I am really committed to going a month without sugar, but I feel like I need a partner. Is anybody game to do a 30 day sugar-free challenge??
-
No, I'm sorry. I'm interested though as to why you want to do it?
-
@Dagny: if I wasn't pregnant I wouldn't hesitate. But all I want is ice cream this pregnancy!
What kind of sugars are you cutting?
-
@MRS. POLISH - well I generally try to eat only whole foods (basically nothing processed), but I'm really struggling with ditching sugar. I am completely addicted to sweets and I really want to kick it entirely.
@LOCAVORE_MAMA - totally been there!
I'm still going to eat sugar that is naturally in fruits and veggies, but I decided no honey or maple syrup. I have a MAJOR honey addiction! I will literally break out a jar of honey and peanut butter and go to town with spoon, haha.
-
@Dagny: I was just thinking that I need to do something like this, but I'm pretty sure I don't have the willpower -- even with an accountability buddy. And my DH would almost certainly sabotage me (not purposefully, but the man has an insatiable sweet tooth). If I can get him on board with doing it, too, I might stand a chance...will let you know if that's the case!
-
Not the right time for me to do this (due this weekend, total sweets craving, and not looking to make my first month as a mom any harder! lol)... but I think this is awesome and wanted to say good luck!!
I didn't quite do this but I did cut way way back last year when I started paying attention to real food and I made an effort to eat 25g added sugar or less per day. It was really hard the first week or two then got soooo much easier! I followed the same rules you are sounds like. Sugar in whole foods = okay (fruits, veggies, dairy, etc). Any added sugar or even "natural sugar" like honey or maple syrup gets counted. Also I count the sugar in things like no sugar added fruit juice or jam, because they are processed/concentrated fruit sugar.
Good luck!!
-
@dagny- I totally want to. I was sugar free for several months (with a few cheats), and I felt incredible. But...my willpower is sorely lacking now that I'm on mat leave.
But yes- I'll join you! I can't cut honey, but I'll cut white and brown sugars and processed sugars. Can we start Monday?
-
I've done this before for 6 weeks and felt great. I think added sugar is definitely unhealthy and is in everything!
Buuuuuut, my appetite is a beast from breastfeeding. I crave sweets like mad. So I'll just have to wish everyone who's doing this good luck! I tried giving up sugar for Lent, lasted 6 days, lol.
-
Girlfriend, you are STRONG! I hope you find a buddy! I just ate a cupcake and had some wine tonight, so.....
-
I might be in for like... A day! Hahah I need to cut back, I have been eating so much sugar lately!
-
@PURPLEPEONY - that is going to be a big part of the challenge for me! DH wouldn't commit to something like this although he would like to try, and I'm afraid he will (unintentionally) get me to break!
@MAE - thank you for your support! That's awesome that you set that goal for yourself - very impressive! Good luck with your arrival!
@REDSMARTIES - wow! That's awesome. Any thing you did in particular to keep your determination up? I have a few plans for ways I'm going to prepare - make a notecard about why I want to go sugar free and read it anytime I feel weak, watch the 'sugar:the bitter truth' lecture on you tube, etc. I've found watching little videos or documentaries like that with regularity really helps me, but I'd love to hear any tips you have. And yes, I'm planning to start on Monday so any participation time frame you'd like to join would be awesome!
@MOONMOON - 6 weeks and 6 days are both an awesome accomplishment! I have found that ever since LO was born and I've been breastfeeding I am a sweets fiend too! Ugh, it's so hard!
@BLACKBIRD - thank you!! I'm gonna do my best, so we shall see.
@MAMIMAMI - any amount of time you'd like to participate, I'd love to hear from you here!
-
@Dagny: okay, if you're starting Monday, I'm in for at least a few days. DH is going on a business trip Monday-Wednesday so I can surely make it at least that long and I'm going to try for a week to start. If it's going well, I'll extend it. This is going to be rough but I'm sure it will be worth it.
-
Not if people around me want to stay alive. I need to not eat so much sugar, but it would be madness trying to cut that out right now. Madness. Major props to you, though!!!!
-
@PURPLEPEONY - yay! It will be totally rough - I'm trying to come up with my arsenal of treats so that I feel totally fulfilled! This pudding - http://ohsheglows.com/2014/04/07/almost-instant-chocolate-chia-pudding/ - is amazing and I plan on having it available 24/7, haha!
@SINGINGBEE - thanks!! Yeah, I think DH is a little scared!!
-
30 days might be too ambitious for me, I would have to start with a smaller goal like 3-5 days :x I am a sweets-snacker!
-
@Dagny: I'm in after my bday! It's on the 11th of this month. Although I'm already trying to go sugar free
-
No problem! Generally eat very clean except for tositos multi grain tortilla chips, my one weakness. The only sugar I think i have is a serving of ice cream maybe once or twice a week only cause I bought some, but I've gone months without ice cream easily. I don't buy fruit juices except orange juice or cookies/snacks and I'm not a fan of candy. I prefer my coffee with sugar but can do without, and just got some agave nectar too sweeten my coffee.
