Damn you sugar.

Have you tried Stevia? IMO it tastes the most like sugar, and of all the sugar substitutes, it is the healthiest... I too have an obtusely dominant sweet tooth.

 

Stevia rules!





beev

 

My recommendation is for you to start drinking skim milk. Avoid any pop, sweetened juices, sweetened teas, and just drink water or milk. Before too long, you'll find that you really don't crave sugar, and that fresh fruit will taste especially good (better than any sugary treat that you currently desire) and will supplant any sugary treat.

 

It might sound so crazy that you simply won't consider it to be possible, but for me drinking skim milk really killed any desire I had for any dessert food, and that includes ice cream. Part of reason may well be that drinking as much milk as I can each day allows me to have the stamina I need for tough workouts. Maybe it won't work for you, but if you are finding your sugar withdrawal to be painful, then you might consider giving milk a chance. Naturally you will want to ease into consuming milk (different reactions for different people), but for me it was about 10 days, and I no longer wanted junk foods. Realize that it was a combination of vigorous exercise and skim milk giving me what I wanted; hence, it wasn't just drinking milk, and I don't know if it would have has the same results if it were.

 

Substitute honey for sugar. It may satisfy your sweet tooth and might be good for you.
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=96

 

Ever wonder why humans are the only animal on the planet to A) ingest another animal's milk B) consume milk after being weaned.
Milk is not good in any form for humans except as a baby and from the mother.
Besides being a mucolytic, (promoting mucous production in the lungs), it is mostly devoid of any nutrition, including calcium. Whey protein, same deal.
-Billy

 

I doubt that there is another single food that provides the nutritional value of milk. If you know of a better food source, I want to know it.

http://www.answerfitness.com/162/skim-milk-healthy-food-of-the-day/
Milk has protein, one of which is casein protein. It also is a rich source of potassium and calcium (one cup contains about 30% daily calcium requirement).

skim milk/cup:

Protein: 8.7 g
Carbohydrates: 12.3 g
Calcium: 349 mg
Potassium: 419 mg
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Sodium: 130 mg

One of the primary health and nutritional advantages to skim milk is that it’s a good source of protein, specifically slow-digesting casein protein. Skim milk contains dozens of proteins, including casein and whey proteins (which make up around 20 percent of the protein in skim milk by weight.) Lactoglobulin is the most predominate whey protein in milk and skim milk products.

Casein protein, specifically casein protein micelles, are an interesting contrast to whey protein, especially for bodybuilders and people pursuing a resistance or weight training regimen. Unlike whey protein, which is digested very quickly by the body (in some cases in under 30 minutes), casein proteins in skim milk can take much longer for the body to break down and digest (some estimates say as long as 7-8 hours for casein to be fully-digested.)

While this might sound like a bad thing, it can actually be beneficial, especially if your goal is to make sure that your body has a constant supply of protein available post-workout for muscle recovery and growth.

Because casein has a longer digestion window than whey, skim milk is an excellent source of slow-digesting protein, especially before you go to bed. The slow digestion of casein proteins in skim milk will ensure that you remain in positive nitrogen balance (meaning you have sufficient protein available to the body) during the nighttime fast.

In terms of vitamins and minerals, whole milk does naturally contain fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E and K, but these vitamins are concentrated in the fat within the milk. Since skim milk has had the fat removed, manufacturers fortify skim milk with Vitamins A and D in order to restore the natural-vitamin profile of the milk. So in this regard, the Vitamin profile of whole milk is “more natural” than skim. However, from a total vitamin perspective, the fortification process makes the two more or less equal on this front (without the added calories and fat of whole milk.)

Milk also contains a fair amount of riboflavin, also known as Vitamin B2, in the whey portion of milk which after production can impart a slightly greenish hue or tint to skim milk. Skim milk also contains trace amounts of iodine, Vitamin B12, biotin and pantothenic acid, thiamine, selenium and magnesium.

 

Well, since you already drink milk, my suggestion to you (to rid yourself of your desire for sugar) is to increase the severity of your workout (if you can possibly do so). Doing this should result in your body craving what it needs which is not the acquired taste of sugar. Best of luck.

 

I've never put it together but I think you are right. On the days when I intentionally overdo it on my workout, I crave things like nuts or meat. If I take a couple of days off I find myself being drawn to skittles and ice cream bars.

 

+1 on this advice. I haven't craved "sweets" many many years. Fresh pineapple is
like CANDY to me now - and I just did the above ages ago.

Spot on advice, IMO

Jedi

 

GTHILL

I was addicted to sugary foods. You need to quit them all together. Not find a substitute, quit them. You'll feel terrible for a while but it's just an addiction.

