I eat maple and brown sugar, sugar free oatmeal alot and it is sweetend with Aspertan*. Is it okay to keep eating it or will it make me gain weight, it only has 100 calories, or should i get the regular kind that has more calories?

No one can answer that question for you.

you've provided NO information

Spend s ome time reading around the forum...

But my own opinion - sugar free/fat free/whateer free are not overly effective in helping people lose weight... eat what you like - make the calories work in your d ay

Try getting the type that has no flavorings at all, the big tubs of them are the best deal, you get 30 servings for around $3. You could also get steel cut oats, which are better for you, but require more time and cost more.

They taste pretty plain on their own, so add some fruit, nuts, cinnamon, etc. to it. It'll taste even better than the store bought version and will be much better for you.

You have to be careful with a lot of the sugar "alternatives," like aspartame.

Most of that stuff is artificial and since it's not found in nature, who knows how hard our bodies have to work to process it.

Yes, we will always crave sweet things! It's just best to either eat NATURAL sugar in moderation, or eat foods that have NATURAL sweeteners in them. I love foods with xylitol (a natural sweetener) b/c they don't spike my blood sugar and are a better alternative to all the artificial sweeteners!

~Tim

Tim, you realize you bring up xylitol in every single one of your posts, right? That might have something to do with why people are questioning your intentions.

Hint, hint.

Wow I have a follower already! wink wink

I know a lot about the sweetener and would love to share it with others. I also definitely value the collective knowledge and experience of others...so I'm open and looking for useful discussions on the matter.

Not sure if/why this is something to be frowned upon...

I could harp on antioxidants for ahwile...

Cheers!
Tim

Wait, let me guess.....acai berry products?

Show your diversity as a professional is all I'm saying, assuming it exists. I could focus my attention on a lot of products that could make me a lot of money. I've been asked to advertise particular energy drinks and pills on my site and the fact is, I'd never do it. That would be selling out in terms of the integrity of information this industry is built upon.

Granted, very few, especially "professionals", value or even recognize said integrity at this stage in the game in the fitness industry...

I don't attach myself to any products b/c doing so leads to biased intentions. Such as signing up to a forum like this and pimping what I'm selling without really worrying about educating and reaching those who need the help. Sure, you're all aobut educting them about your product but the fact is, no singular product has the answers.

The answer lies in education and foundational concepts... which, btw, can't be delivered in any one product.

I'm skeptical until given a reason not to be. And I'll drop it at this point and wait and see how your involvement in this community evolves.

I hope you prove the usefulness you claim.

I'm on the Steel Cut Oats bandwagon. I cook 5 servings at a time and refrigerate them. My recipe is this: 5 cups water, 1.25 cups of SCO, teaspoon of cinnamon, teaspoon of vanilla. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cook for 45 minutes stirring occasionally. I eat a serving with strawberries and/or blueberries. Sometimes I add a scoop of protein powder. I don't do it often, but sometimes I'll add half of a Fuji Apple cubed and a few walnuts. I had been adding Splenda, but I've cut that out and don't miss it at all.

Besides, why favor xylitol when erythritol is less likely to cause you digestional difficulty

Also - for what it's worth, I ate the Quaker Oats "Weight Loss" Maple & Brown Sugar oatmeal for months and still lost weight. The determining factor was my total calories compared to my exertion and not whether or not there was fake stuff in there.

However, some people have bad reactions to fake stuff so YMMV.

Jeanette,

I'll have to look into erythritol...thanks for sharing!

So you've had good experience with it, or just heard about it? Any recommendations on products worth trying?

Thanks!
Tim

steel cut oats. blegh... hate them but thanks for the reminder to get myself back into them.... maybe if i use your recipe i'll develop some sort of fondness for it

I have used it - although the store that I used to buy it from closed up toward the end of the low-carb craze and I haven't felt it important enough to order from the Internet.

I'm a 'taster' in that I can taste Splenda and aspartame, but I couldn't taste the difference between whipped cream made with sugar and whipped cream made with the erythritol. There have also been studies done that show it's less likely to cause digestive issues.

Quanity for quantity it's only about 80% of the sweetness of sugar, so it's often used with stevia or another low weight sweetener. The soda companies are working with the FDA to release sodas with a combination of erythritol and stevia right now. (Apparently erythritol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol, although I'm not entirely sure what gathering it entails)

Also - and this is purely anecdotal - I have a friend who's sister is epileptic. Whenever she has artificial sweeteners such as splenda, saccharin or aspertame she inevitably has a seisure within the next half hour. She doesn't have that reaction to erythritol. (She hasn't tried xylitol that I know of).

In any event, the thread makes me wonder if some day I shouldn't try steel cut oats drowning in real maple and brown sugar

Haha - the real maple syrup and brown sugar sounds good!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience...very interesting about the lack of effect on your epileptic relative!

I do wonder how xylitol would factor in - it too is a natural sweetener, so it is likely to avoid the effect that the artificials - aspartame, etc - often have.

Thanks for sharing!

~Tim