Stevia....yay or nay?

[ProfessorSlim 115]

Do you use Stevia? And do you completely avoid sugar post-op, just wondering...and yes, I will ask my surgeon too...just wondering what people have been told and do...thx!

[Rainbow_Warrior 996]

Best to give up sucrose altogether.

Best to steer clear of chemical-laden sweeteners too.

There are a couple of 'natural' plant based sweeteners worth trying if you really have to BUT you'd be surprised how quickly you start enjoying the actual unsweetened taste of nearly all foods.

[Berry78 4,261]

What a question... I think sweetener preference is as varied as religions, and like religion, everyone is as sure THEY are right and any differing opinions are wrong.

My personal opinion is I want to steer clear of anything artificial. Real sugar in occasional treats is fine (birthdays). Day to day, I don't consume anything sweet except one piece of whole fruit or sweet potato.

[gwbicster 257]

Stevia is natural. However few people take Stevia in a 100% natural state. Real pure Stevia foams up dramatically. Truvia, however, is a small part Stevia and the rest is chemicals.

Since I don't like pure Stevia, I use Truvia despite the chemicals. I feel like it's a bit healthier than Splenda (gives me the runs) so it's my sweetener of choice.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

I use SweetLeaf or vitacost liquid stevia. For certain things I also use Truvia and also Sukrin (another stevia blend that is "mostly" natural). Oh, I also use Sweet n Low and on occasion will use the eleventy billion of bottles of sugar free Da Vinci syrups I've had forevs. What can I say? I have a little eff you spunk in me.

[SippinAintEasy 78]

I have been using Stevia for a couple years. Research is starting to show that fake sugar still effects your blood sugar. The chemical laden ones (sweet n low, Splenda, equal) definitely effect brain chemistry. As far as I know, stevia doesn't effect brain health. Not sure if it messes with blood sugar in a research environment. For me, I can definitely feel my cravings get triggered with the chemical sweeteners, but I do not with Stevia. I don't feel any blood sugar issues when I use Stevia. I think long term it depends on what your poison has been. I plan on eating sugar, continuing to use Stevia in my coffee. Sugar and sweets for me were never my issue. Yeah I love them, but they weren't what caused me to keep my weight on. For me it was fast food. So that I have to avoid like the plague. I believe the more we deprive oursleves and the longer our list of "no-nos" gets, the more it messes with us psychologically and we perpetuate our unhealthy relationship with food. We pretty much all know what we should and shouldn't eat. The problem is in our heads. So the solution needs to be in our heads. I plan to focus on being mindful, listening the my brain-body connection, stopping when I'm full and being kind to my body, eat when my stomach is hungry, not my brain. I know my tastes have and will continue to change and I'll go with that. For me, I have dieted and restricted foods for 25 years and it got me no where. I need to try a different approach besides hard lines and a long list of banned food. (Of course, this is all within the parameter of Protein first, veggies next, carbs if there's room.)

[James Marusek 5,244]

I strictly avoid processed sugars. I have a sweet tooth and that is one of the major causes that contributed to my weight gain over my lifetime. I limit myself to artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda and sugar alcohols), to natural low calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia) and to the natural sugars found in fruits and milk. I had diabetes. That went into remission when I left the hospital two days after surgery and I have not taken any diabetic medicine ever since and my blood sugar levels are good. I test my blood sugar levels periodically. I read the labels of all food that I consume. I look at the grams of sugar per serving. If it is above 5 grams, I look at the ingredients. The ingredients are listed in order by highest percentage, and if the first 5 ingredients contain processed sugar (in any of its many forms), then I avoid this food, like a plague.

[Introversion 1,876]

1 hour ago, ProfessorSlim said:

Do you use Stevia? And do you completely avoid sugar post-op, just wondering...

I am 2.5 years out and use Stevia even though it is not my sweetener of choice. I prefer Equal (aspartame) and Sweet-N-Low (saccharin), the two much-maligned artificial sweeteners.

I do not avoid sugar, although I do not purposely seek it out, either. Most of my sugar consumption is in the form of hidden sugars in Pasta Sauce, Salad Dressing, Peanut Butter, etc.

[jess9395 5,449]

Four years out. I've always used fake sweeteners. In my coffee, Protein Shakes, Protein Bars and Greek yogurt mostly.

Now that I'm at goal I don't avoid real sugar as much.... still isn't a regular part of my diet but I have it weekly or so.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

2 hours ago, James Marusek said:

I strictly avoid processed sugars. I have a sweet tooth and that is one of the major causes that contributed to my weight gain over my lifetime. I limit myself to artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda and sugar alcohols), to natural low calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia) and to the natural sugars found in fruits and milk. I had diabetes. That went into remission when I left the hospital two days after surgery and I have not taken any diabetic medicine ever since and my blood sugar levels are good. I test my blood sugar levels periodically. I read the labels of all food that I consume. I look at the grams of sugar per serving. If it is above 5 grams, I look at the ingredients. The ingredients are listed in order by highest percentage, and if the first 5 ingredients contain processed sugar (in any of its many forms), then I avoid this food, like a plague.

