The 'Towards a Sugar-Free Future' Challenge

Honey_Bear

I'm so grateful you mentioned the problematic issue of Friday evenings Cookie.  It's been bugging me ever since, and when things bug me that often leads to new ideas I wouldn't otherwise have had.  So this is what I've come up with and I'm mighty chuffed with it.

If I indulge on Friday evenings in December when I'm planning on being added sugar free five days a week then I will let myself off the hook and know I'm being true to the underlying ethos of this Challenge by simply going completely sugar-free on the following Monday.  I currently have a specialist yoghurt with my porridge and a yoghurt drink most evenings that are helping with my cholesterol levels, but I know it has sugar in it - so those will be off the menu on Monday if I've indulged on Friday evening.  I love mayonaise but the brand I like has sugar in it - off the menu on Mondays if ....  And so on. I make all of our bread, and although each loaf only has one tablespoon of sugar I won't be eating any bread on Mondays.  I won't allow myself those date and cashew bars either because although technically they've got no added sugar, I absolutely know it's just pure sugar with a bit of fibre thrown in because that's what dates are.  I think I might even say no fruit on Mondays, just to make sure I don't raid my stash of frozen grapes. 

If Monday is a High Day or a Holiday then I will be totally sugar-free on Tuesday instead. 

I can always make myself a flatbread if I'm desperate for bread, and I can always make mayonaise if I feel the need to have mayo without sugar in it.  I'm a sucker for some convenience foods but I can find my way around most things if I set my mind to it  The issue of Friday evenings is now completely resolved in my own mind because I know that this will work for me. 

If anyone else can think of any other workarounds for these kind of everyday problems it would be super-helpful if they can share them.  Come to that, if anyone has issues like Friday evenings which are, let's face it, just the kind of thing that gets in the way of us feeling we've managed our sugar consumption successfully, please share them.

All of the You Tube videos I've watched about being sugar-free are about a 30 Day Challenge or being sugar-free for life.  All of them talk about withdrawal symptoms that last for days and I can't see me surviving that without throwing in the towel at some point.  This is definitely working in that my consumption has fallen drastically now on the days when I can indulge myself, so I know this is the right course for me.  I don't want to lose that sense of achievement and growing confidence that I can manage my sugar intake by trying to stick to such harsh conditions that I fail miserably and give up altogether.

Jazee

Morning.  I think we all come up with methods that work for us.  I'm only cutting back on processed sugary things so crisps, sweets, cake and biscuits.  I don't drink sugary drinks. But I'm not stressing over fruit or even dried fruit etc.  I'm also still having some of the above mentioned snacks but drastically reduced since joining this thread.  Only one sugar free day this week and really just by chance as I was so busy looking after my grand child anyway and didn't want her to see me eating rubbish.

Honey_Bear

Good point, Jazee.  It's what each person finds works for them that matters, and any reduction from where we were when we started is a victory. 

I've suprised myself by wanting to go further than I ever thought possible by being added sugar free on four days a week this month and looking for ideas about how to manage that to keep it going long term because I'm pretty sure I'd go back to scoffing unlimited chocolate otherwise.

cookie02

Honey_Bear, I'm sorry to hear that last weekend was a disappointment and that it spurred you to comfort eating.  Well done for making it through four days straight last week.  That is a big achievement and, as you say, even last week's sugar binge was better than it would have been before so it is still a win .  

Honey_Bear said:

If anyone else can think of any other workarounds for these kind of everyday problems it would be super-helpful if they can share them.  Come to that, if anyone has issues like Friday evenings which are, let's face it, just the kind of thing that gets in the way of us feeling we've managed our sugar consumption successfully, please share them. 

All of the You Tube videos I've watched about being sugar-free are about a 30 Day Challenge or being sugar-free for life.  All of them talk about withdrawal symptoms that last for days and I can't see me surviving that without throwing in the towel at some point.  This is definitely working in that my consumption has fallen drastically now on the days when I can indulge myself, so I know this is the right course for me.  I don't want to lose that sense of achievement and growing confidence that I can manage my sugar intake by trying to stick to such harsh conditions that I fail miserably and give up altogether.

Food-wise, since I view each day as a series of 'meal times', rather than giving up my Friday evening, I'm considering giving myself the option of two sugary meals on Saturday and one on Sunday.  If I stick to this, I'll end up having less sugar than if I stay sugar-free on a Friday and have sugar freely over the weekend.  I haven't made a final decision yet and I'm still trying to think of other options.  I like your idea of going totally sugar-free on Mondays but that is definitely beyond me right now!  My focus is more on reducing sugar in the form of cakes, chocolates etc.  If I end up moving beyond that, it will be amazing but I'm happy eating fruit etc.  

Jazee, it is great you managed your sugar-free day . 

