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Sweet Sabotage
Are Sugar Cravings Boosting Your Weight?
By Lisa Marie Metzler
Examine the foods you eat now and look for ones that have no or little sugar. A good resource is Lick the Sugar Habit Sugar Counter: Discover the Hidden Sugar in Your Food (Avery 2001) by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. This book takes the legwork out of reading labels in the supermarket and will give you the sugar content to thousands of foods in grocery stores and fast food restaurants.
Science proves when you eat sugary foods you crave more of them. But how can we apply this principal to effectively to lose weight?
Kellie Hanzak of Arlington, Va., is a conscientious eater, but when it came to sugar she struggled. "I've always had a thing for sugar," says Hanzak. "Hot chocolate in the winter, a soda in the summer and little snacks that include sugar."
First, Hanzak decided to stop drinking soda entirely and saw immediate results. "I lost 10 pounds without a sweat," says Hanzak. After successfully cutting out soda (except for the occasional treat), she tackled other foods and beverages laden with sugar.
Saying no to only one soda each day will eliminate approximately 70 teaspoons a week and 1,120 calories from your diet! Instead, keep a cold bottle of water handy to sip on. Water makes your feel full, and the empty calories in the soda are better spent on nutritious foods. In addition, when simple sugars are eliminated from your diet, you won't have the sweet cravings to the same extent.
