5 Things I Learned From Quitting Sugar

-

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I GAVE UP SUGAR FOR A MONTH


Box of chocolates

As someone who doesn’t add sugar to my coffee, rarely drinks fizzy drinks, whose breakfast hasn’t come from a box with a cartoon on it since forever and doesn’t load up their shopping basket with biscuits, cakes and chocolate – I don’t seem like the kind of person who needs to take on the challenge of quitting sugar.
However, I do have a sweet tooth and I volunteered to take on the challenge to quit sugar for a month. So I did.
My weaknesses for sugar are:

Person taking sweets in the office


  • if there’s chocolate in the office, I’ll have some. Then I find that I keep coming back for bits throughout the day…
  • If there are cookies laid out at someone’s house, you can bet I’ll take one – then a few more…
  • If I’m offered cake, it’s unlikely I’ll say no to a slice…
Basically, when I start, it’s very hard to stop. So I decided to cut myself off and see what happens.

THE FIRST 2 DAYS OF THE NO-SUGAR CHALLENGE

Here is an overview of the beginning of my no-sugar experience.

Man making eggs


On the way to kitchen to put the chocolate away for the next 31 days, I break off a chunk and eat it before I even realize what I’ve done.

Yep, chocolate for breakfast (you can do that when you’re grown up and don’t live with your parents anymore). After 50 minutes of sugar-free living, my challenge of quitting sugar is already over….we’ll call that a false start. But, tomorrow is a new day, so another chance, right?

DAY 1, TAKE 2, JANUARY 2ND

I stayed up a bit later than I should have, so I set myself up to be tired and low on willpower on my first day of the challenge.
  • Breakfast: It’s a sugar-free breakfast of porridge, berries, and flax seeds. I didn’t prepare anything for lunch – tired and no meal prep, I’m really making this easy for myself!
  • Lunch: I head to a sushi place near the office figuring sushi is a good choice. As I’m in the queue I remember you add sugar to sushi rice. Overpriced sashimi for lunch it is. The first day back at work kept me busy and nonstop all day, which usually would have me reaching for something sweet, but I stay strong and keep satiated on nuts.
  • Pre-run snack: Another time I sometimes reach for a sweet treat is for a pre-run snack to give me a little pick-up and extra energy, not tonight. Baked salmon, green beans, and sweet potato turmeric wedges make the 3rd and final sugar-free meal of the day. Day 1 of quitting sugar is done.

    Herb Salmon in Foil with Baba Ghanoush

IT’S DAY 2…

… and I haven’t prepared my lunch again. Clearly I didn’t learn anything from day 1.
Improvised sugar-free lunch:
I quickly decide on mackerel fillets, microwave rice, and peas from the supermarket. Except they’re out of mackerel and frozen peas. I try to find the canned peas (passing the chocolate aisle twice), only to find the ingredients on the label say peas, water and sugar! Why is there hidden sugar in a can of peas!?
Seemingly sugar is added to nearly all packaged foods; not even peas are safe. The green beans appear to have been saved the same sugary water fate and the tin says it contains only green beans and water – which is what I’d expect. I opt for a trout fillet and head back to the office. That’s about as good as it gets when it comes to an improvised sugar-free lunch.
After two days, I already learned…

Person preparing meals
  • Having learned my lesson the hard way that Meal prep is key to avoiding and successfully quitting sugar, so I begin avidly preparing and planning my meals in advance for the rest of the month.
  • I also ensure I should keep a bag of nuts nearby or with me as my go-to healthy snack during my challenge.
  • Social settings provide a challenge when you’re trying to quit sugar, but I’ve found the key is to eat in advance and accept that you’ll have to decline things you previously would have accepted without hesitation. It also helps to be surrounded by supportive people.
Giving up sugar isn’t easy and willpower will be required should you choose to do it! Quitting sugar has become a hot topic in the last few years and for good reasons. Learning more about sugar really opened my eyes…

IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED, EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT SUGAR


During my challenge I educated myself about the topic by watching a few films and documentaries about our sugar consumption, which were truly eye-opening.

WHY IS SUGAR SO BAD?

Sugar is everywhere; in fact, it’s in 80% of packaged food.



 Did you know that…
  • Sugar is highly addictive and it wreaks havoc on the body.
  • Not only does it send your energy levels up and down, it can also do the same to yourhormones. Over time, the constant fluctuations will leave them unbalanced and not working as they should.
  • When we eat sugar, insulin is released by the pancreas in order to remove glucose from the blood. Eventually, this constant request, mixed with high levels of insulin and glucose, leads the pancreas to produce less insulin over time, which causes insulin resistance – the precursor todiabetes.
  • Also, if the energy from sugar isn’t burned soon after consumption, it’s converted into fat and gets stored in the body.
  • Find out more about why you should consider quitting sugar.

QUITTING SUGAR AND WEIGHT LOSS  

During my challenge I lost around 3kg (granted my challenge started right after the typical season of excess that is Christmas). Apart from that, I continued my running and ate as I wished (as long as it was sugar-free of course!).
Man running
I noticed around 2 weeks into my challenge I looked more defined, not bad for someone who hadn’t been to the gym yet in January. Which makes me wonder what kind of fat is lost when sugar is removed from the diet. Around the same time I realized I was on a high-fat, moderate-carb and protein diet – nuts, cheese, avocados, and peanut butter became regular snacks. Main meals were made up of carbs or veg, along with fish or meat. Which likely made me more fat-adapted, someone who burns fat for energy instead of sugar or readily available glucose.

