The problem with artificial sweeteners (and sugar)

So we are in the anti-sugar crusade these days.   Unfortunately, that means that a lot of people head directly to the artificial sweeteners, Splenda, Equal, etc, etc.  

No.  The selling point is that, supposedly, they have sweetening power to the 1000s over sugar.  But for me, they made me crave sugar.  My theory is that your body tastes the sweet and prepares itself for the sugar hit.  

And then doesn't get it.

But now your tastebuds are acclimated to the sweet, sweet, sweet...  so now they start increasing the sugar in things.  Formulations are different throughout the world, but American brands are generally sweeter and fattier.

I honestly believe that foods are sweeter than when I was a child.

I also know that manufacturers hide sugars in things and add sugars that do not need to be there.   They hide artificial sweetener in anything that is remotely "lower-calorie".

But I have even found added sugar in my dried fruit.  In the mangoes.   Or the coconut.

Things that don't need it have added sugar.

A lot of cereals are sugar bombs.  They recently reformulated Cheerios to be "gluten-free".   (which is a completely different lie, but anyway)

My mom is now describing it as "real" Cheerios.  They had changed the formulations so much that it was no longer recognisable.  

I do not lose weight eating sugar substitutes.   I lose weight eating less sugar, a little bit of the real stuff.  

Plus, you don't get all that artificial junk in your system.  Most have been linked to cancer.   (Most food-like substances, unfortunately, are not that healthy).  


I do wish we could get lower-sugar/artificial-sweetener-free products.   I want Coke or Seven Up made with real, but less, sugar.   I want the European versions of things.  I want less sweet back.  I don't want it replaced.  We tried that with fat-free, which led to the higher sugar..

Refreshing, restarting, years later.

Hi!  My name is Catherine and I am a middle-aged, perimenopausal fat chick.    I managed to lose a lot of weight ten or so years ago, and then stalled out and have yoyo'd since then.  It doesn't help that I live alone, in some ways.  And that I am gluten-free.   Because regular gluten-free stuff is higher in calories and lower in fiber than the non-gf.   That being said, I have access to some lovely veggies and meats and such.

So, refreshing and restarting the weight loss journey.

Things I have to remember:

Set a nice table for myself.   Use the good china.  Buy some single-serving place settings (including flatware, maybe?) .  Stop idle snacking, or make sure you snack on fruit and/or veggies between meals.  Eat when you are hungry.  

Baby steps.   Pull out one of those "goal" items of clothing and use it.   (note, I have real issues with using a scale, because that triggers all kinds of stuff for me, as does journaling, I can't keep a food diary because I get paranoid)

So, goals for this week:

Eat 80% of your meals at the dining table off of a plate.
Buy and prep some fruit and veggie snacks to grab when hungry
Cook meals.   As opposed to grabbing cheese.
3 20 minute workouts
yoga ball stretches 4 days a week
buy a yoga ball office "chair"