No sugar challenge... anyone with me

Hey everyone. I've been trying to lose the weight I've gained over the past few years (cough *31 lbs* cough). Since last summer I've lost a total of about 8 pounds. But it has been so slow, and I know slow is good, but this is a little to slow for me. I weigh 163 and I want to be at my happy weight of about 140-145lbs. But I don't want to just be thin, I want to be toned and in great shape. I used to be able to run 4 miles in one workout and now pushing 1 out is challenging, and I know a lot of this has to do with my diet. And lately I've been noticing that sugar plays a major role in the reason for not being able to get into good shape. It spikes my blood sugar, only to make me crash, it makes me feel lethargic, and over all like crap. So I am going to go 1 week with out sugar! I have a feeling that I'll feel so good that I won't crave it anymore, and only eat it in moderation. I would love it if anyone else would like to join me!

I did so good all day yesterday... then I finally met my neighbors and they invited me over and offered me a drink and stupidly i took it. It was only like half a soda, but it was still sugar. I'm not going to beat myself up about it though, I'm just going to continue to stay away from sugar, and If i drink alcohol tonight I have to chase it with water! haha. Little steps... I won't have ANY sugar today!

How did everyone else do?

I quit sugar cold turkey about 2 months ago. And let me tell you: I have never felt better in my entire life. I feel great physically - no energy ups and downs, no "sugar rush", no sleepyness during the day! More stable steady energy! And what I love the most: I feel amazing mentally. I used to be a cheesecake/chocolate slave. Now I don't care about it al all! Yae, I can walk past cookies in the supermarket and I do not want it. It is very liberationg. I used to sabotage all my healthy eating efforts by sugar cravings. Now it's totally gone and I am losing weight and actually enjoying it.

Original Post by myteasgonecold:

 I can walk past cookies in the supermarket and I do not want it. It is very liberationg. I used to sabotage all my healthy eating efforts by sugar cravings.

 In my profile pics; there's a pic one month before I had Julia.  118 pounds and basically Sugar free (not whole grain carb free-  i introduced high fiber foods 6 months after not eating any carbs and dropping 30 pounds).  This was me to a TEE-  i could walk past any food, go to any restaurant, family outing-  you name it-  I was so super good and didn't evn want anything!!  This is exactly where i want to be-  it's such a long journey-  and there will be slip ups-  but so far, this is my third day and my carb cravings are starting to slow down a bit.  I had cheese for breakfast and eggs for lunch.  I had a Lo-carb delite bar on the train last night, which is fake sugar-only sugar alcohols which has no affect on my blood sugar.  It was that little bar that saved me from ALL THE PASRTIES in Penn Station waiting for my train :)

My goal is to get back into that dress; not cringe when I look at myself in pictures, and not feel the urge to eat an entitr box of donut holes on the way home from the supermarket!!!

SO Far, day 3 is going pretty dam well.

i'm doing pretty good so far - had a poached egg for b'fast this a.m. with toast and low sugar/fat free raspberry jam - i went with this vs. the sugar free because i didn't want the artificial sweetner one with high fructose corn syrup - the low sugar one tastes more like real fruit, etc..

and another question: is it okay to eat fruit with natural sugars? I had a banana - and I love apples..

one of my best friends did that for about 7 weeks. she only ate natural sugars like in fruits and whatnot. she lost about 20 pounds it was amazing watching the "Transformation" haha. she was on a bet with a friend and then she ended up winning the bet, but continued to leave out the sugar in her diet. good luck!

Yes fruit sugars are definitely ok. 

My dad is going to run a urine analysis on me on tuesday, so I can't eat any sugar, salt or seasoning, and I'm pretty much limited to eating lean protein and raw vegetables with minimal fruit for the next 2 days. This should be a good kick start to my diet!

I've been eating plain oats in the morning, homemade smoothies and shakes in the afternoons, fruits and veggies throughout the day, and lean protein with veggies at night.  I'm limiting all of my processed foods actually....

I haven't really been craving processed sugars yet, but it's only been a few days....I'll probably need to checkin to this forum more regularly in a few more days to seek some encouragement....."Put the cookie down!" lol

So how is everyone doing???  Any cravings yet???  And what are you doing to push through them???? 

Today is day 2 of the no sugar, salt or processed foods. Pretty much all I've eaten is some fruits, vegetables, eggs and chicken. It's really no that bad. I haven't been craving any breads or sugars or anything, but I REALLY want salt! Eggs with out salt are not the same, but it will be over tomorrow. I'm really going to work on eating like this 90% of the time. I feel great, and I don't really want to eat when i'm not hungry... maybe it's because the food is kinda boring and it makes me think about whether or not I'm actually hungry.

