three weeks, or whenever you bake it. I've had it for 1½ years now.

dekhn 11y ago

Sugar is added to cured salmon because it helps prevent the growth of microorganisms. When this process was originally developed, food spoilage was a huge problem (it meant the difference between survival and death) while metabolic disorders were rare.

marknutter 11y ago

I have become so wary of comments about lifestyle or diet changes that result in a bevy of subjective improvements. Like when people start running and they have all these wonderful side effects — more energy, better sleep, mood improvements, etc — where in my experience I really didn't experience any of it when I trained for a triathlon a couple years back. It just reminds me of infomercial testimonials. I need to see double-blind clinical trials that prove the effects outperform placebo at this point. It all sounds logical, because "sugar bad" but I have become far too skeptical these days.

lasryaric 11y ago
I am not saying this is the solution to all people who are overweight or anything like that. I am only saying that for someone like me who was clearly addicted go suggar, the result is clearly here. I tried to stop eating too much since I was ~17 years old and I was never able to do so until I cut added sugar. I am only speaking for myself (and for my dad who needs to cut added sugar :))
- marknutter 11y ago
  Eating too much sugar and then bringing it down to "normal" levels is one thing, but cutting it out of your diet completely is another. I think eating too much of anything is going to have negative side-effects and bringing that consumption back to normal levels will have the reverse effect. It doesn't seem particularly compelling to me. Sugar is no more harmful to us than most of the other chemicals we consume when done in moderation, so I feel it's being unfairly singled out.
  - dota_fanatic 11y ago
    It's being "unfairly" singled out because it's being "unfairly" added to most processed foods. Why is it added? Because it's addicting, people will always want more, and are therefore willing to pay for it. Want your food product to sell more? Add sugar. It's nice that you think people should "just eat normal levels", but it's extremely hard in practice when the food landscape is heavily saturated in the stuff, especially the cheaper products. Healthy food, or "moderate" behavior, exists alongside a mountain of more appealing options in the moment, especially considering cost. Go to the grocery (in the US), and look at many products attractive to children. Notice the heavy prevalence of added sugar. Unfairly singled out? lmfao

jeremywho 11y ago

Do you drink coffee?

lasryaric 11y ago
I do! Why?
- lfx 11y ago
  Without sugar or you add something other like cinnamon?
  - malnourish 11y ago
    A lot of people (like myself) enjoy coffee black. If you prefer a cream you can add unsweetened coconut or almond milk.
  - lasryaric 11y ago
    Coffee without anything. Has been like that even before I cut added sugar.
  - irl_zebra 11y ago
    I've always drank black coffee. Occasionally I will add a little skim milk, but that's more to cool it down if I'm in a hurry. Have never added sugar.

criddell 11y ago

> It is hard to describe how my life changed I've sought out these types of experiences but never see the dramatic changes that other people do. For a time, I cut sugar out of my diet. I didn't notice any changes other than my desire to eat sweet foods went away. I did experience the flu like symptoms for a few days, but that passed. Now, if I really binge on sugar, I get a headache, but consuming it moderation doesn't make me feel any different than when I had cut it out completely. I've also experimented with cutting out caffeine, eating vegetarian, different sleep patterns, and different exercise routines. Only messing with my sleep had much effect (I need it, duh).

ahallock 11y ago

I take issue with this because was it really the sugar or were you reducing and eliminating other bad elements from your diet? Cup cakes and ice cream, for example -- it's not the sugar -- it's the high fat combined with sugar causing you problems.

lasryaric 11y ago
Good point. My feeling is that this rule of cutting added sugar is a good rule to actually eat mostly healthy food. There is counter example to that of course. I am not doing a scientific study, I am just tired to gain weight if I don't run 3 times a week.
astrange 11y ago
There's nothing wrong with high fat on its own. Sugar on its own is not good (might as well eat anything else, you'll save your teeth). But put the two together and you get heart disease.

thearn4 11y ago

I've cut it out for the most part as well, and I (as anecdotal as it is of course) completely agree. I've also lost 35 lbs since the beginning of summer as well, with few other specific changes than learning to pass up sweet stuff. Naturally, it's calories in vs. calories out for weight loss, but there seems to be a dangerous feedback loop when it comes to me and sugar. Easiest way to exercise will power for me is to just say no altogether.

Dylan16807 11y ago

One way to improve your diet is just to pay attention to it. And you're paying a lot of attention to your diet. Unfortunately your anecdote isn't very helpful to learn specifically about sugar.

peteretep 11y ago

I tried this for about 9 months, and then a year later, for about a month and a half. I can massively agree with this: > It is hard to describe how my life changed. I lost a load of weight, and felt much better. However: > Cutting added sugar is not very hard but it requires > some willingness. Your mileage may vary. Having had strong to mild nicotine, alcohol, and benzodiazepine dependencies in the past, kicking sugar was much much more difficult than any of the others. At least part of the problem was that it's virtually impossible to get away from sugar; you'll eat something you thought wouldn't be sweet, but it is, and suddenly you have chocolate smeared around your mouth sitting in a field of candy wrappers... Watching my wife try and give up sugar was also an education. Wild mood swings, bargaining, secret consumption ... it was quite something. We're both pretty athletically shaped and very active, but giving up sugar was comfortably ... impossible. I have had excellent results recently eating 90% of my meals from a paleo food delivery service. I don't think I can get behind any of the "science" the paleo community puts forward, but eating balanced and very high quality meals had made many parts of my body much happier.