Trying to give up or cut down on Sugar intake

[stefmeister]

yussus those old afrikaner tannies smaaked gooing the sugar in their pampoen en soetpattat. My mother still wont cook without sugar.

Ja nee kyk

My mom's also like that, rys, aartappels, sweet-sweetpotato, and she only has one third of her pancreas left. But don't tell her to cut back on all that ****.

[lechatnoir]

Evolution moves slower than our lifestyle changes, which is one reason why stress kills sedentary workers who are not being chased by dinosaurs and similar.

 

Well, that explains my work stress... I'm being harassed by a diabetic dinosaur... 

[SwissVan]

Savages will call it bitter. Those that know, call it flavour.

 

When your palate becomes normalized after ditching sugar, you'll also find a new appreciation for food/drinks that can normally be described as bitter, like grapefruit, IPAs, red wine, nuts, ginger, various veggies (not made like your ouma's caramel sweet potatoes), and dark chocolate.

Joh that’s something I’ve not had in a long while

Grapefruit cut in half with sugar sprinkled on it

Memo to self: Buy grapefruit (hopefully our shops sell it whole)

 

Thanks for the reminder ????????

[stefmeister]

Joh that’s something I’ve not had in a long while

Grapefruit cut in half with sugar sprinkled on it

Memo to self: Buy grapefruit (hopefully our shops sell it whole)

 

Thanks for the reminder [emoji106][emoji106]

Without the sugar, ne!

 

 

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[SwissVan]

Without the sugar, ne!

 

 

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Nee!

[Dubber]

Call me a Philistine if you will but I won't drink bitter coffee and I drink a fair amount, I use sweetener .... Life is bitter enough at times!

 

I'm going to die from something [emoji41]

 

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Try cream with your coffee.  Not to everyone's taste but I love it...

[Bonus]

Mmmm mashed pumpkin and sugar.

 

Only 40 hrs in and I was surprised how sweet the cauliflower cheese was that we are at lunch.

[SwissVan]

 

 

[Sniffie]

Ok, not wanting to highjack Bonus's thread and turn it into something he did not intend, but I really think I have some relevant information to share. Various claims have been made on this thread regarding whether a high carb or high fat diet is the healthiest. I have tried both at different times and have seen some remarkable numbers. To keep it short and simple I am not going to bore you with all the exact numbers of all the blood work that has been done on me over the last years.

 

I have homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, which means, I inherited the high cholesterol gene from both my parents. Years ago, when first discovered, my total cholesterol number was 9.9 mmol/l. Blame my German and Dutch forefathers for this! Apparently this kind of elevated cholesterol is difficult to contain, even with the highest doses of Statins. Luckily I don't suffer from any of the nasty side effects of statins like a lot of people do.

 

Treatment with statins brought this down to just under 7, which is still very high. On recommendation of my Dr I went on a very, very strict low fat diet for 3 months. Cutting almost all saturated fats from my diet. I ate lots of supposedly healthy whole grain and legume products, vegetables, fruit, low fat sweetened yoghurt, and only the leanest of lean meats. Guess what? Nothing positive really happened to my lipogram. In fact, it got worse. Total cholesterol number stayed roughly the same, but the LDL C (bad one) went slightly up, and the HDL C (good one) dropped significantly, below 0.9 mmol/l. Wat was most alarming though is that the triglyceride level shot up to 2.7 mmol/l, and the glucose level also went up to 7, quite close to the 7.8 healthy cutoff point. Clearly low fat diet wasn't working for me.

 

I returned to my 'normal' mixed, 'healthy' diet. Blood numbers also returned to previous levels, ie improvements in the good cholesterol, glucose, and triglyceride levels.

 

About 4 years ago I started reading up on LCHF and its claimed health improvements. My Cardiologist advised against me trying it. Nonetheless I decided to try it and for 3 months I went very low carb, staying below 50 g per day. Only carbs I got was from green leafy vegetables and salads. I ate red meat with fat, butter on my veggies, cream, olive and coconut oil and macadamia nuts, and NO fruit. I was at a BMI of 26.5 at that moment in my life. After 3 months BMI dropped to 24.2. Total C came down to 6.5. HDL C went up to 1.5, triglycerides dropped to a very healthy 0.75 and blood glucose dropped the most to 4 mmol/l.

