I can't seem to get my sugar intake down...advice?

[ewaiea]

I am a new years resolution maker, and with the turn of the year coming up I am looking at fitness goals for the year. Everytime I eat, my wife (who is a reasonably healthy person) always sees my diet as too high in sugar, or salt, or not enough protein, or too much fat (though the fat one is rare - I'm pretty good at watching fat content), etc... I enjoy running (3-4 miles at a time) and working out at the gym (basic upper and lower body with weights - 2 sets per exercise) a few times a week, I get out diving every couple weeks for a two tank dive, and I also go free diving from time to time. I consider myself fit enough, but I don't want to be on a steady weight gain of about 5lbs per year that sneaks up on me and finally in 10 years I'm 220lbs and I've got a much bigger job in front of me.

I guess I'm trying to find a very simple way to customize a diet plan that would help me keep protein high, suguar low, and salt relatively low as well. It doesn't need to be gone, just somewhat lower. I used to go to Starbucks and get carmel frappuccinos (my weakness) but I've since stopped - if I do go it's a non-fat chai tea latte, it's smaller and not as bad as the former, and my starbucks trips have decreased to only a couple times a week. I go to Jamba Juice and usually get a penut butter mood which has plenty of protein and potassium but my worries is that Jamba Juice - though a healthy alternative - is also too high in sugar....should I eliminate my Jamba Juice trips as well?

Overall goals, get my waste back to 32 inches, it's 34 right now. And get my weight down to 175lbs (and keep it there), I think it's about 183-185lbs right now. And I think my diet coupled with current exercise habits could help me achieve this. I'm open to advice? Thanks all! Hope Thanksgiving was pleasent for everyone!

 

[wb416]

One thing I did this year that may work for you is the Zone Diet. Now, before you say you don't need a "diet"... consider that everything we consume comprises our "diet".

You may want to read to see if is something you might utilize, but essentially it's about proportioning your consumption of protein, low glycemic carbs, and essential fats. It also advocates the elimination or severe reduction of high glycemic carbs and sugars.

I started on it this year back in March.... the first one to two weeks were a B!T$H without the sugar, but now when I have the occasional sugar treat, it just isn't all that appealing anymore.

The zone diet treats food more as "medicine" to be taken at regular intervals than as calories to be counted. Some of it's pretty common sense. I was able to reduce my blood pressure and cholesterol drastically within the first 6 weeks, something I couldn't accomplish the previous year with 1000 miles of cycling.

It may not suit your particular wants/needs, but perhaps worth looking into.

Good luck with your resolution!

 

[DiveMaven]

I eliminated all sugar and almost all processed foods from my life last March and have lost 32 pounds as a result (with 20 to go). My BP is down and my cholesterol went down nearly 200 points into the normal range (it was very high before!).

Like wb416 it literally took 2 weeks before my sugar cravings ceased, but within a couple of months just the smell of sugar became overwhelmingly gross. I literally feel sick smelling a Krispy Kreme bakery now. I sleep better, have more energy, and generally feel better without sugar in my life.

Oh yeah, and once you start paying attention to what has sugar, you'll realize that it is in just about everything processed and you'll realize you're eating probably twice what you thought!

 

[Sinbad the Diver]

Not all sugars are bad, sugar from fruit is not a bad thing. I have pretty much eliminated sugar from my diet by doing this:

1. All whole grain breads, no white, potato or other overly processed breads.
2. No soda...for a fizz I drink seltzer water and add a little lemon juice for a kick, iced tea no sugar as well
3. Chocolate and ice-cream..gone (that's the hardest part for me)
4. Veggies rather than fries or potatoes
5. No packaged or processed foods..I eat oatmeal for breakfast, not the instant from a pouch, the quick-oats that take the same 1 min to prepare and have 0 sugar in them.

It is not easy, almost everything that is quick and easy...is loaded with sugar. Good luck.

 

[Air Head]

Not all sugars are bad, sugar from fruit is not a bad thing. I have pretty much eliminated sugar from my diet by doing this:

1. All whole grain breads, no white, potato or other overly processed breads.
2. No soda...for a fizz I drink seltzer water and add a little lemon juice for a kick, iced tea no sugar as well
3. Chocolate and ice-cream..gone (that's the hardest part for me)
4. Veggies rather than fries or potatoes
5. No packaged or processed foods..I eat oatmeal for breakfast, not the instant from a pouch, the quick-oats that take the same 1 min to prepare and have 0 sugar in them.

It is not easy, almost everything that is quick and easy...is loaded with sugar. Good luck.

Im going to try that too. Thanks.

 

[drbill]

I wish I could offer advice. Although I don't keep it in my home, my sugar intake from "food" has increased over the past 2-3 years (or more likely, it's just due to the fact I'm spending less time diving and more time sitting at a computer editing and writing). When I dove (or decades ago when I was a competitive swimmer), I burned off any sugar I took in.

 

[inventor]

Things that reduce or eliminate my 'sugar fix' needs. Fruit, especially oranges and apples. Milk. And occasionally a Tootsie Pop, satisfies all the mental cravings, takes awhile to eat, and it's chocolaty.

 

[k ellis]

I switched to diet soda myself and have seen a vast improvement but even diet soda really is not a good substitute simply because of all the other bad things that it contains. Your best bet is as previously mentioned and thats read the labels and see what amounts of sugars they contain. Also be cautious of carbohydrates since they turn into sugar once ingested. They used to have a diet called a low carb diet and I strongly recommend you dont take this route. Your body has to have a certain level of sugar and carbohydrates to function and without the minimum amount death has often resulted.

As diabetes has proven you can cut way back on sugar and survive you just have to be self aware of your intake and maintain a proper diet. (I know I should do better)

 

[TSandM]

What has worked for me is to stay away from things other people make . . . if it's really tasty, almost certainly it has something in it that you aren't supposed to eat Commercial preparations like smoothies tend to be horrible, with added sweeteners and a surprising calorie penalty. My rule is, if I'm going to drink it, I have to be able to see through it . . . except for the margaritas in Mexico!

Making as much food as possible from scratch is the best way to control what you take in.

 

[vladimir]

Making as much food as possible from scratch is the best way to control what you take in.

It really is that simple. In one fell swoop you are relieved of the need to count calories, digest the latest diet theory, and obsess over every gram of fat you consume. I make a little effort to do simple substitutions, like olive oil for butter, brown rice for white, etc., and I give no further thought to it. What I have found is that even the healthy options in a restaurant--the grilled fish, for example--has more fat added than you would ever add if you cooked it yourself. I think a homemade burger might be better than restaurant-grilled fish. Well, maybe not, but closer than you'd think. And I've saved thousands of dollars since I jumped on this bandwagon.