What If You Only Drank Soda?

This is a must watch and it is going to completely upset the Slimming world and similar diet groups! 

This is a short summary of what drinking soda does to your body. Only drinking soda would be a little extreme, but I personally know some people who do this. A simple demonstration of worst case but the effects and problems are real, especially with people drinking more soda than water. 

8 Signs You’re Eating Too Much Sugar

Sugar is delicious. Anyone who denies that is lying. But because life is unfair, sugar, especially in copious amounts, is really bad for your health. In fact, once you learn about all the ways sugar impacts your body, it’s difficult to look at it the same way (despite knowing how heavenly it tastes).

So how do you know if you’re eating too much? Here are eight red flags your body is sending you that it’s time to cut back on the sweet stuff.

1. You constantly crave sugary things

The more sugar you eat, the more you’ll crave it. “More cravings then equal consuming more sugar—it becomes a vicious and addictive cycle,” Brooke Alpert, M.S., R.D., author of The Sugar Detox: Lose Weight, Feel Great and Look Years Younger, tells SELF. This isn’t just because your taste buds have adapted and left you needing more and more to get that same taste, but also because of how sugar gives you a high followed by a crash, just like an actual drug. “By eating a high sugar diet, you cause a hormonal response in your body that’s like a wave, it brings you up and then you crash down and it triggers your body to want more sugar.”

2. You feel sluggish throughout the day

What goes up must come down. After sugar causes an initial spike of insulin and that “high” feeling, it causes an inevitable crash. “Energy is most stable when blood sugar is stable, so when you’re consuming too much sugar, the highs and lows of your blood sugar lead to highs and lows of energy,” Alpert says. Eating a lot of sugar also means it’s likely you’re not eating enough protein and fiber, both important nutrients for sustained energy.

3. Your skin won’t stop breaking out

“Some people are sensitive to getting a spike in insulin from sugar intake, which can set off a hormonal cascade that can lead to a breakout like acne or rosacea,” Rebecca Kazin, M.D., of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery and the Johns Hopkins department of dermatology, tells SELF. A sugar binge can show up on your face in just a few days. If your skin’s unruly, Kazin recommends reassessing your diet, otherwise “you may be treating skin for other issues without getting to the bottom of what’s really going on.”

4. You’re way moodier than usual

The blood sugar crash that happens when you’re coming off a sugar high can cause mood swings and leave you feeling crabby. Not to mention, if your energy is also tanking, that just contributes to a bad attitude.

5. You’ve been putting on some weight

Excess sugar is excess calories, and since it has no protein or fiber, it doesn’t fill you up (so you just keep eating it). It also triggers the release of insulin, a hormone that plays a big role in weight gain. When we eat sugar, the pancreas releases insulin, which carries sugar to our organs so it can be used for energy. When you load up on sugar, your body’s told to produce more insulin—over time, that excessive output can lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means our bodies can’t respond to normal amounts of insulin properly and therefore can’t use sugar the right way. The initial weight gain from simply eating too many calories from sugar is being compounded by the disruption to your normal insulin response (there’s a link between insulin resistance and obesity). What’s more, when the pancreas works in overdrive for too long you can develop diabetes.

6. You’ve been getting more cavities

When bacteria chow down on food particles in between the teeth, acid is produced, which causes tooth decay. Our saliva maintains a healthy balance of bacteria on its own, but eating sugar can impact the pH and throw off the natural ecosystem. This gives the bacteria a chance to thrive and multiply, leading to cavities.

7. Your brain tends to get foggy, especially after a meal

This fog is a common symptom of low blood sugar. When you eat a lot of sugar, your blood sugar levels rapidly rise and fall instead of gradually doing so. “Poor blood sugar control is a major risk for cognitive issues and impairment,” says Alpert.

8. Nothing tastes as sweet as it used to

“Eating too much sugar basically bombards your taste buds,” Alpert says. “This sugar overkill causes your taste bud sugar tolerance to go up, so you need more and more sugar to satisfy that sweet craving.” When your taste buds need lots of sugar to feel like something is sweet enough, it can be tough to lower your base level. However, it you cut back and suffer through it in the beginning, you’ll eventually lower your tolerance again and be content with minimal sugar. You might even start to feel like things are too sweet for you and—gasp!—be happier consuming sugar in moderation.

—By Amy Marturana

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/8-signs-youre-eating-much-sugar/

Hack Your Life To Curb Sugar Cravings

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had an endless supply of willpower? No amount of temptation or distraction could throw us off course. Making a change in our habits would be as simple as deciding to do it. Unfortunately, this is not how human behavior works, which is evident by how hard it is for many of us to break bad habits, even when we understand the harm they are causing us.