 

It is quite a mission to remain at that very low carb levels. At this moment in my life I average about 100 to 120 grams carbs per day. I still don't eat any grains, cereal, bread or sugar. I eat the occasional fruit and treat it as natures candy. (It is really amazing, after a couple of months with no sugar or starch, how sweet fruit suddenly tastes! Certain varieties of apples like golden delicious and pink lady for example is nauseatingly sweet and I can not eat it any more) My latest blood work indicates the following: Total c 6.5, LDL 4.5, HDL 1.4, triglycerides 0.85, blood glucose 4.5.

 

Cardiologist very happy with the improvements in the numbers, but still wont advise his other patients to follow suit. I think he is only afraid of possible claims against him. Much easier to follow conventional wisdom and stay on the moral high ground, even if it might be wrong.

 

Experiment with an open mind on your body in your own unique circumstances and see what works for you.

 

On a side note, despite my mom and dads high cholesterol, and the fact that my dad smoked for most of his life, they both lived to quite a healthy age, 72 and 83 respectively. Neither died from cardiovascular causes. Here is the shocker, thinking back to my childhood, we as a family ate a high fat diet on the farm. Homegrown mutton, beef, eggs, homemade butter, and full fat dairy. We ate very little processed food though. Bread was homemade, lots of times from our own wheat. Porridge was also from homegrown maize, milled on the farm. Makes one think!

[Spokey]

This is me.

 

(which is just plain greedy and immature) PLEASE DONT BE SO JUDGEMENTAL

 

 

Me too, I try and stay away from this. Today I bought Milk Chocolate digestive biscuits........they are unopened in my hotel room and I am trying to keep it that way. Perhaps tomorrow I may be able to give the box (full) to the house keepers!

[ChrisF]

......

Experiment with an open mind on your body in your own unique circumstances and see what works for you.

 

On a side note, despite my mom and dads high cholesterol, and the fact that my dad smoked for most of his life, they both lived to quite a healthy age, 72 and 83 respectively. Neither died from cardiovascular causes. Here is the shocker, thinking back to my childhood, we as a family ate a high fat diet on the farm. Homegrown mutton, beef, eggs, homemade butter, and full fat dairy. We ate very little processed food though. Bread was homemade, lots of times from our own wheat. Porridge was also from homegrown maize, milled on the farm. Makes one think!

 

Very good post.

 

I especially like the way you took each option and gave it a full go WITH the proper medical checks to see if it works for YOU.

 

 

It so happens that the classic old diabetic eating plan WORKED for ME, with the blood work to back it up.

 

 

It must be a bit of a conundrum for the medical professionals ... start by recommending the conventional and proven approach (the one their malpractice will cover).  With any luck this works for most patients .... 

 

 

I enjoy your reference to our parents and grand-parents .... my grand-dad lived to his 80's.  HEALTHY !! he was working in his garden with a spade until his late 70's - LOTS of natural execise !  Tall lean gent, NO health issues.

 

3 eggs in the morning, on a thick slice of home made bread, with a proper layer of fat on the bread.  Even old Tim would get a fright at grand-dads eating habits ..... HCHF ....

 

BUT:

- no stress

- daily exercise

- NO processed food

- fresh eggs straight from his own hens

- fresh veggies straight out of his garden

 

 

somehow I think food is a "part" of the issue .... one needs a clearer picture of the complete life style .....

 

 

just glad we did end up with an eating plan which suits our life style and which has improved my numbers.  I know just enough to know that many run in circles for long periods to find their particular solution.  Definately no one solution for all !

[Spokey]

Great thread, just sitting in the hotel lounge reading from the beginning. I have been home just 4 weeks this year so sugar is perhaps the least of my troubles........ but thinking how hard it is to eat healthily in hotels. Granted I could do better........but it is difficult.

I admire all you folks that can keep to just water.... works fine for me during the day, but the lounge opens at 1800, vin rouge time for me when not actually working.

Enforced detox in Kuwait is good and frankly no issue to me, but I do enjoy the grip of the grape when out of Shawshank! ( my work base...Kuwait)

 

Good luck with this dietry malarky peeps!

[shova1]

Ok, not wanting to highjack Bonus's thread and turn it into something he did not intend, but I really think I have some relevant information to share. Various claims have been made on this thread regarding whether a high carb or high fat diet is the healthiest. I have tried both at different times and have seen some remarkable numbers. To keep it short and simple I am not going to bore you with all the exact numbers of all the blood work that has been done on me over the last years.

