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"Remember last week when we identified our trigger foods? I had some really obvious ones, like peanut butter and those evil chocolate chip cookies Sarah mentioned again a couple of days ago, but I think I left one MAJOR culprit off my list: artificial sweetener! It will sabotage my shape-up goals if I&amp;#39;m not careful.\nPinterestFacebookWhen I first started Body by Glamour, nutritionist Rachel Beller, R.D., told me to stay clear of the blue, pink and yellow packets, and I did, for six entire weeks! I use a teaspoon of agave syrup  to sweeten coffee or my oatmeal instead, and frankly, I think it tastes better. The only time the artificial sweetener restriction is difficult for me is on stressful afternoons in the office: I inevitably get a hankering for a cold Diet Coke. It had become somewhat of a 4 p.m. ritual I enjoyed, and then I had to give it up entirely.\nBut I survived six weeks and figured if I wanted to have a that Diet Coke or some other artificially-sweetened beverage, I could. Truthfully though, I can&amp;#39;t handle it. Take this past Tuesday for example--I did really well until 2 p.m.:\n__\nBreakfast- 8:30 a.m.: __\n-2/3 cup Smart Bran\n-4 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk,\n-1 tsp cinnamon\nMidmorning snack- 10:45 a.m. (right before working out):\n1/3 of a Pro Bar (90 cal)\n__\nLunch- 1:15 p.m.: __\nGround turkey, peppers, tomatoes, onions, low-fat mozzarella, over steamed mushrooms and greens from Energy Kitchen&amp;#8212;this little joint in NYC that I frequent. Everything is grilled, baked or steamed, and nothing is over 500 calories. LOVE it!\nNot bad right? The only problem is that I had a 16 oz. Crystal Light lemonade with lunch. HORRIBLE idea. Just an hour later, I felt like I was STARVING. How could that be? I had a very satisfying meal, but I think my hunger signals were all screwed up at this point. Sarah has mentioned studies before about the effect fake sugar can have on our appetites and our weight. For my mid-afternoon snack, I opted for a peach AND some cookies and cream frozen yogurt. No fiber in there! So as you can imagine, I was starving before dinner. I didn&amp;#39;t fare so well after dinner either.\nI&amp;#39;m not going to beat myself up for it, I&amp;#39;m just not going to let it happen again So I&amp;#39;ve decided the substitute sugars have to go because they always trigger a sugar binge. Even when I indulge in them only on rare occasions, I lose control. Aspartame is like a gateway drug for me, so I&amp;#39;m giving it up for good. If I want sugar, I might as well have the real thing, right?\nHow about you? Do you use artificial sweeteners, or have you given them up as well? Do they trigger a sugar-fest for you, or can you handle it? Or do you prefer to sweeten stuff with real sugar, or agave? And what do you think of the stevia/truvia craze?\nGet Glamour Wherever You Go!\nFollow us on Twitter\nFriend us on Facebook\nAdd us to your Google homepage\nPhoto:iStock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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