One of the most prevalent bad habits affecting our health is sugar addiction. When people hear the word addiction, they think of chemical addictions like prescription pain killers, or behavioral addictions like gambling. But sugar addiction is just as serious an issue.Because of the ubiquity of sugar in our food supply, it is by far the most common addiction, even more than nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs.

Bingeing on candy or slamming high-sugar energy drinks all day seems harmless compared to something like an opioid overdose. But even if your life is not in immediate danger, a chronic high-sugar diet will take its toll on your health, and can lead to serious conditions down the road. Besides just being a major impediment to achieving your physique and fitness goals, there is strong evidence linking excessive sugar intake with type 2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia, to name a few.

Willpower Is A Finite Resource

Once you get a taste for sugar, the cravings can become overwhelming. Resisting them becomes especially difficult when we see candy and junk food sold and advertised everywhere we go, and when so many of our foods have added sugar.

 

Relying on willpower alone requires huge amounts of mental energy, which is inevitably in low supply at the end of a long day or during stressful times. Instead, set yourself up for success by assuming that you won't be able to avoid sugar through sheer determination. Have a plan in place that will help you to stop, or at least diminish sugar cravings before they even start, so you don’t end up bingeing on Hershey bars and Sour Patch Kids when you get home from work (not that I would know anything about that!).

 

I divide these prevention strategies into three different categories:

 

1. Lifestyle factors
2. Meal choices
3. Nutritional supplements 

 

When deciding which of these strategies to implement, remember we are not trying to just eliminate a bad habit. We must replace a bad habit with a good one. For most of us, making small, sustainable changes will be more successful in the long run than trying to implement all of these strategies at once and becoming overwhelmed.

 

Get Consistent, Quality Sleep

One of the most important things you can do to prevent sugar cravings is get enough sleep every night. Sleep is when your body restores the brain and your neurotransmitter levels. When you don’t get enough sleep, you will be low on serotonin, the primary neurotransmitter responsible for a positive mood and overall feeling of well-being. Since carbohydrate consumption promotes the release of serotonin in the brain, you will naturally want to eat more carbs in order to balance your mood. Additionally, sleep deprivation also results in decreased levels of the hormone leptin, which signals satiety, and increased levels of ghrelin, which is a hormone that increases appetite.

 

Good sleep hygiene will be key in your battle against sugar cravings. Here are the behaviors that are the most help for me:

 

• Turn off anything with a glowing screen an hour before I should be asleep.
• Use that hour to unwind by doing something not work related. I find reading fiction and listening to instrumental music (like jazz or classical) helps to prepare me for sleep.
• Have my schedule for the next day already planned out so that I’m not lying in bed thinking about what I need to do.

Allow Yourself a Cheat Meal

Cutting out sugar and excessive carbs is much easier if you know that you’ll be able to enjoy them from time to time. The use of a cheat meal (one meal, not an entire cheat day) is a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth but still stay on track with your diet. You will also increase your leptin levels which will decrease your feelings of hunger. The only two rules that I have for the cheat meal are to keep it to a one hour window of time, and make it the last meal of the day. As long as you stick to those, you can eat whatever you want.

 

If you want to get creative and keep things a bit healthier, I recommend making your cheat meal from scratch. That way you will know exactly what is in your food, and you can choose higher quality ingredients compared to what you will find in most stores or restaurants. This is especially useful if you want to enjoy your cheat meal but avoid allergens such as gluten or dairy. Pancakes, pizza, cornbread, brownies, and sweet potato fries are some of my favorite gluten free cheat meals.

 

Get Breakfast Right

Some people handle carbs and insulin differently than others. But in my experience, the best breakfast to give you energy and keep the carb cravings at bay throughout the day is one that is low in carbs, high in protein and fat, and includes a variety of nutrients.

The reason I don’t like a high carb/high protein/low fat breakfast (like egg whites and oatmeal) is because it can lead to a big spike in insulin and blood sugar. This can lead to reactive hypoglycemia, which results in low energy and hunger an hour or two later. Instead, I prefer a breakfast that is high in protein and fat, but low in carbs. This provides steady blood sugar levels and energy throughout the day because of the low glycemic load of those foods, which in turn keeps me from craving sugary junk foods.

