6 ms·

Recently I was considering buying some erythritol. Never tried it, but I read it was a good and "healthy" sugar substitute. Now I'm inclined to think that most

• tpxl 4y ago
  My take on fake sugar is, if you use it for weight loss, you've messed up. You'll still crave sugary stuff, and when you don't have fake sugar handy, you'll eat the real thing (in restaurants, etc.). On the other hand, if you don't eat sugar much, you quickly find that apples, oranges and even carrots are actually super sweet, but you it's hard to eat enough of those to gain weight.
  • theshrike79 4y ago
    The best rule of thumb for weight loss I've found out is: Never drink calories. It's really easy to drink hundreds and hundreds of calories with calorie-heavy drinks. It's a lot harder to do the same by eating, fiber in the food tells your body to stop pretty fast.
    • tpxl 4y ago
      On top of fiber, it's just easier to drink than to eat. Mulching 3 whole oranges and drinking them (fiber and all) is still a lot easier than chewing through them. Also, it takes a bit for the fiber filling you up signal to get to the brain.
    • corysama 4y ago
      Decent quality soda water is amazing once you get out of the soda habit. A little lime juice makes the transition easier. And, I love ice lattes. But, on a hot day, iced espresso and soda water is the most refreshing drink I’ve ever had.
      • ars 4y ago
        If you really like soda water (seltzer) make your own machine, you can carbonate to a much higher pressure and the result is amazing! Also a lot cheaper - around $0.04/bottle for the gas.
  • cassianoleal 4y ago
    I have a sweet tooth. Apparently, genetically. About a year ago I said enough is enough to my excess weight gained during the first pandemic lockdowns. Mind you, I eat generally well but my caloric intake had been pretty high and I was eating too many sugary things. After trying a few different things, I decided it was time to bring out the big guns so I started calorie counting. Sugar had to go due to its calorie density and how much I would keep craving it afterwards. My sweet cravings didn't go away. I started with fruit but that wouldn't quite hit the spot, at least not always. Enter zero calorie sweeteners. I'd add a bit of them to less sugary fruits (berries, etc) at first. I started adding it to a few other things when I wanted something sweet. It worked great. It's true that when it wasn't available I would get something with actual sugar, but that would be maybe 5-10% of the time, so I had cut 90-95% of the calories I used to consume from sugar. That's a win. In time I started weaning it all off. Not completely but I reduced it to a minimum. I still have a zero ginger beer every now and then, and still add a bit of fake sugar to one thing or another. I also consume chewing gums and mints with sugar alcohols. They have been instrumental in my weight loss journey and now I'm at about 14% body fat. I still want to lose a little to see if it will improve my climbing performance but I'm quite satisfied. I have reintroduced small amounts of sugary foods to my diet, at this point with no abnormal cravings. Yes, carrots, oranges, beetroots, milk, even berries can be very sweet after you wean off the excess sugar and fake sugars. They can be enough most days. Other days I'll use whatever sweet thing I have at hand, in moderation, in order to beat the craving. So my take on fake sugar is, if you use it for weight loss, use it conscientiously and in a way that will help you get off sugar first, but also with a plan to slowly get off them as well. They can be an excellent tool if used well.
    • tpxl 4y ago
      Good point. Satisfying your cravings, like you have done, seems to be positive, just replacing sugar with zero calorie replacements seems to be a bad strategy though. I have a friend who drinks about 10 liters of 'sugar-free' fizzy drinks per week, and uses artificial sweeteners for stuff he bakes, all while trying to lose weight (and failing).
      • cassianoleal 4y ago
  • kif 4y ago
    My experience has been largely the same. I started eating more fruits, cut off sugary drinks completely, and had an impressive improvement in LDL cholesterol.
  • KptMarchewa 4y ago
    I'd never lose weight if I could not drink coca cola zero. And I'm not even drinking that much of it, maybe 1,5l in a week.
    • mrguyorama 4y ago
      I find the artificially sweetened sodas work great as cocktail mixers, even though I usually dislike the taste of aspartame.
      • KptMarchewa 4y ago
        Just cola zero with Angostura is much much better than only cola zero.
• UI_at_80x24 4y ago
  I'm a recently diagnosed T2 Diabetic, so I've tried many things to help. Erythritol gives me bad GI problems. Enough so, that I avoid it entirely.
  • LegitShady 4y ago
    sugar alcohols are known to cause all sorts of gastroinetstinal fun. haribo sugar free gummy bear style.