It's been a while since I've been on here, but everyone here has been so helpful and kind in the past that I knew I should come here first.
I'm on the diet again (mine is low carb. Just a preference.). In the past, I've always been super strict on my diets, but have always managed to sabotage myself due to my weakness for the table wine of the South - Sweet Iced Tea.
Now, I always sweeten it with Splenda (or a variation thereof) but I know that the aspartame is the evil mustache-bearing villain responsible for my lack of progress.
My question is, do any of you ladies have suggestions for how to make giving it up easier? I swear I have withdrawals, though I'm sure it's psychosomatic.
Aspartame is responsible for your lack of progress with what? weight loss? and how so? Why do you believe that aspartame is a villain? because you've *heard* that it is bad for you? Irregardless of whether or not you believe it is *bad* for you (it hasnt been proven to be, and in fact, most recent research does not suggest it is at all, especially in moderate amounts--> it is important to note that previous studies were seriously flawed methodically and disregarded by any reputable, peer reviewed sources) it should not be hindering fatloss efforts... it may be contributing to digestive distress, but this does not occur in everyone. Also, your post led me to believe that you thnk splenda and aspartame are one and the same? they arent. aspartame is the sweetener found in Sweet N' Low and Splenda contains an entirely different chemical called sucralose
Thanks for your response! Yeah, I have been corrected on the Splenda thing. I heard somewhere that they were the same, and stupidly never bothered to check for myself.
Do you think I should give up the sweet tea then, or did I just not stick it out long enough when I stalled before? Have you heard of Splenda stalling people?
If I don't have to give up my sweet tea, I may very well start dancing around the office in joy.
I went off all caffeine and sweeteners for about a year (a former coworker had me half-convinced that all my fibromyalgia symptoms were being caused by my diet Mountain Dew Code Zero habit.
Except for the caffeine withdrawal period, I didn't experience any dramatic effects (positive or negative) from the change.
Then when I was STILL having problems with fatigue, my doctor actually recommended caffeine. He said that it was safer than any of the medications he could give me, and (since I hate coffee and am not all that fond of tea) asked about diet sodas and the sweeteners.
He told me that if I was going to have any negative response to the sweeteners, it would probably be very noticeable after having been off them so long.
I resumed my diet beverage and sweetener use with no ill effects (though I haven't returned to the vast quantity I used in the past. I don't drink as many and I don't use nearly the amount of sweetener I used to).
I did do a lot of digging into the artificial sweetener research and the only thing I became concerned about was the tendency for aspartame to contribute to folate deficiency (which actually explains most of the negative effects found in previous studies - for example folate deficiency is known to contribute to cancerous and noncancerous tumors especially of the pituitary, I believe).
The simple preventative for these problems is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (and/or to take a folic acid supplement - I do both).
Some research suggests that artificial sweeteners can actually increase appetite (or at least a sweet tooth), and to some degree I've found that true - but the effect isn't nearly as dramatic as what I experience with REAL sugar.
If I eat high-carb foods, especially on an empty stomach or not combined with protein, I'm starving about an hour later. If I eat artificial sweetened food or beverage (especially if it's not paired with a meal or at least some protein), I'm a bit hungrier sooner, but not nearly as "starving" as from "real" sugar.
When I'm on a very low-carb diet, with absolutely no sweeteners, I have less hunger and fewer cravings than on any other kind of diet (but I'm also prone to headaches and nausea). I also enjoy the occasional sweet treat so much that it's worth a little extra effort in hunger management. However, the same cannot be said of "real" sugar sweets. When I eat those, the hunger increase is dramatic and unmanageable. It takes super-human willpower to keep from overeating (and eating and eating).
So for the trade-offs, zero calorie sweeteners are well worth it to me. I do use an assortiment of sweeteners because it allows me to use less.
Most low-calorie sweeteners have a synergistic effect with each other (and with sugar for that matter) which means it takes less sweetener overall to create the desired sweetness level, if you use more than one sweetener).
This is a case where 1 + 1 can = 3.
If it took three packets of either Splenda or aspartame to sweeten my yogurt to it's desired sweetness, it might only take one packet of each to produce the same amount of sweetness (there's a lot of internet articles on the synergistic effect of sweeteners).
Using less sweetener, and using multiple sweeteners not only saves you money, it's also likely to minimizes the side effects of any (not only because you're using less, but because most of the side effects are associated with very heavy use of one sweetener).
My husband is always confused that I buy so many sweeteners (He says, "Didn't we just buy Splenda, why do you need xylitol and Nutrasweet too?)
I've explained the whole "synergy thing" to him, but he doesn't (or chooses not to) "get it."
