Weight & Sugar

Taxuser1

The off season is still in session and it's hard to beat the sugar cravings. Surely there's a way of beating this addiction ? Is there a helpline ? Every night I go to bed promising not to put sugar in coffee or cereal, or even eat carb dense foods. However I wake and it's tough to resist the craving to kickstart the day with a rush.

What to do ?!

Discuss.

fat bloke

Stop.

It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Sugar begets sugar . I find the single best way is to not have them in the house. Eat complex carbs instead. Throw out the frosties and buy porridge - by all means put some honey in it, but chop up nuts and dried fruit too. I have that every morning and I'm not hungry til lunch.

Eat more fruit too. I like the "If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you're not hungry". I go through simple carb cravings too and sometime have ferocious binges but you just have to cut them out and replace them with more realistic carbs. If you succumb to the craving, you're trying to extinguish a fire with petrol. Give me half an excuse and nothing else to eat and I'd have a box of crunchy nut cornflakes and 2 litres of milk eaten way before the pain remorse kicked in. Ditto a pot of jam and a sliced pan.

-Solution - ain't got that sh1t in the house no mo.

Tenzor07

Hypnotism??

Taxuser1

since the season ended i binge on bread, peanut butter and jam. actually anything on bread from ketchup to sausages and ham. weight increase hasn't been dramatic but there is almost a stone more difference.

it's almost mental to say it but I found giving up cigarettes almost as difficult.

As for the complex carbs, i'm endeavouring to lose 3/4 of a stone so was hoping to cut carbs out altogether as well as glutonous grains.

chicken curries for breakfast, lunch and dinner seem the low fat solution....

aFlabbyPanda

I found kicking the smokes easier than controlling my appetite/weight. But as others have said the best option is just to abstain.

niceonetom

Taxuser1 wrote: »

since the season ended i binge on bread, peanut butter and jam. actually anything on bread from ketchup to sausages and ham. weight increase hasn't been dramatic but there is almost a stone more difference.

it's almost mental to say it but I found giving up cigarettes almost as difficult.

As for the complex carbs, i'm endeavouring to lose 3/4 of a stone so was hoping to cut carbs out altogether as well as glutonous grains.

chicken curries for breakfast, lunch and dinner seem the low fat solution....

That's the other half of your issue. If you want to kick the carbs (and you should) then you have to embrace the fat.

Rather than retread old ground here have a read of these:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=85132234
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057030882

bwalsh1983

Taxuser1 wrote: »

since the season ended i binge on bread, peanut butter and jam. actually anything on bread from ketchup to sausages and ham. weight increase hasn't been dramatic but there is almost a stone more difference.

it's almost mental to say it but I found giving up cigarettes almost as difficult.

As for the complex carbs, i'm endeavouring to lose 3/4 of a stone so was hoping to cut carbs out altogether as well as glutonous grains.

chicken curries for breakfast, lunch and dinner seem the low fat solution....

Cut out the bread!

Its about training yourself to not want the sugar, after a while it is a more natural thing to snack on nuts or fruit instead of high sugar content snacks.

Prepare snacks for youself, little boxes of mixed nuts, granola bars etc. No need to bake, just some simple mixing.

Little snacks in between meals should stave it off.

The nut butters are good but try them on some oat biscuits rather than bread.

Always good recipes here.

http://powerhungry.com/

ford2600

To get off sugar cold turkey is probably only choice.

On diet side I would say the following might help
* Whatever you eat chose nutrient dense food. We all need a certain amount of micro nutrients-vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids etc. Your body will call for them one way or other, think eggs, meat, potato, green veg rather than bread and jam.
* Eat whole foods or cook from them and control the sugar and other junk that's added once you contract out your food preparation
* Don't fear fat(you don't need to eat lchf) but it should be part of your diet

On the energy side of things, at any one time your cells are power by fat or sugar dropped of by your circulating blood. Train your body to rely on the fat for sedentary functions up to moderate heart rate levels. As I type this I'm powered entirely on fat(brain is probably using glucose) and according to Trinity test I use fat for 85% of energy at heart rate of 120bpm.