 

I have homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, which means, I inherited the high cholesterol gene from both my parents. Years ago, when first discovered, my total cholesterol number was 9.9 mmol/l. Blame my German and Dutch forefathers for this! Apparently this kind of elevated cholesterol is difficult to contain, even with the highest doses of Statins. Luckily I don't suffer from any of the nasty side effects of statins like a lot of people do.

 

Treatment with statins brought this down to just under 7, which is still very high. On recommendation of my Dr I went on a very, very strict low fat diet for 3 months. Cutting almost all saturated fats from my diet. I ate lots of supposedly healthy whole grain and legume products, vegetables, fruit, low fat sweetened yoghurt, and only the leanest of lean meats. Guess what? Nothing positive really happened to my lipogram. In fact, it got worse. Total cholesterol number stayed roughly the same, but the LDL C (bad one) went slightly up, and the HDL C (good one) dropped significantly, below 0.9 mmol/l. Wat was most alarming though is that the triglyceride level shot up to 2.7 mmol/l, and the glucose level also went up to 7, quite close to the 7.8 healthy cutoff point. Clearly low fat diet wasn't working for me.

 

I returned to my 'normal' mixed, 'healthy' diet. Blood numbers also returned to previous levels, ie improvements in the good cholesterol, glucose, and triglyceride levels.

 

About 4 years ago I started reading up on LCHF and its claimed health improvements. My Cardiologist advised against me trying it. Nonetheless I decided to try it and for 3 months I went very low carb, staying below 50 g per day. Only carbs I got was from green leafy vegetables and salads. I ate red meat with fat, butter on my veggies, cream, olive and coconut oil and macadamia nuts, and NO fruit. I was at a BMI of 26.5 at that moment in my life. After 3 months BMI dropped to 24.2. Total C came down to 6.5. HDL C went up to 1.5, triglycerides dropped to a very healthy 0.75 and blood glucose dropped the most to 4 mmol/l.

 

It is quite a mission to remain at that very low carb levels. At this moment in my life I average about 100 to 120 grams carbs per day. I still don't eat any grains, cereal, bread or sugar. I eat the occasional fruit and treat it as natures candy. (It is really amazing, after a couple of months with no sugar or starch, how sweet fruit suddenly tastes! Certain varieties of apples like golden delicious and pink lady for example is nauseatingly sweet and I can not eat it any more) My latest blood work indicates the following: Total c 6.5, LDL 4.5, HDL 1.4, triglycerides 0.85, blood glucose 4.5.

 

Cardiologist very happy with the improvements in the numbers, but still wont advise his other patients to follow suit. I think he is only afraid of possible claims against him. Much easier to follow conventional wisdom and stay on the moral high ground, even if it might be wrong.

 

Experiment with an open mind on your body in your own unique circumstances and see what works for you.

 

On a side note, despite my mom and dads high cholesterol, and the fact that my dad smoked for most of his life, they both lived to quite a healthy age, 72 and 83 respectively. Neither died from cardiovascular causes. Here is the shocker, thinking back to my childhood, we as a family ate a high fat diet on the farm. Homegrown mutton, beef, eggs, homemade butter, and full fat dairy. We ate very little processed food though. Bread was homemade, lots of times from our own wheat. Porridge was also from homegrown maize, milled on the farm. Makes one think!

 

Great post, well written. Importantly, could be life changing for some hubbers! Thanks for sharing.

['Dale]

Eat as much sugar as you like ????

 

Manage your stress levels

That shizz will kill a human

 

#threadderailleur

Edited April 27, 2018 by 'Dale

[Bonus]

72 hrs in and ticking along nicely.

 

I've been drinking water with my meals at home and have managed to stay away from the sweetie and cake counters at the shops. Tonight I had a beer with my pizza, we were out with friends.

 

I must admit I can't take too much credit for my success so far, I actually haven't had a bad craving for the things I'm trying to cut down on yet. The real test will come when I get it into my head that I WANT something sweet. Then I'll have to decide whether to treat myself or man-up.

 

Over the weekend I'll re-read the comments about various diets. Maybe after I master the "sugar" side of things I'll tackle the pizza and beer thing!

[Johan_Kleynhans]

Eat as much sugar as you like ????

 

Manage your stress levels

That shizz will kill a human

 

#threadderailleur

No Dale that was me years ago. I managed to outtrain my bad diet for 15 years but when I stopped cycling I did not stop my bad diet. Good genes apart I have the fatty liver now plus the most persistant layer of fat around my chest.