Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: libby1 on January 01, 2016, 08:30:16 PM
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Hi girls
Anybody tried cutting out sweet things? I don't mean going overboard and not eating savoury foods because they contain sugar, I just mean cutting out chocolate, biscuits, cakes, sweets etc.
I have a really sweet tooth but I'm going to give it a try ::)
Libby
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Yes! For health reasons, I followed advice and lost 2 1/2 st rather too quickly. I now have to eat some naughty things things to keep a healthy weight. ;D
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Hi libby1
Yes I did this for 3 months before Christmas and managed to lose 8 pounds in weight even though I am not much overweight and short in height.
As well as cutting out sugar (which included not eating sauces and soups that have added sugar either) I drasticallly cut down all pure carbs so I only ate bread, pasta, rice muesli or potatoes etc at one meal a day, and increased my intake of (low fat) protein and veg. I also cut down on the amount of fruit I was eating.
As well as weight loss this had an amazing effect on my blood sugar/hunger levels in that I could tell they had stabilised and I didn't get the low blood sugar shakes any more.
I would recommend this regime to anyone who experiences effects due to blood sugar changes - which happens a lot in peri-menopause due to hormonal surges - because it really helps to stabilise your insulin and maybe could help with some of the undesirable effects of very early peri or pms that are due to changes in blood sugar? Worth a try anyway. Interestingly it cured me of carb /sugar cravings although I did have the occasional tiny square of dark chocolate :)
Completely lapsed over Christmas but will restart once the Christmas period is over (6th Jan) :)
Hurdity x
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In the mid- 1990s I found that chocolate made my system feel sluggish so I stopped eating it. Those were the days when I was walking my dog 3/4 times over many miles and we shared a bar of Cadburys. Once I stopped I felt better. Occaisonally I try but it has the same effect, a piece of very black chocolate is fine but I avoid other types: unless pushed ;)
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I usually only have one piece of cake once a week when I go to meet friends & the rest of the time avoid biscuits, cakes chocolate etc Feel much better for it and don't miss it, though what with mince pies, Christmas cake etc, it's all gone pear-shaped over Christmas and I know I've put on weight as all my clothes feel smaller!
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We are going to stop cakes chocolate etc when I have finished all the xmas stuff in house ,so intend to be good in Spring !! ;D
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We don't normally have biscuits, cakes, crisps in the house but over Xmas we have and we've eaten them all!!! I don't take sugar and never eat sweet cereals.
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I'm going to try and not eat anything sweet but I do have a very sweet tooth and the house is still full of chocolates and biscuits! Will power :-X
Libby
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We have never strolled down the biscuit isle in the supermarket and never really buy cake, my hubby loves crisps but is pretty good and only buys once in a while, I have a huge appetite since quitting smoking (10yrs in June) and have put on around 3 stone in them 10 years, I suppose it could of be alot worse. We are going to a chinese buffet tonight and the rest of the christmas goodies in the cupboard will be gone by the end of tomorrow. Our healthy eating starts on Monday, ive worked out I should of lost these 3 stones in 9 months. ;)
Clio
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We have never strolled down the biscuit isle in the supermarket and never really buy cake, my hubby loves crisps but is pretty good and only buys once in a while, I have a huge appetite since quitting smoking (10yrs in June) and have put on around 3 stone in them 10 years, I suppose it could of be alot worse. We are going to a chinese buffet tonight and the rest of the christmas goodies in the cupboard will be gone by the end of tomorrow. Our healthy eating starts on Monday, ive worked out I should of lost these 3 stones in 9 months. ;)
Clio
Well done for quitting Clio. I packed up about 11 years ago and put on over 3 stones.
I only have to look at something and I pile on weight. I go out for a meal a few times a year with a group of about 16 women. I eat no more than anybody else, never ask for extra and seldom have a dessert or starter. They all sit there knocking back wines and spirits and there's me with a diet coke!!
A friend of mine is a nurse and very tall and slim. She does no exercise whatsoever and even drives to work which is maybe a brisk 10 minute walk. She annoys me TBH because she's always on about overweight patients and how it's "eat less, move more." ;D. She can't accept that some people are just naturally slim and some of us have to work very, very hard not to gain weight.
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I found that sugary things make me feel grotty these days.
I tend to stick to low GI stuff these days - new potatoes, wholegrain bread etc. I like a little dark chocolate.
Still put 1/2 a sugar in my tea though. ;D
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I was slim due to being anorexic. When I began to have less fear of food and started eating 'normally', I only put on half a stone once my body settled.
I have black t with 2 sugars several times a day.
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I found that sugary things make me feel grotty these days.
I tend to stick to low GI stuff these days - new potatoes, wholegrain bread etc. I like a little dark chocolate.