Why waste and super fuel like glucose/glycogen for walking around/sitting at a desk or whatever. Continually feeding your body sugar will ensure fat is not used/underused and you'll keep cravings it(BTW I don't think sugar is evil, it is just a food which western civilisations eat too much of, there is a time and place for it). To adapt I would suggest
*low carb/no carb/no breakfast. You wake up ready to run on fat don't switch that system of with sugar, simple carbs
* fasted training- I started at 25km and find 100km easy now(again this is possible without lchf)
* Have your carbs for lunch/dinner

braddun

you have to cut it out totally including processed food

eat more fruit

Leroy42

Is sugar more worserer! for you than other things.

Does it not just come down to cals in < cals out?

Ole Rodrigo

Eat whatever you like OP - just make sure its as fresh as possible with lots of veg and fresh fish thrown in. Cook as much of your own food from scratch as you can. Buy local produce. A good diet requires good cooking skills.

Put in some kms every day. For weight loss, try match your hills to distance..ie for every 50KM do 500m of climbing. If its too hard go slower. That will sort that out in no time.

No way I'd say no to sugar....all those pastries and cakes ?? Ever had fresh macaroons from a chocolatier with a double espresso ?? Or a pain au chocolate from Marks and Spencer ?? Outta my cold dead hands.

WillyFXP

There are loads of alternatives to satisfy your cravings, just google raw food sweets and treats. Main ingredients in most of them are nuts/dates/cacoa powder (raw cocoa powder). I've made a few different ones and they are very nice. There are also loads of raw food recipes for energy bars, a lot cheaper to make than buy too! Using these I've managed to cut out all bars/snacks, apart from still having sugar in coffee I dont use it anymore.

cdaly_

ford2600 wrote: »

*low carb/no carb/no breakfast. You wake up ready to run on fat don't switch that system of with sugar, simple carbs

What do you eat for a low carb breakfast? Don't think I could do a no breakfast...

I'm (like ror_74) eating whatever I like (though choosing veg fats over animal) but just eating less. The weight is coming slowly down; just dipped below 90kg on the scales this evening!

petethedrummer

Leroy42 wrote: »

Does it not just come down to cals in < cals out?

Yes. Everyone who is overweight IS GREEDY AND/OR LAZY.

ford2600

cdaly_ wrote: »

What do you eat for a low carb breakfast? Don't think I could do a no breakfast...

I'm (like ror_74) eating whatever I like (though choosing veg fats over animal) but just eating less. The weight is coming slowly down; just dipped below 90kg on the scales this evening!

Low carb: scrambled eggs with fried green veg, I'd typically add plenty butter to eggs and olive oil to veg.

Greek/yoghurt with seeds and low sugar fruit

Meat and eggs

Fatty coffee

Parchment

Honestly i try to cut out sugar but i need it. i am very active and its a good source of energy for my body. i eat fruits but maybe once a week i will have some chocolate bars etc. daily i find some dried fruit helps too. i need it.

outfox

I was doing great, until some eejit called to the house with a giant pack of chocolate bourbon biscuits. I'm back to square 1 again.

Parchment

I dont know - its a tiring cycle of trying to abstain then beating yourself up when you "cave". I know this from suffering from an eating disorder. Try to find the balance. Eat things you like along with things that are good for you. Life is short and sugary things can be yummy!

butterworth

Leroy42 wrote: »

Is sugar more worserer! for you than other things.

Does it not just come down to cals in < cals out?

In my experience losing weight this has been the case - Just expend more energy than you take in each day. I lost ~8kg and never stopped eating chocolate (or carbs in general), even if it was only a single kit-kat per day. I think a lot of the problem is that eating foods simultaneously high in fat and/or sugar will contribute significantly to your daily calorie intake but they will be less likely to leave you satiated at the end of the day. Ever tried going to bed hungry? Following this line of thought it's not so difficult to see how someone could snack throughout the day on foods that don't keep them full and still be hungry, then unless they're counting calories I'd wager they'd be more likely to take in more energy than they're using!

