Why Binge Once A Year?

Sarah’s Question:

You seem to commit to these sugar binges and as the day goes by you feel like crap. Why do you do the binges? Is it to confirm how sh*tty you feel when you eat sugar and to remind you that it has a negative affect on you mentally and physically? Or, do you do it out of nostalgia and you miss those foods? Or, maybe these is another reason. I’m just curious.

Answer:

Thanks for asking. I eat sugar once a year for four days both to remind me what happens to my body and because I am usually wanting something sweet after a year passes. I initially called the annual event my “Super Sugar Binge” because the first time I did it I only ate sweets! Gross.

Over the past two years, when I ate sugar, it made me feel lousy. It’s not a binge anymore but rather a time where I allow myself to eat anything I want. This past year I ate Chocolate Mousse and it made me feel lousy. By the end of four days I was excited to stop being sweet again.

Eating sugar once a year is part of my own sustainable abstinence plan. It’s my own private ritual. I talk more about rituals and how you can create your own sustainable abstinence plan in the Stop Being Sweet eWorkbook.

Unsweet Advice: What About These Alternatives To Sugar?

Question:
What are your thoughts and how far away do you stay from the “Dirty Dozen” and do you use any of the recommended sweets?  (I tried the brown rice syrup, and that was another thing I couldn’t get used to)     
The Dirty Dozen:
1.  Dextrose
2.  Fructose
3.  Sucrose
4.  Maltose
5.  Corn syrup
6.  High fructose corn syrup
7.  Malt syrup
8.  Honey
9.  Molasses
10.  Maple syrup
11.  Modified food starch
12.  Corn starch
Alternatives might include fruit, evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup, aguava nectar, or natural and less refined sweeteners such as Sucanat and stevia.

Answer:

Most sugar alternatives are simply other forms of sugar with a slightly different chemical make up. Here are my personal feelings about the following forms of sugar. Opinions (and reactions) vary.

1.  Dextrose - Occurs naturally. I avoid if added.

2.  Fructose - same as above.

3.  Sucrose - Same as above.

4.  Maltose - Same as above.

5.  Corn syrup - Prefer to avoid it.

6.  High fructose corn syrup - Absolutely avoid.

7.  Malt syrup - I avoid it.

8.  Honey - Effects your blood levels. I use sparingly. As a natural alternative it is preferred over chemical sweeteners. Still, I eat very little honey in the course of a year, and all from baking.

9.  Molasses - Same as above. Some folks like to use it for cooking. I avoid it.

10.  Maple syrup - Same as above. I’ll have it once in a while during breakfast. It will effect your blood sugar.

11.  Modified food starch - Sometimes it can’t be avoided easily because it is in so many things, especially if you go out to eat.

12.  Corn starch - Same as above.

The other alternatives you mentioned:

Fruit - I love fruit and eat it daily. What a wonderful and natural treat.

Evaporated cane juice - I avoid this completely. It will kick your butt and most certainly changes your blood sugar levels.

Brown rice syrup - Avoid.

Agave nectar - I haven’t used it but hear good things about it. Worth trying.

Natural and less refined sweeteners such as Sucanat and Stevia - I have not tried Sucanat. It’s still sugar, just not so refined, so I’d generally avoid it. I’m looking to try Stevia as I only hear good things about it. At the time of this writing, the US FDA is reviewing Stevia as a sweetener and many food and beverage companies have already invested millions of dollars into using Stevia to sweeten their food and drink products. Stevia has been extensively tested over the past ten years and apparently has many positive health benefits. 

Remember, everyone is different and we all react differently to the different types of sugar. For a complete run-down of what’s right for you, consult a doctor or nutritionist. If you’re in good health, you might try eating foods containing these sugars and see how you feel. Journal about your experience.

Unsweet Advice: Help! I Feel Great Anxiety!

Hey, we have emailed a few times and I’ve found it really helpful. I’m undertaking seriously cutting my sugar again in an effort to go on a diet and lose 20 lbs by xmas (15 would be success too). I eat a lot of sugar…a lot so I’m not cutting to none, I like light sugar juice and I find thats okay to do me as a treat. Help! I feel great anxiety trying this again. :(

I’m sorry to tell you that you are setting yourself up. You always put great pressure on yourself to lose a bunch of weight in a short period of time. No wonder you’re feeling anxious!