Everyone else seems to be doing really well. Missmontana it sounds like you're eating really healthy! Good Job! And for future reference "Put the cookie down!" haha

I have a lot of stomach issues- not a weight thing, but just a lot of problem with digesting. I am also celiac.  I started a sugar control program back in September to detoxify your liver and get my stomach to begin digesting by itself again!

Thought I would share the details of the program with you.  It was crazy hard for the first 3-4 days – bad headaches – and I didn’t eat a whole lot of sugar to begin with!  I was amazed/disgusted by everything that contains sugar.

So this was what to eat.

• Red meat- at least 9oz a week
• Foul - Unlimited
• Eggs- Unlimited
• Lamb- Unlimited
• Cheese- Unlimited
• Pork- Unlimited
• Organ Meat- Unlimited
• Green Vegetables – Unlimited
• Tomatoes – unlimited
• Yellow/Orange Vegetables – 2 to 3 servings a week 
• Fruit Juices – only those labeled no sugar added.  A great one is sun rype fruit juices.  All natural.
• Decaf Coffee – unlimited
• Decaf Tea –unlimited
• Milk –As desired
• Snacks
• Brazil nuts – raw
• Cashews – raw
• Cheese
• Any Fresh Fruit – I eat so much fruit now!
•  I eat a lot of the sunrype fruit bars and lara bars as well..they are quite filling and sugar/gluten free
• Foods to avoid
• Sugars
• Sweetners
• Pastas
• Rice – brown rice is allowed
• All wheat products  - they all contain sugars
• Honey
• Frozen or Concentrated Juices
• Mixed drinks
• Alcoholic beverages
• Potatoes
• Yams
• Beans, lentile, legumes
• Beats
• Frozen Foods
• Tofu (any soy products)
• Condiments (incl salad dressings – only balsamatic vinager allowed)

A bread called Ezekiel was suggested to me from my gastro doctor upon starting this program.  I was already used to lame tasting breads since I am celiac, but this stuff has no sugars and actually grows on you.

 My doctor eventually introduced a few things back into my diet- like condiments…and dark chocolate (in limited amounts).  The few times that I have cheated and had a milk chocolate, I was so grossed out by how sugary it was!

 Good luck ladies!  If you have any questions, feel free to message me!!

It may seem tough but you will feel fantastic in no time! 

how was everyone's weekend?  I stuck to it-  very hard-  VERY VERY VERY hard-  but I'm down a 1.5 pounds since I started this no sugar challenge; so that to me is worth the not eating coleslaw and watermelon!!!!  I feel good-  I'm hungry and need coffee.  Our trip home from upstate back to the city was a whopping 7 hours with a baby in the car!!

Hey Everyone;  I'm sugar free still!  No poundage weight loss; but my clothes are fitting better.  I feel less bloated.

Yesterday I went out to eat and I asked our waiter to make me a plate of grilled salmon and shrimp with a big side salad of mixed greens w/ Olive oil and Vinegar.  It was delicious!  Everyone at the table had pasta and I didn't feel like I was missing out at all.  Instead of cappucino I had coffee; and it was the perfect ending to my lunch! 

I'm very excited that I have stuck to this.  It's very hard though.  I'm not cheating.  I've made a commitment to myself to eat healthy w/ no refined sugar.  I'm going to the gym today over lunch and will start out with 30 minutes on the ellipitcal.  Baby steps!

Jenn - I started this over two weeks ago as a theory after feeling tired and lethargic all the time.  I have cut out almost all processed sugars (including corn syrup and other processed forms) and I feel great!  I have more energy for exercise now too!  I have come to the conclusion that "unnatural sugars" are addicting, does not fill me up, and leaves me very tired.  Knowlege is the power to success!

Checking in :)

Gosh I feel GREAT!  I can already see the difference in my skin, the way my clothes fit, on the scale, just my overall appearance.  And I feel amazing!  I have a ton of energy and feel super motivated.  My moods have improved drastically, but that's also something I've been intentionally working to improve :)  STILL NO CRAVINGS!

I'm eating all natural, raw foods.  Nothing processed at all...just plain raw fruits, veggies, juices, sprouted grains, etc.  I love eating this way, I've done it before...I'm an all or nothing kinda gal, so I feel like if I would've just half-assed it, my attempts would have ended a lot sooner than later!

