It can hide in many foods and beverages—even the so-called "healthy" ones. The benefits of cutting out sugar may include improved oral or heart health, weight reduction, and more. It's also important to know that, though sugar isn't considered a healthy food, eating it in moderation is fine.
"When you reduce or eliminate sugar, storage of fat will decline slowly, and you will lose some weight. However, this takes time, with the effect typically beginning at one to two weeks," Glatter told INSIDER.
Belly fat can be tough to lose, but doctors say cutting out sugar may be one giant step in the right direction.
Researchers looked at various studies published on nixing sugar and found that it takes less than two weeks of cutting back on sugar—especially high-fructose corn syrup—for your metabolism to get a boost.
Sugar can be part of a healthy, balanced diet
Instead of steering away from sugar completely, many health experts believe it can be consumed as part of a healthy diet, with some noting that sugar also has benefits.
You are going to lose excess water and fat as another result of what happens when you stop eating sugar. For the first week, you are going to dump a lot of water and some fat from your body, but after that, you're going to be mostly dumping fat. You'll be surprised at how much fluid retention you had.
To lose stomach overhang you have to burn fat cells in both the fat you can see directly under the skin and also the more dangerous fat that you can't see that surrounds your organs. Cardio such as swimming, aerobics, running or dancing will burn this excess fat store.
Detoxing from sugar can help you lose weight quickly. “We had over 80 testers from all over the country, and they lost anywhere between 5 to 20 pounds during the 31 days, depending on their weight or sugar addiction,” Alpert said. “Many also noticed that a lot of the weight was lost from their midsection.
The study found that people who ate less sugar lost an average of nearly 2 pounds over a period of 10 weeks while people who increased their sugar intake gained nearly 2 pounds in the same amount of time. These seem like small changes but over time this weight gain can really add up.
Recommended Foods: A salad with a variety of veggies, legumes, and healthy fats. For lunch, keep up with the protein, fiber, and healthy fats combo. "The best way to detox from sugar is to make sure that you are consuming protein and healthy fats.
Diet and exercise: Losing weight through a healthy diet and regular exercise can help to reduce belly overhang by reducing the amount of fat stored in the abdominal area. Cardio exercise: Aerobic exercises such as cycling, running, swimming, or brisk walking can help to burn calories and reduce belly fat.
Obesity: Sometimes, obesity can cause fat deposits to hang down from the abdomen, causing a large abdominal pannus. Weight loss: If a person loses a lot of weight rapidly, such as from bariatric surgery, they may have an excess of skin that hangs from the stomach.
Unhealthy eating is the biggest driver of big bellies. Too many starchy carbohydrates and bad fats are a recipe for that midsection to expand. Instead, get plenty of veggies, choose lean proteins, and stay away from fats from red meats. Choose healthier fats in things like fish, nuts, and avocados.
Dr. Nigma Talib, a naturopath who works with celebrities, has popularized the term “Sugar Face” to describe the effects that excess sugar has on the skin. Supposedly, she can look at someone's face and determine if they have a sweet tooth by the appearance and the location of their blemishes and wrinkles.
Quitting sugar is great for your immune system, and you're able to better extract nutrients from food. You'll feel lighter. A big plus of quitting sugar is reduced bloating. You'll also be consuming fewer calories and have much less food cravings.
Reducing sugar intake has clear health benefits, including reduced calorie intake, which can help with weight loss, and improved dental health. But people sometimes report experiencing negative side effects when they try to eat less sugar. Headaches, fatigue or mood changes, which are , are among the symptoms.
Lower Heart Disease Risk
Less added sugar can lower those levels and may help stop weight gain and fat buildup linked to heart disease. If you get more than 20% of your calories from added sugar -- even if you're at a healthy weight -- you may be able to lower your heart disease risk when you cut back.