More Than Just Sugar-Free, Consider Going On A ‘Sweet’-Free Low-Carb Diet

As you may or may not know, I’ve been blogging my daily menus for nearly a year now at the “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Menus” blog so that people can see every single bite of food I am putting inside my mouth as well as the exercise I am engaged in on any given day. The blog was never meant to be the “perfect” way for someone to be eating a low-carb diet, but merely a reflection of how this particular low-carber chooses to consume food. Much to my surprise, though, the interest in my menus blog grew and grew as the year has progressed primarily because of a sudden 25-30 pound weight gain at the beginning of the year that I have been unable to get under control despite multiple attempts that have all been documented at that blog.

I appreciate the accountability my menus blog has given me because I have refused to give up on finding out what is happening to me. The strange results from my 5-hour glucose tolerance test (GTT) following a low-carb meal in July were very telling–I still have an excessive insulin problem despite eating a low-carb diet. This hyperinsulinemia has been somewhat of a mystery to me since I thought the whole purpose of livin’ la vida low-carb is to prevent this from happening. But happening it is and it has been frustrating to say the least.

My strategies for dealing with this include strict low-carb Induction, intermittent fasting, a low-carb product-free diet, my FitCamp experience, and so much more. While there may have been some nominal success with each of these things, none of them have pushed me below 257 all year long since my weight suddenly jumped up there after I began my weight lifting routine last December. Although some of that weight is indeed muscle, most of it is adipose fat that is a result of the excessive insulin in my body.

So, as it stands right now on Monday, October 27, 2008, my weight is just a hair under 265 pounds. I gotta tell you, that royally stinks! What makes it even worse is that no matter what I have tried up to this point, nothing has made a substantial dent in that one bit. But since I am privileged to have the opportunity to speak with many of the most brilliant researchers and medical professionals in the world through my podcast show each week, one recent interview in particular stood out to me as the possible “answer” I’ve been looking for regarding my personal situation.

You’ll recall this interview last month with Dr. Steven L. Gundry who authored a fabulous health and weight loss book entitled Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution which outlined his plan for helping people improve their nutritional choices and reap the benefits to their health from doing that. I certainly didn’t agree with everything he had to say in the book or in my interview with him (for example, we should be eating a diet consisting of 85% raw vegetables), but one particular subject he addressed made that little light go off in my head to give me an “ah-ha” moment.

When I asked him about sugar alternatives and whether they would be a good way to transition off of sugar, Dr. Gundry was hesitant to give his approval. Whether it was Splenda, aspartame, saccharin or even the much-beloved plant-based stevia, Dr. Gundry noted that it was the “sweet” taste on the tongue that could elicit an insulin response much in the same way sugar does. Known for his memorable phrases, Dr. Gundry says, “If it tastes sweet, retreat!

This kinda shocked me when he even put stevia in that same category, but it the more I think about this it makes sense that perhaps your body can adapt to these alternatives so much so that the body responds to them in the same way it does sugar. After a period of time using these sugar substitutes, the tongue tastes “sweet,” sends a message to the brain that something sweet it coming, the brain sends a signal to the pancreas to secrete insulin, and all of this happens despite the fact that sweetener is zero-calorie. Hmmmm. Maybe this is why I’ve been able to use Splenda, stevia, erythritol, etc. for all these years with hardly any negative effect and now I can’t.

Dr. Gundry suggests the “pinch the packet” approach to weaning yourself off of artificial sweeteners by holding on to the center of the packet so that only a little bit of the sweetener comes out when you put it in your coffee, tea, or whatever. That may be an effective strategy for those who use the packets, but what about diet soda? I love my Diet Rite, but it has two artificial sweeteners: Splenda and ACE-K. If the goal is to eliminate “sweet” from my diet, then this will have to go. So will all the sweet low-carb treats I have enjoyed like ChocoPerfection bars and anything low-carb that is sweet. And even sugar-free chewing gum and hard candies are out, too.

I’ll still eat foods that are non-starchy and low-carb since we know that even non-”sweet” carbs can and will turn to sugar in the body which will also elicit an insulin response as well. But what Dr. Gundry said about getting rid of the sweet taste makes good logical and common sense to me. If I’m having excessive insulin happening inside of my body when I’m consuming a low-carb diet, then something I am eating is causing that response. It could be hidden carbs for some people, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know how to look out for those. So, it HAS to be the artificial sweeteners.

With that said, starting today I am implementing not just a sugar-free diet, but a “sweet”-free low-carb lifestyle of 2,000-2,200 daily calories for at least the next 30 days to see what impact this will have on my body. My hope is that the extra pounds that came on this year will melt away and I’ll see an improvement in my GTT the next time I have it run. It’s not gonna be easy for me because my biggest weakness prior to beginning my low-carb lifestyle was sweets. I love chocolate and I could eat and drink anything sweet until I’m blue in the face. But that was then and this is now. The time is right for me to try this plan of action.

Obviously sugar is out as it has been for the past five years, but so is fruit, low-carb products with sweeteners, sauces and dressings with sugar, artificial and natural sweeteners, anything with a “sweet” taste to it. I have a feeling that the longer I go without the sweet taste in my mouth, the more I’ll start to notice the sweetness in other foods. For example, I had some cherry tomatoes today at lunch and I could taste how sweet they were since I hadn’t drank any diet soda or consumed anything with a sweet flavor. This will be a HUGE challenge for me, but I’m up to it.

Dr. Gundry suggests taking selenium, cinnamon, and chromium to help “kill sugar cravings.” I’ve been taking all of these except for selenium for years, although I don’t have any cravings for sugar and haven’t since I began the Atkins diet in 2004. But the “sweet” taste I do. Can I get a witness anyone? By the way, does anyone want to join me in this 30-day challenge (through the day before Thanksgiving!) to give up “sweet?” It’s gonna be intense, but I know we can support each other in this and be successful together. If it works, then obviously I’m gonna keep it going beyond 30 days, but surely we can all do it for that long, right?

Follow my journey on the “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Menus” blog to see what I’m eating in terms of portion sizes and calories, follow my weight progression, and to read daily commentary about how it’s going. Pray for me to be strong through this and allow it to work if it is indeed what I need to do to get my weight back on track again. Leave a comment below if you are joining me or simply want to cheer me and others on as we do this together. I’d love to know what you think about this new strategy I’m trying. Do you think it’ll work? I can’t wait to read your responses!