Does quitting sugar help lose weight?
Experts say daily sugar intake for men and women should not be more than 37.5 grams and 25 grams, respectively. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended that the amount for men too should be 25 grams. The fact remains, however, that the average city dweller consumes five times the recommended amount, leading to expanding waistlines, increasing body weight, and the risk of deadly health problems. It is only rational than that many health-conscious men and women are quitting sugar for weight loss. And many too are signing up for weight loss program in Singapore, trying their best in changing their mindset into losing weight to lead a healthier lifestyle. Here are some important things to know about quitting sugar.
What quitting sugar actually means
Quitting sugar definitely helps to lose weight. Essentially, this can be done by eliminating processed foods from your diet. Processed foods do not only contain calories but preservatives and other synthetic substances that impact your health negatively. It has been observed that people who quit sugar by giving up ketchup, barbeque sauce and fizzy drinks instantly start losing bulk around the face and the abdomen.
Quitting sugar means cutting on calories and more
Even though one teaspoon of refined sugar has 16 calories/70 kilojoules of energy, as an ingredient in foods, it comes with fat and refined starches. There is more to sugar than just calories. Many tried to substitute their habit for taking in sugar by going for long walks to shed the ‘extra weight’. However, by walking alone without cutting down on the sugar intake is only an exercise in futility. For instance, by quitting shortbread biscuits, soft drinks and bakery products, you can also avoid fat and other substances leading to weight gain. By quitting a total of 10 teaspoons of sugar every day, you can lose one pound of weight in just three weeks.
Giving up sugar helps think rationally
Refined sugar is bad not only for your body weight but for your brain. A healthy mind is essential for weight loss. It also helps maintain a sound health. Sodas, bread, coffees, energy drinks and even low-fat snacks contain some amount of sugar that can affect your mind or thinking process. In fact, consuming sugar can make you rash and intolerant. People who had abandoned refined sugar reported that they experienced improvement in their cognitive capabilities. They have been able to think more logically, choose the right diet, and thus take the rights steps towards losing weight.
Quitting sugar helps cut on unhealthy foods
Weight loss isn’t only about cutting calories and getting back in shape. It is also about building strength and keeping lifestyle diseases at bay. Even the highly recommended Traditional Chinese Slimming method requires that you eat a balanced diet and avoid overloading the spleen. Thus, when you quit sugar, you are indirectly quitting foods that inhibit muscle-building and helps in digestion. Cupcakes, sodas, processed foods are of an inferior nutritional composition. They are low in fibre and rather high on the GI.
Find alternatives to sugar
So consider quitting unhealthy foods with added sugar and replace them with natural foods. For instance, you can replace fizzy beverages with water and natural drinks like coconut water. Instead of having packaged fruit juice, you can actually use your juicer to prepare natural fruit juice. Replace snacks with fruits and salad. More vegetables, lean meat and fish will mean a better weight loss.
