Everyone enjoys a sweet treat from time to time, but eating even moderate amounts of sugar can impair your ability to lose weight. Unfortunately, sugar literally contains no nutrients, and your body simply stores it as fat if it doesn't need immediate energy. In addition, eating sugar too much will create instability in your blood sugar levels, making you hungry more often and more prone to eat unhealthy, sugar laden foods. Eating too much sugar causes other serious health problems as well as weight gain, including cardiovascular disease and adult onset diabetes, so a significant decrease in your sugar intake can also save your life.
Step 1
Avoid drinking sugar laden drinks such as soda or vitamin enriched waters that actually contain quite a bit of sugar. One 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 40 grams of sugar, which is nearly 10 teaspoons. The American Heart Association recommends that you have only 100 calories or six teaspoons of sugar daily, which means one soft drink is equivalent to more than your daily requirement. It isn't just the calories that make the sugar a problem when you're typing to lose weight either. Consuming too much sugar provides carbohydrate energy that is quickly absorbed by the body and stored as fat. Instead of sugary drinks, drink water or sugar free beverages.
Step 2
Replace unhealthy dessert foods such as cookies and candy with fresh, frozen or canned fruits. Check the nutrition label on both frozen and canned fruits to make sure they are packed in juice and not syrup, which is essentially liquid sugar. To keep yourself motivated to lose weight, try fruits you haven't eaten before, such as exotic melons, starfruit or kumquats. Put washed fresh fruits in an airtight container and bring them to work with you for a healthy snack.
Step 3
Use half the amount of sugar required in recipes for baked goods such as cakes, cookies and muffins. Add in raisins or fresh blueberries or strawberries for natural sugar and more flavor. You'll also be adding fiber to your diet, which fills your stomach, slows digestion and increases metabolism. Divide out any baked goods into single portions, so that you don't have to measure or weigh them when you feel the urge to snack.
Step 4
Learn to use spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg in place of sugar for adding flavor to your favorite foods. Bake a cored apple filled with raisins and a dash of vanilla extract, with cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the apple is softened. This dessert contains only natural sugars and fiber, which will help you lose weight without feeling deprived.
Step 5
Use non-nutritive sweeteners if you truly can't go cold turkey on sugar. Add just a dash in place of sugar in your coffee or favorite baked goods, so you taste the sweetness of sugar without the additional calories. Many dessert manufacturers now offer their products without sugar, a good way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Keep in mind however that many of these products use sucralose or similar sugar substitutes, which can cause intestinal irritation in some people. A good rule of thumb for finding these kinds of sugars on the label is to look for the letters "ose" at the end.
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