Thread: When you don't eat sugar for a very long time, how do you cheat?

Well, after so much chocolate conversations on Facebook, I did it, I cheated. Sent James to the store to grab me a Mounds. I felt like crap and well TMI next. I seriously haven't had added sugar in months. Just with the whole Gestational Diabetes thing and me being obese, it was the one diet that my Nutritionist and Endocrinologist suggested for me, so I don't get Diabetes in the future.

I heard that Trader Joe's has some organic choices.

But, for anyone who is on a diet like this, how can you cheat? I don't want that to happen again. It would be nice to splurge once in awhile and be a normal person. I mean I usually tend to go for fruit or products that don't have that much added sugar, but this is ridiculous. I could imagine what would happen at all those BBQs I was at this summer, if I went for the sugary snacks. It would not be pretty. ..c::

Go for something with high fat content that is not ultra sweet -- like 75% cacao dark chocolate. Or shortbread. If you eat a small serving the fat will lower the glycemic index and also make you feel more satisfied.

When I meant like crap, I meant stomach pains, nausea, and well then the rest speaks for itself. lmao!!! Not that I felt guilty.

Originally Posted by ssipes

Go for something with high fat content that is not ultra sweet -- like 75% cacao dark chocolate.

Sabena, this is what I was telling you about on Facebook

Green & Black organic chocolate is my fave! And you can get it at Stop & Shop.

Originally Posted by ssipes

Go for something with high fat content that is not ultra sweet -- like 75% cacao dark chocolate. Or shortbread. If you eat a small serving the fat will lower the glycemic index and also make you feel more satisfied.

Thanks! I will remember that!

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Sabena, this is what I was telling you about on Facebook

Green & Black organic chocolate is my fave! And you can get it at Stop & Shop.

I heard ya woman! lmao!!! Just looking to see if there is anyway I could eat a huge slice of cake with a gallop of frosting! ..l;,

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Sabena, this is what I was telling you about on Facebook

Green & Black organic chocolate is my fave! And you can get it at Stop & Shop.

YES this is sooo yummy.

ok nurse, what does your blood sugar normally run? are you monitoring it the way you are supposed to? did your diabetes start with pregnancy or did you have it before?

can you take just one bite?

I'd hang myself if i was diabetic..I'm so in love with sugar

Originally Posted by jesennia

YES this is sooo yummy.

ok nurse, what does your blood sugar normally run? are you monitoring it the way you are supposed to? did your diabetes start with pregnancy or did you have it before?

can you take just one bite?

I'd hang myself if i was diabetic..I'm so in love with sugar

I don't have Diabetes. Just because you get Diabetes during your pregnancy doesn't mean you will have it after, Miss L and D nurse. lmao!!! I probably would of if I didn't follow the diet. Thankfully, I didn't have to go on any medications. It took me a week to change it up. I was lectured the first week for adding sugar to my coffee. You have to check your sugars four times a day and well my diet helped. I stay away from anything that even made it close to high, mostly carbs and sugars. But, I don't need to check anymore.

Gestational Diabetes is when your placenta blocks what your pancreas is trying to do. They say being overweight and obese has a lot to do with it, but anyone can get it. You are also at risk if you have a family member who has it, which my uncle suffered and died from it two years ago. I am also Polynesian, so that doesn't help me much either. They give you a test 6 weeks post, you eat a huge meal desert included. No problems that day and I passed the test. So they told me to keep doing what I am doing and I should be good.

When you go to L and D you will see some huge babies. Jeremiah was born at 7lbs. 6oz. I could just imagine if I was on insulin and not following the diet. I have seen some 10 pounders! They need to stay in the nursery longer, because there sugar can drop rapidly after birth. Jeremiah was fine. Thank goodness. My OB was very proud of me that I only gained 17lbs. and that he was an average weight.

I could take one bite, but eh! that isn't cheating, lmao!!!

Isn't this funny I am looking for cheat tips. ..l;, I can always do the Soft Serve Ice Cream cone at McDonald's for some reason there isn't too much sugar in it and the carb exchange is really low.

I don't cheat, I can't do it with the metabolic problem that I have. But I find that I don't crave it because I eat the best fruit I can find twice a day. I always eat the fruit along with a protein, too.

I don't either really. Just wondering. I am going to a wedding in October and how rude will it be for me not to eat a slice of cake.

I am also totally sugar free. Have been for a while now. I love it! I feel so much better. But I am a sugar addict so I have to take it one day at a time.
My cheat is sugar free fudgsicles, sugar free juice popsicles, and sugar free cookies. No sugar added apple pie is good also. But keep in mind that they are loaded with chemicals to make up for it so go easy.
For me I am avoiding processed sugars, white flour, hydrogenated soybean stuff.
I am not avoiding natural sugars or pure stuff like sugar cane, real butter etc.
I also suggest blue agave sweetner. You can put it in anything. And if you haven't eaten sugar in a while it will seem really sweet to you.

