Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Sugar Free September! Day 1

Image by Pippalou of http://pippalunacy.com/
Almost five years ago I went sugar free (among other things) and lost 35 lbs. After a few years I started to be more "flexible" with my eating and bit by bit I allowed sugar back into my life and the pounds crept back on. Granted, I had some serious illnesses and injuries during this time too (and they definitely contributed to the weight gain) but I've decided go to back to my sugar free way of eating. Starting today.

I like the sound of "sugar free" but I am not truly going 100% sugar free. I'm allowing whole fruits, a small amount of juice in my morning kale smoothie (a tradition I've kept up since about 2011 although I didn't add juice at first... someone who occasionally makes my smoothies for me added juice and I started adding it too after a while), and on days when I feel I need it, a treat with 5g or less of added natural sugar/maple syrup etc. I'm aiming to reduce the amount of juice in my morning smoothie slowly so I don't miss it and eventually eliminate it, just using whole fruit instead. Really, this is a low sugar diet. But low sugar September isn't as nice sounding as sugar free September, which I already find motivating. "Sugar free September" is more of a mantra for me than an accurate description of my eating plan. My eating plan is a personalized cross between Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" diet and the Peer Trainer flexitarian plan.

Today I stuck to my plan and feel good about it. I only had one big bout of sugar cravings today and managed to pray my way through them without caving. God is good!

I am ready to return to a healthy weight and hope this experiment brings me closer. I'd love to hear any supportive comments you want to share and if you have successfully lost and kept off a meaningful amount of weight I'd love to hear your success story.

If you want to join me on your own version of a sugar free diet I'd love to hear about your journey.

Thank you in advance for your support and encouragement! May God bless you!

4 comments:

  1. Oh, sugar! It's an enemy of mine as well. So was drinking soda all the time. I also have health issues to work around to become healthy. For me I had to start conquering one at a time. Knocking out Pepsi was first and I switched to Sprite. Then I began tapering off the Sprite as well. I might have that if it's the only option, but now it's water or lemonade. Sugar is also one of my goals to lower and cut out except for healthy option because it's very possible for me to develop diabetes. To see you working on this as well encourages me to cut a bit out this month as well. Good luck in your journey and you've done great so far!

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    1. Thank you kindly for your encouragement and comment, Kay! And well done on cutting out your Pepsi and reducing the Sprite! I love that we're encouraging each other.

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  2. I have to cut down my sugar because my doctor told me I am pre-diabetic. She hasn't given me any specific directions yet, except she said I could eat whole fruit. I am so supportive of you in your endeavor! Best of luck and determination!

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    1. Thank you for your kind encouragement, Laura! Whether you do it little by little or in a big jump, I hope and pray that when you also cut sugar that you will be successful and your health will improve. A long time ago I read a book called "Sugar Busters" and it was very inspiring for reducing sugar. My library still has it and maybe yours does too. Can you meet with a nutritionist to make a customized plan for you? Good luck on your journey!

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