I've been reading the Carbohydrate Addicts Healthy Heart Plan, and in it, it says anything sweet will be treated by the body as if it IS sugar... all artificial sweeteners are included. It sounds logical, but I have some questions before I take their "4-day Challenge" and try giving them up.

If the sight, smell, taste or even THOUGHT of sweet foods can cause a surge of insulin, what on EARTH can I do about it? Trying NOT to think about something makes you think about it all the more! So now I can't even THINK about doughnuts????

I assume this means stevia as well....

If you aren't on CAD, where you can give in a bit to your sweet tooth, basically, you're resigned to never having dessert again? Or is it possible to have a "treat" now and again, as long as you balance your sugar-substitute treat with a meal of lc food?

I think there would be a benefit to cutting down on my sweetener intake, and I'm even willing to try quitting them altogether for awhile to see if it helps.

I'd appreciate any input or opinions!!!

I'm not on CAD and this is my experience.

My first year of LCing was pure - I didn't "cheat", ever. The odd time I got some real sugar when I ate out it made me feel ill - headache and hunger like mad. Sometimes when I'd eat berries in season and they were too sweet I'd get flushed and a sugar rush, even though they are quite low glycemically.

Prior to LC I was reactive hypoglyceamic - I'd get incredible mood swings, panic attacks and hunger pangs if I didn't eat RIGHT NOW. All this vanished with LC.

I was petrified of carbs because of all of this. Yet about a year later I tried doing a CKD (see the CKD / Body Opus forum). This plan involved eating like Atkins (even more strict than Induction actually) during the week and then consuming high GI carbs in large quantities for 24-48 hours over the weekend - the goal was to refill muscle glycogen and be able to lift heavy weights during the week to lose fat while maintaining lean mass. The lead up to my first carb up was anxiety filled. The carb up itself was anything but. After a year of LCing I'd successfully fixed my insulin resistance to the point that carbs no longer had any of those prevous effects on me.

IMHO, one of the goals of LCing is to do just this; heal insulin resistance and give you back the sensitivity that a diet excessive in carbs takes away. I can now eat the odd treat whenever I want with little ill effect; no headaches, no mood swings and no hunger. The only exception seems to be very sweet fruits - but they were a problem even while LCing and the sugar in fruits (fructose) is different from other sugars, it's metabolized in the liver and causes little insulin excretion (which is bizarre when you think about it).

Whether you can eat those odd treats is going to depend on just how resistant you are and on how well your sensitivity returns. Whether or not you're a carb addict will also be a big factor (I am not).

HTH
Nat

how did you know this? (ie, how will I be able to tell on me?)
thanks

I didn't mean eating sugar again... but since the book says your body reacts to even artificial sweeteners by releasing insulin, thus they should be avoided altogether as well, except at the reward meal. Being on Atkins, there IS no reward meal. I was wondering if there's still room for artificial sweeteners if combined with a lc meal? Would the other food "mask" the effect of the sweeteners? They say if you are reluctant to give them up, they ARE affecting you... maybe so, but the thought of NEVER eating something sweet again is dismal at best, and I'm not ready to switch plans just to get something sweet at the reward meal...

You'll know when you start adding back in carbs as you get closer to Maintenance. If you've had anything illegal or high carb during Induction you know what it's like - you've certainly read on here what it's like for others.

If an excess of carbs caused the problem in the first place, going to the opposite end of the spectrum - a drastic restriction in carbs - may be what is necessary to fix the problem. You end up somewhere in the middle when it's all said and done.

You may not complete heal the resistance, but you're undoubtely repairing sensitivity - as long as you don't go back to the old ways of eating (high carb) and you choose wisely from the good carbs you won't feel the way you used to (or I should say, the way I used to). YMMV: your personal limit is going to be different from mine, though. Activity level, LBM, personal metabolism will all factor into how much you can handle in Maintenance - not just that but not everyone reacts to all carbs the same way. Some can handle the fruit and the simple sugars but not the grains, others can do the grains but not the nightshades. It's a question of trial and error.

HTH
Nat

Hi potato,

I too wanted to check the theory so I got myself a blood glucose monitor that diabetics use. For me, the reaction seemed to be primarily in my head. I would sometimes get the same rush and the same compulsive reaction. One bite would not be enough and I would want more and more and more. I'm talking about artificial sweeteners only, not sugar alcohols.

There's a great article in Dana Carpenders Hold the Toast about using a glucometer. Here it is:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...ugar#post268634

If you do it, I would be interested in your results.

Karen

After reading the thread, and considering your result, I'm inclined to believe it's a conditioned response.. I was an EMT for 5 years, and the 5-point swing the one poster experienced COULD be a normal fluctuation, or the machine. We had a patient that could test 20 points different BEFORE treatment. It's like she saw us coming and her blood sugar started going down! I've seen nothing like it before or since, and the doc thought we were messing up the readings somehow....until it happened to HIM. Some things are just a mystery, I guess.

I think I'll try the less-scientific method and just cut down on them. It can't hurt, and just might help!