SUMMARY: THESE 5 THINGS ARE THE BIGGEST BENEFITS OF QUITTING SUGAR

I learned a lot during these 30 days. But the best part is that the biggest lessons I learned came along with some really nice, unexpected benefits…

1. REALIZING HOW MUCH SUGAR YOU REALLY EAT

Sugar is lurking everywhere. Check the products next time you go shopping, read the labels of a range of items and you’ll find out just how many of them contain “hidden” sugar. Sugar comes in many forms. The label might not say “sugar”, but if the words end in ‘ose’, it means it is still a sugar. A “healthy” breakfast of cereal, yoghurt, and fruit with a glass of orange juice can contain up to 14 teaspoons of sugar – the recommended daily amount is 7 teaspoons.
Tablespoon of cereal

2. INCREASED FOCUS AND MENTAL CLARITY

The first 2 weeks felt like I was bit hazy. I had a few nights of poor sleep and some long days at work during this time, but this felt different to the usual feelings of tiredness. After about 2 weeks something changed. I snapped out of my haze and suddenly felt more focused with more mental clarity than I’ve had in a long time. I’m guessing I went through a bit of a sugar detox.

3. MORE ENERGY AND NO ENERGY SLUMPS

Since quitting sugar, my energy levels have gone up and I’m no longer looking for a sugary treat to give me a boost. I wake up feeling more refreshed and have higher levels of energy. That’s all-day energy too; that 3pm afternoon slump is gone and I’m no longer looking for a sugary fix to remedy it.

4. IMPROVED SKIN

Since quitting sugar, I’ve noticed I have a less oily T-Zone (the forehead and nose). Excess sugar intake can cause oily skin, so instead of applying products to the outside, maybe looking at what’s going on in the inside is the answer to skin problems (sugar can also cause spots and even wrinkles!).

5. LOVE OF COOKING

I regained my love of cooking. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and I always cook relatively healthy meals.
Man cooking
Since most sauces were out the question and a whole range of products no longer allowed on my plate, I needed to cook pretty much everything from scratch. This got me making old recipes I’ve not made in a while, as well as researching and cooking new meals. You know exactly what’s in your meal if you make it yourself! I really feel that this is the key on how to detox from sugar.

WILL I CONTINUE TO EAT SUGAR?

Will I eat products containing sugar again? Yes. If someone brings birthday cake into the office? Sure. If there’s tiramisu on the dessert menu in a restaurant? You bet. But will I be more mindful of products containing sugar and aim to limit my intake? Absolutely. A sugar free diet is not my aim – education and creating awareness is!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can Giving Up Sugar Make You Lose Weight?

-
Image
Quitting sugar could help you lose weight. You're willing to forgo the sodas and cookies for your waistline's sake, but will it make a difference? The answer is a solid maybe. Quitting refined sugars is an excellent move for your overall health, and if your total calorie intake decreases with the switch, you will lose weight. That said, if you replace your sugary snacks with potato chips and other calorie-dense foods, your won't shed a pound. Sugar and Weight Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, and contains 4 calories per gram. For the most part, a calorie is a calorie to your body no matter where it comes from. Although refined sugar does not directly cause weight gain, it can contribute to overeating. When you consume sugar, your blood glucose levels spike and then plummet, causing you to crave more food -- particularly more sugar for instant energy, perpetuating the cycle. Plus, you're more likely to over-indulge in sweet treats than healthier fare, and lar...
Read more

Your Guide to Strength Training for Women

-
Image
(Image: Mireya Acierto/DigitalVision/GettyImages) It used to be that the weight room of most gyms was filled solely with men (and the occasional brave female). But recently, women have begun to  skew that ratio  more in their favor. And with good reason! There are so many great reasons to add strength training to your fitness routine, regardless of your gender, but specifically for women. But if you're a little unsure of where to start, here's a beginners guide to strength training for women, so you can strut into the weight room with confidence. Benefits of Strength Training for Women While there are a host of  benefits of strength training  for both men and women, strength training is especially beneficial for women. 1. Improving Bone Health:  Strength training is one of your best strategies for keeping your bones healthy as you age, according to a 2009 review in  Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism . "Simply the pushing and pulli...
Read more

Importance of Sugar in the Human Body

-
Image
Sugar has a poor reputation as being an enemy when it comes to creating a nutritious and well-balanced diet. The fact is, however, that you wouldn't be able to survive without sugar. Your body relies on small amounts of sugar to function properly. That doesn't mean that you have license to fill up on sugary foods, but it does mean that there is a place for small amounts of the right kinds of sugar in your healthy eating plan. Sugar for Energy Sugar provides energy to your muscles and acts as a source of energy for your brain and nervous system. You also need sugar because it helps metabolize fats and prevents your body from using protein as energy. Blood sugar -- called blood glucose -- gets broken down in a series of chemical reactions that create energy, which fuels your cells. A hormone called insulin is involved in the process, too -- it's released when you eat sugar and tells your cells to absorb the glucose so they can use it as a source of energy. Backu...
Read more