Okay everyone…how’s it going? We’ve had several “takers” on this NO SUGAR challenge! WOOHOOO!
For those of you who have gone without sugar all day….are ya hanging in there? Is it hard? Do you feel okay? (Are you mad at me?!)But hey, sugarless people, you are NOT alone! Several of us have ditched the sugar today with you!
For me, Day 1 was the hardest to get through! Just so ya know. Get through today and you will feel so impressed with yourself tonight! And you’ll feel more motivated to do it again tomorrow!
Have you read all the encouraging comments from Take the NO SUGAR Plunge? If not, you HAVE to go read them. Even those who haven’t taken the challenge are really cheering us on and that’s awesome!
Several of you have told me what good timing this is for you and how grateful you are…so, you’re welcome…but REALLY, YOU are helping ME!!! This has been great to help hold me accountable and ease my temptations.
I’ve had several questions come in about how strict to be about this, what counts as sugar, etc. Great questions!
So here are some tips and suggestions for some do’s and don’t’s of the NO SUGAR Plunge. But hey, this is what is working for ME, so if you don’t like it, that’s okay! Do whatever works best for what YOU NEED to do this thing. You may need to be less strict about it to make the goal more attainable for yourself. Or, you may need to cut back on more than just sugar. Do what works for you to help you meet your goals!
1. Don’t replace your sugar with artificial sweeteners. From what I’ve read, those are even worse for you than sugar. And, they don’t help you to stop craving sugar!
2. Don’t let yourself go hungry. Eat wholesome meals that are rich with nutrients that fill you up. If you are hungry, you’re more likely to want something snacky and sweet.
3. Eat fruit! But don’t overdo it. Even though it’s natural sugar, it’s still sugar. Eating fruit does help with sugar cravings though, so let yourself have some. And WOW, doesn’t fruit taste so sweet and good when you aren’t eating other sugary foods! (Go, God!)
4. Don’t drink too much fruit juice. Even the 100% juice isn’t great for you, as the bulk of the enzymes from the fruit are stripped away, leaving mostly the fructose (sugar). And, the amount of juice that you get from one piece of fruit is far less than what you get in a big glass of juice. So, drinking a big glass of juice can provide you with the amount of sugar from several oranges, apples, or whatever.
5. I’ve chosen to avoid sugar in any form, which includes, honey, maple syrup, molasses and the like. If you chose to avoid white sugar, but not natural sugars, great…just watch out not to overdo!
6. Fill in the time that you normally eat sugary foods or crave snacking on sugary foods with something else, so that the struggle isn’t so hard! Exercise, call someone on the phone, read your Bible, play a game with your kids…do SOMETHING so that you aren’t as tempted to fall back into your sugar eating patterns.
7. I know I already mentioned to not let yourself go hungry, but it’s worth saying again in a different way! You’re cutting out sugar and desserts, now focus EATING other really good foods! I have found that I’m eating much more at mealtimes and REALLY enjoying my food! It tastes sooo good. I am amazed at how good food tastes when sugar is not coating my palate, or when I haven’t snacked the afternoon away. I am lovin’ that cow in my freezer!
Okay everyone!!!!! Leave a comment or email me to let us know how you’re doing! We all need to hear about your day. Tell us about the hardest time of day for you, tell us what you ate instead of sweets, tell us what you’re having the hardest time giving up, tell us how you feel about this whole challenge, tell us what you’re having for dinner….tell us anything you want to about this NO SUGAR Plunge! We can’t wait to hear from you!!!
And, if you are just now deciding to jump in with us…YEA!!! Tell us when you plan to start and how you feel! We want you to join us!!
Or, if you aren’t taking the challenge, but want to cheer us along…lick the cookie off your fingers and leave us an encouraging comment! Some of you have done this before and you KNOW what it’s like!
And ALL of you, check back in tomorrow for more sugar free fun, encouragement, back patting and ideas.
Now, everybody go eat a carrot.
Char says
I just wrote you an email about how HARD this is, but I’ll re-cap here, for the benefit of anyone else who might be having a tough time.
Let’s see… my eating is going well, my water tastes great, but my kids are nutso today, and I just sent them to their rooms for a time out (for mommy!) They went happily to their room – I’m thinking they were glad to get away from the crazy lady who is suffering withdrawels from sugar.
This is the time of day (it’s almost 1 p.m. here) that I usually treat myself to a sweet or snack or two or three – while the little ones are down for a nap. So… instead, I’m sitting here writing email and reading blogs and trying to forget about the things I COULD be eating. It might be time for some fruit or something.
Ok, I want to hear how everyone else is doing?
Devildogwife says
Homemade fruit smoothies are a great “fix” when you’re having a sweet craving. Keep up the great work!!
jayme says
Here here sister. I have two trouble spots. During rest time…when I’m trying to recover from the kids……and after they go to bed…when I”m tryint to recover from the kids. :)
I’m eating pita chips right now.
Char says
Laura (or anyone), Do you have a good recipe for fruit smoothies with no sugar added? I like strawberry smoothies, but they can be kind of bitter if you don’t use pre-sugared strawberries, or add sugar in. Any ideas?
Laura says
I use liquid Stevia or Agave Nectar to sweeten. They are not considered a “sugar” and are good! Sorry I didn’t think to recommend those sooner! You can find them at a health food store.
jayme says
You know…this isn’t soooo bad. If you tried to get me to put down my diet dr. pepper….then I would need a major support group. And probably a restraining jacket. But one thing at a time. :)
But no sugar itself…once I get going…I’m ok. :)
Heather says
Hi, I just saw your No Sugar Plunge. I am going to take the Plunge. I feel like I do need to tell someone so I can feel accountable to actually follow through with it. So I can’t start for today, because I am an addict and having already partaken of the forbidden word we can’t say, I am starting right now and on through tomorrow. This will include my after kids go to bed snack for myself. For sure this will be hard for me, but I have already been working on loosing weight. 30 lbs over the last year and for the last 4 months I have been stuck. I want to loose another 15 lbs. I have already been telling myself it is the sugar that is blocking my weight loss. So my goal is for tonight and tomorrow, we will see how that goes.
Also, for the comment above, I am adding a smoothie recipe. I know it is including juice with sugar in it, but overall it is pretty healthy for you.
The Ultimate Smoothie:
half a Banana
four to six frozen strawberries
half cup plain yogurt (lowfat)
half to one cup orange juice
one Tbsp Flax seeds (ground in coffee grinder)
one Tbsp whey protein powder
In a blender add the banana, strawberries, yogurt, and orange juice. Blend until smooth. Add the flax seeds and whey, blend until evenly distributed. Pour in two glasses and enjoy! Makes 2 smoothies or cut ingredients for a solo one!
Change the fruits to make a whole new kind of smoothie.
Tropical- Fresh banana, frozen mango, pineapple juice
Very Berry- Fresh blueberries, frozen raspberries, pomegranate juice
Peachy Dreams- Fresh strawberries, frozen peaches, orange juice
Melissa Markham says
Okay, I am in! It is now 1 pm EST and I haven’t had any refined sugar today:) Yahoo! I am going to eat honey on my english muffins in the morning, but I will not over due it. I am wondering about pudding. I mean, cakes, cookies, ice cream and so forth are obvious, but pudding I am not so sure about. Does anyone have thoughts on that?
Also a treat that I like to make is Slim fast shake. I use the chocolate royal protein mix, 1 cup skim milk, 1 banana, and a cup of ice. Blend in blender. It’s like having a milk shake and the protein in the shake and the milk fill me up.
Away the sugar goes!!!!!