sweet taste? anyone give up all sweeteners?

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Ok - so I know on atkins the "allowance" is up to 3 packets of splenda a day - right?...

well, for the most part - on an average day - i only have added splenda in my tea in the morning (legal, herbal hot tea) - I always add 1 tbsp of heavy cream and about a tbsp of a sugar free davinci syrup (either caramel, vanilla or kaluah)

And I also do have at lunch 1 little lemon wedge in my water and/or plain iced tea (depending on the day)...as I know that the book says it's ok to have what, about 1 tbsp of lemon juice?

other than that tbsp of sf davinci syrup and 1 wedge of lemon I have NO added sweeteners or anything throughout the day.

The thing is, though - I'm beginning to think I'm so metabolically resistant (i am insulin resistant) that ANY type of sweet taste messes with my insulin levels (which I've heard that even just the taste of sweet can do that...)

I am wondering if any of you out there do not have ANY sweeteners at all whatsoever - not even the allowance of splenda that the book says is "ok" to have...

I am VERY happy/ecstatic with my weight loss - but I seriously should change my name to turtle. 11 weeks now and 12.5 pounds is ALL i've lost total - including the 8 during the 2 weeks of induction.

I already gave up aspartame all together about 3 weeks ago (i was eating 1 sugar free jello at night for a while but totally gave that up)

But I'm thinking I need to even completely give up splenda.

Just wondering if anyone else COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY gave up ALL sweeteners alltogether and if they noticed a difference?

[Georgiana]

I have one serving every 1-2 months, when I am testing a dessert recipe or something that requires sweetener. However, I often discover that the recipe tastes better without the added sweetness, because our taste buds react differently to foods now than they did previous to Atkins. For example, I just moved to OWL Rung 4, and I find berries too sweet to eat them alone... so I have to add them in yogurt, quark, etc.

When I want something sweet, I eat red peppers, mushrooms topped with cheese, grilled tomatoes, yogurt with berries...

[not2late]

I have a serving maybe once every two weeks (I've gone without for months.)

It's never messed up my weight loss, but then I don't use it enough for it to even have an effect.

What I have noticed is that I can detect the natural sweetness in foods. Strawberries are sugary sweet. Watermelon and melons almost unbearably sweet. I can tell if sugar has been added to any sauces or meats (or anything else that typically won't have it!) Crabs and lobster are so sweet to me that I need to eat them with lemon juice in order to make them edible for me. In fact, I reach more for acidic things like vinegar and lemon or lime juice than sweet-sour things like ketchup to make my savory foods edible.

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Originally Posted by Georgiana

I have one serving every 1-2 months, when I am testing a dessert recipe or something that requires sweetener. However, I often discover that the recipe tastes better without the added sweetness, because our taste buds react differently to foods now than they did previous to Atkins. For example, I just moved to OWL Rung 4, and I find berries too sweet to eat them alone... so I have to add them in yogurt, quark, etc.

When I want something sweet, I eat red peppers, mushrooms topped with cheese, grilled tomatoes, yogurt with berries...

QUICK QUESTION...what is "quark"? I know it as a software program I use as I am a Desktop Publisher...but yeah I'm thinkin' not the same thing - lol!

[not2late]

Quark is a type of cultured or fermented milk product, like kefir or genuine buttermilk.

[basketballbelly]

Originally Posted by keriann_forgoodthistime

The thing is, though - I'm beginning to think I'm so metabolically resistant (i am insulin resistant) that ANY type of sweet taste messes with my insulin levels (which I've heard that even just the taste of sweet can do that...)

Insulin spikes are a physical reaction to actual sugar, it is not a mental disability, one can not have a sugar spike if one tastes something sweet that does not have sugar in it. If you are having insulin spikes from the 'taste' of something sweet, it might be something a doctor can dx. It is possible the artificial sweetners affect you differently than most, but I highly doubt they are giving you insulin spikes.

I am ADDICTED to sweet tastes. I simply will not give up my sf drinks (I don't drink them as much, maybe one serving a day) but I just can't give them up and I've never had any form of insulin spike because of it.

Good luck!

bbb

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by basketballbelly

Insulin spikes are a physical reaction to actual sugar, it is not a mental disability, one can not have a sugar spike if one tastes something sweet that does not have sugar in it. If you are having insulin spikes from the 'taste' of something sweet, it might be something a doctor can dx. It is possible the artificial sweetners affect you differently than most, but I highly doubt they are giving you insulin spikes.

I am ADDICTED to sweet tastes. I simply will not give up my sf drinks (I don't drink them as much, maybe one serving a day) but I just can't give them up and I've never had any form of insulin spike because of it.

Artificial sweeteners can trigger the cephalic phase insulin response in some folks. If you are addicted to sweets, even if they are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, this may be what happens.

Here is a sticky thread that explains it:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-response.html (Addicted to Sweets? The Cephalic Phase Insulin Response)

[basketballbelly]

Originally Posted by Georgiana

Artificial sweeteners can trigger the cephalic phase insulin response in some folks. If you are addicted to sweets, even if they are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, this may be what happens.

Here is a sticky thread that explains it:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-response.html (Addicted to Sweets? The Cephalic Phase Insulin Response)

I would have to read the scientific data behind this, it does not even make sense. I'm am interested enough though to ask my doc about it next week when I go in to be weighed...I'll report back.

bbb

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

Originally Posted by Georgiana

Artificial sweeteners can trigger the cephalic phase insulin response in some folks. If you are addicted to sweets, even if they are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, this may be what happens.

Here is a sticky thread that explains it:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-response.html (Addicted to Sweets? The Cephalic Phase Insulin Response)

Thanks for this link, Georgina, I've been trying to find more information about it on the web but I'm not having too much luck.
Like I said, i've heard of it from a few low carb forums/podcasts, etc...but of course it's not something I'd considered til recently and if this IS the case, for me, then out go ALL of the sweeteners.

[not2late]

More stuff about the Cephalic Phase Insulin Response
Log In Problems
Determinants of the cephalic-phase insulin respons...[Metabolism. 1996] - PubMed Result

The abstract of this article Cephalic phase, reflex insulin secretion. Neuroana...[Diabetologia. 1981] - PubMed Result
states this:

we have shown that the sweet taste of a saccharin solution reliably triggers a rapid cephalic phase insulin response (CPIR), in the absence of any significant change of glycemia.

This study supports the prior one, but uses rats: Relationships between insulin release and taste. [Biomed Res. 2007] - PubMed Result

Tasting sweet food elicits insulin release prior to increasing plasma glucose levels, known as cephalic phase insulin release (CPIR

this study uses human males Sweet taste: effect on cephalic phase insulin rele...[Physiol Behav. 1995] - PubMed Result

Your doctor may be able to get the entire studies for you, so you can read them rather than the abstracts.