The Devil I know?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Since Christmas I have made a few changes to my diet, and the result is that I've dropped about 20 pounds.  Just about everyone I know that I haven't seen in a while comments on how I look, so I know that the loss is real and not just a figment of my imagination.

One of the things I've done is to give up dark pop.  I'd switched from regular Coke or Pepsi to Diet Pepsi for a while and more recently gave it up almost entirely in favor of Ginger Ale.  Since I've done that I have developed an almost constant craving for ice cream of some sort- mostly a Dairy Queen Blizzard or an ice cream bowl from Cold Stone Creamery, but I'll happily slum it with a Frosty from Wendy's or a McFlurry or sundae from McDonalds.  I've also started buying a chocolate bar almost every time I'm at the store.  For a guy who never used to have a sweet tooth this is a pretty radical change, and possibly dangerous to my recent weight loss.

Does this sound normal to anyone else?

Def

[stressmaster5000]

Take it from an experienced dieter, when you give up the sugar somewhere your cravings cause you to fill it in in other places. I went cold turkey from sugar a couple years ago and my wife said I was impossible to get along with. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I know this sounds odd, but I feel most of the difference in my weight is the result of not eating as much of anything, not just the sugar.  I have some digestive issues that cause problems for me, especially during the short periods when I try to do silly things like sleep.  Like many folks in the Western World I was taught to always clean my plate and as I get older and my metabolism slows down that's not a good habit.  I've been working hard to eat until I feel full and my dogs are happy to help the plate get cleaned.  I attribute my success to not stuffing myself, not to the removal of sugar.

I suppose I expected cravings, but I never expected them to be so specific.

Def

[jzmtl]

20 lbs in 2 months, that's amazing. I've been trying for years and kept bouncing between 190 and 200. Now that winter sport season is almost over it'll probably going up again.

[Mercury]

Is it possible one of your female alter ego's (large black woman and 16 year old girl to be specific) are pregnant?

 


I do the same thing man, I am trying to lose weight right now and I will be good for like three days, and then it's two bad meals in a row, and not just bad, like Supersize fries bad.  For some reason I crave a chicken box from Golden chick, all covered in cayenne pepper and dipped in gravy....

 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I actually don't yo yo or diet.  I was at 190 for years then slowly started creeping up.  When I hit 200 I decided it was time to do something, although I didn't really do anything more than decide for another 5-10 pounds or so....

For me it's a mindset.  When I was a kid I used to chew my nails mercilessly, then one day a girlfriend of mine told me she though my chewed up fingers were gross and I stopped immediately.  I'm facing a similar situation now- I find a full stomach and a bloated feeling to be largely uncomfortable which helps me decide to stop eating.

I suppose it's time now to start worrying about developing an eating disorder! 

Def

[Biru]

My gluten-free diet has caused me to become paunchy. Odd, since I was told otherwise. Thankfully Flurries are off limits.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Actually I am on Ginger Ale now- preferably Canada Dry as I don't care for Schweppes.  I was on Diet Pepsi (don't much care for Diet Coke) for a couple of months but I have sensitive teeth as well and decided that the dark pops weren't doing my teeth any favors.

Def

[jzmtl]

Doesn't the ginger ale contains as much sugar as coke anyway?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Probably, I dunno.

There's got to be some major difference somewhere along the way though as my mouth starts watering if I so much as think about the Cookie Dough ice cream from Coldstone Creamery.

Def

[Biru]

I may be wrong, but it was always my understanding that Ginger Ale was MUCH easier on the stomach and its linings. If that's not healthful reason enough, a pharmacy near here used to put vanilla ice cream in ginger ale. It's kind of like Shirley Temple's crystal meth.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Ginger is supposed to be good for an upset stomach, and I'm sure some of the ginger-y goodness survives the mutilation process to make it into ginger ale, otherwise mothers everywhere wouldn't give it to kids when they heave their guts all over the place.

As for any actual health benefits of modern mass produced ginger ale versus Coke or Pepsi (or their diet equivalents) well I'm certain it's akin to getting run down by a Toyota Camry doing 80mps instead of a Mack truck doing 80mph.  I get the feeling one is slightly better, but hardly enough to make a difference.  Of course, my teeth don't hurt as much, so maybe there's more to it than I thought.

Def

[Mercury]

I have been drinking diet coke for years, and not eating all that much candy.  I now have to get a crown for sure, possibly a root canal and my dentist says its all the soda.

[nuphoria]

Firstly, congrats on dropping the weight.... excellent job Boss

Secondly, sugar addiction is the scourge of the western world. You are far from alone with the cravings, and it takes a while to correct the metabolic reactions in your body to wean yourself off. Here's an article by a Doc over here which I found really useful regarding hypoglycaemia:

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Hypoglycaemia_-_the_full_story