Taxuser1

Weighed in at 76 kgs last night. Took the advice from here and had a chicken & asparagus stir fry for dinner. woke up unbloated (and not itching) my breakfast was scrambled eggs with brocolli and I cheated by adding a small little bit of jalfrezi sauce. Lovely with a cuppa joe although i did add a sugar which made me itch again. horrible stuff.

Taxuser1

the goal is somewhere around 11 stone 2/3 by May.

ford2600

"Weighed in at 76 kgs last night."

"the goal is somewhere around 11 stone 2/3 by May"

When do you plan to drop the imperial system? Hanging on to it like the sugar in your coffee?:D

Taxuser1

ford2600 wrote: »

"Weighed in at 76 kgs last night."

"the goal is somewhere around 11 stone 2/3 by May"

When do you plan to drop the imperial system? Hanging on to it like the sugar in your coffee?:D

i like to be versatile in my weight dealings

kilkenny12

Why would we have such a strong appetite for something we can't have?

High carb for the win!

outfox

Taxuser1 wrote: »

Took the advice from here and had a chicken & asparagus stir fry for dinner.

Hello smelly urine.

ford2600

Taxuser1 wrote: »

i like to be versatile in my weight dealings

Best of luck with it.

Along with weight, keep an eye on bodyfat and see how it changes. If getting checked in a gym get someone experienced to check it and always use that person to recheck it; it may not be 100% accurate but it'll have a chance of being reliable in it's inaccuracy! You'll know with your clothes also.

Before you head off on a fasted 100km spin, try going without breakfast on a day your not training or under a lot of pressure. When you get a call for food drink water. You probably have in excess of 8kgs of fat that's 63,000 calories), so you won't die! Then try a 20km handy spin and so on.

BTW I'm not advocating not eating breakfast every day, just letting you know what worked for me in distinguishing between hunger and chasing blood sugar dips. It only took me to 38 to figure that out!

Small steps would be best, bonking can't be pleasant; it's basically your brain saying that glucose is mine stop moving NOW.

Increasing fat in my diet killed my sugar cravings like flicking a switch, but that is not the norm with other people of spoken to/read about

mrcheez

Taxuser1 wrote: »

The off season is still in session

What's an "off season" in terms of cycling??

Taxuser1

ford2600 wrote: »

Best of luck with it.

Along with weight, keep an eye on bodyfat and see how it changes. If getting checked in a gym get someone experienced to check it and always use that person to recheck it; it may not be 100% accurate but it'll have a chance of being reliable in it's inaccuracy! You'll know with your clothes also.

Before you head off on a fasted 100km spin, try going without breakfast on a day your not training or under a lot of pressure. When you get a call for food drink water. You probably have in excess of 8kgs of fat that's 63,000 calories), so you won't die! Then try a 20km handy spin and so on.

BTW I'm not advocating not eating breakfast every day, just letting you know what worked for me in distinguishing between hunger and chasing blood sugar dips. It only took me to 38 to figure that out!

Small steps would be best, bonking can't be pleasant; it's basically your brain saying that glucose is mine stop moving NOW.

Increasing fat in my diet killed my sugar cravings like flicking a switch, but that is not the norm with other people of spoken to/read about

i started on the no breakfast, one coffee thing this week. Did it 3 times. wasn't the worst and I wasn't massively hungry at lunch or dinner.

my current sedentiary lifestyle certainly doesn't need too much food but it's the choices made which were noticeable in the off season. particualrly in that swollen gut look which only flares up with wheat or excess sugar

Taxuser1

mrcheez wrote: »

What's an "off season" in terms of cycling??

when i can't even look at a bike for a spin to the shops ! and when eurosport finishes coverage for the season.

ford2600

Taxuser1 wrote: »

i started on the no breakfast, one coffee thing this week. Did it 3 times. wasn't the worst and I wasn't massively hungry at lunch or dinner.

my current sedentiary lifestyle certainly doesn't need too much food but it's the choices made which were noticeable in the off season. particualrly in that swollen gut look which only flares up with wheat or excess sugar

A lot of our food choices are habit/culturally ingrained. You have a fair idea that wheat and sugar don't suit you so avoid them.

