[Snoofie]

OK, so I've been thinking. (I've also been watching Dr. Drew, and he's just so convincing. *L*)

Anyway. I've been doing WW for almost a year now, and I've been successful (42 pounds since January 26!) But I have noticed, of course, that the more weight I lose, the harder it gets to take it off. I'm hoping to get down to a goal weight of 125, which means that I still have 36 pounds to lose. And although I try to break my weight loss into manageable chunks, the idea that I still have to lose almost the same amount over AGAIN is beginning to make me feel....sort of despondent.

So, I've decided that in addition to WW (which I love and have no intention of giving up) I need to start "kicking it up a notch", dietetically speaking. And I've already given up caffeine (to which I was seriously addicted; I went through a week and a half of utter **** while I got off the crap.) I still have a Coke or a Pepsi from time to time, but now I don't ever get that feeling of "I would kill everyone around me for a Coke".

Anyway, I've decided that it may be time to also kick sugar to the curb (or at least reduce my intake.) I've noticed that, lately, instead of thinking, "I'd kill for a Pepsi", my thought process has been "My god, I'd kill for a Tim Horton's french vanilla cappucino/hot fudge sundae/chocolate bar/etc." That, to me, is a warning sign that my sugar habit is becoming an addiction. And I know that by reducing my sugar intake, I'll help my blood sugar levels even out and help with feelings of hunger throughout the day. And let's face it, I'll probably see my weight loss boosted at least a little.

But what I'm confused about is how much sugar I should be taking in per day. I know it's probably different for everyone, but even a ballpark figure would be good. There's a high incidence of type II diabetes in my family, and I also have PCOS which automatically boosts my risk anyway. \

I just want to know what level of sugar intake I should be aiming for, so that I can keep my blood sugar low enough not to trigger my sugar jones, but not low enough to send me into fainting spells (I tend to have those when my blood sugar crashes, although that doesn't happen *too* often.)

Sorry for all the questions and for the novel I've written, but I really need some advice here. It's getting more and more difficult to lose weight and I do NOT want to give up!

[ERHR]

I think you're definitely on the right track with your concern about sugar given your family history of Type II diabetes/PCOS and your cravings. Remember though that it's not just sugar that affects glucose and insulin levels but (non-fiber) carbohydrates in general. I strongly recommend you read Good Calories, Bad Calories for more info on carbohydrates. I also recently finished Sugar Nation, which is more specifically about Type II diabetes and very helpful/inspirational.

I was also concerned about my progress toward metabolic syndrome so I have been following The Belly Fat Cure - actually I do a lower-carb version. That diet has you stay below 15 g sugar/day (5 g or less per meal). (Don't freak out! Before I started dieting I was at 180 g sugar/day and when I was calorie-counting only I was at 60 day/day. 15 g/day is possible.) Now, I'm not totally sure how the author came up with that number so it might be kind of arbitrary.

I think to discover your personal sugar daily (or meal) limit you would have to monitor how your glucose levels respond to each type and volume of food that you eat, with some kind of small range in mind. That's a lot of hassle, so I think you could either come up with a workable daily limit based on more research and the responses you get here or stick to foods that are known to be low-GI for the population at large. The good thing about eating fewer carbs (and consequently more fat and protein) is that you won't get the large drops in glucose levels that cause dizziness/fainting/mood swings/hunger (assuming you are otherwise healthy).

Congrats on your success so far! I am confident that restricting sugar and carbs will speed your progress toward your goal weight and improved overall health.

[JayEll]

No sucrose (table sugar). No refined carbohydrates like white flour. Watch the amount of total carbohydrates, even if whole grains--do you use a tracking program? Keep carbohydrates between 100 and 150 grams per day.

Jay

[runningfromfat]

I cut it out cold turkey. I went through roughly a week of a detox phase with absolutely nothing sweet (not even fruit). After that I reintroduced fruit and eventually (maybe a few months later?), I introduced natural sweeteners and would bake my own desserts with them.

I went about 6 months with absolutely no sugar. I think reintroduced it (in limited amounts). Don't get my wrong, though, since reintroducing it I have had some problems with binging on it on occasion BUT after talking to a nutritionist she basically gave me a good talking to about never keeping any in the house, never buying a larger chocolate bar with the idea of saving it for later etc. Instead I can have sugar once a week and only one serving size (and always eat it away from home). It's worked well for me.

Now, I'll still have a cup of hot chocolate (sweetened with maple syrup) or something like cottage cheese+fruit+cinnamon or a smoothie (just fruit+yogurt+milk) for dessert more than once a week but actual sugar? Just that one serving per week