You know James, this really brings up a good point about the use of "substitutes." We're all so different! So I'm of the opinion, when you ask questions like this, OP, you almost have to examine personal triggers. Over time, with my personality, I don't do good with absolutes and abstinence. I always backslide if I put something entirely off limits. But if I know I "can" choose something if I really wanted it bad enough, it doesn't carry as much power over me. You know?

But that said, sweets have never been a trigger. My triggers are crunchy, salty, pasta-y, potato-y, ricy carbalicious temptations, along with cheesy, gooey nonsense. So using artificial sweeteners really aren't one of the things that triggers shenanigans in me. But brown rice and quinoa (supposed healthy carbs) will light my fire as quickly as Uncle Ben's white converted long grain rice and Hungry Jacks Potato Flakes (2 former secret guilty pleasures)...so I do try to avoid them as much as possible. I can't say I will never indulge in them, especially if I follow my new anatomy rules of Protein first, veggies, then if room--a bit of carby nonsense. I just won't make dishes with them as a main ingredient.

It would be the same thing for me with artificial sweeteners if sweets were my thang. I mostly believe that the dose makes the poison. And if that dose is like a hit of heroin, then run! Runaway! But if not, I'm not absolutely sure that it matters which artificial substitute you use.

Just my 2 cents. What do y'all think? Do you think real life works this way??

Edited September 30, 2017 by FluffyChix

[niseys4 130]

Hello Everyone! Im only 7 wks post op & i tried liquid & powdered stevia, both tasted awful to me & would have a terrible after taste! Then I read about all natural Monk Fruit. It comes in powder form either in packet or in a bag like cane sugar! It has a wonderful sweet taste with no after taste. Only problem is that so far I can only find it in Sprouts farmers market!

Sent from my SM-T530NU using BariatricPal mobile app

[XYZXYZXYZ1955 675]

47 minutes ago, niseys4 said:

Hello Everyone! Im only 7 wks post op & i tried liquid & powdered stevia, both tasted awful to me & would have a terrible after taste! Then I read about all natural Monk Fruit. It comes in powder form either in packet or in a bag like cane sugar! It has a wonderful sweet taste with no after taste. Only problem is that so far I can only find it in Sprouts farmers market!

Sent from my SM-T530NU using BariatricPal mobile app

I don't know if you shop online, but Amazon (of course) has this, as do many other online sources--Wal-Mart, Thrive, etc. I personally love online shopping--can find nearly anything and have it delivered to your home, what could be easier?

[LillieDuFran 127]

4 hours ago, ProfessorSlim said:

Do you use Stevia? And do you completely avoid sugar post-op, just wondering...and yes, I will ask my surgeon too...just wondering what people have been told and do...th

I have used Stevia forever (or Truvia) and the NUT said it's fine. However, I found doing the post op that I really like tea (de caf) better without anything than with Stevia. I think our tastes do change along & along the road.

[ProfessorSlim 115]

Thanks for all the great responses! I was watching one of the many excellent Dr Matthew Weiner videos....his opinion is Nope, don't use artificial sweetners, Put a bit of fruit into tea, or Water etc, for a bit of sweetness.

I think I am going to go with this mindset....I am a huge diet coke addict....I drink 2-3 per day, and i know it is crap, and makes you crave carbs, and I'll be done with it before my pre-op date and then never again with the diet coke!

So, I think avoiding all of these sweetners might be my best bet.

[ChaosUnlimited 559]

4 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

You know James, this really brings up a good point about the use of "substitutes." We're all so different! So I'm of the opinion, when you ask questions like this, OP, you almost have to examine personal triggers. Over time, with my personality, I don't do good with absolutes and abstinence. I always backslide if I put something entirely off limits. But if I know I "can" choose something if I really wanted it bad enough, it doesn't carry as much power over me. You know?

But that said, sweets have never been a trigger. My triggers are crunchy, salty, pasta-y, potato-y, ricy carbalicious temptations, along with cheesy, gooey nonsense. So using artificial sweeteners really aren't one of the things that triggers shenanigans in me. But brown rice and quinoa (supposed healthy carbs) will light my fire as quickly as Uncle Ben's white converted long grain rice and Hungry Jacks Potato Flakes (2 former secret guilty pleasures)...so I do try to avoid them as much as possible. I can't say I will never indulge in them, especially if I follow my new anatomy rules of Protein first, veggies, then if room--a bit of carby nonsense. I just won't make dishes with them as a main ingredient.

It would be the same thing for me with artificial sweeteners if sweets were my thang. I mostly believe that the dose makes the poison. And if that dose is like a hit of heroin, then run! Runaway! But if not, I'm not absolutely sure that it matters which artificial substitute you use.

Just my 2 cents. What do y'all think? Do you think real life works this way??

This! I completely agree @FluffyChix. Certain things are triggers for certain people, and you have to choose what works best for you.

I like Sweet-n-low for my coffee because it has the best flavor (to me) next to sugar. I drink one cup of coffee (decaf) per day on most days, but not all. I do it for the flavor, because I like it, so trying to substitute a sweeter that doesn't give me that flavor I want will just make me crave it until I get it. So I have the sweet-n-low because it's better than the calories from sugar, and then I'm done and don't think about it again until the next morning.