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<\/a>Sugar is my #1 Struggle.<\/strong><\/p>\nYou would think that losing 110+ pounds would mean I’d won “the battle” with fat. Nope. I still struggle with sugar every single day. It’s my go-to comfort food. If I’m sad: chocolate. If I’m sick: ice cream. If I feel happy: cheesecake!<\/p>\n
Recently I went to my doctor for something and as a side note I asked her about my insatiable hunger. I explained that I am eating enough calories, that the food I eat is healthy, and the Nutritionist I saw said everything was A-Okay. So why the hunger?<\/p>\n Sugar.<\/p>\n She took one look at my food diary and said I was eating too much sugar. She said that eating refined sugar (i.e. not sugar from things like fruit but from candy) causes a spike in blood sugar and then a crash which causes hunger. What?! I started to do some research. Then I stumbled onto this article: Beat the Sugar Habit<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sugar can be sneaky, too! Sometimes you don’t even know there’s sugar in something. Example: the latest hype has been all about High-Fructose Corn Syrup. Learn these words and watch out for them on ingredient labels:<\/p>\n 1. Stop drinking Soda. <\/strong>Diet is just as bad for you! I thought for a long time that I was okay because I was drinking diet soda. Nope. My body told me it didn’t like the artificial sweeteners, too.\u00a0 I switched to Sparkling water<\/span>. And I buy unsweetened tea. I’ve grown to love unsweetened tea, too. At first it was a bit bitter, now I love it. And tea is full of good antioxidants!<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n 3. Add fresh fruit to things like ice cream or yogurt if you want a treat. <\/strong>Real fruit causes a slower rise in blood sugar than sucrose or HFCS. 4. Beware of condiments!<\/strong> Ketchup is loaded with sugar (probably why I love it). Try using mustard and light mayo instead of ketchup.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n 6. Don’t deny yourself of everything.<\/strong> Having a little bit once in awhile keeps you from going nuts.<\/p>\n 7. Eat fruit!<\/strong><\/p>\n 8. Eat more Fiber.<\/strong> It’s more filling and gives us energy a lot like the quickie energy boost sugar does (minus the crash).<\/p>\n 9. Beware of Cereal.<\/strong> A lot of cereals are packed with sugar. (One of my favorites? Frosted Mini Wheats. YUM. I haven’t eaten them in 4 years.)<\/p>\n If you’re eating a 2,000 calorie a day diet, your sugar intake should be between 30-50 grams. According to my iPhone app Myfitnesspal, my sugar intake should be 32 grams. Here are a few examples of how much sugar is in certain foods:<\/p>\n 12 ounces of Coke: 39 grams<\/span><\/p>\n 12 ounces of Sprite: 38 grams<\/span><\/p>\n Slice of chocolate cake: 30 grams of sugar<\/span><\/p>\n 1 Pop Tart: 17 grams<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/h3>\nHow to Cut Back on Sugar<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>2. Switch to Greek Yogurt.<\/strong> I stopped buying the traditional yogurts <\/a>because they have sooo much sugar in them! Now I eat only Greek Yogurt and I prefer the vanilla or plain. Instead of getting the fruit in the Greek yogurt (it’s just a bunch of syrup) I add my own fruit.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>5. Skip the Candy. <\/strong>It’s hard, I know. Especially if you work in a place where it’s readily available.\u00a0 Try to distract yourself from the Temptations<\/a>. Chew sugar-free gum. Brush your teeth. Drink a lot of water. Anything to NOT eat the candy.<\/p>\n