Sugar-Fast Week 8

I'm done!!!
Although I have to say I'm kind of sad... I'm also kind of a lunatic (I'm sure that's what you're thinking).

After going on our trip to Belize I have kind of been a slacker on updating my progress. So here is a quick summary:

• In Belize I had some fruit, but that's about the extent of my naughtiness.

• I started incorporating fruit into my diet about a week ago, this was part of the "I Quit Sugar" guidelines.
• I've lost another 5 lbs so that makes me a little shy of 125 lbs (and I haven't exercised or starved myself. Craziness!).

I made an applesauce birthday cake yesterday and it had about 1/3 cup sugar in the whole thing, including icing. I got a sugar high from eating just one slice.

My future plans: eat fruit, and make a treat 2-3 times a month.
I honestly don't really crave it anymore. If I eat dessert it will be out of social pressure, and I may make some treats for a special occasion, but overall I am not addicted to sugar and I feel rather free and easy.

Some thoughts to consider: the hardest part about giving up sugar was the social pressure you feel when you say "no thanks" to a double chocolate brownie covered with caramel and resulting in over 50 grams of sugar. The other hard part was that EVERYTHING has sugar. Seriously. Our culture has quite the sweet tooth, and it is hard to find savory items that are void of added sweetness. However, once you get in the habit of saying no to sugar, it is not that bad at all.

As I mentioned before, I loved this experience and I feel so much healthier! I am going to continue eating a *very* low-sugar diet and maybe take a strict 8-week break every few years just to push the "reset" button.

Alright readers, I haven't heard from any of you lately, so please respond!

How was your experience? Even if you weren't able to do it the whole 8 weeks, how do you feel? What was the hardest part? 

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Week 4

Three weeks down, five more to go!

This week has probably been the hardest of all, as far as cravings. It mostly happens when Aaron is eating a dessert...
Yesterday he invited some friends over to have a waffle party, and I sat and watched as they ate Belgian waffles with ice cream and berries.

The most ironic part about this whole sugar-fast is even though I am having a hard time giving up sugar I think Aaron is having the hardest time. He keeps asking when I will be done so we can go get frozen yogurt. I told him I love this too much and I don't want to go get frozen yogurt ever again. Then he gets this look as if I've just turned him down for a first date.
He also continually asks how long I'm going without sugar. He's like a little kid who keeps asking his "Are we there yet?"

My poor husband. He just doesn't understand the victory over the natural [wo]man.

Besides having some cravings, I am loving this no sugar diet! I feel greeeat!

My body is not nearly as bloated as it was before; my face doesn't have that baby chub like it used to, and although I haven't really lost a lot of actual weight, I have lost a lot of water weight.

Some of my favorite things this week include:

• Dry roasted almonds
• Homemade crackers with hummus
• Sugar-free granola

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Week 3

Sugar is now out of my diet for good (at least for the next 6 weeks).

This next week I am still focusing on no fruit or breads with added sugar. I had one slip up this week; we were invited to Sunday lunch by a neighbor that Aaron visits frequently. They served fresh cantaloupe and since they didn't seem like the type that would quite understand my sugar-fast, I decided to have a couple chunks. Other than that, no sugar.

Feelings/Frustrations:
We helped a family move and clean their house a month ago and yesterday they returned our boxes and brought some treats. They looked really good. It took everything I had to just sit and watch Aaron enjoy them while I sat and imagined how wonderful they tasted. That only lasted a few minutes and then I moved on to other things.
Before I started the sugar-fast I had really bad joint-pain in my left shoulder and fingers. It was so bad that I could barely lift it or rotate it in anyway. I first thought it was because I usually sleep on my left side, but after changing sides on the bed I was still having pain. I decided I would go to the doctor and see what was wrong, but then I heard from a friend that her dad had the same thing. His doctor prescribed getting rid of sugar to manage the joint pain. Once he got rid of sugar his body was as good as new! I was kind of hoping that after getting rid of sugar that my pain would go away, and it has. I have absolutely no pain in my left shoulder and I have only had a little discomfort in my fingers. I found this explanation, and it seems to sum it up pretty well.

My Lifesavers:

• Breakfast burritos
• Heirloom garden tomatoes (oh holy delicious)
• Plain yogurt with cinnamon and vanilla extract
• Peanut butter mixed with a little bit of cocoa powder
• Oatmeal with cinnamon and coconut milk

Sarah Wilson gives some tips on how to curb those nasty cravings, she calls them the 9 Cs:

1. Cacao nibs
2. Chia seeds
3. Chai tea [I use naturally caffeine-free Bengal tea with some coconut milk]
4. Cheese
5. Cinnamon
6. Coconut water (naturally sweet, but with no sugar)
7. Chicken, deli shaved
8. Coffee [none for me]
9. Coconut oil

I can bear testimony of these foods. I have put cinnamon, coconut milk, and vanilla on almost everything and it has a wonderful 'sweet' flavor without actually having any sugar.

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Week 2

The first week is always the hardest--at least I keep telling myself that.

I can honestly say that I've been so busy this week that I haven't really had to fight intense cravings, but I have had some intense withdrawals. 

