Sugar Busters & Weight Loss Notes

I don't know if anyone is even still out there, but here goes nothing.

It seems as though several of us are in the process of attempting to lose weight. I thought I'd share some notes that might be helpful and put out there what I'm doing. I'm on a "diet" called Sugar Busters. You can Wiki it, but there isn't much there. There's also a book that explains everything in depth and lays out all the guidelines. It's available on Amazon.com if anyone is interested.

First I should say I've cut my daily calorie intake down to a maximum of 1500. To maintain my target weight, it would require roughly 2200 calories.For a feel of the reduction, it took roughly 4200 calories to maintain my starting weight. Once I get a supply of Shackley (sp) Powder, my lunch every day will be a protein shake. Currently it's something like a single deer patty or 1 turkey sandwich on wheat. Dinner/Supper should be your main meal and follow the rules I list below - eat 1 meat and a vegetable or two every night, though.

That said, Sugar Busters is more a lifestyle than a "diet." The main goal of Sugar Busters is to inhibit the release of insulin by the pancreas. Insulin is the primary chemical in the body that is responsible for fat storage. That means this "diet" works as well for diabetics as it does for non-diabetics.

Sugar Busters accomplishes the inhibition of insulin through 2 main things: 1) Elimination of processed sugar and 2) elimination of bad carbs. Yes, that's right, there are such a thing as good carbs. This is one of the main differences between Sugar Busters and most other fad diets around right now. One source of good carbs is whole wheats & grains.

With all that said, here are the "rules" I'm currently following as defined by Sugar Busters:

1. One Plate of Food. Period.
2. No Desserts
3. No White Bread, White Rice, White Potatoes, or Pasta.
4. No Fried Food
5. No Juice - Can use Crystal Light individual packs or Kool-Aid w/ Splenda or sugar free Kool-Aid
6. No Cokes/Pop/Soda
7. No Cheese
8. No Corn
9. No Watermelon
10. No Butter
11. No BBQ Sauce
12. Breakfast - Oatmeal - No instant, no butter, no sugar, etc. Splenda & Cinnamon is ok. I eat fresh fruit for breakfast some. Eggs are also ok.
13. Fruit: up to 30 minutes before a meal or 2 hours after. Apples, Pears, Grapes, Cantaloupe, Strawberries, Grapefruit are fine. If canned, nothing in heavy syrup. Stick with fresh when possible.
14. 2 Beef Meals a Week Max. Extra Lean Grilled Hamburger is one example.
15. 2 Fish Meals a Week Max
16. Turkey, Chicken, or Deer for Primary Meat source
17. Walnuts: 6-8 individual nuts. No more.
18. Peanut Butter is ok, but I eat reduced fat PB normally.
19. No Fat/Light Salad Dressing
20. Seasonings: Cavenders, Lawry’s, Old Bay, Corky’s are what I use and all approved. KC Masterpiece is also good for meats. Use powders, not liquids. Liquids tend to have more calories & ingredients that run up the blood sugar and trigger insulin release. Normal spices like paprika, black pepper, etc. are allowed, but I would hope everyone assumed that. Lemon pepper chicken is a good example of a completely legal and spiced meal. Salsa is an excellent choice to use.

Sugar Busters is proven to work. I did a modified form of it back in 2002 and lost 50 pounds in 4 months. While I think weight loss on that rapid a scale is abnormal, the plan itself works. Essentially, you eat the way people ate before the invention of processed sugars and white bread. Starches are an absolute killer.

Believe it or not, these rules actually are not nearly as bad as they seem. It's pretty simple to follow and somewhat flexible, even in dine out situations. Steak and vegetables are usually a legal combination. I'm also drinking roughly 100 ounces of water/unsweet tea most days. Staying hydrated is important, and water also boosts your metabolism. I know it'll be hard, but stop drinking your sweet tea. If you choose to do this, even in a modified form, you won't believe the changes you'll begin having. As you eliminate the processed sugars from your system and diet, your taste buds will begin to once again sense the presence of natural sugars in foods you're eating. Things you might not have considered "sweet" before will suddenly taste sweet after a few months. I remember the last time I did a modified version of Sugar Busters, peanut butter began to taste very sweet to me. Just remember, it's not just about calories, it's about what you're eating.

Wow, this wound up being a whole lot longer than I thought it would be. Still, I hope you'll make it through this marathon note and learn a few things. If I didn't know this diet worked and believe in the basic principles of it so much, I wouldn't push it. But the results I've had previously and am currently having speak for themselves. Like I said, if you don't want to do Sugar Busters hardcore, that's fine. Modify it some. Just don't modify to the point you are no longer obeying the 2 key tenets of eliminating processed sugar and "bad" carbs. And don't feel like you have to give up things forever and ever. I love pasta, so I intend to occasionally have some. But by occasionally, I mean no more than once a month, if that often.

I should note that I've only been doing Sugar Busters about 3 weeks now. I've already lost 12 pounds. I started at 290. At my weekly weigh-in this afternoon, I was a hair under 278. It wasn't enough to call it 277, so I rounded up to the nearest whole pound. I should also note I've lost this much without working out/exercising the way I should. Studying for the Bar has really sapped the time I'd normally spend going to the gym. If I had been working out regularly, I probably would have lost more by now. My ultimate goal is 215. For reference, that's 10 pounds less than I weighed most of the time I was at State, if you knew me then.

Good luck, my friends.