The modern diet, full of sugar, refined carbohydrates and other nutritionally poor foods, causes us to gain weight. One of the biggest culprits for weight gain is sugar. Sugar is a carbohydrate that is easily absorbed by your body – and refined sugar is not a natural part of the human diet.
Human beings have been around for 200,000 years, but sugar and other refined carbohydrates have only recently become part of our diet. Your body is not “designed” to handle repeated doses of easily absorbed carbohydrates – and sugar in all it’s forms is a particular problem.
Give up sugar. It’s the single best thing you can do to lose weight quickly and sustainably. ELIMINATE sugar from your diet – don’t eat chocolate bars, sweets or cakes. Be careful of foods labelled “low fat” – these are usually full of sugar. Be careful of breakfast cereals – most of these have added sugar. Stop adding sugar to tea and coffee, and don’t drink sweetened drinks.
Sugar & Health
Eating sugar causes an increase in the hormone insulin. Insulin stops your body from using fat as fuel, and causes your body to convert sugar into fat. Eating sugar causes you to get fatter, and increases your risk for a range of other health problems. If you keep eating a high sugar diet, you can’t burn off your fat stores – your body is burning sugar rather than fat.
Stop eating sugar – you’ll feel better, lose weight and be healthier!
Giving Up Sugar
Have a “cover story” ready to help you refuse food that contains sugar (cakes, biscuits, etc). Tell people you are on a special diet – and refuse sugary snacks. Sugar takes different forms and may be listed as the following ingredients:
- Glucose
- Sucrose
- Fructose
- Sugar
If you see these on the list of ingredients, leave the product on the shelf.
Withdrawal Symptoms: Be Prepared!
When you stop eating sugar you might experience some initial discomfort, and possibly even reduced energy levels. This is normal and it will pass. Your body is so used to getting quick “sugar-hits”, that it can’t mobilise your fat stores and use them as fuel. Not everyone experiences this, but if you do, be strong. Your body will make the necessary adaptations, and before you know it you will switch into a “fat-burning” mode.
You may find yourself craving sugary foods. Remember that your new dietary habits are not the problem – your old “unnatural” habits are the problem. You don’t “need” sugar – this is just a common myth.
When you remove sugar from your diet, you are usually correcting years of abuse. You’re trying to turn your body into a fat-burning engine – and you’ll need time to get through this transition. Give yourself time, be strong, and look forward to more energy, reduced weight and better health.
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