My suggestion is to stop worrying about the goal of losing X number of pounds by Xmas. Instead, make your “goal” to be active and exercise three times a week from now until December 31st. Try biking, attending a group fitness class, going to yoga, taking a long walk with a friend, or try something else you’ve always wanted to do.

My point is that you need to create an ongoing and sustainable level of activity to achieve permanent weight loss. It should be an activity you enjoy and look forward to doing. You needn’t start with a marathon. By going on a hard-core diet until Xmas you’ll be stressed and miserable which will push you to drink more and more sugary juice. Even if you manage to lose weight you’re bound to put it right back on when those Christmas cookies come out during the holidays.

So forget the holidays! Forget the weight! Think of your activity levels and avoid sugar altogether. It sounds like the sugar juice is one of your trigger foods. See if you can last without it for two months. Can you not drink it for two whole months? That’s how you can tell if you’re medicating yourself with it. 

Write about the whole process by keeping a personal journal so that the next time (if there is a next time) you want to drop weight from dieting you can read about (and remember) how you already tried that and how it made you feel.

Remember, get off the sugar completely!

Unsweet Advice: Are Ketchup and Mayo Okay to Eat?

Hi David! I have a quick question for you. How do you handle ketchup and mayo? I bought a no sugar ketsup and it is gross. Do I have to give up ketsup? What about mayo? Thank you!

I still eat both ketchup and mayonnaise. Sugar free mayo is common and doesn’t taste bad (to me). I eat ketchup rarely and we don’t keep any in the house. Since everyone is different, the determining factor would be if after eating either one you find yourself craving and or bingeing on ketchup or mayo covered foods.

Can you successfully avoid eating ketchup and/or mayo for two months with little to no struggle? The answer to that question will indicate if you can eat it or not and in what quantities if you do have any. 

Unsweet Advice: What About Alternative Sweeteners?

Hi David, I am on day 5 of my sugarless life and I am in the “bargaining stage.” What are your thoughts about alternative sweeteners in sugar free foods? Do you just eliminate all sugar like substances?

I am not into chemical sugar alternatives. Most of them have nasty side-effects like gas. I’ve tried sugar free cookies and products of all kinds sweetened with that stuff and it’s bad. For one thing, it doesn’t help you to get away from addictive sweets. It’s kind of like drinking alcohol free beer or smoking smoke free cigarettes. Gross.

The best bet is to find naturally sweet snacks. I personally will eat something sweetened with honey, agave, pure maple syrup, or fruit juice. Everyone is different, of course, but these types of sweeteners don’t seem to have an addictive reaction for me—although pure maple syrup can certainly pack a punch in terms of a sugar high. In fact, I’ve avoided it lately for this reason.

So if you are just starting out try some of them for yourself. If you don’t, you’ll always wonder about those sugar-free Murray cookies in the cookie aisle. Do beware and read the labels.

Related Links

· Sugar By Any Other Name Is Still Sugar - How to find hidden sugar on labels.

· Sugar Free Jell-O Review - A video review.

· I Ate Chocolate Chip Cookies - About eating sugar free Joseph’s brand cookies.

Unsweet Advice: Amino acid l-glutamine?

Have you ever used the amino acid l-glutamine to try and curb your sweet tooth? If so, was it effective?

I have never used I-glutamine to curb my sweet tooth. In fact, although we reviewed Sugarest, I never tried it myself. I’m a bit scared of things like that because it is my belief that we stop being sweet by creating a change in our behavior—not as the result of taking a pill or eating another product. I have found that using products or supplements to control sugar intake doesn’t work in the long run, but it might be helpful for some people in the short-term.

My feeling is that it doesn’t work when we give the “power” to something outside of ourselves. People don’t need a health club to be healthy. We don’t need a (no)sugar pill to be sugar free. The sustainable answer to quitting sugar is using our willpower and making the choice to eat right.
That said, has anyone out there used I-glutamine to try and curb their sweet tooth? If so, please tell us about your experience.