Still put 1/2 a sugar in my tea though. ;D
I can't bear dark chocolate although I realise it's supposed to be beneficial in very small amounts
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My OH has just come in with profiteroles with chocolate sauce!!!!
I've told him that he'll have to eat them on his own :o
Libby
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I've inadvertently lost a lot of my taste for sweet food because I started Weight Watches in November and of course have been watching what I've been eating a lot more (things sort of went a bit off the rails for Christmas and New Year admittedly).
However I now find that I can quite easily look at the dessert menu and not have any major desire to have anything, and I never have any interest in buying cakes or biscuits when I'm shopping. I still have a small hankering for chocolate, but I will just have a very small piece and be satisfied, unless of course someone sticks a whole block under my nose..lol...
Here's a little tip I've picked up from WW. If you really feel you need a sugar/sweet hit, get some pumpkin, cut it into pieces and roast it until it's really soft and sweet. You could add things to it like garlic, rosemary etc if you want to, but I prefer mine "straight with a twist of salt". Anyway, leave it in a container in the fridge and just have a couple of small pieces when you feel like it. It is so lovely and sweet, and under the WW points system it is totally zero points, and totally guilt free.
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I tried ww but didnt suit me love food too much I prefer sw you can have a curly wurly everyday if you wanted too ;D
Clio
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Well I didn't give in!! My OH ate the profiteroles and I had pineapple and blueberries :ange:
Only the first day though, not sure when the craving will hit ???
Libby
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Well done Sparkle ;)
I tried hot water with lemon but then read that it erodes the enamel on your teeth so went back to coffee (no sugar) or fizzy water.
Libby
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I tried ww but didnt suit me love food too much I prefer sw you can have a curly wurly everyday if you wanted too ;D
Clio
You can still love food and do WW. Nothing is off limits, as long as you allow for it, and that's pretty much what you have to do with any diet.
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I feel so very much better without refined sugar and chocolate. I feel really sluggish and toxic at the moment as my will power is not great at times and I am also an emotional eater so suffering the effects of not really coping well over christmas.
I hope to get back on an even keel again soon.
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1st week and ive lost 3lbs :)
Clio
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Ive gone from sweet wine to dry white....does that count :)
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I dont think folks realise how bad diet drinks are for one, they are full of chemicals and preservatives. We have tried to cut back on sugar, OH uses Xylitol or Stevia in his coffee but has now said it leaves a bitter taste so prefers a little bit of honey. I am not a sweet toothed person at all but do enjoy my tea with half a spoon of sugar, been craving lemon meringue pudding all night though..... :)
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Still haven't eaten anything sweet :D
Had the occasional craving but I've made some oatcakes so I eat one of those instead or some fruit. I do feel better for it but I'd love to hit the chocolate cupboard and stuff my face ;D
Libby
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Hi Sparkle
I can't do that, if I have one biscuit, I have half the packet ;D No restraint at all! It's hard because the cupboard is full of chocolate and tins of biscuits from Christmas but I daren't have even one chocolate button :-X
It's strange because I didn't have any cravings for the first week or so but they've definitely kicked in now :(
Libby
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I'm diabetic and low carb to a help that and the best craving killer is to up your fat intake. If you read round , there's a sea change in dietary thinking that is gaining momentum as it is becoming evident that it is our carb intake and not fat that dictates cardiovascular health. All I can say is that since my diagnosis two years ago I've lost 5st and improved my lipid profile so it is worth tweaking your diet to include less carbs in general and more good fats like avocado, olive oil and oily fish. Even cheese and butter has gone back on my menu after years of abstinence in which I ate all the right things like wholemeal bread and brown rice and just got fatter and fatter.
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Refined sugar is toxic to me, a sort of poison. It causes physical and cognitive symptoms that simply are not there when I cut it out of my daily diet. Chocolate also has something in it that my system reacts very strongly to. It is just not worth putting these things into my system.
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I am like that with salty crisps, I cannot just have one mouthful its the whole packet I feel like such a junkie and have terrible guilt trips after..... >:(
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Twiglets for me . What was that old chocolate ad - "You can't just have one Mingle"? Well, I "can't just have one" Twiglet. I'm a complete Twiglet piglet, of the first order............ ???
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Maltesers are my downfall. There is no such thing as eating part of the packet!
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My DH can eat 1/2 a walnut whip or bar of chocolate. I don't believe in half of anything. It's all or not in the house for me! Lucky for DH I have to avoid dairy products, otherwise there wouldn't be 1/2 of anything to come back to! ;)
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If I deny myself a chocolatey snack on occasions like today, when I had a lot of practising to do but needed some instant calories, I look for the most interesting-looking, healthy cold drink I can find in the supermarket and buy a big bag of nuts and raisins. Nice......... :)