Your body will return to normal as soon as you stop poisoning it.

 

I think if you go "cold turkey" to that extent will just line you up for failure. I'd suggest
quiting all the "optional" sugar (candy, soda, ice cream, etc.) and get used to THAT first.
Then go after the sugars added to foods (BBQ & other sauces, sweet and sour, etc.)
once you're used to not having more direct sugars.

Jedi

 

I lost 20 lbs the last two months and trust me, there were more than just a few hard days but........

I just got in the habit of telling myself that I knew there would be hard days so no surprise, just a little pain but without the suffering because I had an understanding.

Congrats to you for your efforts and don't get down about it. If you do, please forgive yourself and remember that what seems like a lifetime will seem like a nothing in a few weeks.

Keep up the good work and remember that after an adjustment you can live moderately and enjoy a few picadillos!!

Best of luck, Brian

 

Almond milk of course!

 

Saw on Dr. Oz yesterday that if you have a large sweet tooth to take Chromium Pic. Somehow it helps curb the desire for sugar. Do not know how it works or how well but he swears by it.........I am a diabetic and have some sugar from time to time but have to be careful. Maybe I should try the chromium......

 

It is totally reasonable. Just remember there will be hard days and they are to be expected, which for me took their power away.

Do your best and forget the rest is the montra from my program that works for me and it has helped me tremendously from getting down when I made "little" mistakes and kept me happy the next day. If you only lose 1 lb in 26 days than you are moving in the right direction and will be well served by staying on track. I am so happy for your positive energy in this pursuit, I'm sure you will find your way how it works for you.

Enjoy the successes immensly and never sweat the little setbacks.

Also, I know the scale seems like the only judge but pay attention to your body, you will very likely be adding muscle weight which is negative on the scale but positive in your life and if you get really over focused on weight you might dehydrate too much which will sabotage your real goal (I assume) of getting healthier and feeling better.

Keep it up!!!!! Enjoy!!!!! Be Happy!!!!!

 

Paul, you make a valid point about casein, but in fact, it is one of the major allergens in milk causing everything from asthma to acne. And, with further research and knowledge you will find that it is not a great source of protein, despite what the gov't and dairy council want you to think!

"A milk protein called casein that contains 21 amino acids is found in many processed foods and products, and may be the cause of allergic reactions in those allergic to milk products. Casein and caseinates, or water-soluble forms of caseins, are found in everything from cottage cheese and processed cheese products to plastics and cosmetics."

The most important thing to remember about protein is that there is no one superior source. Each protein source has different components and benefits and variation is the key. Too much of the same protein everyday can and will lead to food sensitivity. Absorption, or slow-absorption of which you are fond of, is dependent upon what other foods and nutrients are combined with that meal. It would be nice to think each nutrient gets shuttled to the appropriate place at the right time once in the small intestine, but that isn't the case.

Unless you have a cow tied up in your back yard eating wild grasses or meet a farmer with the same every few days, then here are some other problems with milk:

- Pasteurization. Heating milk destroys its bioavailable enzymes and will definitely affect the absorption of its proteins. http://www.naturalnews.com/028799_pasteurized_milk_raw.html
- Homogenization: It is the worst thing that dairymen did to milk. http://www.naturalnews.com/022967_milk_pasteurization_dairy.html
- Re-introduction of synthetic vitamins is a whole other nightmare ball-of-wax.
- Commercial milk, which I assume you are drinking, is from cows fed corn. Ruminants are not suppose to eat corn, get sick, are pumped up with antibiotics and GH to survive.
- Skim Milk: further processing, even more starved of nutrients, less fat, (fat is good!), synthetic vitamins, coloring. Might as well drink water with flour in it.

You mentioned you would like to know other 'superior' sources of protein. Well, I do not believe in the 'superior' role, but variation and source my rotation of quality raw, organic, free-range and wild sources.
It includes: Wild Sockeye Salmon, (any other cold-water fish), FRO Chicken, eggs, egg white power, (check out their proteins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_white), coconut, hemp, sprouted brown rice, cactus. I eat no read meat.

-Billy

 

billyfitness,
For red meat that is healthful, try bison. I first had some this past Sunday, and its taste is far superior to that of beef. As for milk fresh from the cow, I can't and won't argue against it. My father was raised on a dairy farm, and his strength was far out of proportion to his lean 175 pounds, and I saw it in others who also were raised on fresh (straight from the cow) milk.

 

Hey, good for you GT. If you are going to have milk, then that's the way to do it.
I meet a farmer once a week to get chicken and eggs, in season of course, May-Nov.
-Billy