I posted this last week on Facebook, and thought I’d pass it along here.
Additionally, the chronic diseases that have been tied to sugar (diabetes, heart disease, etc) are generally only relevant if obesity is part of the equation. More and more, sugar is swinging back to the OK side of the moderation fence, which I’m all for. At the end of the day, it’s caloric deficit you’re looking for to achieve fat loss anyway. So there’s a backlash to the backlash.
That said, I stand by what I’ve communicated about sugar in the past for me personally, and as a trainer and health coach for many of the clients I’ve worked with. I don’t take its influence lightly, and I definitely don’t use it as a fear-mongering weapon to make money. I use it to speak truthfully about how it affects me, and how I’ve learned to deal with it. Moderation is what I ultimately preach and personally strive for. BUT when you have a bite or three of something, and that leads to a veritable LANDSLIDE of negative activity (like downing the entire TUB of donut holes), and this still happens to you even if you’ve been eating very little sugar for YEARS…then yeah, I feel like it’s addictive.
And with most every topic you can pull out of the fitness hat, it all comes down to you as the individual. If you were born without a sweet tooth, and manged not to develop one over the course of your lifetime, then just know that’s an amazing feat. Share that dessert, take that bite and move on carefreely about your life. DON’T GIVE SUGAR A SECOND THOUGHT. For those of us with the sweet teeth the size of our heads, well, you might need to consider it as a hazardous substance if you can’t control your intake because lots of sugar leads to lots of empty calories, and those calories can eventually lead to obesity. This in turn leads to all those chronic diseases we keep hearing about. If you cut way back consistently you should have an easier time of it, but it may be a battle you’ll have to prepare to fight for a long time…despite what you’re ‘supposed’ to be feeling about sugar at that time. Because trending.
So, as you can see there are two sides to the sugar story, and it is imperative that you take the time to understand how or even if it’s a concern for you personally. The same goes for gluten, carbs, supplements and cardio. THAT is why everyone is so confused about being healthy.
There is no ONE answer for anybody. Find what works for you and do that consistently. This will take some time and effort on your part, but it’s truly the only thing that works. *steps off soapbox*
Sugar taking a bite out of your progress? Take a look at my free sugar video and learn why you struggle with it, and how to reduce it without feeling deprived.