 

High fat and high protein doesn’t mean that you are limited to bacon and eggs every morning. In fact, my ideal breakfast includes much more variety. I prefer to have a big salad with a variety of greens and veggies with olive oil and lemon juice dressing, along with a good source of protein, either mixed into the salad or eaten separately. The protein source could be eggs, but since eggs are such a common breakfast food, I like to mix it up. Foods like canned mackerel, herring, and ground beef patties require little to no prep time and are easily digestible in the morning.

 

Stick to Solid Meals Over Liquid Calories

Liquid meals like protein shakes and smoothies are convenient, but it is best to stick to solid meals if you are looking to stay more satisfied and keep your cravings at bay. Solid food takes longer to digest, is more satiating, and keeps your blood sugar stable for a longer period of time. Including a good balance of fats, protein, and fiber will keep you feeling satisfied and will keep your cravings down.

 

Hydration Is Key

Hydrate first thing in the morning. Drink a big glass of lemon or lime water as a habit to get the day started right. The lemon or lime juice will actually lower the glycemic index of your meal if you have it with food. It will also help prevent the temptation to drink a big glass of fruit juice. Add some good quality salt (e.g. Himalayan or Celtic salt) to improve hydration, especially if you are sweating a lot throughout the day.

Use Supplements Strategically 

Changing your lifestyle and overall eating habits will have a bigger impact in the long run on subduing your sugar cravings. That said, nutritional supplements are much easier to implement into your routine, so it can be a good first step when you are trying to limit your sugar intake. I have found the following supplements to be very effective and fast-acting to calm sugar cravings both in the short term and long term, depending on how they are used.

 

• Glycine: This amino acid has a sweet taste, which can help to satisfy you craving for sugar. More importantly, it has a strong effect on reducing your levels of cortisol, which will help you to fall asleep. And if you’re sleeping, you are not eating candy bars! You might notice that your dreams are more vivid as well, which I think of as a bonus. A 5-10g dose in your evening tea is good for most people, but take a smaller dose if you experience any nausea.
   
• Glutamine: This amino acid is an especially useful tool post workout. Even though glutamine is not a carbohydrate, it helps your body to efficiently replenish glycogen stores. The amount of glutamine you use post workout should be adjusted to the volume of training, meaning that the higher the volume of training on a given day, the more glutamine you should use. A good starting point would be to include 0.1g of glutamine per pound of body weight in your post workout protein shake, and increase from there if you feel like your recovery is lacking.
   
• Inositol: This supplement that can help you to manage carb cravings by balancing your neurotransmitter levels. It can reduce symptoms of depression, calm mood swings, reduce cravings associated with PMS, and improve sleep quality. Be conservative with your dosing when taking inositol. If you take too much in the evening, you might feel mentally foggy and sluggish the next day or have a bit of nausea. Start with 1/4tsp of powder before bed, and work your way up as necessary. If you wake up feeling unwell or your sleep is disrupted, you know that your dosage is likely too high.

 

It Gets Easier

The encouraging thing is that the longer you stay off sugar, the less cravings you will have. Feeling good on a day-to-day basis will eventually displace the temporary pleasure you get from sugar. You’ll even get to the point where you can enjoy a sweet treat once in a while without going overboard. Until you get there, make use of these tips and strategies to help you stay on the right track.

 

By : Javier Garza

http://breakingmuscle.co.uk/uk/fuel/hack-your-life-to-curb-sugar-cravings

10 Reasons Why You Should NOT Quit Drinking Soda

You must be tired of hearing from health experts that soda is bad for you, that you must quit soda as it is as addictive as alcohol, tobacco and drugs, that soda increases your risk of cancer and so on. We are sure that you aren’t convinced and that you still enjoy your soda on a daily basis. You shouldn’t be bothered with what people say, just follow your taste buds and stay loyal to your soda – because when you don’t quit, THIS happens to you…

1. Your Heart Rocks, Literally

In 2012, a study from Harvard University found that drinking just one can of soda a day dramatically increases the risk of chronic heart disease. Soda lovers who can’t stop at one can are 20 percent more likely to have a heart attack. “Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with increased risk of CHD and some adverse changes in lipids, inflammatory factors, and leptin,” the researchers concluded.

2. You GAIN…………………………………………… Weight

Drinking one can a day of sugary drinks translates to more than 1lb of weight gain every month. For each additional soda consumed the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times. Soda is a direct contributor to the obesity epidemic. If you ditch soda, you’ll ditch those pesky lovehandles too.

3. You Become Sweeter

A single can of soda contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar. This amount of sugar, especially when dissolved in water, skyrockets the blood sugar and causes an insulin reaction in the body. A diet high in sugar can interfere with a number of neurological processes, particularly those involved in memory making.

