Caffeine and Sweeteners (Splenda) - Knawing Hunger

Hi - I have been drinking a lot of tea since my surgery in December - I was a diet coke addict just up to time of surgery and now drink tea throughout the day with Splenda...can caffeine make you hungry?  I used to have an ulcer and for me, the feeling is a "knawing hunger" just below the breastbone...I've been struggling with that again since surgery, although the surgeon said when he did an endoscopy he didn't see any signs of an ulcer.  So, I feel hungry, but really, I know that I am not - it makes it hard if you know what I mean.  So, I just wanted to know your thoughts...I also drink a lot of the sugar free crystal lite drinks in my water each day as it's like a flavored treat but one I really like, S/F Hawaiin Punch in Lemon Berry which is REALLY good ($1.00 store) has a lot of acid in it...doc gave me something stronger to try for my stomach than what I have been taking (have to get it filled) but in the interim, just wanting to know your thoughts...thanks! :)

I get that hunger pain (in noticed) whenever I eat carbs, especially late in the evening. Are you eating proteins-chicken,beef etc not liquid proteins? I drink flavored water ($1.00) all day, that all I drink, besides other liquids.Iam a diabetic ,so I use splenda. 

Hi,

You may actually be feeling hunger pangs even though you are not truly hungry.  The natural medicine doctor that DS goes to recommends not using any artificial sweeteners.  He says that over time they actually trick the body into thinking they are sugar and therefore your body will react to them the same way it does to sugar.  One example is feeling hungry after drinking or eating something with an artificial sweetener especially those that are sugar based.  You might want to try sticking to plain water and staying away from the sweeteners.  If you don't like plain water, try putting a slice of lemon or orange in the glass.

Wendy

Thanks Wendy for that info.  I will definitely cut back/stop and see if that changes how i have been feeling...I don't drink a lot of plain water, I drink a lot of the s/f additives that you can buy today...just haven't gotten to the pure water kick yet after getting off of my sodas...will work on that, too! :)

GREAT QUESTION!!!  I have been in your shoes.  I used to drink lots of Crystal Light and put Splenda in anything I wanted sweetened.  Unfortunately, I found myself hungrier than normal and always looking for something.  I did a google search and found that artificial sweeteners trick the body into thinking it's getting something sweet, so it creates the insulin to handle it (your mouth is the 1st place the body recognizes food and that's where and when it starts to prepare for what it's about to devour.  Since your insulin is raised, yet nothing to really digest, your body is tricked and causes you to crave food that your ordinarily wouldn't need or want.  Here's the article that explained it best to me.  Unfortunately, Splenda is one of the worst artificial sweeteners.  I did read that the real Stevia (not the knock offs claiming to have Stevia plant in them) is a great natural low-glycemic sweetener that will not raise your blood sugar, thus your insulin.  I personally use Blue Agava, another low-glycemic natural sweetener.  You can also get by with Pure Honey or Pure Maple Syrup.  Neither of which raise your blood sugar/insulin and will not cause you be hungry all the time.  Also, the artificial stuff is chemically made.  When the body takes this chemical in, it doesn't recognize it or understand it, so the body stores it as fat. When I was using artificial sweeteners, I started to gain weight. It was the only thing I had changed and when I got off it, I began to lose the weight I gained (without changing anything else - neither diet nor exercise).  Hope this helps!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040630/artificial-sweetener s-damage-diet-efforts
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/96849.php
 

Wow thank you for your terrific response and it totally makes sense...I know like at Starbucks you can get honey, but I've never thought to use it because of the "calories..." but sometimes it's better to be healthier...I will also get some Stevia and see how that works...so much appreciate your response and I will check out the websites and read what they have to say!  You made my day! :)  Thanks for sharing!

I stopped having artifical sweetners for this reason also. I carry Truvia packages in my purse, car, jacket etc...!
I love Agave also. I say you try to get off them completely and just limit the healthy sweetners. I lost 10 lbs after I got off the artifical stuff! Good luck

That's a good thought...to go to healthy/natural sweeteners...it's funny - we don't want to "get the calories" from that yet they are healthier for you and I don't really go haywire as I would with food...good suggestions...thanks!

Be careful of Truvia - it's a knock-off and not pure Stevia. It will still raise your blood sugar/insulin.  If you look at the ingredients, it still has those bad artificial sweeteners in them.  Google "names of artificial sweeteners"....you'd be surprised with all the names.  They are even in protein shakes.  That's why I don't do protein shakes because of that very reason.

 I can remember right after my surgery before I got any fills I was starving... this is very typical because your stomach is the same as it was before surgery because you have not had a fill yet.  You have swelling with surgery and after that goes down then your stomach is the same as before. I had thought that the band would make my stomach smaller, that is not so, it is the fills in the band that does the job.  My doc told me, way after the fact, that it is expected to be hunger during the time of after surgery and the first fill.  I sure would of liked to have had that info going in.  He told me that on some days before a fill I would be able to eat just a bit and on other days that I would be able to eat the same amount as before surgery and that either was OK.  I told him how mean it was to not tell me and I was happy to see that he posted about being hungry on his website.  
Of course the sugar stuff is true but just realize that you don't have restriction so you will be hungry. Don't let it get you down. I remember thinking that I was doing something wrong because I was so hungry.