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Trying to give up or cut down on Sugar intake


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Very good thread and I am on a cold turkey drive trying to stop taking sugar.

 

So here are a few thoughts

 

I have tried and I have proved it ty myself that you cannot outtrain a bad diet. I am not concerned if I use less sugar when training is going to be detramental on my performance or not. I only think about that extra 15kg which I am hauling up the hill. So for me it is not a worry that I will have less energy but the extra weight is.

 

When I was still cycling competatively many many years ago I did not go out on a training ride if I did not eat before. These days I can do a 60km ride without eating anything except a cup of coffee (1 sugar). My body was too used to carbs and sugar.

 

Compared to a few years ago (when I was about 53) I started wearing glasses for reading. I don't even know where my glasses are. Not scientifically proven but I could swear that the sugar contributed to the problem. Currently I can comfotably read any book and my cellphone fond is on the smallest and I read it easily.

 

Lastly if anybody was going to get diabetes from too much sugar ( disclaimer I am not saying that you must go ahead and drinks loads of soft drinks and chocolate maybe I was lucky or I inhereted good genes) I should be a prime candidate. I lived from Coke and Bar One and Smarties before that. Like my friend said to me: You consume industrial quantities. Over the years my blood sugar stayed normal.

 

I do have a fatty liver for my sins which is a concern and also one of the reasons why I also want to stop taking sugar. Don't think that not getting diabetes makes it ok. My whole upper body is overweight and the liver thing is my motivation.

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Start worrying when the banters start beating you. In the meantime bring the carbs when racing.

I must agree with JC on the 'bring the carbs when racing' ... Even though as most know I basically eat almost only protein (works for me [emoji41]) I always take a proper pre race drink, carb drink for on the bike, energy bars like FarBar etc. and even take gels when racing.

 

Besides that for training I don't really bother unless it's seriously long ....

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Very good thread and I am on a cold turkey drive trying to stop taking sugar.

 

So here are a few thoughts

 

I have tried and I have proved it ty myself that you cannot outtrain a bad diet. I am not concerned if I use less sugar when training is going to be detramental on my performance or not. I only think about that extra 15kg which I am hauling up the hill. So for me it is not a worry that I will have less energy but the extra weight is.

 

When I was still cycling competatively many many years ago I did not go out on a training ride if I did not eat before. These days I can do a 60km ride without eating anything except a cup of coffee (1 sugar). My body was too used to carbs and sugar.

 

Compared to a few years ago (when I was about 53) I started wearing glasses for reading. I don't even know where my glasses are. Not scientifically proven but I could swear that the sugar contributed to the problem. Currently I can comfotably read any book and my cellphone fond is on the smallest and I read it easily.

 

Lastly if anybody was going to get diabetes from too much sugar ( disclaimer I am not saying that you must go ahead and drinks loads of soft drinks and chocolate maybe I was lucky or I inhereted good genes) I should be a prime candidate. I lived from Coke and Bar One and Smarties before that. Like my friend said to me: You consume industrial quantities. Over the years my blood sugar stayed normal.

 

I do have a fatty liver for my sins which is a concern and also one of the reasons why I also want to stop taking sugar. Don't think that not getting diabetes makes it ok. My whole upper body is overweight and the liver thing is my motivation.

You just have not been diagnosed diabetic yet... but given enough time you will be - That's not to say that something else won't kill you first. ????

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Cut out the sugar cold turkey, as others have pointed out. That's the only way (I have tried and failed many times before, and I could only manage to have none of it at all)

I have been doing LCHF/Keto for just under 3 months now, and I have lost 15 kg without even trying really hard. After the first month, I introduced intermittent fasting. I now eat one meal per day, I have zero cravings, and I never get hungry.

Last week Friday I had bloodwork done, and all my biomarkers are looking "excellent." My doctor's words, not mine. The improvements vs. January's bloodwork is nothing short of amazing.

On the cycling side - I do Waterval Boven-Dullstroom-Waterval Boven every other weekend. From my house, it is a 102km round trip. All I take is water (3L Camelbak). I have a coffee or two with (real) cream and no sugar in Dullstroom, then turn around and ride back to Boven without taking any supplements or eating any food.

