21-day sugar challenge

Hello to all sugar-addicts and those who just want to feel fabulous, happy, clear-headed, and focused.

I recently read an article about a 21-day sugar elimination plan. Pretty much, this just means you don't eat sugar for 21 days and then see how you feel. Everyone I know who has done this raves about how wonderful they felt after this and they all talk about how they don't crave sugar at all anymore. 

I'm starting this plan today, right this very moment, because I am sick of feeling tired and stuck in a "foggy sugar coma" all the time. Anyone can join at any time. We can just have this be a running support group for anyone who wants to cut out sugar and start feeling happier and healthier.

Just a word of advice: One other thing I have read about this plan is that in the first four days, you may experience some withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches and fatigue. But don't give up. By day five, it will all be worth it!

Good luck and good health to all!

Hi,

Can you tell me more about this plan? I am in a sugar coma everyday:)) just kidding.. no seriously, I eat sugar a lot. 

should we eliminate fruit because it has sugar??

I am so with you.  I've been binging on sweets all weekend and now I feel horrible, physically and emotionally.  I just cannot say no to anything with sugar, especially since I live with people who are constantly baking and eating desserts.  I need to get rid of these cravings, they're killing my diet.

what constitutes as sugar? just refined sugar, or does that mean limiting the amount of fruits you eat? just wondering more details

Curious as well, I'm interested but don't want to limit fruits..

I love sugar too but don't feel super healthy when i eat it. I don't want to stop eatin my fruit and yoghurt though. Could we all please have some guide lines :)

Ladies, let us do some research online what is the max amount of natural sugar per day?? Mine goes sometimes to 100 grams a day. most of it from fruit.

I get to about 70g and mine comes from fruit yoghurt and a mini chocolate. I don't really want to give up my chocolate but i reckon i could replace it with more fruit and be happy. I think your suppose to consumer 40g of sugar a day but i don't know if that includes natural or refined because if it is both, i would have to cut down my fruit intake.

Rainbowjelly, don't cut down your fruit intake, fruit is healthy, better than cakes and refined sugar. also don't give up your mini chocolate. if it is a treat from time to time, it is fine.  The reason I am saying this is you don't want your body to FEEL it is in a diet mood because it will lead to binges later..

Just control your sugar intake... that is all.

Sorry guys. I should have been more specific. 

Here are some guidelines:

1. Definitely do not cut out fruit. If anything has natural sugar, it's healthy. I have found that fruit is very helpful when cutting way back on refined sugar. That way, we can still enjoy a sweet taste, without the health costs. I have been eating a lot of apples lately. 

Also, there is something about picking the fruit yourself that makes you more likely to eat it than if you had purchased it at the grocery store. If you have any nearby farms, I would recommend going apple-picking (they're in season!)

2. About the yogurt... yogurt is healthy and the calcium is especially important for us, as women. Just be careful of the type of yogurt. Some of them are made using high fructose corn syrup or other refined, processed sugars. Try to replace those with ones that use natural sugars or "evaporated cane juice". Stonyfield farm has some great yogurts with natural sugars.

Another yogurt option is to add honey and/or fresh fruit to plain yogurt, as the sugar in honey and fresh fruit is natural.  

3. Instead of looking at the specific number of grams of sugar, I'm looking at the ingredient labels. If anything has high fructose corn syrup, it is out of the question. Anything with natural sugar is fine. 

4. Just because we are cutting back on sugar does not mean that we can never have another cookie or brownie again in out lives. Even during the 21 day challenge, I am allowing myself two sweets a day. I'm just making sure these are small tastes. For example, instead of having four cookies, I had a half a cookie today. That way, I don't feel deprived (especially with Halloween only a week a way). 

Another option is to make baked goods using pure cane sugar or natural applesauce as a substitute for refined sugar. 

5. A word about sugar substitutes... I would not recommend using sugar substitutes. This really comes down to personal choice and preference, but I have found that artificial sugar just makes me really hungry and makes me crave the real deal. Artificial sugar is a bit of a controversial topic. Some say it are perfectly fine. Others say it stunts growth and has other health ramifications. If you really want to feel the benefits of de-sugaring, I would highly recommend removing these from your diet, but its really up to you. 

I hope this helped clear things up a bit. If there are any more questions, just let me know. 

Hi all,

A few months ago, I was doing OK w/ the whole dieting thing, but have completely fallen off the wagon and need to get back on.  I am going to try to wean off the sugar and see how it goes. I am also in the process of breaking a serious caffeine habit - so I figure might as well kill two birds with one stone. We'll see!  Good luck everyone!

Sounds good, I'm in! :D

I'll begin on Monday.

I am in too. So if i am feling like sugar i am going to have some more fruit.

Is rockmelon a good fruit to have? I also like apples and strawberries.

I will stick to having my treat a day. Sometimes i have 1 so maybe i will have two.

I do drink a lot of artifical sweetened drinks but i don't find they make me hungry. Maybe they do? I guess i could try not having as many. Its all about small steps right

:)

Remember that on sugar-elimination diets, splenda and other artificial sweeteners have to be cut too! Good luck, everyone!!

