My Sugar Free Week and Flour-Free and Sugar-Free Cake Recipe #1wksugarfree

When I woke up this morning, I weighed myself and measured myself so I can let you know the results. I lost another .8 lbs over night, which makes my total loss for the seven days of going sugar-free (and  low carb) is exactly 10 whole pounds! In a week! I am stunned. I know it won't continue going down quite so quickly; there is always a point where it levels out, but I'm still really thrilled with these results.

As for my measurements, I didn't measure until I was already a bit into the sugar-free week, so these measurements are since only the last five days of my sugar free week. I have lost 1 1/2 inches from the smallest part of my waist, and measuring around where my belly button is, where I have the most weight to lose, I have lost 3 inches. Yay!

Something I hadn't even considered would happen when I started this - my finger nails are stronger now. I am taking that as a sign that I am getting better overall nutrition.

I know the week is over and this was meant to only be a one-week challenge, but I know I will be continuing it. I'm sure I won't always be 100% with it, and I will not keep myself from eating whole grain pastas, wholegrain rice and potatoes completely either, but I know I can limit those things to a great deal, and I'm pretty sure that I can avoid sugar most of the time. As the week has gone on, it has gotten easier and my cravings have been reduced enough now that I really want to continue this way of eating.

I would love to hear how you are doing so far with the challenge and any changes you are noticing, any part of it that you have been struggling with, anything at all that you've noticed since starting. Please let me know in the comments below.

And because I know some of you are still finishing your sugar-free weeks with a few days to go still, I will leave you with another sugar-free, flour-free recipe; this one is for cake! It does use sweetener, but the amount used can be lessened and I think it is still a better way to fulfill a sugar-craving than having sugar and flour.

Flour-Free & Sugar-Free Cake


Ingredients:


300g 0%-fat Greek Yogurt
4 eggs
5 tablespoons granulated sweetener
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 x 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
fruit of your choice (I use strawberries on top and raspberries for in the middle)

Directions:

1. Separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff
2. In another bowl, mix the yolks, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, baking powder, 100g of the yogurt and 4 tablespoons of the sweetener
3. Whisk half of the egg whites into the yolks mixture, then carefully fold in the rest
4. Pour mixture into a tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a pre-heated 160C/320F oven for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked
5. Mix the rest of the yogurt, 1 tablespoon sweetener and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   
6. Cut the cake in half. Spread the yogurt mixture over one half of the cooled cake and top with fruit (I use raspberries for this step.)
7. Place the other half of the cake on top of the first half and cover this with yogurt and then tip with sliced strawberries.
   
   Serve and enjoy!

 

If you want to make this into one full round cake, double layered, then double the recipe and use two cake pans. Skip the cutting in half part. My kids, husband and I all really enjoy this cake. I hope you do too.

(And since I loved my belly dancing class so much yesterday, I will write an informational post about belly dancing tomorrow, so please stop by again!)


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SUGAR FREE - DAY SEVEN! #1wksugarfree

Today is the last day of my one week sugar free.

I lost a little bit more weight overnight for a total weight loss, as of this morning, of 9.2 lbs!  I will post again tomorrow morning with my final weight loss amount and the change in my waist and belly measurements. I am thrilled! When I lost my full 145.5 lbs, I usually lost 1, 2 and 3 lbs a week, more often getting the lower weight-loss results, with occasional half pound losses. One time, I lost seven pounds in one week, and I was over the moon, but I was never able to repeat that loss. (And really, for long-term weight loss, the slower weight losses are better and healthier.) But I have been eating a lot this week. I have not skimped on food. I have made sure that I eat whenever I am hungry and I eat even more when I get my sugar cravings. And yet, I have already lost so much weight this week that I am amazed.

Our bodies are strange things. I knew that I was falling back into my binge eating and needed to make a change. I knew that I needed to change things up. I am surprised by how good the results have been. It's more than just the weight loss. My allergies have improved (though they haven't completely gone away) and I am feeling energetic again. I am full of ideas for my stories again too. And I noticed my weight-lifting sessions are feeling easier.

(No this isn't me. I wish! This is a picture I found on Pinterest here.)