I have lost more weight in 3 months of almost no riding than I did in 18 months of hard riding and carb counting. I'll stick with the LCHF/Keto for sure.

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5 idea bubbles

 

???? You eat the stuff you buy

 

???? Clear the kitchen cupboards and throw away the cookie jar / choc drawer

 

???? A big blob of peanut butter on a table spoon

 

???? Sleep / rest enough

 

???? A cold shower / splash your face

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They are only the same if you don't understand the difference between fructose, glucose and sucrose.

Like I said - I'm an engineer that studied chemistry so my understanding is more chemical than medical.

 

Apple juice is 75% fructose and 25% glucose. Sugar is 50/50. Surely that doesn't have a massive difference

on insulin response? Or am I missing something?

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What causes diabetes ?

 

I DONT know ....

 

But I do know that I was clinically "morbidly obese" before being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

 

 

 

I have seen a dietician a few years earlier ... had a look at the "right food groups" .... even ate "right" for a short while ....

 

 

I certainly did not over indulge in sugar items.  Lazy life style and obscene quantities of carbs, especially white bread, certainly were major contributors in my spiral ....

 

 

Once diagnosed it was a "cold turkey" situation.  The fact that my blood sugar spiraled out of control for almost two more months certainly put the fear in me !!!  Heavier dosages of meds, and the threat of insulin injections .... I hung in there with the classic "diabetic eating plan" ....

 

 

No more "sugar" in my drinks or food - at least not the Hulletts type sugar.  Very small amount of sweetener in my coffee (about four cups to a sachet)

 

1 to 2 small fruit per day - with its "natural sugar"

 

No more fruit juices - stuff is worse than Coka Cola.

 

Do NOT cut out carbs all together !!  Small amounts is very much part of a balanced diet !!  I now do find that some carbs trigger a "craving" for more food ....  low GI stuff seems to be okay for me.

 

 

 

 

As for energy suppliments when exercising .... whole different topic !!!!  You DO get energy bars that are low in "sugar" .... but that is hardly the point though .... during exercise you burn off the energy.  So as long as your energy intake does not exceed that energy burnt during the exercise it is basically a non-issue  - - well sort off.  As my cycling runs are getting longer and faster I am about to have a few more sessions with my dietitian specifically regarding this ....

 

 

 

 

back to the original post - "cutting out sugar" may not be a bad idea, but certainly there is a LOT more to becoming a diabetic than just "sugar intake" .... much more of a "life style" issue with many many factors (unless it is in your genetics.)

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Post me some links to some credible, current research.

 

I don't mind if you think you have bad news for me, not all. 

 

Oh, I don't do video "evidence". A few minutes of digging would probably unearth the source of that clip.

 

Oh, "nutritionfacts.org"...OK, got it.

 

If I may, I'd like to suggest that you look at some of the current, cutting edge research. The old 'Fat is your enemy" is so last century.

 

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I once did a 3 week total detox (including a week of fasting) as part of a friend's research thing. I wouldn't do it quite to that extent again as I totally pigged out afterwards, but I can say that detoxing and cutting out sugar gave me endless energy and made me aware of how much unnecessary rubbish I used to eat.

 

I have quite a sweet tooth but am able to control it by changing the way I think about food. Rather than telling myself what I mustn't eat, I focus on what I need to put into my body for it to function as I want it to. Being aware of the impact of what I eat helps to manage what and how I eat. I know that sugar and refined/processed carbs are inflammatories and feed cancer cells etc so I generally don't keep them in the house and cook from scratch rather than using premade sauces.

I don't cut it out completely though and will have the odd chocolate :) But I know the more sweets I eat, the more I crave. So cold turkey to start with is best I think. As long as you don't think of it as restricting yourself, and rather focus on the benefits. Skipping a meal or fasting for a day here and there is also healthy - again, as long as you don't think of it as restricting yourself and rather think of it as giving your digestive system a break etc.

 

I mostly exercise on water, but for 2 hrs+ I use water with honey, himalayan salt and chia seeds. It's a good mix of carbs, protein, salts and omegas. And snack on nuts and dates.

I use chopped dates or honey in some food instead of sugar.

 

Read the labels and educate yourself about what your body needs :)

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I don't know your source but it's not reputable for sure.

