Think-Feel-Eat Episode #41: Benefits of Being Sugar-Free Part of the Time (or Always)
Hi! I’m Donna Reish, IF teacher, weight loss coach, blogger, and half of “The Minus 220 Pound Pair” as my husband and I have lost over 220 pounds together (160 of that in the past couple of years through the Weight Loss Lifestyle habits and strategies I teach!).
In this episode, I present benefits of being sugar-free or part-time sugar-free!
Many people equate sugar with weight gain. They automatically assume that you can’t lose weight eating sugar or that you will gain weight if you do eat sugar. Truth it, we lose or gain weight by undereating or overeating.
And this leads us to the first benefit of being sugar-free all or part of the time: when we have less sugar, we crave less and often eat less. And then guess what? Yep! We lose weight!
Several things happen to us regarding weight when we reduce sugar:
- We possibly eat more filling foods
- We reduce our over-hunger and our over-desire (TFE #29 and TFE #30)
- We eat more of the 3 F’s (foods that are fiber, fluffy, and fluidy)
- We eat fewer foods that cause intense cravings (Weight Loss Lifestyle #49)
Additionally, we prove to ourselves that we can do something extremely hard, lose belly fat, increase our heart health, have healthier brain function, experience less depression, and much more.
Find all of my episodes, outlines, and articles for my two weekly broadcasts:
(1) Weight Loss Lifestyle broadcast (formerly Donna’s Intermittent Fasting Broadcast)
Think Feel Eat 41 Benefits of Being Sugar-Free at Least Part of the Time
1. Losing weight because of eating less/fewer cravings (Over-Hunger vs. Over-Desire TFE 29 and 30)
a. Over hunger will be reduced as we will eat more filling foods
i. 3 F’s =–fiber, fluffy, fluidy
ii. Sugar takes up very little space—or if we are strict with our calories, doesn’t give us a sense of fullness
b. Over desire will be reduced as we are eating fewer foods that cause extreme cravings (i.e. fewer foods with three or more of the 6 Seductive Craving Combinations) WLL 49
i. Fewer cravings/eating less sugary foods
ii. Eat less sugary foods/crave less (circle)
2. Proving to yourself that you can do something extremely hard
a. Feeling happier and less anxious
b. Waking up with a feeling of accomplishment and pride
3. Losing belly fat
a. Sugar usually means more calories
b. Eating less sugar causes the body to burn belly fat instead of the circulating sugar
4. Heart health
a. Too much sugar can cause an increase in LDL cholesterol
b. AHA recommends reducing added sugars
c. Study in JAMA: Internal Medicine, “Those who got 17-21 percent of calories from added sugar had a 38 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who consumed 8 percent of their calories from added sugar.
5. Brain function/focus
a. Refined sugars can impair brain function
b. Can exacerbate symptoms of depression
c. “Brainberries”!
6. Others?
a. Cance
b. Obesity
c. Better sleep
d. Skin improvement
7. Saving money —
a. Debate on whether eating healthy is less expensive or more expensive
i. Overall research is mixed
ii. Does show that eating things from scratch is healthier/less expensive if you don’t buy special ingredients (i.e. flour, sugar, rice, potatoes, apples, etc.)
iii. Losing weight is the best way to save money on food
1.) We have lost 220 pounds together
2.) 220 pounds is 2200 calories per day
8. Get More Help!
1. Join our holiday weight loss challenge
2. oin my FREE FB group where I record videocast/podcast episodes!
3. Emails with teaching around weight management—articles, videos, free charts and booklets, and more
4. Take my month-long Intermittent Fasting course
5. Schedule a free 30 minute coaching consult!
