See, I used to drink Diet Coke like it was going out of style for the last five years.I could easily have been downing over 640z of Diet coke a day or more! There were days where I would wake up and know my day couldn't possibly start until I went to the corner store and picked up a 440z Diet Coke Thirst Buster drink.
Oh and I would justify. How I could justify! Not only did I drink Diet Coke, but I would also make sure I was drinking water. So I thought, "Hey, I'm getting in my water and Diet Coke is a 0 calorie drink! No worries there!"
Not only that, but I was hooked on coffee. You didn't want to mess with me until I had downed two coffees every morning.
Well, suddenly I grew the courage to REALLY quit it. I mean, there were days I stopped drinking Diet Coke and suffered through migraines... only to have it completely take over in my diet again. But I never gave up the coffee. I really thought it was a caffeine addiction, but truth be told, I do so much better off caffeine cause I'm anxiety prone.
I think I found out what it is/was that I was truly addicted to: artificial sweeteners! Whether Diet Coke or Splenda, there is something about them that I was/am absolutely addicted to! And they not only are really bad for you - I have found that they are actually a trigger for me.
They really DO make me crave more junk and carbs more than anything else I eat!
I can attest this to having been away from Diet Coke and coffee for over four months now. However, I recently started the occasional cup of joe (with a Splenda or NutraSweet) and no matter what artificial sweetener I used - I had the WORST case of munchies of my life every single one of those coffee days!
I've read it before that artificial sweeteners are known to trigger cravings for sweets & carbs, but I never realized how true it was or that even was true until recently.
I've had a great few days of good, healthy eating with my servings of fruits, veggies, lean meats and water...
But any time I either had coffee in the morning or Sugar-Free Iced Tea, which is another way of saying "SPLENDA FILLED ICED TEA", I have fought the most horrible cravings!!
One of my concerns is that I really enjoy the Weight Watchers yogurts for 1 POINT and can't find another with that value that doesn't have the artificial sweeteners. An yogurt cup without artificial sweeteners could easily be 3-4 or more points! Hmmmm.
Anyway, what about you? Have you noticed a correlation with your intake of artificial sweeteners and cravings for carbs/sweets?
Love and encouragement to each of you on this amazing journey we are on! I'm about to pack up and head home and I give you my word that I WILL NOT stop off for a donut to indulge in a sweet carb craving!
Hugs, Veronica
I absolutely cannot eat anything with aspertame without binging. Nothing! Splenda is not so bad, but I rarely use it or any other artificaial sweetner these days. I just don't think they're healthy. Glad you were able to identify a trigger for you! Very important.
ReplyDeleteAnd, hey! I see you got your tracker up without all of the extra info tha tis on mine. What code did you use?
Deb
Hey! I'm a new follower to your blog, I noticed your comment on Lisa's blog and made my way over here :) I also have over 100 lbs to lose so I know the struggle. Blogging is definitely helping me stay accountable, hopefully it does the same for you.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, back to your post. I definitely notice that I crave more when I have artificial anything! Processed foods in general just set my cravings off. The more I have the more I want! Whole foods are the way for me.
Have a great night and I look forward to following your story :)
You know.. I haven't really thought about it. It's possible that I crave more carbs w/ artificial sweeteners. But with using the Medifast program... most of my cravings are gone! That truly is the only way I can stick to the program is that I'm not dying all the time in craving carbs and sweets. I chew sugar free gum every day inbetween meals and I haven't noticed any extra cravings... but I hear that SF gum isn't good for you. It sure helps me in between meals to not just want to snack.
ReplyDeleteMy mother in law was a Pepsi addict for years... and she got congestive heart failure which her soda addiction was a major contributing factor. She died from heart failure. So I really watch my man, as he is prone to getting addicted to diet soda every now and then. Carbonated soda isn't good for you even w/o the artificial sweeteners. But I definitely need to pay attention to my body and notice how I feel and crave when I eat something artificially sweetened!
~Margene
Could you find a plain yogurt and add fruit to sweeten it up?
ReplyDeleteHey, Vero! There's an award for you on my blog. :D Deb
ReplyDelete