Think-Feel-Eat Episode #41: Benefits of Being Sugar-Free Part of the Time (or Always)

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)

(2)  Think-Feel-Eat broadcast 

Sign up for my free webinar 

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

 

 

Intermittent Fasting Journal #50 — 30+ Ways to Move From Creamy Milk Chocolate to Healthier or Sugar-Free Chocolate

Intermittent Fasting Journal #50 — 30+ Ways to Move From Creamy Milk Chocolate to Healthier or Sugar-Free Chocolate

Donna Reish, author of over 100 language arts books for students grades two through twelve, blogger, weight loss coach, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, brings the topic of chocolate to us! In this departure from Donna’s typical  broadcasts, Broadcast #50 is about how to move from creamy milk chocolate to a healthier or sugar-free chocolate to help you reduce sugar and cravings in your life. She begins with the power of dilution explaining how you can dilute the dark chocolate taste or stevia taste with either nut butter or cream, depending on how “loose” or soft you want it to be. 

After instructions on how to do those dilutions, Donna talks about three other ways to “dilute” the dark chocolate or stevia taste through mix ins, layers, or even dipping. She describes kid-friendly approaches to this as well as low carb approaches. She explains how to use these chocolates in recipes, such as Reishes’ Cups, Take 5 Bars, chocolate cheesecake mousse, chocolate-chip cheesecake dip, and more. 

Watch the video as Donna explains how you can move from a love (okay, partial-addiction) to creamy milk chocolate treats to something a little healthier, less sugary, and minimally dopamine-spiking!

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5 Sugar-Free Apple Treats

 

Everyone thinks it’s pumpkin season…pumpkin EVERYTHING…..and I know it is ’bout that time. However, I am never really done with apple season. Are you?

In honor of apple season…..I thought I would put together my five favorite Sugar-Free Apple Treats from the blog. (And I’m working on another one—sugar-free apple crisp in a mug…so stay tuned!)

Have fun with these tasty apple treats. Low enough in carbs to even open your eating window with them (OMAD/3) if you fasters want to! (I know I do!)

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Sugar-Free Chocolate Sauce

 

Even sugar-free peeps need chocolate sauce! Everybody needs chocolate sauce!

When I was trying to do keto (before I discovered Intermittent Fasting!), I was constantly in my kitchen coming up with some sort of chocolate concoction that my ten-year old palate would enjoy. I found out dozens of things that are great…and dozens that are not so great. I only share the chocolates that I would eat on the blog! 🙂

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