My bf "turned diabetic" (type 1) about 9 months ago and we're starting to get the hang of it. his little 'guilty pleasure' is sugar-free pralines, by Leonidas. they're really good, but i donno if you'd be able to find them were you are? and light vanilla ice cream. anything else, even fruit, he has to add extra insuline to compensate.
with Gestational Diabetes, do you also have to take insuline shots, or just avoid all sugar at all times?

Eshta, what's blue agave sweetener? never heard of that one. (but i'm guessing it's one of those things you can find in the US but not here)

Originally Posted by Kathiya

with Gestational Diabetes, do you also have to take insulin shots, or just avoid all sugar at all times?

Mine was controlled by my diet. It only happens when you are pregnant, and they test every pregnant mother around 20 weeks or so. I am not sure if the people who are on insulin, just don't go by the diet and need it, or if their placenta is acting wacky. But, they will put you on insulin if your sugar levels go to high. Because, you can kill the baby that way. Some people end up with Diabetes after, or the baby does. Lucky enough it didn't happen to either of us, but I consider my diet change a serious way not to get it.

You aren't suppose to have any added sugar or too many carbs. Usually, fruits, pastas, breads, etc. will cause the sugar to go up. Candy and sweets are a no-no. Now I can have those 100-cal snacks, because they are only one carb. But, I don't have more than one. Everyone's diet is different. They usually teach you in a group setting and well the people who weren't as overweight as I am well, they got to eat a lot more than I did. I can't have fruit first thing in the morning, my breakfast is very small, with my dinner very large, with a bedtime snack.

If I went back to my old eating habits I would definitely get the real thing.

I have no knowledge of diabetes, but understand you need to avoid sugar. How about non sweetened dairy cream for strawberries and cream ? Or is the fructose bad?

I understand that super dark chocolate has minimal or no sugar. It tastes a bit bitter though, but I quite like it. You are looking for something with 99% cacao. Might be easier to drink as a hot chocolate with a bit of milk or cream in it.

I bet there are plenty of gourmet chocolate vendors on the internet. Our local chocolate shop does some great chocolates, but she only posts them within the UK :-(

Coco Chocolate - Superior Organic Chocolate Handmade in Edinburgh

If anyone ever pops over to Edinburgh for our masterclasses, I can point you at this shop :-)

I generally unhinge my lower jaw and swallow an antelope whole..

I LOVE the Green and Black organic dark, also recommended is Equal Exchange brand.

I've cut down on sugar and have found those dark chocolates to not only satisfy my craving with a square or two off the bar, but they're sweet enough and delicious without causing any massive sugar spiking and tummy issues.

Have you tried Stevia? I use it and I love it! It's been used as a natural sugar substitute for years in other countries, but because of the sugar lobby here, it can only be labeled as a supplement. That must have changed recently because Truvia just came out as a new sugar substitute in the US. In any case, it's 0 cals and doesn't raise your blood sugar.

It might be a while before we find sweets in the US that use stevia/Truvia, but in the meantime, you can always sprinkle it on your Cheerios for a treat. ..g.:

oh, my bf also uses Tagatose as a natural sweetener. he says it's way better than the fake sweetener stuff. and, you can use it to cook! (make cakes and stuff :) )

Originally Posted by bdaddiction

I don't either really. Just wondering. I am going to a wedding in October and how rude will it be for me not to eat a slice of cake.

People are more focused on what they are doing and eating than on what YOU are eating. Those social situations can be hard for people with food issues/allergies/etc. I tell myself "that's not my food." This usually works but I don't spend lots of time hanging out at Sweet Life (our locally famous bakery). The smell is hard to endure sometimes. Maybe you can go to the bathroom right then or walk around the building or something. Or find an empathetic ally that you can talk to about it if you feel uncomfortable.

I had gestational diabetes while I was pregnant as well. Have you spoke with a nutritionist since having the baby? Is that truly the diet you should be on? I read an article on the gestational diabetes diet that said long term it is not good for preventing future diabetes, since it encourages high fat and you loose some of the healthy stuff like whole grains.

While I had it I didn't "cheat" I just made appropriate decisions with the carb counting. I ate fruits as snacks (that were portioned to 15 carbs). One organic chocolate square or organic peanut butter cup after dinner (we found some that were approx 5 carb a serving). I found that not depriving myself of many things and just sticking to the carb counting worked for me.