4. Your Kidneys Are As Tough As Stones

Drinking two or more soda-based drinks a day considerably increases the risk of chronic kidney disease. Soft drinks often lead to the formation of kidney stones because of their acidity and radical mineral imbalance. Your body must buffer the acidity of soft drinks with calcium from your own bones…. As this calcium is eliminated through your urine, it slowly forms kidney stones…. you’ve always wanted balls of stone, grow your pair today!

5. Don’t Worry About The Weight Gain. Your Bones Get Skinny!

Soda contains phosphoric acid, which interferes with the body’s ability to absorb calcium and can lead to osteoporosis, cavities and bone softening. Phosphoric Acid also interacts with stomach acid, slowing digestion and blocking nutrient absorption.

6.  Save Time! Save Money! No More Stress…. Get Death and ImpotenceNOW!

A few soda cans contain Bysphenol-A, or BPA, which is linked to breast and prostate cancer, metabolic disorder, impairment of the endocrine system, premature puberty, infertility, and Type II diabetes.

7. You No Longer Have To Fake A Smile

Drinking soda regularly causes plaque to build up on the teeth and can lead to cavities and gum disease. Soda also lowers the pH of the saliva, boosting bacterial proliferation and dental erosion. Diet soda is no exception. In a 2013 study, researchers found that a woman who drank 2 liters of diet soda every day for 3-5 years had the same level of tooth decay as a meth addict.

8. You Will Always Be High…. Sort of

Soda drinks are a major source of caffeine. High doses of caffeine can cause irritability, restlessness, tension, insomnia, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal disturbance, excessive urination, irregular heartbeat and other side effects.

9. You Will Be Made Breathless With Your New Lifestyle Options

Scientists have linked soda consumption to an elevated risk of pulmonary complications, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). “The amount of soft drink consumption is associated with an increased chance of asthma and/or COPD. There exists a dose-response relationship, which means the more soft drink one consumes, the higher the chance of having these diseases,” researchers found in a 2012 study.

10. Beat Alcohol Addiction! Soda will Destroy Your Liver So Alcohol can’t!

There is evidence that consumption of too many soft drinks puts you under increased risk for liver cirrhosis similar to what chronic alcoholics have. Sodas contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. The process of making High Fructose Corn Syrup involves traces of mercury. High fructose consumption is directly linked to fatty and toxic liver.

The Real Reason Everyone's Fat And the First Step to Getting Lean

The world is getting fatter and everybody's an expert on why. Here's a list of what people blame:

• Diets: Too restrictive, conflicting information
• The fitness industry: Conflicting info, intimidating, too much overt sexiness
• Sugar: Addictive
• McDonald's: Makes us fat
• Gyms: Intimidating
• Spouses: Tempt us with junk food
• Children: Make us buy junk food
• Parents: Allowed us to overeat junk food as kids
• Jobs: Cause stress, make us sit
• Magazines: Use Photoshop and good-looking people

Do these things play a role in obesity? Indirectly, maybe. But the buck stops with you and your response to them.

The Ability to Take Responsibility

Is it really any wonder the world is becoming fatter? We're also becoming less capable of taking responsibility. It's a virtue that's going out of style. This sucks because the better you get at taking responsibility, the more likely you are to look for opportunity to fix your circumstances instead of becoming a victim of them. And if you haven't noticed, cry-baby victimhood is today's hottest trend.

This is how mental weakness turns into physical weakness. Weak people are quick to point the finger at outside sources instead of finding opportunities to overcome their personal challenges.

Granted, the things they blame can be legitimate challenges. There are physiological and psychological factors that make fat loss and muscle gain seem impossible. But NOBODY gets a free pass. That means fit people often have just as many (or more) personal disadvantages to fight against as fat people.

The Truth About Fit People

Everybody who's in shape fights for it in some way. It's not given to us. We all have personal disadvantages and challenges to overcome. So unless you're among the very few genetically gifted and environmentally blessed, you can't get lean without a struggle. You can't build muscle without a struggle. And you certainly won't maintain either without struggling in some way.

On top of that, your struggles will change yearly, monthly, sometimes even daily. So once you overcome your initial challenges, you'll be faced with more. And they happen everywhere: under the barbell, at school, in the doctor's office, in the kitchen or the car, anywhere! Getting in shape isn't a thing that happens exclusively at the gym. It's what you do constantly with every choice you make.