But it works for me very well. I use less sweetener overall, and I'm more confident that I'm not using any to the point that I need to start worrying about side effects (and by being able to use less sweetener to get the sweetness I want, I also save money).
I am in the process of trying to cut back (but not eliminate) artificial sweeteners. I know some people who are on that aspartame is evil path...and while I'm not especially a fan of the blue packets, I don't really buy into it. My own mother is one of these people. She totally cut it out. Will not eat/drink/buy any product that has that evil stuff in it and the reality is it has made little difference in her weight loss. Of course, she did replace it with other color packets.
Personally, I'm just not convinced that any one color is any better than any of the others. I have tried the whole rainbow, including stevia. I just don't believe that any processed powder in a tiny little packet is any more natural, less evil or any better than the other.
I like to drink tea sweetened with Splenda or Sweet N Low. Sometimes, I combine stevia with one of the above. I am currently trying to cut back on that amount of Dt Mt Dew I drink. I stopped buying them and bringing them into the house. Now, the only way I drink one is if I want it bad enough that I have to go out after it. I live in a rural area between cornfields, so this is a pretty effective way to cut back in my case.
I don't want to replace the diet soda with sweetened tea, propel, crystal light or anything else that has a bunch of AS. So, I stocked up on bottled water and a few flavors of herbal teas. My goal isn't really to cut out sweeteners, though it is just to use less of them.
I don't think that eliminating aspartame is going to magically solve your dieting or plateau problems. But, I do wish luck in limiting or eliminating them if that is what you decide to do.
I don't know about the truth to them, but I have heard negative things about what the combination of high fructose corn syrup and fake sugars do to you, (I think that was the combination) but not a lot about how fake sugars affect weight loss.
Most of what I have heard comes from a health standpoint. I didn't know that they reduced folate, that is very interesting.
I will say that I personally prefer stevia to other fake sugars, because I know quite a few people allergic to splenda. Also to my knowledge stevia does not have the vitamin worries that the other does.
I am looking for the scientific information that my son directed me to when my daughter and I first questioned
the headaches that we had from aspartame.
The controversy continues, but sucralose is also available, also artificial but seemingly has no side-effects.
Aspartame gives me headaches, and although I like diet Pepsi and Coke, I try to keep it to one a month because of the aspartame and carbonation, which affects bone density.
I started drinking green tea, and raspberry (and other flavors) of natural teas over a year ago. I am particularly addicted to Arizona (brand) teas, which you can get by the gallon at Walmart. I get the one with honey, it is low in carbs compared to a lot of things.
My husband doesn't like tea, so he just drinks water.
I also drink Gatorade, the kind with no sugar, well, I actually alternate.
And other flavored waters.
I look for drinks with stevia, and we use Truvia, a powdered stevia for cereal and similar. I haven't tried baking with it. Stevia is incredibly sweet, 1t is equal to 1 c. of sugar in a recipe, or at least 1/4t. is equal to 1t.
in regular use. Hard to remember when you are used to "two or three lumps"!
Well I'm not a scientist. I have heard all the evil rumors, and all the rumors that have put the rumors to rest. It still doe snot change how I feel about articficial sweeteners or real sweeteners period. I hate how overly laden with sugar and/or sugar substitutes our society has become. There is high-fructose corn syrup in hamburger buns and just about everything else as well. Our society has become dependent on sugar and I want no part in continuing the dependence for myself, my family and specifically my son.
I cut out the blue packets and diet sodas about 5yrs ago. I switched to bitter coffee/tea and seltzer. I ain't gonna lie, it was rough. Massive headaches, massive cravings. Everything tasted so bitter to me. But I stuck with it. I hated seltzer in the beginning but within a few weeks I was really into it. Coffee/tea took longer, I'd say about 3months and yes it was very very hard. Every morning every sip I'd say "yuck" but continue to drink. Then one day I stopped saying yuck, and then I stopped thinking yuck and now I can't imagine another way to drink my coffee. In fact the other day I ordered a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts and I asked for milk, no sugar. They put sugar in it and when I tasted it I literally gagged!!!
Once in a while I have a diet soda. But it does not enter my house and it is not something I crave. These companies sell a lot of these products because it is so addictive. I can easily tell you that I was an addict. Once I came off the blue stuff and the diet sodas I felt clear headed, that's the only way I can describe it.
Listen, it may not help with weight loss. But if you're anything like me, you know that deep down inside you have no desire to be dependent on any substance, especially if it's a sugary substance. I don't care what studies show about one chemical over the other. The only study I care about is the one that shows that people who lower their consumption of sugar lower their risk of a long list of ailments. I think of sugar and sweeteners as my hot ex-boyfriend... sure it was a fun ride but he was kind of a selfish jerk and I'm glad he's out of my life.
Suggestions about giving up Aspartame?
