For the whole month of January I cut sugar completely from my diet. It was so hard at first, but really needed. I never had completed a type of challenge like this so, I am very proud of myself. Even though the 31 day challenge is over, I am still not eating sugar. Now that it already feels like a habit, I want to see how much further I can go!
Below I wanted to share my craving patterns, detox feelings, and unsweetened foods that helped me get through this. Now, just to clarify I removed all sugar no matter it's form such as soda, chocolate, white or brown sugar, etc. So let's dive in!
Week 1 - In some ways it was easy to give up sugar because of the holiday indulgence, but it was still hard. I never had a sugar detox migraine, mostly because I made sure to drink some cranberry juice the first few mornings. Over all, my body felt great!
Week 2 - Believe it or not, but my cravings went away. This is when I started to implement my love for acai bowls, so the mixture between the granola and agave was the best.
Week 3 - Still no need for sugar. I felt great in terms of having no cravings! But, going to the movies without any butter popcorn, or candy it was a different experience. Isn't it interesting how we glorify certain outings only for food?
Week 4 - This week was a little harder for me. At times I definitely wanted something sweet, other than fruit! But, this week it was nice to be surrounded with friends who have also been watching what they eat!
Week 5 - Crazy to think 31 days free of no sugar. I didn't think I could do it. This week I implemented lots of fitness, and that kept the motivation even stronger than ever! I found that working out gave me more of an incentive to never cheat myself on such hard work.
1. No headaches! I loved not having any type of symptoms of being addicted to sugar. I still had headaches if I was working too hard with homework, starred too long at a computer screen, or didn't drink enough water, but nothing related towards food.
2. Never felt sick. Sometimes eating sugar always made me feel funny, or give me stomach aches. It felt great to not have any of those problems.
3. No cravings. It's amazing how after the first week of detox, I was able to not have any cravings. I loved not being dependent on needing a sweet fix in order to be satisfied.
4. I drank more water. I have always loved soda, but now I definitely love the taste of water. It doesn't bother to only have water with my meals now!
Drink freshly squeezed juice. Jamba Juice was another hot spot for me, because their freshly squeezed orange juice was delicious. The oranges this time of year are so sweet, I just love it!Acai bowls are life. Nekter is the first place I've tried a bowl, and I love it. I like to replace an actual meal with this bowl because it is so filling. But, I love how this taste like dessert.
I loved iced teas if the cravings were bad. Some of my favorite teas are the tropical black iced tea from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, passionfruit from It's A Grind, black iced tea from Sidecar Donuts and Coffee. All are unsweetened and I promise the taste, flavor, and sweetness doesn't even need sugar!
Use agave. Sometimes I loved honey with hot tea, or agave with my acai bowls. I never used it enough to even make it become a bad habit to replace my sugar absence, but this is something you'll have to decide for yourself.
Way to go, girl! I hear that there are a ton of beauty related benefits to ditching sugar, too. I'd do it just to improve the quality of my skin (no more adult acne!!!!).
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, Jenna! I bet the first week was the hardest! A few years ago I gave up dairy. The first week going cold turkey was the worst. I think I was even dreaming of massive piles of mac and cheese, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your tips on how you survived it. I don't necessarily want to give it but cutting back would be nice.
This is really impressive! Congratulations. So you just did no added sugar, but did allow yourself natural sugars like the fruits and such...I think that's the kind of omission I could handle.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Natural sugars such as honey, agave, coconut sugar, or fruit. No refined sugar such as white or brown sugar, maple syrup, desserts, etc.
DeleteYes! It is so good to cut down on your sugar intake. And it allows your body to start craving the things you need - like fruit, water, and veggies!!
ReplyDeleteYes exactly!! I'm like wow, who knew water could be so satisfying. lol
DeleteCongrats! Last year my sisters and Dad didn’t eat any sugar the whole year, except once at thanksgiving I think. So this year oh decided to try it. I’m doing good so far and am loving the results as well. I’ve shed a few pounds, and my post baby belly has tightened up noticeably. I feel much better. Fresh juice is a life saver for me! When I need something, that’s my go to. I did have to make some chocolate for “that time of the month” because I was sure I was dying, but I found a sugarfree recipe that used all natural ingredients, and made a very small batch, so I didn’t feel too bad about it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
WOW one whole year, that's incredible!! :) As i respond to you I am completing my 39th day of no sugar, it feels pretty rewarding. You keep it up!! :)
Delete