I've been saying for like aggees I'm going to diet a bit, get to the gym and lose the few extra pounds I put on err..over christmas..now I'm a single lad I guess its more important than ever to think about this so starting from tomorrow its swimming at the gym.
I just had a quick think about my diet, I actually don't eat bad at all, I have fruit for breakfast, something like cous cous for lunch and a regular dinner of whatevs, don't have takeaways too often now (though a few months back I was pretty bad), I rarely eat chocolate and have been pretty much skipping pudding (or just have something like cuppa and couple of rich teas), no midnight snacking.
But where I really fall down is drinks, it is actually shocking the amount of sugar in drinks - I just had a capri sun and that's 25%..twenty five percent! of my RDA of sugar! I've already had a red bull which is like 29% so I'm already well over half way to my RDA and its only 11am! I'm a sucker for sugary drinks, I like water and drink it now and again but won't actively drink it throughout the day, maybe I should but it does get boring.
So does anyone have suggestions for low sugar nice tasting drink?
Oh and I drink lots of tea but with semi-skimmed milk and NO sugar..bleurgh, sugar should be for coffee only
I used to drink loads of coca cola, so firstly I changed to diet coke, then bit by bit I changed that for volvic touch of fruit no added sugar over a few weeks. Over time I gradually changed that for plain old water which I never ever thought I would drink cuz I couldn't stand plain water. I agree it does get boring so I make a deal with myself that if I drink x amount of plain water then I can add a bit of dilute to it later on in the day or have some flavoured water instead.
I used to be the same, but graduallly I've started drinking more and more water. Excercise is definitely the key as I find sugary drinks can often make your mouth feel horrible, the more excercise I do the less sugary crap I drink. I also stopped taking sugary drinks to work and only took water so I just ended up aquiring the taste for it. over time. Maybe try and knock the premade drinks such as Capri Sun on the head first, while aiming to accompish a pint or two of plain water each day, and then build up from there :) Hope it goes well :)
Thanks guys, useful advice! yes coke and other fizzies is another bad one for me, I had a whole large coke from the cinema (i.e. the bucket of coke) the other day and didn't even think about it..ha oops :(
if you are eating cous cous the ready made ones from the supermarkets can be really high in salt and fat. you can buy the grains and make your own cheaper and easier.
if you still want the fizz maybe try sparkling water?
if you are eating cous cous the ready made ones from the supermarkets can be really high in salt and fat. you can buy the grains and make your own cheaper and easier.
if you still want the fizz maybe try sparkling water?
How about herbal teas? Yogi Tea have some nice-tasting ones - they even have a chocolate tea! - they'll help keep your taste buds from withering away in despair.
Even fruit juices aren't an answer as they're all high in natural sugars - bah!
Ow wow wow omg amazing advice A_A I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write all that! I will have a proper read through tonight to digest (aha no pun intended) it all but from the quick read I've been able to have now a lot of what you say makes sense and you have given some awesome info there..I know it's an oft empty saying but I actually really do appreciate you taking the time to write that
Thank you too chip and SL, I do actually have Ainsley Harriots cous cous so will look at that and compare to the other stuff. And for herbal tea..I've tried and tried with it and I sorta like red bush but only with copious amounts of lemon juice. For hot drinks regular tea is fine for me, as I say no sugar and semi skimmed milk this is apparently very low/nothing on weightwatchers points (according to my weightwatchers colleague at work)
Second on herbal tea. The ones based on fruit, rose, hibiscus, and peppermint tend to translate as sweeter. From tea bags, not the premade bottled stuff though. They've found all sorts of ways to sneak suger into those.
Herbal tea can be chilled too, peppermint is a good one to start with for that and most herbal fruit teas work too. Don't even need to use the electric, just put a bag or two in a medium sized jar of water and leave in the sun for a couple of hours.
It's all about letting your brain recalibrate. Right now it's probably sort of maxed out and only high impact tastes like sugar and additives register. Over time, those should become too much and you'll taste more from the subtler ones - the 'boring' part should only last a wee while. :-)
I remember being told years ago that there are organisms in the body which feed on sugar, and they'll up the cravings if you try to cut out sugar, or even cut back. Even if that's not true, it's useful imagery if your body's hellbent on a big bowl of ice-cream or something and you'd rather resist it :)
Thank you too chip and SL, I do actually have Ainsley Harriots cous cous so will look at that and compare to the other stuff.
literally 3kg of cous cous is abotu £5 on amazon. you just chop up veg or put spices into it then chuck boiling water over - the ready made/instant ones are a rip off
No takeaways eh? Sure you're not having kebab/McDonalds/Fry up blackouts again? :P
Sugary drinks are bad bad bad. Especially red bull it really messes you up. The additives in sugary and fizzy drinks are addictive and coming off them cold Turkey can actually lead to withdrawal symptoms like headaches and energy crashes... fun stuff.
If you can slowly cut it down until you're only having a fizzy drink about once or twice a week and drink LOTS more water you'll be doing your body a lot of good.
Sugar free fruit squash is good if you've got a sweet tooth but generally try to drink 2litres of pure water per day. Flushes out toxins, keeps you hydrated and helps with weight loss, clearer skin and generally better health. Good luck! :) xxx
No takeaways eh? Sure you're not having kebab/McDonalds/Fry up blackouts again? :P
Sugary drinks are bad bad bad. Especially red bull it really messes you up. The additives in sugary and fizzy drinks are addictive and coming off them cold Turkey can actually lead to withdrawal symptoms like headaches and energy crashes... fun stuff.
If you can slowly cut it down until you're only having a fizzy drink about once or twice a week and drink LOTS more water you'll be doing your body a lot of good.
Sugar free fruit squash is good if you've got a sweet tooth but generally try to drink 2litres of pure water per day. Flushes out toxins, keeps you hydrated and helps with weight loss, clearer skin and generally better health. Good luck! :) xxx
Aha the fairy drinks mother descents upon me. Haha well you know I am actually having a takeaway tonight haha, chinese, last one (for a while at least) plus I said to my lil sis I'd buy her one since she's startin exams.
Thank you for the advice though sweetheart, as with most things (apart from the avengers thing...) that come from you its much appreciated (and you're gonna get sick of me telling you that soon ha).xxx
Easiest thing to remember is to keep things simple! So try and eat 'clean', make sure your protein intake is a bit higher as this will help add lean muscle and aid recovery, excise regularly, drink water and get plenty of rest.
Sounds easy doesn't it lol.
Re drinks. Get a juicer so you can make your own orange juice, smoothies etc which may give you the sugar you crave but in a more natural way. Yes lucozade and Gatorade are pretty good if you are exercising a lot and need to replace fluids quickly.
Supplements can help but I would really keep things basic depending on your goals. If your diet contains a lot of protein then I wouldnt both with shakes unless you want to. Otherwise a general multivitamin tablet and some flaxseed oil is about all I would recommend.
Usual disclaimer, I am not an expert and don't pretend to be one (!) these are just general pointers that were given to me. Hope some of that helps. All the best.
I drink no added sugar squash or water most of the time. And tea with no sugar or fennel tea. Very occasionally diet coke but that's bad for your teeth. No added sugar squash is perfect though - plenty sweet enough but low in calories and not too much sugar, though it does have some natural sugars in usually.
I avoid the no added sugar squashes. Both myself and my youngest are very sensitive to artificial sweeteners. I stick to water and juice, plus cups of tea.