Sweeteners...
 

I was curious, when you started trying to lose weight, did you start using things like splenda or stevia, or did you just cut all the sugar and sugar replacements out completely? I've been using splenda just in green tea, but I really can get by without it.. I think I am actually getting used to NOT having sugar in my teas..

So what do/did you do?

If you can go without it, by all means, go without. The more sweet things you eat/drink, the more your body craves sweet things. Even if you're getting the sweetness from a calorie-free source, you're more likely to cave when offered a calorie-laden sweet treat later.

Good luck!

I avoid artificial sweeteners and refined sugar like the plague. However, when I want to add a little sweetness to things, I use natural sweeteners with a lower glycemic load (read: the sugars won't make your bloodsugar and then insulin go crazy) like agave nectar, honey or stevia. Agave nectar is just awesome and I will literally put in on anything :).

I avoid artificial sweeteners too, and I find stevia kind of biter tasting, (although I do like it enough in green tea).

If I want something sweet in my coffee or tea I use sugar or honey. I love, love, love honey in my greek yogurt. It tastes so great.

But yeah, if you don't need it, lose it. Especially the artificial stuff. Go for natural sources of sweetness if you can :)

They say stevia is supposed to be the best alternative because it is "natural" whatever that means... I use it in drinks and some recipes. I find the less sweets/sugar I eat and drink the less I feel I need the sweet flavor too! Maybe it's just me, but I think it does help. Things like cake and ice cream just taste too sweet.

I've just begun my weight loss program, so I use splenda currently but I do plan to stop using as soon as my need for sugar drops (I have a horrible sweet tooth).

I have pretty much always used Splenda in my coffee. I need my morning coffee with 2 Splenda and a splash of skim milk- and that's how I've ALWAYS had it, before I was ever concerned with weight.

I don't use artificial sweeteners for anything else- though I don't have a lot of sugar in my diet as a rule and never really have. I've tried stevia before and did not like it- the aftertaste was too much for me.

I don't find that it makes me crave anything sweet or appeases my sweet tooth- it's just habit for me. Plus, I make my coffee very strong so I need something to cut it with first thing in the a.m., haha.

I say as long as you don't have it all the time, you'll be fine. There were some great suggestions up there for natural sweeteners- I saw agave syrup and that's a great option. I like to use honey too.

I can't use artificial sweeteners - I'm allergic. When I started the weight loss effort, I used honey in my tea. I wasn't really a tea drinker before, so I didn't want to add to my problem by putting in extra sugar. Now that I'm a coffee drinker, I use either sugar or truvia. I've never had a huge problem with sugar cravings, so I didn't see it necessary to cut refined sugar out completely, but I think I'm in the minority for this one :)

Thanks for the input everyone.. I think that I will cut out the splenda. I think I also feel better when I don't use it. It was nice to see what others do on this subject :)

I cut all of it out completely.

I went sugar free everything and if I need a sweetener I use Splenda. I know some people will argue that artificial sweeteners are bad for you, but to answer your question regarding the sugar cravings I don't have any unless I eat something high in sugar (which is rarely). As soon as I do I def find that my sweet tooth rears its ugly head...

I dumped the sugar like a plague! I eat mostly fruits and veggies and don't feel deprived at all. I love them! I'll take fresh strawberries and apples over cake any day.

:queen: Dhani :queen:

I just cut out sugar in general, but I've re-introduced sweet things and do ok. I use honey in my hot tea, spenda in my iced tea, drink diet soda and LOVE fruit more than life itself. I don't consume a lot of artificial sweeteners, but I don't have a problem with them either. Some people can't handle them, others can. It's all very personal. If it's something that helps you manage your diet, then more power to you.

I like using artificial sweetener for my tea, and I for one don't have any sugar cravings because of it.

That's funny this was on here because I was going to ask what people thought about splenda. I've cut back to drinking mostly water, but every so often I want a drink with flavor. I thought koolaid (since it's 0 cal) would be good and it'd still be 0 cal if I made with splenda. It'd be more if I made it with sugar obviously, though still less than soda.