The 'Towards a Sugar-Free Future' Challenge

Honey_Bear

PollyBear I really do feel your pain regarding chocolate.  I will go back to binging on it at some point in the not too distant future because I always do, but in the meantime I'm enjoying not being in thrall to it for the first time in, quite literally, years.  There have been years at at time when I just can't resist it day after day after day no matter how determined I thought I was, so this feels like a welcome relief.  I don't regret buying the Easter eggs I've lined up for us because it always helps to have somehing to look forward to, and years ago I heard someone from the CofE on the radio saying that when we've had a period of denial we should always always always celebrate with a feast.  That's what Easter is supposed to be, apparently, after the denials of Lent. 

I'm also with you on the subject of biscuits.  Belovéd can stop at one every day, but I never can.  While I was in L!dl last week I noticed some I hadn't tried that I thought might be worth sampling because of not being able to have chocolate ones at the moment and I really liked them.  I didn't notice when I buying them but I had a friend for coffee on Saturday morning who happens to be a vegan and when I checked to see if I could offer them to her - they were just the job.  Very unusual for me, because I find a lot of vegan food very dry in the mouth, or it has palm oil in.  The real bonus is that each one is fairly small, so I don't feel as though I've gone mad if have a few.

Overall over the weekend I didn't go too mad, just had a few of thosee biscuits, a big dollop of home made marmalade on my toast on Sunday morning and a chunk of apple crumble after Sunday lunch.  That's quite an absetemious weekend for me, sugarwise, and I don't think I really thought about it much, which is also a very welcome change.

How did everyone else do?

Pollybear

Today has been a better day - good job it's nearly bedtime!   Hopefully tomorrow will be all right too.  Apart from fruit I haven't had any sugar today and I can't worry about fruit when I've got chocolate to battle!    Some family worries which never help but I'm trying to keep going.

Honey_Bear

Well done for yesterday PollyBear, and good luck with today.

I eat a lot of fruit now which I didn't used to do, and I'm not in the slightest bit worried about the sugar it contains.  It's a natural sugar and not the added stuff in cake, biscuits and chocolate that we all seem to be addicted to. I don't know of anyone who's addicted to fruit.

If you're pre-diabetic or diabetic that's a different matter, but for the majority of us fruit is a marvellous thing.  It's full of all sorts of lovely vitamins and minerals but most importantly - fibre,  which means it's more filling than when processed into juices and other such stuff.

Since starting this sugarfree journey 19 months ago I've realised that the reason I didn't eat a lot of fruit and preferred a sweet dessert was because it just didn't taste sweet to me any more.  Over the last 19 months that's started to change, thank goodness, and I work on the basis that if it tastes sweet then my taste buds are working properly.  If not, I'm eating waaaaaaay too much 'added' sugar.  What I've also realised is that if there is a wide selection of fruit at any supermarket, the chances are the cheapest options aren't going to be the most well flavoured, so if there's a choice between the cheapest and the most expensive tangerines/satsumas/mandarins, I'll go for the most expensive ones.  It's only a matter of a few pence and it's not like that's my main food choice of the day so in the long run buying slightly more expensive fruit and no chocolate definitely saves me money and the stuff doesn't go to waste sitting in the fruit bowl because neither of us actually wants to eat it.

Pears are incredibly sweet when ripe and ripen off the tree, which is useful.  They are, however, only ripe for a nanosecond before going slightly over and a bit cotton wooly, but they are lovely.  We planted a pear tree about 15 years ago in the communal garden and it's the most prolific thing I've ever come across.  It gives us enough pears for all eight households to say, 'Enough with the pears!' every year, and that's despite me making dozens of pots of chutney.

There are some huge fat round green grapes from South Africa in Morrisons right now which are fabulous.  (None of the others I've tried all year round come close to those South African ones.)  They disappear after a few weeks so I make the most of them while they're around.  They keep well in the fridge too, so I don't have to go and get them every few days. 

Apples, despite being sweet, are best with cheese, I find, a fabulous combination that makes a really great lunch. 

Bananas give me terrible indigestion unfortunately, so while Belovéd eats them every day I can't.  Fried in butter with brown sugar I can but that's a bit out of the question right now!

Before I started this journey I didn't eat much fruit, and now it's dessert every night.  It's one of the things I'm most pleased about, and that change has taken place veyr gradually.

I very, very nearly caved last night.  I was sensible mid-afternoon and had a slice of toast with peanut butter at tea time, but by the evening I was feeling pretty low.  I've got a horrible cold and I got very upset about something (nothing important, but it seemed so at the time) and just knew that chocolate would taste wonderful if I allowed myself some.  In the end I just took the dog for her last walk (we're still house-training her) and went to bed early.  That was the only way I could resist the temptation to comfort eat, but it worked.

SkyChild

Hi I am new, sorry to gate crash your thread. Can I join your challenge please? A few years ago I managed to go almost completely "added sugar" free - only natural sources like fruit or small amounts in sauces etc and the difference it made to my health, mood and appearance was remarkable. Of course stress happened and I use food to deal with emotions but I am determined to get back on the wagon. 
I don't think I can post every day but look forward to sharing support with everyone

Honey_Bear

Welcome SkyChild!  You're absolutely not crashing anything, everyone who contributes helps everyone who's struggling with sugary stuff.  Anything you add will be very welcome, especially as you've already been successful in the past with it. 

We all revert back to comfortable old habits when life is stressful and don't even realise that's what's happening when sugar starts being our Go To place to deal with the stuff that life throws at us, and once added sugar is part of our everyday life we want more and more.  Insidious stuff.

It doesn't matter to us if you don't contribute daily - it would be great to have you along with us contributing when you can.  Having been successful in the past you'll know a great deal more than most of us how to do this because you're bound to have found ways we haven't thought of yet.  I'm looking for new ideas all the time.

Pollybear

Pears are my very favourite fruit but you do have to be in the room when they ripen!

Welcome Skychild

Honey_Bear

If there's one in the fruitbowl I hardly leave the room until the nanosecond they reach ripeness!

~FlowerPot~

Hello,

and welcome Skychild the more the merrier!! its really good to have people supporting each other and so helpful to know your not alone trying to reduce that sugar!

I seem to re start this challenge everyday, slip up after slip up!!! But life has been rather stressfull and its definetly comfort eating. But i have reached the point that my work trousers are just too tight. So its either but new clothes, Which I hate, shopping that is and the expense of it!! or reduce the sugar and carp from my diet. and move a bit more!!

I really do need to do something!!

@Honey_Bear you do sound like you are in a really good place. well done xx

Honey_Bear

Thanks @~FlowerPot~.  From the beginning of December right through pretty much to the beginning of Lent I was struggling every day, so this period of abstinence is very welcome.  It won't last forever, but it'll be fascinating to see how soon after Easter Sunday - when I have every intention of eating a significant chunk of my lovely Easter egg - I find myself craving chocolate every day again.  I'm not at the moment at all, which is the first time in years I've gone weeks without it.  (Yes, I know I had some last week but they were only tiny amounts for three days and not a 200g bar of chocolate a day, which was my original problem.)

SkyChild

Thanks for the welcomes everyone 
The cravings are the worst. I tend to use frozen grapes or chewing gum for those - easy little "pops" to bolster my willpower. And of course, grocery shopping online to stop having to walk down the sweetie aisle!! 
My partner is a recovering alcoholic and takes the cash he would have spent on drink out of the bank and puts it in an envelope. I am planning on doing similar every time I would have bought sweets, for extra motivation. 
Don't even mention Easter eggs!