FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

[Chandler]

I just finished induction and did not lose as much weight as I would have hoped. This is my second time around and I lost much more the last go around 7 years ago.

Anyway, in reevaluating my eating over the last 2 weeks I did a an almost flawless job until I looked into my sweetners. Here's what I discovered:

Zero calorie sweetners are not zero calories or carbs!

Maybe you all knew this but I didn't. I am sitting here sipping my yerba mate looking at the package of PurVia and realized it had 2 grams of carbs per serving! Yet it's packing boldly states zero calories. I called PurVia and they informed me that according to the FDA: if a product has less than 5 calories per serving it can be listed as zero calories. What a crock of *#^%! So looking at Splenda, PurVia, and TruVia you find they contain 1g, 2g, and 3g of carbs, respectively.

Is this how the FDA is protecting consumers? Thoughts?

[Slapshot]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

Thoughts?

1. I doubt your experience this time around on induction had anything to do with the <15 or so calories you consumed via PurVia (because you stayed within the limit of 3 sweeteners a day, right?)

2. Also, you should know that if a serving has .49 g of carbs or fewer, it can also be listed as zero.

3. With respect to whether # 2 had anything to do with your induction experience, see #1. While carb creep has some risks, assuming you stayed within your three limit a day for sweeteners, your max carb creep is 1.5g, which is minimal. If you're within your 3 sweetener day limit, I'd consider that as opposed to the sweeteners...

Finally, you'll find a lot of posts from folks who lose less on induction the second time around. Not sure why that is, but it's very common.

[adreliluc]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

I lost much less on induction this time around too. First time I lose 17 or 18 lbs - this time - 6. LOL

No idea why but in the scheme of things it doesn't matter.

Just clean up your diet and keep going... it'll all come off eventually.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

>>Thoughts?>>

Write to your elected officials ... they're the ones that can change the labeling laws.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

>> No idea why>>

Different body.

Different metabolism.

Older.

It can't ever be "then" again.

[liv]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

That is good that you phoned and found this out. The labelling laws are interesting and some manufacturer takes advantage of this (my pet peeve is the PAM spray)

Also remember that tea has carbs too - so you may be zipping quite a few carbs depending on how much sipping you do.

I am a proponent of not drinking anything sweet. You just stimulate insulin production my constantly having sweets and the advantages of low carbing is no longer there for you.

[ziggy]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

its a real pain how labeling is i now look first at the ingredients of an item and if it has anything bad i don't eat it but if the ingredients are all good then i look at the carbs and the carbs are mostly always good and low if the ingredients are good

[Suzanne_H]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

No worries... now you know companies can and do frequently lie. I really like FitDay for helping me keep things straight. As to the weight loss, I know of no other diet that works this effectively... but I too lost less this time around with induction. It's ok. I'm sticking to it this time.

[yoda]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

[QUOTE=Chandler;1179842]I just finished induction and did not lose as much weight as I would have hoped. This is my second time around and I lost much more the last go around 7 years ago.

Anyway, in reevaluating my eating over the last 2 weeks I did a an almost flawless job until I looked into my sweetners. Here's what I discovered:

Zero calorie sweetners are not zero calories or carbs!

Maybe you all knew this but I didn't. I am sitting here sipping my yerba mate looking at the package of PurVia and realized it had 2 grams of carbs per serving! Yet it's packing boldly states zero calories. I called PurVia and they informed me that according to the FDA: if a product has less than 5 calories per serving it can be listed as zero calories. What a crock of *#^%! So looking at Splenda, PurVia, and TruVia you find they contain
1g, 2g, and 3g of carbs, respectively.

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Yeah, it's disgusting how food companies are allowed to deceive the public!! Don't get me started with the FDA! I don't trust them at all--in fact, I couldn't care less about what they have approved, or have not approved--it doesn't mean a thing--but that's another subject!

When I shop, I look for trans fat--if a product has it, I don't buy it. Similarly, I know that I need to look at the ingredients, not the label because legally a product can have .5g of trans fat, and it can still say "0 grams" on the label! In the ingredients, if it says "partially hydrogentated", I don't get it -this means there actually is trans fat in the product! I live alone and it takes a couple houre to shop because because I do this, but it's worth it!

Maybe you won't believe this because of uour experience (and I can't say I blame you), but you should know that the stevia leaf truly contains 0 calories, 0 carbs, and a 0 glycemic index. So, the key is to find a stevia product that is a pure stevia extract, which Truvia and Purevia is not--they are actually more than 99% sugar alcohols (mainly sugar) ( Splenda is essentially chlorinated sugar). Most stevia products contain, maltodextrin, dextrose and sugar alcohols (various forms of sugar). I use SweetLeaf Stevia, which is a very pure stevia extract that really does retain stevia's natural 0 calorie, 0 carb, and 0 glycemic index proprties. I can explain why it is so pure, but this is probably too long already too long, but if you want to know, just let me know and relay that information to you! (it has to do with the way they extract from the leaf compared to other stevia products)

Don't worry, be happy!

[Georgiana]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

sugar alcohols (mainly sugar)

Are you saying that sugar alcohols are the same thing as sugar?

[brandywine1241]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

I lost much less on induction this time around too. First time I lose 17 or 18 lbs - this time - 6.

No idea why but in the scheme of things it doesn't matter.

I think part of the reason may be that most everyone who has ever done Atkins for any length of time and strayed did not go back to eating nearly as many carbs as they did BA. I know personally, I could never conceive of packing away 300+ carbs per day as I did when I was eating "healthy" according to conventional wisdom.

[jjs1971]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

Georgiana,

Thanks for asking, I was wondering the same thing.

[yoda]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

Are you saying that sugar alcohols are the same thing as sugar?

Yes, sugar alcohols are forms of sugar. For example, to be specific, Truvia is over 99% erythritol, which is a sugar extracted from corn with alcohol. Hence, the term, "sugar alcohol." Truvia is essentially corn sugar (erythritol).

[Georgiana]

Re: FDA + False Product Advertising + Induction

Yes, sugar alcohols are forms of sugar.

Sugar alcohols can indeed be derived from sugars (very small amounts also occur in nature). However, they are certainly not "forms of sugar".

erythritol, which is a sugar extracted from corn with alcohol. Hence, the term, "sugar alcohol."

Nonsense.

First of all, erythritol is not sugar (erythrose is, but that's something different).

Second, there's no alcohol involved in its manufacture.

The carbonyl group in a mono- or disaccharide can be reduced to a hydroxyl group (for example by fermentation, as in the case of erythritol). Monosaccharides and disaccharides are sugars. Hydroxyl groups are specific to alcohols. Thus, the resulting product is called a sugar alcohol.

corn sugar (erythritol)

There's a big difference between erythritol and corn sugar!

You might want to read this:

What is Corn Sugar?