-
I love sugar!
-
@Dagny: for me, the determination last time was getting pregnant. I have PCOS, so being sugar free really helped. This time I will have to find a different motivator... Not sure what that will be yet.
-
@Dagny: I think I would like to try. I have a crazy sugar addiction too. And it makes me feel horrible! But...does this mean I get to have a cinnamon roll for breakfast today?
-
@redsmarties: @Dagny: I totally want to try but idk how I'll do. I feel like this will help me kick the last of the baby weight wo cutting calories.
-
I'll attempt 2 weeks and start next Wednesday. Good luck!
-
@Espion: that's exactly what it means!!
-
Maybe we can all take a couple of days and we can rotate being your buddy lol
-
@Dagny: that pudding does look good! I was browsing around that site and came across this, which I'm also seriously craving now: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/02/26/cozy-millet-bowl-with-mushroom-gravy-and-kale/.
So, I'm trying to decide how strict to be with this. Obviously, no white or brown sugar, and I think I can do without honey or maple syrup. But I quite often put dried cranberries in my oatmeal, and they're sweetened...I guess I can try to find some other fruit with no additional sweeteners. Maybe I'll pick up some bananas to let overripen. I just can't do plain oatmeal! my downfall lately has been baked goods -- cookies, scones, pastries, etc and if DH isn't around to buy them, I think I'll be okay
-
I do but I don't. My stress levels NEED sweets right now. That said, I was mostly sugar free for the last year or so ( before we started getting ready to move) and I felt fabulous! So sending some virtual encouragement.
-
I did this years ago and it was hard! I felt great though!
-
@Dagny: If you want some more "treat" recipes check the 21 Day Sugar Detox Pinterest board - nothing with added sweeteners. Most things are sweetened with banana.
-
@blackbird: sounds like a plan.
@Dagny: I am going to try to get through Monday! I am a total sugar junkie!
-
@DREAMOCRACY - any amount of time you'd like to participate would be great!!
@BABYMATS - awesome! If you have any tips or things you've learned as you've been trying to do sugar free, let me know!
@PURPLEPUMPS - yeawoo! I'd love to hear from you and how you avoid your Tositos.
My weakness is HONEY. Oh man, I love to break out a spoon and eat honey and peanut butter from the jar. @GREENTEA - me too, unfortunately a bit too much over here.
@REDSMARTIES - yeah, I would guess that was a pretty big motivator!! I'm hoping to get KU soon, so I'm trying to use that as a motivator. I ate WAY too much junk during my first pregnancy, so I'm really hoping to clean it up next time.
@ESPION - great! And yes, I hope you went for the cinnamon roll, haha! I had a ton of honey this morning.
I'd love to hear from you no matter how long you want to participate! @JETSA - think about it this way - no matter how long you make it or how well you do, you'll have made an effort to cut sugar, right!? Anything will be helpful.
@AUTUMNLOVE - fantastic, thank you! Good luck.
@BLACKBIRD - totally, i LOVE it. I am so glad that I found this wonderful forum full of all different kinds of lovely bees.
@PURPLEPEONY - omg, I've had that millet dish and it is delicious!! I am obsessed with Oh She Glows. Honestly, I've never found a recipe on her site that I haven't liked. I just made a huge batch of the chocolate pudding for the first couple days. MMMM, it is so good. I've been digging apples, currants, and cinnamon in my oatmeal lately. I am totally in the same boat though - I have a hard time doing nothing in the oatmeal and it's such a bummer how much dried fruit has sugar. I actually went grocery shopping today and had a really hard time finding many options. I ended up with prunes and currants. Baked goods are my downfall also. I had to have a talk with my mom today because she is always baking and I am so afraid she's gonna get me to break. She said she is on board and will support me, but IDK!
@BABY BOY MOM - thank you so much! I really appreciate the encouragement. If you decide you want to join for any period of time, I'd love to hear from you!
@MAMAJ - it's nice to hear this, thank you!
@TLCBABY - ah, thank you! That looks amazing. Thank you, thank you.
@MAMIMAMI - yay! I will probably be on here at 10am tomorrow crying to you all about how I am breaking down for honey, hah!
I am SO excited to start tomorrow morning. This is my game plan:
- I have an index card where I've written down why I really want to eliminate sugar. If I feel like I want to break, I have to read the card.
- There are a few different videos/audio books that I will watch/listen to if I'm feeling weak.
- I have removed all sugar and products containing sugar from the house and sent them to my mom's house (ha).
- I have talked to everyone who is around me regularly and told them that I really need their support.
- I have made a list of yummy sugar-free treats to make this week and next and have already made my chia seed pudding for the first couple days (seriously, it's amazing - I linked the recipe above in the post).For however long anyone wants to participate, I'd LOVE to hear from you here. I'll be checking in. Best of luck to everybody!!!!!! I'm so happy to have such great support here.
-
Making my lunch full of nuts
Hope I can survive this day!!!
-
Nice job! Having a goal card is a good trick to keep yourself motivated. I should have done that and read it before I had some chips this morning.
