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Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

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21–29 of 29 posts

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is eating out really that bad? Restaurants cook so much better than me. I know fast food is bad, but a salad or steak? Don't make me give up my restaurants!

I don't think restaurants are that good. Their mission is typically profit, not health. With enough salt, sugar, etc. they can make the food taste delicious, but that doesn't mean it's nutritious. Unless you're eating really fine dining, I think the vast majority of places, especially chains, are trying to sell the cheapest food they can for the most profit.

Still, a salad and a hunk of meat are pretty much what they appear to be.

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#22
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was 255 in Jan now at 235lb by not eating cereal, bread, sweets, drinking sugary drinks etc. Seem to have stayed at 235 for a few weeks now so i'm guessing it's easier to lose the first lot of fat. Been going to a gym most days but then i'm a student so have the time in the middle of the day. It would have been difficult to go that much with a FT job. Went a bit far with the cardio and now have hurt knees so watch…

Question what do you have for breakfast now you quit cereal and bread? I mostly have cereal for breakfast mostly organic and less processed /sugary brands but I still feel I could do better.

If I need to bring breakfast to work, I'll take an avocado, some arugula, and a couple boiled eggs.

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#23

I don't know if it's fat or sugar that's killing us. I lost 50 pounds just eating balanced, healthy, nutritious meals. I reduce my sugar intake but didn't eliminate it. In fact I stuck to my twice weekly energy drinks and occasional candy bars and milkshakes. However my meals were regimented to include protein, vegetables, very rarely bread, rarely cheese, stopped drinking milk, and cooked everything at home from scr…

> However my meals were regimented to include protein, vegetables Curious. plant-based protein or animal protein?

Most plant-based protein sources (tofu, tempeh, any kind of bean, soy meats, etc) are quite high in carbs.

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#24
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was 255 in Jan now at 235lb by not eating cereal, bread, sweets, drinking sugary drinks etc. Seem to have stayed at 235 for a few weeks now so i'm guessing it's easier to lose the first lot of fat. Been going to a gym most days but then i'm a student so have the time in the middle of the day. It would have been difficult to go that much with a FT job. Went a bit far with the cardio and now have hurt knees so watch…

Question what do you have for breakfast now you quit cereal and bread? I mostly have cereal for breakfast mostly organic and less processed /sugary brands but I still feel I could do better.

Eggs, oats, bananas, and yogurt are all good options.

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#25
post #4
post #2

What if it's not simply too much sugar, but rather too much sugar combined with too little exercise?

Sugar is a major problem as right now it gets pumped in almost every food. It is addictive and people are more likely to re-buy those products. If you think you are avoiding sugar in your diet by avoiding the usual culprit (processed juices, soda, desserts), think again. Now sugar is being injected into everything, processed meat, soups, etc... I just bought some Jerkey at Trader's Joe. Each serving contains 10-11 gr…

I recently checked the sugar content in some Prego pasta sauce. It was something like 50+ grams of sugar in a smaller size jar (depending on the variety of the sauce). When I did the math, the sauce was contributing 25-30 grams of sugar per meal - similar to a can of soda. I found another sauce with 1/3 the sugar content at my grocery store. (And of course, pasta is not the thing to eat if you're looking for low carbs, but the point stands)

There has been tons of advertising about the health benefits of cereals, but cereal has tons of sugar. Honey Nut Cheerios have 10g of sugar per serving. Corn flakes have 8g per serving. Frosted Flakes have 11g. Some of the few low sugar varieties are Kix, Cheerios, and Rice Krispies. Even then, the added milk will have 10g of sugar.

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#26
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was 255 in Jan now at 235lb by not eating cereal, bread, sweets, drinking sugary drinks etc. Seem to have stayed at 235 for a few weeks now so i'm guessing it's easier to lose the first lot of fat. Been going to a gym most days but then i'm a student so have the time in the middle of the day. It would have been difficult to go that much with a FT job. Went a bit far with the cardio and now have hurt knees so watch…

Question what do you have for breakfast now you quit cereal and bread? I mostly have cereal for breakfast mostly organic and less processed /sugary brands but I still feel I could do better.

scrambled eggs + (one of: spam, bacon, smoked salmon, or sausage) and 1 cup of whole milk

Before that I used to eat unsweetened shredded wheat + skim milk for breakfast. Boy what a rube I was.

I was pretty frustrated to find out that shredded wheat has a higher glycemic index than plain table sugar.

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#27
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was 255 in Jan now at 235lb by not eating cereal, bread, sweets, drinking sugary drinks etc. Seem to have stayed at 235 for a few weeks now so i'm guessing it's easier to lose the first lot of fat. Been going to a gym most days but then i'm a student so have the time in the middle of the day. It would have been difficult to go that much with a FT job. Went a bit far with the cardio and now have hurt knees so watch…

Question what do you have for breakfast now you quit cereal and bread? I mostly have cereal for breakfast mostly organic and less processed /sugary brands but I still feel I could do better.

Fried eggs, plenty of Olive oil. Quark (sort of like yogurt). Sometimes still healthy cereal, just not every day.

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#28

I moved to a ketogenic diet on January 9th of this year. I weighed 318 pounds. As of this morning I weigh 282 pounds. That's 36 pounds lost - 11.3% of my body mass - in 77 days, and I have not yet changed my nearly non-existent exercise habits. My goal is to get 80% of my calories from fat, no more than 20% from protein, and to consume a maximum of 20g of carbs per day. I intend for this to be my diet going forward;…

Do you find that you have to put more effort into cooking / eating with the new diet?

It was a major change but not too bad. We put away the bread maker and rice cooker which took some adjustment and we got rid of skim milk and margarine.

These days it is rare to find any bread products at our house, pasta and rice are found sometimes since the teenager eats that stuff every now and then. And pizza is fair game the weekend.

Though, now it is not uncommon to hear my daughter complain that she has been eating too many carbs. (e.g., during after robotics build sessions where other parents bring food for the team.)

Generally you can just add another vegetable side to replace the carb sides. At restaurants you can often substitute a vegetable/salad for the carb-side.

Another trick for sustaining healthier diet is not be too orthodox about carbs. For us, weekends are wide-open and occasional weekday cheating is okay too.

I also pretty much don't drink beer anymore, just whisky or gin.

Re: Is fat killing you, or is sugar?

#29
post #2

What if it's not simply too much sugar, but rather too much sugar combined with too little exercise?

Diet to lose body fat, exercise to stay fit.

After switching to low-carb (really just dumping bread, pasta, potatoes, cereal, skim milk, sugary stuff) I stopped getting fat and subsequently quit exercising. So I guess lack of fitness is my side-effect of low-carbing it.

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