The Fitness Fight

I wasn't a natural born athlete and don't have the genetics to be naturally or easily lean. As a kid I medicated stress and sadness with food. My role model was my big sister, who was bulimic. As a teen, I attended Overeater's Anonymous and ended up fighting my challenges with weight training, competitive bodybuilding, cross country, self-help books, and the grace of God.

It was hard. And I still had to overcome some crazy eating patterns in my twenties. But I fought back then and, with a different set of challenges, I fight now. Emotional eating and overeating no longer burden me, but that doesn't mean leanness and muscularity are just handed to me. Nor are they handed to anyone else who chooses to train regularly and eat wisely.

My challenges today? Injuries that I work around in the gym, painful food sensitivities, and chronically low iron. And once these are fixed a brand new set of challenges will come along later. That's life. But it's not a good enough reason to let myself go and blame the world for my missteps.

Your Body, Your Business

Most people haven't been bitten by the fitness bug. They're not into lifting, nor do they go to the store thinking about macronutrients, ingredients, or overall nutritional value. That's fine.

They're into what they're into. And they're often extremely smart people, which means that if they want to get stronger and leaner, they'll find ways. They can hire trainers, read books, do a bit of research, cook for themselves instead of eating out, imbibe a little less, sleep a little more, and plug into groups of people with similar challenges.

Same with you. If you're overweight, don't let anyone tell you that you don't have a choice, or that you got this way and it was totally out of your control. Why? Because if you think like that, then you probably won't ever feel competent enough to take control, at least not long-term.

If you don't care about strengthening your body or improving your health, that's your business. You will prioritize what's important to you. Just don't say the fitness industry failed you, or that diet books, food manufacturers, or your family is to blame for the repercussions you're facing now. It's your body and YOUR business, remember?

Sycophants Aren't Helping

A sycophant is someone who tells people exactly what they want to hear. Ass-kisser is a synonym.

So let's say YOU are fit. Maybe you're even in the business as a personal trainer, expert, or a variation of inspirational-millennial-life-coach. Yet you tell fat people it's not their fault, they have no choice, and they should embrace the bodies they have now – no matter how unhealthy or out of shape they are. That's bullshit and you know it.

You know that people who are out of shape could be making the best choices within their circumstances, no matter how unfortunate those circumstances are. And you know that "body acceptance" is a sham because their lives would be much easier if their frail frames and feeble joints weren't hauling around extra weight.

You know they'd feel better about themselves, have more energy, move more freely, take fewer meds, sleep better, get out more, have fewer doctors' appointments, deal with less pain, have better sex, and (ironically) enjoy their food a lot more than they do now.

There's a way to be both compassionate and honest. But by playing the sycophant you're encouraging people to be the victims rather than the masters of their circumstances. And I hope that people who are out of shape make the choices that prove you wrong. Because you see, if they can CHOOSE to get in better shape today, then they could've CHOSEN better behaviors in the first place that would have kept them from getting where they are now. There is a choice.

Your patronizing pity is more insulting than the brutal honesty of someone who says, "You're fat and here's what you can do about it."

I hope your clients flip the mental switch and take responsibility. I hope they embrace the struggle because that's how you overcome challenges. This requisite struggle is what most people avoid, but it means something new is happening. It means they're now fighting personal disadvantages, the way we all do when we make the choice to get in shape.

The First Step In Change

The longer you've let yourself go, the harder it'll be to create habits that'll make you leaner and stronger. And you won't ever change unless you see challenges as what they are: beatable. The good news is, the more punches you throw, the better you get at it.

Accusing other people for causing your circumstances only postpones the good stuff you could be enjoying. So personal responsibility is nonnegotiable. It's the first step.

Then expect temptation and plan how you're going to beat it. Temptation is inescapable and everyone faces it. If you're still blaming your spouse for sabotaging you with tempting food, don't count on changing. We're all tempted by about the same shit; your challenges aren't special. And even if you're injured or ill, there's still a way to choose the best options within your given set of circumstances.

Can't get support at home? Find it elsewhere, then be a role model for your family. It'll be a struggle, but it's supposed to be. Everyone experiences that. If you're not struggling, then you're probably not making progress. The struggle is what keeps you from getting weaker, fatter, less mobile, and more incompetent as the owner of your body.

The blame-game won't make you any fitter or healthier. It's not working for the rest of the world, so don't expect it to work for you. The question is, are you going to fight your challenges or let them own you? The choice is yours. It always has been. It always will be.

By Dani Shugart

https://www.t-nation.com/blogs/the-real-reason-everyones-fat