 

Diabetes is an auto immune diseases - the exact cause of this is not completely clear but in all likelihood there are multiple contributing causes - and in 25+ years I have never seen a credible source blame saturated fats as a cause of diabetes.

 

Sources to support this position?

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...

Lastly if anybody was going to get diabetes from too much sugar ( disclaimer I am not saying that you must go ahead and drinks loads of soft drinks and chocolate maybe I was lucky or I inhereted good genes) I should be a prime candidate. I lived from Coke and Bar One and Smarties before that. Like my friend said to me: You consume industrial quantities. Over the years my blood sugar stayed normal.

 

......

 

My wife drinks a few liters of Coke per day.

 

She eats butter like others eat slices of cheese.

 

She has not exercised in years.

 

 

Yet she is hardly over-weight.

 

Her blood tests are good.

 

 

Will it catch up with her in a few years time ?  Will she be one of the lucky ones to "get away" with it ?

 

 

 

Both my parents were chain smokers.

Dad passed away of unrelated stuff.

Mom has 14 stents, and spent her last weeks on heart and lung machines - poster girl for why smoking sucks !

 

Some get away with a "bad life style", others not ....

 

 

My lifestyle certainly caught up with me !!!  Irony is that a week before my diagnoses I was telling somebody that "some day" I will start packing a cooler box and making sure I have healthy food for lunch ..... No I do.  I am very fortunate !  Turning my life style around has been positive thus far, meds on low dosage, and blood sugar levels very good.  Basically doing very good .... still those small little niggles that are typical of diabetics ..... maybe I pass away early, maybe I get to live a few more years ..... until then I am taking care of my body and living life to the FULL.

 

 

but hey - took a good kick to the butt to wake me up .... and I am certainly the last one to preach to others.  So may I just wish you all luck in your attempts to look after your bodies.

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I found this in the second one..Western diets rich in saturated fats cause obesity and insulin resistance"

 

I know it takes courage to admit that something this major could be wrong.

 

I'm not going to wade any further through a cesspit of links. 

 

Over and out. 

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Saturated fats are not a problem, carbs and sugar are.

Look at where the cutting edge research is.

There are a vast number of T2D reversals happening on low carb diets.

Oh, and be careful of what the average dietician dishes out....

 

Why ?  :whistling:   :devil:

 

How many people actually STICK to any particular eating program ?  :eek:

 

When I was diagnosed I had my session with the dietitian, then went home to the trusty old google .... MISTAKE !!!!!!

 

Very little of what you read about food on the internet is "totally wrong" .... however, MOST of it is totally without context .....

 

Even a (good) dietitian does not give the same advise to two different Type 2 patients !  A proper dietitian takes time to understand the "life" of their patient, then molds the standard eating plan to that person's life ....

 

THEN the fun starts ... is this person going to actually give it 100% co-operation, or just use the bits that fit into their lifes and wing the rest .....

 

Truth be told, even Banting gets a bad wrap from the half-followers ....

 

 

My googling got to a point where we had a very frank exchange of words ..... I made the very conscious decision to stop googling food, and to give the dietitian my 100% co-operation.

 

Two years, 1 month, and 19 days later I can say with 100% certainty the "classic diabetic eating plan" WORKS if followed to the T !!!

 

 

 

Sadly I can also say with certainty that it does not work when followed every so often for a few weeks here and there .. classic jo-jo-effect resulting in an ever increasing waste line ..... seeing this with a very dear friend of mine.

 

 

 

 

I can also confirm that in terms of medication I have stopped short of insulin injections, and am now at the classic "pre-diabetic" medication dosage.  And the doctor is monitoring the vitals to check for the day that this may no longer be needed ....

 

 

 

 

taking a step back, and looking at the bigger picture .... most modern eating plans have many common points:

- limiting intake of processed foods (we have reduced this almost altogether)

- reducing excessive sugar intake

- balancing carb intake with exercise levels

- most eating plans DO speak to the benefits of moderate and regular exercise !

 

If these guidelines are followed, and followed consistantly, most people will see a significant improvement in their health ... I am convinced of this, with absolutely no hard facts to back it up, except my own personal experience.

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