The past 2 days I've had a massive headache and I've been very irritable. I can't remember the last time I was this irritable. Aaron said that maybe I should just accept sugar back into my life. Um, no way. If my body is this addicted, something needs to be done.

Although I haven't been thinking about sugar, my body is definitely missing it.

The hardest part for me has been breakfasts. Has anyone else noticed that most breakfast foods are sugary? Pancakes, waffles, french toast, fruit, cereal, yogurt (depending on what kind), granola, etc.

Since I wasn't planning on going cold turkey this week I had a piece of fruit and some bread. Neither had a ton of sugar, but it was enough to keep my body from going into shock.

Here are some things I learned this week:

• Breakfast does not have to consist of typical breakfast foods; One day I had toast with cream cheese, tomatoes, and basil. It was divine.
• You can get excited about snacks that do not have sugar. Some of my favorite snacks include carrots with almond butter, nuts, homemade crackers, Caprese salad, celery and peanut butter, and popcorn with some coconut oil and vanilla extract--these flavors are 'sweet' but not in a sugary way.
• If you are bored you have to find things to do besides eat food; on days that I was feeling bored I found stuff to do, like running, riding my bike, cleaning, and volunteering!
• Keep healthy snacks with you at all times. I have been offered cake and candy at least 4 different times this week, and when I am tempted I just pull out a carrot or some crackers and munch on them. It helps a lot to have alternatives.

Here is what I'll be working on for week #2

• Adding more healthy fats into my diet; coconut oil, nuts, full-fat dairy products like cheese (in moderation!), avocado, and eggs (try to find them local, the nutrient-to-fat ratio is much healthier)
• Totally eliminate all sugars; breads and fruit.

How have you been faring? Are you getting withdrawal symptoms as well? What has been the hardest part about this week, and what keeps you going?

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Week 1

Well, here it goes! I'm diving into week one of my sugar fast, and I'm sure most of you have looked over your packet, but here is what I'll be doing this week:

• Cutting out all added sugar and desserts.
• Slowly eating less fruits and breads (yes, bread has sugar).

For example, instead of oatmeal with honey I will eat oatmeal with cinnamon, milk, and nuts. Instead of yogurt with fruit spread, I will have plain yogurt with unsweetened berries.

Lunches will include homemade whole wheat tortillas* with pinto beans, a little cheese, and avocados. I also substitute hummus for the pinto beans and add some sprouts, cucumbers, and feta cheese.

Dinners will be about the same, except I will beware of salad dressings and other sauces that contain added sugar. Some things you should avoid completely is TERIYAKI and BARBECUE sauce (absolutely full of sugar). 

*tortillas have no added sugar, making them a better choice than bread or pitas.

Feelings/Frustrations/Concerns:

• I have to admit, I made [healthy] chocolate chip cookies on Saturday. Did anyone else have one last sugar indulgence?
• I started to feel a little nervous and perhaps a little depressed because I love sweets sooo much, but that just confirmed the fact that I am addicted, and then I felt some urgency to get rid of my emotional crutch. 
• Oh, and I got my scores back for the most dreaded test of my life. And it is the first test I have ever bombed. Which will probably hurt my 3.76 GPA. No chocolate for poor Jessica. I guess I will have to look for some new mood-boosters. What do you use to boost your moods (anything but food)?

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My Addiction

Okay, it's time to admit it.

For those of you who read my most recent post will see where this is going...

I am addicted to sugar.

You're probably wondering how a healthnut could admit an addiction to something so taboo in the health-obsessed world. I may not use a lot of added sugar in my cooking, but sugar is still there.

How can sugar be an addiction? Easy. Researchers at the University of Portland did CAT scans of the human brain just after ingesting cocaine and then again with sugar. The scans were identical; both substances created the same effect in the area of the brain that is responsible for pleasure. Scientists at the University of Princeton also found that sugar can create cravings and relapse periods. I'm sure we are all quite familiar with these symptoms.

Bottom line, sugar can be extremely addicting. When I was in high school I went on a sugar fast and found out just how addicted I really was. It was very eye opening: I had dreams about chocolate, I was irritable, I was borderline insane. I literally felt like I was weaning myself off an illegal drug. By the end of the fast (6 weeks) I felt great and I was 118 pounds. I didn't even care if everyone was eating double chocolate brownies with caramel sauce, I honestly didn't want any. I felt so liberated!

But as time went on I had one bit of brownie. Then I decided one brownie was okay, and I eventually got accustomed to high amounts of sugar again.

2007

I was recently reminiscing on the wonderful feeling of freedom that I had when I was sugar-free, and I decided that I want to feel that again. I also decided that although I substitute natural forms of sugar for processed sugar, I still eat a TON of sugar on a daily basis.

So, I'm announcing that I am going on another sugar fast.

My mother and mother-in-law have joined me, and I'm inviting any one else who would like to go on a liberating sugar fast.


I will be starting on Monday, July 16th and will end on my birthday, September 10th.
Every Monday I will post a short journal entry describing my feelings, frustrations, confessions, everything. It should be fun, and I might even make my support group (mother and mother-in-law) to share some of their experiences as well.
I will be using the I Quit Sugar eBook by Sarah Wilson. It's a great resource if you decide you want to take the plunge.

Happy Friday!

Sources:
Princeton

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