I read an article on busting sugar cravings. One said to make sure you have lots of protein. The other said to have a sweet potato with your lunch every day, that somehow it curbs real sugar cravings
-
@Dagny: yes, exactly. I think I'm in sugar overload and my body knows I need to cut it out because I haven't even craved it yet and I normally start my day with it
Also what's on your index card? It'll motivate me too!
-
How's everyone doing? I had some stevia in my coffee. YUCK. But so far it's all good
My one day challenge may be extended to two!! (Then again, it's only 9:30 a.m.)
-
Stevia takes some getting used to! i used to hate it, but now I like it a lot!
-
@blackbird: I've read that about the sweet potato before. Think I might get sick of them though.
Other than a splash of juice in my green smoothie this morning, I'm on track! It helps that I grocery shopped and made sure to stock up on all sorts of great snack-y food. I think it would be easier if I weren't home all day...its so tempting to just snack constantly.
Also going to try the 30 Day Shred...we will see how that goes
-
How hardcore are you guys going? I am avoiding added sugar/honey/whatever but not, like, carbs. What about bread? Are you skipping bread? Almost all supermarket bread has sugar....
-
@mamimami: I think I'm going pretty hardcore and cutting out pretty much anything sweet except fruit. Eventually I might cave and have that pudding dagny posted about, but I actually think I'll do better if I don't try to "work around" the lack of sugar. I just need to embrace it! As far as bread goes, I don't usually eat sliced bread, if I buy bread at the supermarket it is artisan style and just has water, flour, yeast, and salt in it. I'm not totally cutting carbs, though, that truly sounds like madness to me, haha.
I'm doing well so far, made it through breakfast. I always keep an oatmeal blend at work and eat when I get here, so I made a special blend without any brown sugar (my usual recipe is 4 cups old-fashioned oats, 1 cup instant oats, 1/3 cup sliced almonds, 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, a small handful of candied ginger pieces, and 3 tbsp brown sugar. Put in a big ziplock and shake it up to mix. Scoop some out, add water, microwave 1.5 minutes. For this week, I modified the recipe to be oats, almonds, 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, 1/2 cup dried apricot pieces, and 3 tbsp flax seeds. It's actually pretty good and the apricots aren't very sweet but are just enough to keep it palatable). I stocked up on apples and grapefruit a for afternoon snacks, since I usually run down to the cafeteria for a scone or muffin -- hopefully they'll fill the gap okay! Today shouldn't be too hard, but I think it will get harder later in the week.
-
@Dagny: good luck!
when I was BF I went sugar free for an entire summer. Even limiting fruit intake! I had a terrible thrush infection, and my doctor advised cutting carbs and sugars as that is what yeast feeds on. It helped! AND I lost the last of the baby weight by doing that. I really want to try it again.. I've been planning to do the whole 30 as soon as this semester ends and I have some extra time to meal plan - they don't allow any sugar either.
-
@MAMIMAMI - that's a good idea, nuts are so filling so that should help. So glad your day is going good!! I'm feeling really focused - it's nice! I'm not skipping bread, but I pretty much only eat one type of bread that I make at home. I bet it is hard to find bread without sugar at the store -ugh!
@BLACKBIRD- thanks!! I really hope the card helps - I'm thinking about making a couple copies and posting them up around the house.
Good to know about sweet potatoes. They are a big part of dinner tonight so that works out well!
@JETSA - here is the gist of my card:
- I want to free myself from the yucky feeling I get when I over do it on sugar and don't feel well. I want to feel healthfully energized!
- I want to model positive eating habits for DH and LO.
- I want to focus on eating whole, natural foods with minimal processing.
- I want to honor the positive food traditions I grew up with while developing healthful food memories and traditions for LO.
- I want to be fully present with my food.I'm totally with you on that - I almost always have honey right off the bat in the morning.
@REDSMARTIES - it is SO hard being at home all day! I work from home, but I think I might be going into the office more this week. Sounds like you're feeling good!
good luck with the 30 day shred! I am terrible about making time to exercise..@PURPLEPEONY - that is so admirable!! I already have a Tupperware of chia pudding in the fridge for my weak moments!
yum, sounds like a delicious oatmeal breakfast!!@MRS. PEN - thank you!! Wow, that's awesome - very impressive. I had no idea that sugar was related to thrush that way. I've been lucky enough to not have it so far.
Overall I'm feeling good this morning. I don't usually have a hard time with sweets til after lunch so I may be back on here whining later, haha! For breakfast me and LO had steamed veggies (a couple different types of carrots and daikon radish), some roasted beet slices, and teff porridge. I also had a green smoothie with banana, kale, blackberries and hemp milk.
I'm curious - when is everyone else's times of weakness?? Mine are pretty much every hour after lunch until like 9pm. No joke!
I'm still going to eat sugar that is naturally in fruits and veggies, but I decided no honey or maple syrup. I have a MAJOR honey addiction! I will literally break out a jar of honey and peanut butter and go to town with spoon, haha.
Hope I can survive this day!!!
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
84 comments