While weaning off sugar, maybe use nuts, cheese etc as a snack. While I'm all for fruit it's just fructose with fibre (which of course makes it harder to over eat than mars bars) and vitamins/minerals.

mrcheez

Taxuser1 wrote: »

when i can't even look at a bike for a spin to the shops

because you are bored with it or something? Just curious. I cycle every day and find that I'd be putting on weight for any extended periods when I'm away from the bike so why not just persist with the cycling and eat whatever you like?

Or take up swimming at a gym if the weather is the issue?

Vincenzo Nibbly

mrcheez wrote: »

because you are bored with it or something? Just curious. I cycle every day and find that I'd be putting on weight for any extended periods when I'm away from the bike so why not just persist with the cycling and eat whatever you like?

Or take up swimming at a gym if the weather is the issue?

He's referring to the competitive off-season

Hmmzis

Are you able to run? Meaning, are your joints and ligaments in good enough condition to go for 5-10k jog once or twice a week? If you're off the bike then doing some other training would keep the fitness up, also running does burn a lot of calories in very short time periods.

mrcheez

Vincenzo Nibbly wrote: »

He's referring to the competitive off-season

sorry I don't see how this prevents him cycling to keep fit?!?

Taxuser1

mrcheez wrote: »

because you are bored with it or something? Just curious. I cycle every day and find that I'd be putting on weight for any extended periods when I'm away from the bike so why not just persist with the cycling and eat whatever you like?

Or take up swimming at a gym if the weather is the issue?

I've recently had an addition to the family so cycling has been cut from the roster of activities but will be back in the New Year. In the downtime since August I put on a stone mainly from crap eating and ultimately an addiction to bread and wheat products with sugar. Could be a lot worse but the post is really about getting into the frame of mind again with those who might have the same issue!

One of you asked about running, I actually cannot run; an ACL and hamstring avulsion (water skiing) put an end to that. My left hamstring is held together by staples and scar tissue, no working muscle unfortunately. The bike was the only means of exercise in recovery for the past 3 years and thankfully it's really helped the surrounding muscles of the long dead hammer. So much so I was able to race last year in league races and did one or two open races.

The I hit the pastries and bread and gained a stone.

That's my life story :-)

Taxuser1

chicken and asparagus with goats cheese for lunch. a whole nut sitting on my desk since the beginning of the week. Gave half of it away to a colleague.

Baby steps....

coffee with sugar again though.

Leroy42

Taxuser1 wrote: »

a whole nut sitting on my desk since the beginning of the week. Gave half of it away to a colleague.

You gave half a nut to a colleague? Apart from being pretty scabby (I mean come on, how hungry must the person be to ask for a nut you have sitting on your desk, and then you only gave half of it to them!!!), I'm struggling to think of the actual mechanics of this?

What sort of nut was it. Something like a peanut would be easy to break in half, but can't see anybody accepting just half a peanut!

petethedrummer

simonrooneyzaga

mrcheez wrote: »

because you are bored with it or something? Just curious. I cycle every day and find that I'd be putting on weight for any extended periods when I'm away from the bike so why not just persist with the cycling and eat whatever you like?

Or take up swimming at a gym if the weather is the issue?

or spin class twice or thrice a week and get out on the road where possible. Then continue to enjoy all the bourbon creams you can get your hands on! :pac:

mrcheez

Taxuser1 wrote: »

I've recently had an addition to the family so cycling has been cut from the roster of activities but will be back in the New Year. In the downtime since August I put on a stone mainly from crap eating and ultimately an addiction to bread and wheat products with sugar. Could be a lot worse but the post is really about getting into the frame of mind again with those who might have the same issue!

ah right gotcha ... coffee is a great appetite-suppressant I find, although downside is the irritability. Water is good too.

As someone mentioned before: honey with porridge in the morning should help with the sweet-tooth cravings.

Mazzab

Did you have surgery on hamstring