Day One of My Sugar-Free WeekMy first sugar-free day isn't quite over yet, but I don't intend to stay up until past midnight tonight, so I figured it would be okay to let you know how it is going so far, now that dinner has passed. I have not allwoed myself any sugar today, so I am calling today a success.
Now, how have I been feeling? I've been really tired today, but I am not associuating that with my lack of sugar and bread because I was really tired yesterday too. Also, I was up a little early today and out riding buses getting my kids to school, when I haven't had to do that for several months. And it's really hot. I'm always tired in the heat. But I said I would share how I am feeling, so that's how I'm feeling - tired.
This is only day one, so how difficult has it been to give up the sugar (and bread)? I'm not going to lie; it hasn't been easy. The fruit jelly gummy sweets that my 18 year old bought have been calling to me, as have the ice cream bars in the freezer. It hasn't helped that I haven't eaten enough today. I need to go shopping so that I have more available food on hand that I am allowed to eat. If I had planned better, I would have done the shopping yesterday and made sure I had everything I needed before today, but I didn't think it through. Tomorrow, I intend to eat my fill of meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables.
If I remember to, I will be measuring my waist later tonight so I can see if there are any changes at the end of the week. I should have done it this morning, but I only just thought of it. Sugar, bread and the like are supposed to cause weight gain in the belly, so it will be interesting to see the results of this week's experiment.
Now, just for fun, I have added some quotes about living sugar-free below:
Quotes about giving up sugar from people who have tried it before:
"
I did the The SUGAR Challenge by Richard Callender
and it was awesome . My new favourite snack is greek yoghurt peanut
butter (sugar free ) and a banana (nom nom). I lost nearly a stone [14 lbs] in 30 days
I was full of energy my PMT [premenstrual tension, also known as PMS or premenstrual stress] massively reduced along with cellulite. It was a major eye opener to so much crap in food. Back to normal
now, but my sugar intake is still very low. I will never be 100%
saintly but I'm 95% and that's pretty good." ~Zoey Tyler
****
"It's been life changing for me. Up until
the heat wave hit, I was sleeping so much more deeply than I have for a
long time. I no longer get a ravenous hunger that makes me want to eat
everything in the cupboard. I'm much more even tempered and I'm 10 lbs
down. I
think I can say I've broken the cravings for sugar. I don't look at it
as not being able to have it; I'm choosing not to have it, " ~Wendy Land
****
"I've
cut all sugar out, including bread & milk for 11 weeks and feel so
much better for it and have also lost 1 stone most of which was body
fat. I still allow myself 2 squares of 85%+ chocolate if I need it or
after dinner. I have so much more energy and mental clarity for cutting
out processed foods.
It's
true, it doesn't take long to have an effect once you give it up. I was a chocoholic and could easily consume
3 or 4 bars per night! Since I started 'clean eating' cutting out all
processed foods and only eating what nature provides (that has not been
altered in any way by man) my sugar cravings have gone, my body fat has
dropped, I feel ALIVE! I still enjoy 2 squares of 85% chocolate but
don't crave the chocolate anymore, I can now take or leave it. It has
been quite an eye opener as to what is actually in our foods. My
hayfever has virtually gone too, I haven't taken anything for it for over
a month now and I believe it has a lot to do with what is hidden in our
foods.
I couldn't believe the difference just through changing what I eat, and the pollen count is at its highest now and I'm still okay." ~Sandra Redhead
****
"About a month ago I decided to go
without sugar for a day. (I succeeded
until sunset at which time the vampire in me had to eat some Marshmallow Fluff.)" ~Brenda Harris
****
"We don't need sugar to live, and we don't need it as a society." ~Mehmet Oz
****
"I'm still not comfortable recommending that people eat saturated fat with abandon, but it's clear to me that sugar, flour and oxidized seed oils create inflammatory effects in the body that almost certainly bear most of the responsibility for elevating heart disease risk." ~Andrew Weil
****
"I cut out refined sugars cold turkey. No M&M's at the movies, no
energy bars, no Gatorade – I even had to be more careful when going to
Jamba Juice, because sometimes they use sugar-filled juice from
concentrate. After a few months, I stopped craving sugar entirely.
The difference was instantaneous: I slept better, I recovered from
workouts more easily, and I had more energy. When we started training
camp in September, we were doing two-a-days – four or five hours on the
court – and I never got sore. Even more telling is the fact that this
summer I traveled all over the world for my foundation, bringing team
sports to war-ravaged countries. I was missing out on sleep and still
training the whole time, but I never got sick. I've got to think it's
because sugar wasn't wearing me down." ~Steve Nash
****
If you started with me today, how has your first day of living sugar-free been? Let me know in the comments. If you are starting tomorrow, Sunday or Monday, don't forget to go shopping for lean meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables and other natral food that you can eat without adding sugar.
Brenda Harris has decided to join the challenge and blogged about it. Her post was funny, so I'm linking it for you to go and have a read. A Sugar free Challenge by Brenda Harris