Today, at the urging of my 20 year old daughter Angelica, I tried a completely new form of exercise. We went to our first belly dancing class! I have found a new way to exercise that I absolutely love, and I will definitely continue with the classes while I can afford them. They are not too expensive and they are walking-distance from my house. The class also provided me with a cute jingly belt like the one pictured above to wear during the class. I really like the belt!

So how about you? How have you been doing so far on the challenge? Are the cravings getting any better? Have you noticed any of the changes I have? And is there something you've always wanted to try but haven't gotten around to (like belly dancing for me)? What is it? Please let me know in the comments below.




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Sugar Free Day Five #1wksugarfree

Another day of avoiding sugar and, in my case, bread. I had a salad with a lean sausage cut up in it for lunch and another, bigger salad with chicken for dinner. Breakfast is usually eggs and yogurt, but I am out of eggs, so  just had the yogurt and a banana. I didn't go shopping today, so I need to go buy some more eggs.

This morning when I weighed myself, I have lost another small amount of weight for a total loss of 7.2 lbs in total so far. This will be interesting to see how the next few days go as I am at a weight I tend to get stuck at when I'm losing. The first day of the challenge, I lost 3.4lbs. The second day I lost 1.4lbs. The third day, I lost 2 lbs and yesterday, I lost .4lbs. It'll be interesting to see how long this keeps up.

Here are links to helpful articles about the evils of sugar and sugar addiction that I have found. Some I have read fully and some I have only skimmed.


The Psychology Behind Sugar Addictions

Five Clues You Are Addicted to Sugar

Why Is Sugar So Addictive

Breaking Your Sugar Addiction

The Truth About Sugar Addiction

Expert Tips to Kick Sugar Addiction

These are just a few of the articles I have found on the topic. There is tons of material out there about sugar and its effect on us. I was informed of a 30 day challenge to go sugar-free that has a Facebook page, so I'm sharing it here, in case anyone is interested in checking it out after this sugar-free week is up. It's called The Sugar Challenge.

How are you all doing so far? Please let me know in the comments!


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Day Four Sugar Free #1wksugarfree

Here I am on day four of the challenge. I am still having cravings, but they are being satisfied with healthy food, so I think I am craving sugar whenever I let myself get hungry. I just have to make sure not to let myself get hungry, and when I do, to reach for something healthy, and it makes things so much easier.

Did I mention that I was struck today with loads of inspiration for several picture book stories, something that hasn't happened in quite some time for me? I wonder if the lack of excess sugar in my system helped my muse.

I weighed myself this morning, and I've lost even more weight now. I've now lost a total of 6 lbs.

This is really giving me even better results than I expected this early in the challenge.

How is everyone else doing (those of you who have already started)?


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Sugar Free Day Three #1wksugarfree

So another day has passed. I resisted the chocolate covered ice cream popsicles in the refrigerator.  I avoided the sugary fruit gummy sweets that my daughter still has sitting in a bag on the counter in my kitchen. I filled myself up on meat and eggs, yogurt and a bit of cheese.

The cravings are still getting to me, but I found it slightly easier today, possibly because I ate a couple of bananas and a nectarine, which helped to satisfy my sugar cravings but in a natural way. (Normally, I avoid bananas, but today, it was either eat the bananas or give in to my cravings. I chose not to give in.)

The good news is that my weight went down some more. I stepped on the scale this morning to find I had dropped another 1.4lbs, making my total loss so far 4.8lbs. And that was after only two days sugar-free (and bread free).

I made a delicious crust-less quiche today, full of vegetables and the whole family enjoyed it (although my younger kids picked the vegetables out of it. *sigh*)

Yesterday, my eldest daughter told me that she and her husband are starting the challenge on Monday. They are going to go sugar-free and bread-free for the week.

I finally remembered to take my waist measurements this morning, so hopefully I will have some news about it when the week is over. I even measured my belly fat area, since that's the area that is the worst to carry around extra fat health-wise, and I have read that it is the place where most sugar-caused weight goes.


So, three days down successfully. Four to go!

How are you doing so far? Please let me know in the comments.




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