The Sugar Challenge

If you have read my experiences up to here about things that affect your appetite you can actually test it on yourself!

If you are especially carb sensitive you will have a positive response. Look for a drop in episodes of severe hunger in a couple days. For some folks it may take a little longer as your body will respond more gradually.

You can eat as much as you feel like AT MEALS as long as you strictly reduce carbs. I don't mean stuff yourself. Just enjoy your meal and stop when you are reasonably satisfied. The idea is to begin to see if you can adjust your appetite response which will make weight loss easier. Excess appetite defeats the best of weight loss intentions so you have to get in charge of it.

Look for foods where high amounts of sugar slip into your diet - Boston baked beans, fruits, BBQ and other sauces, sweet potatoes, sweetened cereals etc. Avoid them strictly.

Whatever you eat the idea is to remove as much sugar from your diet as possible for a minimum of 3 days. You defeat the purpose of the test unless you seriously reduce the sugar you eat and things that convert quickly to sugar like highly refined carbs.

Restrict white carbs and things made with white carbs (rice, flour, corn starch) to very limited amounts - no more than half a cup a serving (half a baked potato, half a cup of pasta or rice, grits, corn meal) . White carbs are only slightly modified sugars that plants use for storage. They are insoluble but designed to convert to soluble sugar quickly so they can move around the plant for energy. Our bodies do the same thing - change white carbs directly into sugar for energy. They will convert into sugar within minutes, be absorbed quickly and will make your insulin levels spike and plummet back down to earth within hours.

It is impossible to avoid sugar in fruits and veggies but you can restrict yourself to the less sweet ones. Also the timing is critical. Since sugar levels tend to come down within 2 hours, eat veggies like carrots or a half a pear or apple within an hour of the next meal. Your blood sugar will not go up and down so much because it is not very sweet and because you are going to eat.

Highly refined whole grains may or may not be absorbed less slowly - the Jury is out on that - but they do contain some insoluble fiber that "may" stick around a little longer in your stomach and is good for your gut at least. They are OK if you limit yourself to 1 slice of whole grain bread in a half sandwich (100% whole wheat). I eat Pepperidge Farm because it is soft but there are other choices. You can have a big salad with salad dressing and a sprinkling of nuts. I eat a big Dole Asian salad from a kit (because I like the dressing!) using half the dressing and rice noodles and adding sliced almonds. You can have Cheerios or unfrosted Mini Wheats for cereal or hot oatmeal for breakfast or a snack. Use sweeteners if you like it sweet. You can drink all the unsugared drinks you like. If you get hungry before meals snack on unsalted nuts. Unlimited veggies - raw and cooked. There is some sugar in veggies but at least it comes with lots of goodies. I have found that winter squashes are particularly filling. My favorites are butternut and the Caribbean squash, calabaza, which can cooked in about 20 minutes in boiling water or baked for longer. Cook, peel and seed. You can combine them in different dishes or eat mashed with a little butter (I use 0 fat butter spray), salt and pepper - instead of mashed potatoes.

If you get hungry before the next meal have some cereal. Stay away from salty snacks because they are usually combined with carbs. Some snacks have a bit of natural sugar but that is OK if you are going to eat within an hour anyway. Carrots, half an apple or pear.

Avoid yogurt. . Ever wonder why it does not satisfy your hunger? Check out the sugar content. It is full of milk sugar (lactose) and often has sweet fruit added. Cottage cheese is a little better but eat it as a snack only within an hour of the next meal.

You can eat eggs for breakfast. Canadian bacon - try to avoid the greasy strips. Omelettes with salsa. Rancheros with goodies. No hash browns.

If you are busy at lunch or dinner you can choose frozen low carb meals like low carb Lean Cuisine. No, my dear, forget the Pizza for now. A low carb tortilla with chicken and salsa are fine. Guacamole is great.

Desserts can be tough if you eat them regularly because they usually contain a lot of sugar and fat. But you can come up with a substitute like a half cup of cottage cheese with a half a pear. Maybe save it for an hour after dinner or before bed if you get the mid night munchies.

This is not so hard and good training for the real thing. The idea is to start to feel like you have conquered the hunger monkey on your back that is caused by spikes and valleys in blood sugar. The idea is to keep it steady, level and low.

Not eating salty snacks will remove temptation because they often come with low quality carbs like corn, rice and wheat starch. You can eat pop corn if it has NO salt. Reducing bad fats is optimal in any diet but small amounts of the right kinds may actually help control your appetite. More on that in another post.

The idea is to start making an effort to become very alert to everything you put in your mouth. Start reading labels. Check a book or on line for sugar content. I found this site helpful (or use any one you like) and you don't have to sign in to use the calorie and nutrition finder at the very top of the page: http://www.nutritiondata.com/

You may feel immediate benefits of less hunger even before the very next meal or at bedtime. Or it may take you a few days. You may still have a habit to overeat so try to be conscious of your actual appetite. You are not trying to lose weight yet. Just remember - you can get something to eat if you make the right choice.

Don't forget the old saw is that if you cheat you are cheating yourself. You have to give you body and mind the chance to adjust. If you eat something you shouldn't, then restart the 3 day timer with the next meal. But if you are not ready to begin, don't play games. You can do the diet/cheat/diet/cheat thing forever and never get your appetite under control. Don't blame the test. A fair try is at least 3 days.
Make it a 3 day weekend affair if you want. Stay away from people and places that tempt you. Get out somewhere on your own for a while. Go to the movies or for a walk in the park. Take the dog for a couple walks a day.

Get your mind off eating when you are away from the table and concentrate on WHAT you are eating when you are AT the table.

If you take it seriously, you should start to feel more control within days. As you feel something happening, you can keep it going a full week to convince yourself you are onto something.

Don't skip meals and try to keep to a regular mealtime! Your sugar will drop if you postpone a meal more than 3-4 hours. You could eat 5 small meals a day if that works.

Don't skip breakfast even if it is just a half a whole wheat sandwich. or 2 soft corn tortillas with a slice of lunch meat, an egg of any kind, a small bowl of low sugar cereal. You can postpone it an hour after you get up but don't skip it and plan on lunch at a normal time. Set your meal times at even intervals. This is important to even out fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. That is why diabetics are very precise about eating on time.

If you are really getting the sugar in your diet down, you may start feeling a little high mentally. You should not feel those sugar lows when you feel wiped out in the late afternoon. You have just discovered that sugar swings affect your mood negatively and that keeping it steady makes you feel more positive. You don't need me to tell you that gaining control of your appetite and a terrific mood will help make weight loss a lot easier.

Is this hard work? Not really. It may seem different from your normal diet/guilt routine but you are not starving. Does it take self-control? A little but it's mental, not physical. It's about changing your priorities. Look at it as a challenge or a hobby.

Try it and see what happens for you! Whatever the details, I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised.