Is it worth eliminating sweets?

Patsy167 · 06-09-2019 1:42pm #1

Curious to hear how people approach to treats/sweets/chocolate in their diet. Do you leave a little in or have you found it beneficial to go completely cold turkey?

I eat two bags of mini Haribo Tangfastics per day which works out at ~25g of sugar. These ones - https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/256964198

I’m conscious that I’m already high enough on sugar as I eat 3-4 servings of fruit (Apple, Orange, Banana). Overall sugar intake for the day could be ~80g.

I hit my 5-7 a day of fruit and vegetables and the rest of my diet is also in check. I hit calorie, protein, fat and healthy carb targets through whole foods.

I have tried cutting out the swmall sweet treats but I found it took a lot of mental effort and was left feeling deprived. My question is whether I will get significant benefit from cutting out this sugar or is it unnecessarily restrictive given that everything else is in check?

Curious to hear people thoughts on how people balance this trade-off / benefit with the long run in mind?

endacl · 06-09-2019 1:44pm

Of course it is. Treats from time to time don’t go much harm, but you don’t benefit from them.

bladespin · 06-09-2019 2:07pm

No, why punish yourself when they do no harm, if you're consuming huge amounts that are causing problems maybe but it's a lot easier to follow a regime that isn't massively restrictive.

Minime2.5 · 06-09-2019 7:42pm

If you get in enough protein then what makes up the rest of your diet including sugar doesn't matter for health as long as you stick to these 2 rules

1. Trying to lose fat eat in a deficit

2. Trying to gain muscle eat in a slight surplus

3. weight train at least 3 times a week

Wanderer2010 · 06-09-2019 10:08pm

Elimination of food groups that you used to enjoy will always results in preoccupation with that food and your body starts to crave them, then your mind starts to conjure up images of the food throughout the day and more often than not you give in and eat more than you would have if you had just eaten a bit and were satisfied.

Its like the great dieting myth. Diets absolutely and resolutely do not work. Make no mistake about that- they simply don't work. They set up cravings, preoccupation and eventual binges, along with an unhealthy relationship with food and a feeling that you have "failed" just because some fad diet on the newspaper told you when and where to eat. But the dieting industry is a billion dollar industry and theres an idiot born every minute so people fall for the propaganda. Have some sweets in your diet when you feel like them, that way you don't need to obsess over them and you get to maintain a balanced eating plan which doesn't categorise foods as "good" or "bad".

Patsy167 · 07-09-2019 6:59am

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Elimination of food groups that you used to enjoy will always results in preoccupation with that food and your body starts to crave them, then your mind starts to conjure up images of the food throughout the day and more often than not you give in and eat more than you would have if you had just eaten a bit and were satisfied.

Its like the great dieting myth. Diets absolutely and resolutely do not work. Make no mistake about that- they simply don't work. They set up cravings, preoccupation and eventual binges, along with an unhealthy relationship with food and a feeling that you have "failed" just because some fad diet on the newspaper told you when and where to eat. But the dieting industry is a billion dollar industry and theres an idiot born every minute so people fall for the propaganda. Have some sweets in your diet when you feel like them, that way you don't need to obsess over them and you get to maintain a balanced eating plan which doesn't categorise foods as "good" or "bad".

Thanks for the advice. I've always tried to work to the saying that the only way of eating is one that works is "one that is easily sustainable in the long run" so I'm glad to hear others echo a similar sentiment

silverharp · 07-09-2019 12:45pm

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Elimination of food groups that you used to enjoy will always results in preoccupation with that food and your body starts to crave them, then your mind starts to conjure up images of the food throughout the day and more often than not you give in and eat more than you would have if you had just eaten a bit and were satisfied.

firstly junk food isnt food , nothing natural about the stuff so depending on what we are talking about elimination shouldnt be an issue, just a bad habit. Secondly i disagree, there are always better alternatives. for instance i dont eat ice cream, i dont miss it i dont think about it. if i want a desert i can have some natural yogurt and throw some berries or nuts in. The only type of chocolate i eat is the 90% stuff so one bar a week is plenty.
if you are fantasizing about food all day you probably arent getting enough protein or fat in your diet or you are eating too much sugary food over the day

wakka12 · 15-09-2019 6:08pm

If it allows you to be mentally able to maintain the rest of your healthy diet then of course its worth it. 25 g of sugar wont do much harm, most irish people consume multitudes more than that

TimeToShine · 16-09-2019 1:09am

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Elimination of food groups that you used to enjoy will always results in preoccupation with that food and your body starts to crave them, then your mind starts to conjure up images of the food throughout the day and more often than not you give in and eat more than you would have if you had just eaten a bit and were satisfied.

Its like the great dieting myth. Diets absolutely and resolutely do not work. Make no mistake about that- they simply don't work. They set up cravings, preoccupation and eventual binges, along with an unhealthy relationship with food and a feeling that you have "failed" just because some fad diet on the newspaper told you when and where to eat. But the dieting industry is a billion dollar industry and theres an idiot born every minute so people fall for the propaganda. Have some sweets in your diet when you feel like them, that way you don't need to obsess over them and you get to maintain a balanced eating plan which doesn't categorise foods as "good" or "bad".

Not true in the slightest and I'd hate if someone reading this in the early stages of a lifestyle changes were to believe it. Diets do work, maybe not the fad diets that you're referring to but those where you make livable, healthy adjustments to your food intake over time will always result in a healthier body. Diets "not working" is a case of the person failing the method, not the other way around.

Macy0161 · 16-09-2019 12:22pm

I'm firmly of the view of everything in moderation, and the only reason to totally exclude a food or food group from your diet is because you don't like it.

