An Easy Way To Boost Weight Loss Success

When you eat sugar its hard to lose weight, and the more you eat the harder it gets. Sugar promotes insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, tooth decay and gum disease, to name just a few and of course several of these conditions are intimately tied to weight gain. For example, even periodontal disease has been linked to the development of diabetes. If you decide to quit sugar the obvious sources are easy...no more desserts, pastries or sodas. Of course you'll avoid many cereals, all candy and many packaged foods. But what about the sources of sugar you can't see? Is there much of that? Just how bad is it?

First be aware of the various forms sugar can take: dextrose, glucose, sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, barley malt,honey, lactose, malto-dextrin and perhaps worst of all high fructose corn syrup found in sodas and many other soft drinks. Sugar is cheap and addictive, so food manufacturers know once you're hooked you'll come back for more of whatever food they have to offer...yet you may not realize it's actually the sugar that makes it taste so good...well of course some of that added fat helps too....a real double whammy.

Next time you shop, read the labels carefully and look out for sugar in some of these:

• Condiments. Ketchup, steak sauce, relish, salad dressings, tomato sauces, barbeque sauce, mustard
• Snack foods. Cookies, crackers, raisins, craisins, food bars, some kinds of rice cakes
• Meat. Many lunch meats, bacon and even meat from the butcher since cattle may be fed sugar to improve the taste of the meat.
• Peanut butter
• Jams and spreads
• Flavored water of all kinds
• Canned foods
• Yogurt, especially fruit flavored varieties
• Soy, rice, almond and coconut milk. Most brands have an unsweetened variety. Look for these.
• Ice cream, sherbet, and sorbets

What does this add up to? Anywhere from 30 to 60 teaspoons of extra sugar a day. Since sugar has 16 calories per teaspoon, that's 480 to 960 extra calories per day from sugar which has been added as part of the processing of food.

The solution is to first decide if you are ready to give up sugar. It may help to become knowledgeable about how daily sugar destroys your health a little each day. Or better yet focus on what is good about a life without a lot of sugar....you lose weight, feel better, have more energy, get to buy new clothes, spend less time with your doctor or dentist. You'll also save money. Not only will you need less medical care but processed foods can be a lot more expensive than fresh foods.

Once you decide you're up for the task, go through your pantry and refrigerator and give away all the foods with sugar on the label. It may be a big bag of food. Replace them with fresh, unprocessed foods. It will take a little doing, but when you kick the habit, you'll be glad you did.

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