I was talking to one of my challengers last week and we were discussing why she was stuck at a weight loss plateau. I was just asking her questions and trouble shooting what the issue could be. One of the things that I know really affected me personally was the amount of sugar that I took in on a regular basis. I was eating clean, following the proper portion sizes and not really having any cheat meals but I wasn’t budging on the weight loss. So I decided to start tracking my food with myfitnesspal to see where I was going wrong. It was apparent after just a few days that I was getting way to much sugar each day from natural sources. For instance, I would have a full banana in my shake, have a cheese stick and 20 grapes for a snack and then carrots and hummus as a snack. From a general perspective that looks perfect, clean and healthy. In reality I was taking in to much natural fructose and I was stalling out my progress. It wasn’t until I started tweaking my daily sugar intake that things started to change.
So I am going to give you a glimpse into my own head and how I tweaked my plan.
When you are trying to lose those last few pounds or even want to break a plateau your food consumption makes a difference.
When planning out my meals I never put grapes, mangoes and bananas in the same day. I always space them out.
Always measure your grapes. It’s super easy to grab a few handfuls here and there but with 23 grams of sugar per serving that adds up quickly. I measure my grapes, put in a baggie and eat what is in there!
For bananas, I very rarely eat a full banana any more. I put a 1/2 banana in my shake most days unless I am going to be eating grapes then I leave out the banana.
For fruits you always want to measure them out. I do two cupped handfuls or 1 cup of fruit per serving. I actually only do 1/2 cup blueberries in my morning oatmeal.
I keep my fruits to 2 servings per day with the max being 3. If I do 3 then at least two have to be berries. Right now apples are the easiest snack for me and a lot of times I do an apple and 14 raw unsalted almonds as my am snack!
Carrots- I don’t even eat carrots as a veggie anymore. I try to stick with cucumbers, celery, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli. This also keeps that sugar in check. Carrots are the highest sugar veggie!! Which makes sense why I wasn’t losing weight. They have that hint of sweetness and I would take down a mini bag at a time. AGAIN, thinking I was doing a good job by making healthy choices but in reality I was just killing the sugar level!!! I know, it seems crazy but track it you will be amazed!
So the one thing I noticed when I started to pay attention is that there are a lot of places that sugar is hidden. You have to read your labels on everything. You would be so surprised at the random places and names for sugar. One question I was asked is what type of sugars do you use.
I actually only use honey and maybe agave nectar but not very often.
I didn’t start out this way. I used to put 3 tbsp of sugar in my coffee followed by creamer. I never thought I would be able to drink my tea and coffee black. But I kept cutting back and then one day I thought, HECK if this is stopping me from losing weight then I’m cutting out the sugar. Guess what, it helps and I will never go back! I can sniff out sugar in an instant. Plus now that I don’t eat it, my body doesn’t always react well when I eat sugar.
If you need a sugar substitute then go with raw honey, raw maple syrup, agave nectar! Try to stay away from everything else. It will make a difference for sure.
Also, when I did start cutting back the sugar I started craving it quite a bit!!! It took 1 week before the sugar cravings were completely gone. Now I can say confidently that I don’t need something sweet after dinner. In the past I had to hav a sweet following dinner. I can bypass cake and cookies and know that I want to reach my goal weight more than I want the cookie. But don’t get me wrong. I love sweets, I enjoy every minute of them and I do let myself have something if I really want it. But it’s all in moderation and I only do a cheat meal once a week!!!
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| one of my fav sweet snacks |
This is by far the easiest and the most satisfying sweet snack for those cravings as well. My kids thoroughly enjoy this snack as well!!
If you want more tips like this, customized meal plans, fitness support, recipes and tips then ask me about my next challenge/support group and how you can get the support you need to make this a lifestyle change vs a crash diet!!!!