As for whether diets work, I believe that sustainable changes are the ones that change a diet into a change of diet. That's why calorie counting worked for me. Never mind from a fueling of training perspective, I know I enjoy some carbs too much to totally exclude them. Again, my n=1, if I go too restrictive I often end in a binge.

I lost over 8 stone, and have maintained it, nothing excluded from my overall diet. I have switched to dark chocolate, but to be honest that was only a short term benefit. I'd mill through a 80% plus bar as quick as I would've a dairy milk if I don't try hard at this stage.

If that's what you enjoy, and you can stick to portions that fit in with your overall goals, I wouldn't sweat it.

Wanderer2010 · 16-09-2019 7:46pm

TimeToShine wrote: »

Not true in the slightest and I'd hate if someone reading this in the early stages of a lifestyle changes were to believe it. Diets do work, maybe not the fad diets that you're referring to but those where you make livable, healthy adjustments to your food intake over time will always result in a healthier body. Diets "not working" is a case of the person failing the method, not the other way around.

If diets worked, then how come there are so many of them year after year after year? Wouldn't one single diet have solved the problem by now? And im also not talking about faddy diets. Open any magazine, read a newspaper or look at an ad on Facebook and they all promise that you "will lose a stone in 2 weeks by only eating healthy foods" or "be the envy of the beach". These diets almost always encourage you to eliminate or avoid certain foods, setting up a pattern of restriction in the dieter and their thoughts are inevitably occupied by these foods until the temptation to eat them becomes too much and they give in, eating lots of these foods and then vowing to try "harder" next time, thus starting the futile cycle of dieting......binge....dieting....binge.

The diet industry makes billions off naïve people every year who fall for their pseudo science that cutting out food groups forever will result in weight loss, without taking into account that elimination of foods= preoccupation with said food = binge = return to strict dieting. Its a well studied phenomenon. I think you are confusing diet with healthy eating. Healthy eating allows all foods into a persons diet and NOTHING is considered "bad" or "forbidden". Allowing you to eat any food will reduce the craving for that food ie the classic "everything in moderation". Have your piece of cake, eat a few crisps, etc. There is always room for all types of food in your diet. Calorie counting and obsessing about food though will only lead to either an eating disorder or years of yo yo weight and unhappiness.

Ashleigh1986 · 16-09-2019 8:09pm

I have lost just over 2 stone in the last 6 months .
I was eating about 2 bars of chocolate per day .
Also eating crisps and biscuits .
I cut down on all 3 . Now I may have 3 bars in a week .
I joined a gym .
I walk for 15 mins on treadmill .
I do some weights for another 15 mins .
I finish session by using the swimming pool.
I'm now down to my ideal weight ... 14stone .
I'm over 6 foot / male .
I think it's important to eat well / exercise .... But also to treat yourself .

wakka12 · 16-09-2019 8:34pm

TimeToShine wrote: »

Not true in the slightest and I'd hate if someone reading this in the early stages of a lifestyle changes were to believe it. Diets do work, maybe not the fad diets that you're referring to but those where you make livable, healthy adjustments to your food intake over time will always result in a healthier body. Diets "not working" is a case of the person failing the method, not the other way around.

Youre basically agreeing with him. A diet that isnt a fad diet is just balanced healthy nutritional intake, which is the normal and successful way of eating healthy that works long term and is sustainable

bladespin · 17-09-2019 1:46pm

TimeToShine wrote: »

Not true in the slightest and I'd hate if someone reading this in the early stages of a lifestyle changes were to believe it. Diets do work, maybe not the fad diets that you're referring to but those where you make livable, healthy adjustments to your food intake over time will always result in a healthier body. Diets "not working" is a case of the person failing the method, not the other way around.

No, diets do not work, diets are always seen as a short term fix to a problem, it's proven out by the sheer number of the things and the poor eegits who try over and over again, you even alude to it yourself.
Lifestyle and knowledge work, change one and educate yourself about what you're eating rather than trying to fool yourself that something temporary will 'fix' the problem.

Wanderer2010 · 17-09-2019 5:18pm

Well it looks like AdsbyGoogle deleted their post either because they realised how personal an attack it was or it was done for them. Either way, good move.

As for diets, its been proven they do not work. Now, lets be very clear here, when I say diet I mean a classic diet where someone manipulates calorie intake to reduce weight by following a very specific and often restrictive food/drink plan where certain foods are completely outlawed and others are eaten as much as you want. When you follow a diet, and you know that you "cant" have a "bad" food like ice cream or chocolate, then the mind automatically starts to become preoccupied with that food, especially when calorie intake is harsh as it is. Inevitable, this leads to a binge and a feeling of "Ah screw it im going to go nuts on the ice cream"...leading to guilt and a determination to start again but try harder the next time. Any weight lost os regained within a few months and then some! The whole dieting industry is built on sand but sadly an idiot is born every minute.

The only way to improve weight and your relationship with food is to never view foods as good and bad and give yourself permission to eat whatever you want in moderation. One or two squares of chocolate will satisfy you more than a whole bar during a binge. Having a healthier attitude towards all foods will help you more in the end long term.

DuckSlice · 18-09-2019 3:42pm

I would try cutting the bag of Haribo down to one a day and see how you go. sugar in fruit is consumed in the body differently because of the fibre and other stuff in the fruit, I wouldn't worry about the 3-4 servings per day.

when I initially started changing my diet and exercise regime I went cold turkey on all sugars - very hard to maintain and isn't sustainable.

My gym instructor gave me a good tip and it worked very well for me - cut out one thing a week which you don't need. with the added exercise 3 times a week (weights with some cardio) I made great progress.

You haven't mentioned you want to lose body mass though, but cutting down on processed foods and sugars would be beneficial to you in the long run.

Is it worth eliminating sweets?

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