Personally, I'm going to keep the artificial sweetners.  They're not really sugar..:P

And I'm also going to do the treat a day thing. I think this will help me out a bit, since I love my cookies.

@rainbow: I've never heard of rockmelon, is it good? Artifically sweetened drinks don't make me hungry either. I'm with you on that.

Original Post by jennlett:

Personally, I'm going to keep the artificial sweetners.  They're not really sugar..:P

 I have no personal objection to Splenda and other artificial sweeteners (I use them all the time), but it spikes your blood sugar just like sugar does, so you will not break a sugar addiction if you eat it. It's up to you, and reducing your sugar definitely has its own benefits in and of itself, but you won't fix a sugar addiction that way.

ETA:

If you want to do a sugar ELIMINATION diet, which would take care of sugar cravings, you would want to remove refined sugars and artificial sweeteners. So fruit would be ok, but candy, cookies, and bread/pasta that's not 100% whole wheat would not be ok. You would have to cut it completely out, without daily treats, for a period of time, and then gradually reintroduce it.

But it sounds like most of you just want to cut down on your sugar- in that case, you can do whatever you want!  You just may not have a reduction in cravings.

I think I'll do this to thanksgivin when I eat a slice of pumpkin pie.  My main problem area is any kind of baked goods or ice cream.  Surprisingly I havent really craved any candy lately..not sure why? especially with halloween around the corner.

Whats been helping me is frozen fruit.  I just zap some strawberries in the microwave when I'm craving sweets (look @ ingredients and make sure the only thing is the actual fruit)...frozen fruit is a great alternative to fresh fruit for those of us who don't like food going bad (especially any kind of berries)

haha I'll win, 'cos I haven't eaten refined sugar since the beginning of this year!

But, I can contribute some great dessert recipes that use natural sugars, if anyone is interested. I work at a raw vegan restaurant, and all of our desserts use only natural unprocessed ingredients. Our sweetners are either the fruit itself, dates, agave nectar, or mesquite. It's up to you how you feel about agave, I have a lot of recipes where the 'sweetner' part is purely optional.

So, here are a couple of 'starter recipes' I usually give out. They really work well for the sugar fix, and since they have no processed sugars, they don't cause cravings or that 'domino effect' that happens when you eat sugar (i.e. you have one, you want another, then another, then another, then look out, you're on an all out binge!):

Blueberry pie:

Take about 1/2 cup dates, and 1/2 cup pecans (I recommend medjool dates, but noor are fine too), and put into a food processor (or just chop really fine). It's easier if you have soaked the pecans in water overnight, but not necessary. Press mixture into the bottom of an 8" pie pan.

In a blender, take 1 cup strained and thawed blueberries and blend in a blender, with or without some soaked dates for sweetness, whatever you prefer. Mix 1 cup frozen blueberries (I reccomend wild blueberries for maximum nutrition content and flavor) into mixture, then pour whole mixture into pie pan on top of crust. Voila, after about 20 minutes in the fridge to set (or right away, whatever!), you have blueberry pie that's amazingly good for its simplicity!

Banana Ice cream:

Take 3 or 4 frozen bananas. Add cinnamon, OR ad about 1/2 cup cacao powder (or cocoa, if that's all you have available). Mix in blender, and you'll get an ice cream with about the consistancy of soft serve. Put extra in freezer, and you'll have ice cream for whenever you need that fix!

Chocolate Pudding:

Take 3 avocados. Put in blender with agave nectar, dates, bananas, or whatever you choose to sweeten with. Mix with 3/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder. You have pudding!

Let me know if these recipes are helpful at all, or if you'd like me to post more.

Good luck!

I think with this sugar challenge-each to their own. For me, its giving up refined sugars from chocolate, for someone else it could be artificial sweetners. At this point in time if i gave up both i think i woul struggle and fail miserably.

I honestly feel so much better about myself when i don't eat refined sugar but it becomes a struggle as the days go along and i think about chocolate more and more. I can easily give up refined sugars but i struggle so much with chocolate. Why is dark chocolate better for you? I was looking at some cal counts and its only about 20cal less than milk chocolate.

Edamame, i really love the sound of the banana ice-cream and chocolate pudding. Do you have the cal counts for them please? The portions you mentioned, do they serve more than one? coz i just make things for myself. I really want to try them.

Why is it that if you eat too much natural sugar you can still gain weight? One day all i ate was fruit and i gained over half a kilo. How much natural sugars is too much?

Jennlett, rockmelon is an orange colour, similar size to a honeydew melon. It has a brownish skin on it that you cut off. It taste so good.

Please post more recipes and cal counts for them, these all sound really good. A chocolate pudding made from avocado and banana and cacao powder, sounds interesting :)

rainbowjelly-i think dark chocolate is "better" for you because it supposedly lowers blood pressure and provides antioxidants.  So kind of like a glass or red wine with dinner. The key is moderation though.