Lemme know how y'all are doin!!!!! ;)

So, I was invited out to lunch today and I thought that although I am on a diet, I should not avoid the company of friends while eating meals.  I just let everyone know beforehand that I'm on a lo-carb routine and pls no comments.  I research the place before I left work and knew what I was ordering.  No one said a word to me; which was GREAT; I'm glad there weren't any comments.

I feel really good-  slightly hungry b/c all I did eat was grilled chicken; shaved parmesean cheese on a ned of mesclun; so right now I'm having a cup of coffee until I get home and can make a snack.  Last night I bought organic chicken cutlets that are pre-sealed each; so I don't have to deforst a whole pack of chicken to eat one.

Tomorrow is weigh-in day.  I'm telling myself NOT to get disappointed if I don't see a drop.  I've been the same exact weight +/- 1 pound for the past 6 months since having Julia.  I don't know what it is.  I even went to my doc to get my thyroid checked out-  but I'm healthy.

It shouldn't matter what the scale says; but it matters to me.  Although; I am significantly more comfortable in my clothes today; and am embracing my curves.  My stomach is almost all the way flat now; my hips are very wide; but my waist in comparison looks great!  So my hourglass is DEFINITLEY an hour-glass. 

I feel really good and I feel like I can commit to this way of eating.  I refuse to cave in.

I feel like a bad person right now. I couldn't help myself and ordered a mocha this morning! then I got on here and started reading your guy's posts and I just feel aweful! I've only had about a 1/4 of the drink... but I'm tossing it! Thanks for being so good, I feel like a failure.

I do feel a lot better though. I have more energy... not necessarily right now b/c I stayed up too late and had to be to work really early, but in general. (I'm blaming sleep depravation for my poor choice!) I think I might not be drinking enough water though, and that's not so good.

But food wise I've just been sticking to fruit, veggies, lean meats and oatmeal. My body feels a lot less bloated, but now i feel overwhelmingly guilty and I don't want to drink the rest of the mocha, but I don't want to waste a $4 drink either... this will just have been a week moment and I'll stay away from sugar. I haven't even been eating any kind of breads or anything. I did have two corn tortillas made by the ezekiel brand.

I should just keep all of you in the back of my mind everytime I eat or drink something!

May I join? It's been a goal of mine recently to do just this, but I have some self-control issues. I can go all day on my own without eating anything bad, but if someone else offers it, I'm gone. So maybe having some support will help?

I'm 5'7.5", 130ish, and would like to lose 5-8 pounds. I eat a TON of sugar, but I know that when I went vegan for a while, I had NO cravings for sugar whatsoever. I can't give up meat anymore (it's not that I just love it or anything, I had no trouble giving it up - but rather, I need the protein and I found it too hard to get adequite amounts as a vegan. Not to mention the gas) so I figure, maybe sugar was the culprit of my low-energy levels now and my great feelings then. I exercise for 1-2 hours 5-6 days a week, with weights 3 days a week.

I would like to start off a week without sugar with you guys, but hopefully I'll continue! Tonight is my graduation...I hope there's no cake :X

One question: are any of you guys giving up breads as well? Someone said that they contain sugar, but I think even my organic, natural oatmeal contains at least a tiny amount of sugar. I'm very addicted to breads and carbs, so maybe it's not bad for me to do that. Wondering what you guys are doing though!

Oh, and while someone said they're giving up fruit, fruit-sugar is different from refined-sugar. Fruit sugar doesn't cause energy spikes. I LOVE fruit so much: I eat anywhere from 1-4 apples a day...maybe I SHOULD cut back, haha! However, if this is detrimental in some way I'd love to know.

Good luck everybody!

how was everyone's weekend?  I stayed off the sugar-  i'm very proud of myself-  this is starting my thrid week.  Not too down on the scale; but my clothes are fitting much better.

I can visibly see the difference too!  And I feel amazing...eating raw, natural, unprocessed foods still...and still no cravings :)

Thumbs up!

Jenn...put the mocha down! LOL ;)

I def want to join this sugar-free-ness :)

I went to the gym today and did 40 minutes of cardio.  I know it's not an awe-inspiring workout; but I had my mp3 player and was able to do 20 and 20 on ellitpical and treadmill.  It felt good -  and better yet-  it felt like yet another step to increasing my energy levels.  This sugar free diet has it's moments when I want to rip open a pack of twizzlers and shove them down my throat; but hey-  that's normal.....although the craving are very far and few between.

BlueBunny makes a Sugar Free ice cream bar that tastes really good.  I don't want to look to the fake sugar route-  but for a craving; I'm gonna have one once a week if that's my treat and I can savor it.