Originally Posted by Kathiya

My bf "turned diabetic" (type 1) about 9 months ago and we're starting to get the hang of it. his little 'guilty pleasure' is sugar-free pralines, by Leonidas. they're really good, but i donno if you'd be able to find them were you are? and light vanilla ice cream. anything else, even fruit, he has to add extra insuline to compensate.
with Gestational Diabetes, do you also have to take insuline shots, or just avoid all sugar at all times?

Eshta, what's blue agave sweetener? never heard of that one. (but i'm guessing it's one of those things you can find in the US but not here)

My sympathies to you and your boyfriend, it's a difficult disease to manage for some people.

Blue agave is made from a cactus, the same one used to make tequila. It is said not to raise the glycemic index if eaten with a meal. For instance, as a dessert with a meal, but not just as a sweet snack in between meals. It's similar in texture to honey.

thanks Dunyah :)
i'll look around for that here. no high hopes lol, but ya never know.

by the way. i read somewhere (but not a serious source) that onion lowers the glycemic index? is that true? also heard the same about non-sugar based alcohols (the sugar ones have the opposite effect). again, don't know how true that is, but it would explain my bf's weird results after some meals lol ^^

Originally Posted by mihnea

I had gestational diabetes while I was pregnant as well. Have you spoke with a nutritionist since having the baby? Is that truly the diet you should be on? I read an article on the gestational diabetes diet that said long term it is not good for preventing future diabetes, since it encourages high fat and you loose some of the healthy stuff like whole grains.

Yup, I see a Nutritionist, seen a Diabetes Educator who is a Nurse Practitioner, and a Endocrinologist during and after. Right after my Post Natal Diabetes test, the diet I was on I was told to stick to. Your situation was probably different, as well as others. I am not thin by any means. When I was pregnant I was obese. My first visit, like I said in a previous post was in a group setting, and all of our diets were extremely different. Some didn't even have Diabetes in their families and were of all sizes and shapes. I am also breastfeeding, so my diet will also be different when I stop. I went during my pregnancy and after I had the baby. At one point, I was losing too much weight with the breastfeeding and had to go back. I will see the Nutritionist again, when I stop. I am not speaking for everyone here.

I don't know what diets others are on, or what the article said, but it is highly unlikely I would get Diabetes from the way I am eating.
The eating plan I am on doesn't encourage high fats. Eating whole grains is probably the only "good" carb I can eat. Fruits are the worst carbs, in my situation.They made my sugar high, so they took fruits away from my first meal of the day. If I did get Diabetes, it would probably be from my genetics. My mother and grandmother are both at a normal weight and they don't have it. It seems the only ones who get it in my family are obese and eat a high diet full of starches, fats, and sugars. I have already lost weight, which has decreased my chances even more.

Originally Posted by mlacombe

I generally unhinge my lower jaw and swallow an antelope whole..

I probably look like I did that! ..l;,

Originally Posted by bdaddiction

Well, after so much chocolate conversations on Facebook, I did it, I cheated. Sent James to the store to grab me a Mounds. I felt like crap and well TMI next. I seriously haven't had added sugar in months. Just with the whole Gestational Diabetes thing and me being obese, it was the one diet that my Nutritionist and Endocrinologist suggested for me, so I don't get Diabetes in the future.

I heard that Trader Joe's has some organic choices.

But, for anyone who is on a diet like this, how can you cheat? I don't want that to happen again. It would be nice to splurge once in awhile and be a normal person. I mean I usually tend to go for fruit or products that don't have that much added sugar, but this is ridiculous. I could imagine what would happen at all those BBQs I was at this summer, if I went for the sugary snacks. It would not be pretty. ..c::

Honey?

Originally Posted by kharis_UK

Honey?

My mom, puts that in my tea instead of sugar. Not too much and it does good. Doesn't make me get nausea or the runs. TMI, but it is true. ..l;,

Hot cocoa: Fry's Cocoa (about 2 teaspoons) in 1 cup of warm milk...delicious with no sugar. I usually take this before bed. I have a sweet tooth too.
I buy a can of Fry's Cocoa in the baking aisle of Costco.

I had gestational diabetes with my 2nd baby and I was on insulin shots after that flat orange drink test until delivery. No diabetes after delivery and neg for baby as well. All that bruising from the shots on the thighs (as I'm thin and don't have much fat) were not pretty.

Originally Posted by Jennah

Hot cocoa: Fry's Cocoa (about 2 teaspoons) in 1 cup of warm milk...delicious with no sugar. I usually take this before bed. I have a sweet tooth too.
I buy a can of Fry's Cocoa in the baking aisle of Costco.

You have my attention. Is this dark chocolate?