Tomorrow will be the last day of my 30 day no/low sugar experiment.
I decided to do this after realizing that I consume waaaay too much sugar. I am a cake fiend. Can't resist it, can't say no. If cake is nearby and available, I will eat it. Often, more than just one piece.
After recognizing that I had a problem, I examined it. I used to have such good will power and was able to say no to desserts, usually. I can't remember when, but at some point (I think right after graduating college) I relaxed the no dessert rule. And thus a runaway monster was born.
My plan for the 30 days was fairly simple: avoid refined sugar as much as possible. Generally speaking, I have a fairly healthy diet by habit (I don't drink sodas, and eat a lot of veggies and whole grains, easy with a vegetarian diet). However, I like to snack on sugary things. Candy, sugary granola bars, and, yes, cookies and cake if they are available. So all I had to do, in theory, was just snack better.
The first week was rough. There was leftover cake at work that I couldn't touch and candy dishes all over with tempting goodies that I'd gotten into the habit of reaching into to get me through the afternoon. But I resisted. Yaay! It was hard though. I felt anxious, stressed, and hungry.
The next two weeks were better, mostly because I'd planned to have with me "safe" snacks that I could nibble on in the afternoon without wanting to reach for the candy dish. Larabars are great for this. They are often made of just 3 to 5 ingredients: dates and fruits and nuts.
My favorite flavors are cherry pie, pecan pie, key lime pie (are you sensing a theme...)
Once I had the snacks planned out, things went along a bit more smoothly. Gradually, the cravings for sweets died down, but then I just felt hungry. That also eventually tapered off.
Results: I lost some weight. Nothing too noticeable, but my pants fit better. My skin feels good, less dehydrated. This is most likely due to the fact that I started to drink more water to curb cravings. My favorite new thing is to put some lemon and lime juice in some cold water and sip it while cooking or after a workout and in the morning and before bed. I remember reading somewhere that if you feel hungry you should drink some water first. Sometimes, our brains tell us we're hungry when we're really just thirsty. It seemed to do the trick for me!
The best result is that I've gotten a grip on my sweet tooth. I have proven to myself that I do still have that will power to avoid things that aren't good for me. Once the 30 day ban ends, I hope to maintain some of that.
I will still eat cake. And cookies. And pies. But now I feel like I can enjoy them without becoming a controlled by them.
Thanks for reading!
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