Question about sugar...
 

I am not some sugar addict... anymore. I know there are alternatives out there, but I feel that they will eventually find something wrong with them also.

I usually have a half of cup of oatmeal each morning with some cinnamon and sugar. Is three teaspoons of sugar too much? I mean it is morning, and I am not consuming added sugar the rest of the day.

Okay? Or not?

White sugar is the devil.
If you really need to sweeten it up,try honey or raw sugar. I would normally use some banana or raw blueberries to sweeten up oatmeal.

I think as long as you keep your cals in budget you ok. I know, refine carb are bad but i can't live without white stuff, so I limit it in my cals budget.
1tsp sugar=16 cals so you have about 58 cals from sugar, I don't think that too bad.
I rather have sugar than chemical sweetener.
Mai

You'll never reach your goal by cutting corners like that- you have to keep focused. I found losing weight to be just as mentally demanding as the physical side of it.
There's plenty of natural options to satsify the sweet tooth-
Just say'n......

I think everyone has to decide on their own trade offs. I feel that if you're overly rigid, you're more likely to give up. The mental part of it can kill you in that way, too.

I don't think it's fair to tell someone they'll never reach their goals, based on one tiny little piece of information and not knowing the rest of their plan. For example, I don't eat perfectly, but I eat nutritiously most of the time. I'll never give up frozen yogurt, but I reached all my goals: I'm 43 years old, have a BMI of 19.5, and a body fat of 18-19%.

We all have to find our own way through this. Yes, we have to be honest with ourselves, but what works for some doesn't work for everyone.

Point taken-I'll be sure to type with kid gloves on next time I respond to a post;)

I am on my way to my goal and I still have white sugar in my coffee in the am. don't worry about this perfectionism thing..no one is perfect nor should we strive to be so rigid that we break from the stress..relax a bit and enjoy your life while striving for a balance you can live with. Ask yourself, "How much fun am I too live with?"...important question to my mind! and all this is said IMHO.

One other point I would like to make. The further I go into my 'program' the more changes I make ( I eat lentils..me!!lol ) so you will find, most likely, that you will gather information and make changes in your habits. I no longer eat red meat and for health reasons don't eat wheat and have cut down on dairy by about 95% ... So things can and do change. I am constantly learning and find that a huge joy in life - so live long and prosper!!

Have you considered looking for a different way to sweeten things? Personally I like a little maple syrup, not stuff they sell at the grocery store for pancakes, but the real McCoy and it's incredibly yummy on oatmeal. DH likes honey. I still use white sugar occasionally, but I find more and more often I can find a way to avoid it.

In addition to almeeker's suggestions, raw sugar and agave syrup are good, too.

Another vote for agave syrup (sometimes sold as agave nectar), it's great stuff. I haven't tried it on porridge, I like mine plain these days.

I used to put a bit of molasses on my porridge. It adds sweetness, but it also adds a strong enough flavour that I don't think you'd want as much of it - providing you actually like the flavour, of course, which I personally think is fab. It's a bit healthier than caster sugar, it's got a good mineral content as it's not heavily refined in the same way.

I know squat about sugar substitutes, stevia and the like, but presumably someone else here does?

If your level of sugar is bothering you, could you simply reduce it gradually and see how you get on? And as a few people have said, the odd teaspoon of sugar is unlikely to do much harm, you need to feel happy and satisfied with what you're eating. Plus it's entirely possible that if you are reducing sugar in your diet overall and generally eating more healthily, you'll find that you gradually want less sugar on your oatmeal anyway.

+1 for agave nectar / syrup
 

I've been getting mine at Trader Joe's ... in some stores it's pretty pricey. Start off with what you can, then, as the poster above said, you will find that you make additional changes as you go. I've been cutting down on sugar (until today -aaaargh!!), cutting out processed sweets and the 'white stuff' and now find that the things I used to eat taste too sweet (course it didn't stop me this morning). Having tested that this morning with a gargantuan muffin, I can say that I will remember the incredible over-sweetness that is scores of grams of white sugar for next time and pass up the pastries at work with no second thought.

Georgie
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*Trying one thing at a time, it's not a diet, it's a life.*