Stevia Question-can it stall you like Splenda?

[tara5578]

I would like to know if anyone can tell me if I use Stevia(I have stopped using Splenda bc I have not lost any weight). I am assuming that it would have the same reaction as other sweetners but here's hoping!!! I really would like to have a sweet fix once in a while!!!

I checked on other forums and could not find the answer to this question

[Elizellen]

Hi Tara

I havent seen many posts about people experiencing weightloss problems that they attribute to stevia, but as with many foods it is a YMMV (your mileage may vary) matter.

The only way to know for sure would be to switch sweeteners (or even stop using any) and see how you go

The fact that you have not lost weight in your initial induction period does not mean that you will never lose weight following Atkins or that you are doing anything wrong - we had one admin who also lost absolutely nothing in induction but did carry on up the OWL ladder and reached her goal.

According to http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm your BMI is probably 25.1 which is just 0.1 above the high end of the 'normal' range and the 'medical' suggestion is that 136 - 179 lbs would be a healthy weight for a woman of your height and age.

On these forums we see that for many of our members who do not have much weight to lose it does take some time following Atkins for them to see any losses, and they do not experience the 'woosh' that those with more weight to lose have.

So hang in there and hopefully you will get the weightloss you hope for in time.

[tara5578]

Thank you for all your help!! You have so much great info to offer this site it is wonderful! What you are saying does make sense. I will just have to be more patient. I am not planning on going off the diet so I am in for the long haul!!
I will try the stevia and see how it goes. I have had it for a while and never tried so I am very curious.

Thanks again soooo much!!

[Elizellen]

Let us know how you find it, Tara.

I have a bottle of it bought a while ago but havent yet had any success using it on the few times I tried it in recipes so would love to know what you find successful.

[Creek]

I love Stevia. The secret to using it is to use very, very small amounts. My favorite Stevia product is the liquid that is flavored with vanilla creme. It's wonderful in unsweetned yogurt and blended into cream cheese. Most people don't like the taste in coffee, but it's good in tea.

I've preformed my own tests with sweetner's reactions on my blood glucose. Aspartame spikes my blood glucose in the identical way that sugar does (and Aspartame will hold it higer for a longer period of time) , Splenda (packets) cause a slight increase, Stevia causes no reaction at all (whether powedered or liquid).

If you use Stevia powder, be aware that it does contain Inulin fiber, and too much of it can give you the "runs".

As much as is possible, I've tried to avoid adding sweetner to anything (like iced tea, etc) because I want to re-train my taste buds away from sweet, but the unsweetned yogurt needed something, and 4 drops of liquid stevia vanilla creme in a 1/2 cup, really made a delicious change.

[Elizellen]

Thank you for posting that, Creek.

I think I used too much stevia when I tried it

[mitzimarie]

Hello

I think I know the answer to this question, but I'll throw it out there anyway.

I know that you are not able to cook with Stevia like you are able to with Splenda - does that mean that Stevia cannot be used in things that I heat in the microwave on high for a minute? For example, my pumpkin concoction and my muffin in a minute. Both of these things are only in the microwave for a minute, but they get EXTREMEY HOT in that one minute. Can Stevia stand up to that, or is better used on items that don't "cook" at all?

Thank you!

[Creek]

Actually, Stevia is safe in cooking and processing. Because it's a natural product, it doesn't react or change character when heated. The draw back to using Stevia is that it does not measure like sugar for subsitution in recipes.

Try Stevia in your muffin, but start with half what you think you need. Remember you can always add more, but it's hard to take it out. I really recommend the flavored liquid Stevia. They make a cinnamon flavor too and I'm thinking that would be good with your muffin.

By the way, you are really famous for that pumpkin concoction!