Too Much Sugar and Calories Ruin Your Weight Loss Efforts

I can remember more and more how I loved that cup of hot chocolate in the morning or on a cold winter night. Aromatic, savory, sugary and sweet with that deep, rich chocolate flavor that you would die for. My sweet tooth was surely satisfied at least for a while. I’m never surprised again when my diet is full of sugary carbs and my waistline bulges a bit. My blood sugar spikes and I am no longer burning fat on a cellular level like I normally would. I am now accumulating fat around my belly just like all the people who eat too much, choose the wrong foods and rarely exercise. Your food choices, including your daily caloric intake, and your exercise make a big difference in determining your body size.

How many people do you know who are addicted to or very attracted to carbohydrates? You can include me in this group because the more bad carbs (refined and with added sugar) I eat, the more I crave. Afterward, I feel lethargic and uninspired to do much of anything. When I limit my sugars, I am much more balanced. Not to mention, I can lose weight significantly when I balance my blood sugar. I just finished reading an article where author Ryan Andrews gave up desserts and “extra sugar” for a whole year. That’s pretty amazing considering how easily carbohydrates are available to us. I’m not sure I want to give up dessert for a whole year, but I respect the fact that someone can resist dessert and added sugar for a whole year. Fruits and vegetables are great, but would you really want to spend an entire year being so disciplined or restrained? Ryan Andrews accomplished something very few will even attempt.

Mr. Andrews who wrote: the article: Sugar Daddy: a year without desserts He says that after the first month he didn’t even lack desserts. So Ryan went on his way for 11 more months, refusing desserts for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions, too. Ryan also walked away with quite a few powerful lessons in saying “no” to desserts. The obvious lesson is that desserts are addictive. He might have made a wild guess about this nugget, but some of the other interesting houses include:

1) We don’t eat sugar “in moderation.” Our society receives mainly “processed garbage”. Most are in the form of refined flour/sugar. Ryan says that “nearly 90% of the carbohydrate-dense foods we eat are highly processed.” We don’t just eat shit; we are usually full of junk due to our large intake of sugar-based and refined carbohydrates.

2) “It’s hard to get fat on whole foods, particularly vegetables.” In fact, after going without dessert for a couple of months, Ryan unintentionally lost weight. Mr. Andrews says he just wasn’t that hungry, so you’d also be surprised how his appetite changes if he stops eating desserts for a while. Sugar is well known for boosting and stimulating the appetite; I think we can all recognize that in our lives. When we open the floodgates to sugar, we usually crave and desire more, right?

3) Ryan Andrews also noticed that some foods became too sweet for him. His taste buds “recalibrated” and Ryan didn’t want sweet food as much. I notice this myself when I stop the sweet stuff. Foods with “added sugar” tasted like caramel, but his friends who still ate desserts couldn’t tell the difference. Foods with “added sugar” tasted perfectly normal to his sugar-eating friends. Ryan’s point is that if you eat sugar all the time, that’s what you’ll get used to. Conversely, if you eat fruits and vegetables all the time (for a month without desserts and “added sugar” like Ryan did) that’s what you’ll crave.

Mr. Andrews’ article is here if you’d like to read more: Sugar Daddy: Year Without Desserts

Of course, there are always exceptions for some of us. Some people just don’t have any desire to eat sweets, but the vast majority of the population loves to indulge in decadent fashion. If you are taking the time to read this article, I imagine that sweets and sugars could be addictions for you. I know that carbs are my fuel of choice, but I have to admit that I am much more satisfied with protein-based meals. It takes away those hunger pangs and I feel like I have sustained energy. I think it is important to recognize our “weak links” and apply strategies that improve our current situation. So this begs the question “are simple and refined carbohydrates controlling your eating?”

Each of us can make improvements in our lives, and hopefully you are practicing a lifestyle that is constantly evolving and improving. Sugar cravings and addictions, along with excessive calorie intake, are the reason so many Americans are fat and overweight. Most of us didn’t learn to eat properly from childhood, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn and apply new strategies as we grow. There’s a lot of good information at your fingertips, but you’ve got to get off the milk chocolate. It’s processed anyway, so it’s not a surprise that it tastes so good. Sugar and chemicals are a potent combination, so don’t let the synergy of the two control your life in ways that undermine your health and well-being.