In terms of last week, after my blip with having a chocolate on Tuesday, I managed to stay sugar-free on Wednesday and Thursday so I'm considering this week a success.  I'm trying to be restrained this weekend and will aim to be sugar-free Monday through Thursday next week.  

Hope everyone is doing well.  Have a great weekend!

cookie02

Hello!  I hope everyone had a good weekend.  My sugar intake was ok over the weekend - I had mince pies, cake and chocolates and enjoyed all of them.  I was restrained - by my standards- and I've managed to stay sugar-free so far today but I find the mornings easier than the afternoons so we'll see what happens later.  I have a busy schedule today so that should help.  

This week, I plan to be sugar-free Monday through Thursday.  On Friday, I will aim to be sugar-free until the evening.  

How is everyone?  Good luck with your goals this week  . 

Honey_Bear

Well done on the weekend restraint Cookie.  I'm fine in the mornings too.  It's the mid-afternoon slump that has always been the problem, specifically at 3.30, and if I indulge then my sugar cravings are like a mosquito bite - I know that scratching it will make it better for a few minutes but that it won't go away after that.  If I indulge at 3.30 I know I'll want dessert after dinner and then chocolates after that, no matter how much or how little I have at 3.30. 

I can't say I did particularly well over the weekend and I'm now aware of a new thing that's happening.  I knew there was a packet of chocolate ginger biscuits in the cupboard and they are, without doubt, my absolute favourites.  I let myself have two a day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday which I was absolutely fine with, but would have preferred if I could have stopped at one each day.  I couldn't and for the foreseeable future I'm not going to bother to try to be okay with one.  I then allowed myself a salted caramel m@gnum on Friday, Saturday and Sunday which, again, I'm fine with because they are my favourite dessert and Belovéd had a bite out of the one on Saturday and a bigger bite on Sunday so that slightly reduced the volume but not the satisfaction.  (In the past I have been known to scoff two in one hit!) 

The issue was the Sunday bar of minty chocolate.  I hold my hand up to eating a whole one because before this challenge it would have been one every day on top of the other stuff.  I'd been tempted on Friday and Saturday but the two ginger chocolate biscuits were enough to stop me mithering about the minty one, but not on Sunday.  However, I was fully aware that I was sad I'd given into the temptation while also fully aware that I'm not sure I actually wanted it.  I certainly wasn't craving it after the ginger biscuits.  I ate it because it was Sunday and I was allowed to.  I enjoyed its taste and the mouthfeel of it, but on balance I could have gone without it and my life would have been just fine.  The trouble is I enjoy it while I'm eating it too much to want to stop after a square or four, so I think this weekend I'm going to see if I can just skip it entirely.  That should be okay as long as there are chocolate ginger biscuits on standby, so to speak.

Yesterday was fine.  I'm now absolutely certain that the way to stop myself craving sugar mid-afternoon is to eat a big enough lunch and we've got a freezer full of stuff I like so I had a very late lunch after a busy morning - a couple of homemade fishcakes with a tomato and red pepper salad, and one of those date and cashew bars.  That saw me through until dinner time without any trouble at all.  I'd prefer it if I didn't indulge with the date and cashew bars but they're doing the trick so I'm not going to rock the boat at this stage.

Gently does it.

cookie02

I hope everyone is having a good week!  

My plans haven't worked out at all this week.  I was sugar-free on Monday but that was it.  Tuesday, Wednesday and today have ended up being sugary.  I'm really frustrated by my inability to just say no when offered cake or cookies.  The one good thing is that I stuck with just one cake each time, instead of indulging further.  I'm going to try and be sugar-free for the rest of today and I will aim to be sugar-free tomorrow as well, even though it will be Friday.  That will be a real challenge and I've decided not to beat myself up if I fail!  I will consider it as a trial run for December as I still haven't made a final decision on how to handle next month.

Honey_Bear said:

Yesterday was fine.  I'm now absolutely certain that the way to stop myself craving sugar mid-afternoon is to eat a big enough lunch and we've got a freezer full of stuff I like so I had a very late lunch after a busy morning - a couple of homemade fishcakes with a tomato and red pepper salad, and one of those date and cashew bars.  That saw me through until dinner time without any trouble at all.  I'd prefer it if I didn't indulge with the date and cashew bars but they're doing the trick so I'm not going to rock the boat at this stage.

Gently does it.

Thank you for all your encouragement, Honey_Bear.  I hope your lunch strategy is working well for you.  

How is everyone?  I hope you have been meeting you targets this week  .  

Honey_Bear

Hugely well done for stopping at one, Cookie.  I know it's frustrating when you feel you've let yourself down but you haven't at all.  You're in this Challenge and that makes you much more aware of the number of times you eat sugar, which means you feel more negativity when you indulge.  The trick is to remember that stopping at one wasn't your normal behaviour before, or at least that's what I'm assuming because I never could or did!  Count your victories because otherwise it'll all feel grim and we need to feel victorious to carry on.

We've got a lifetime of the sugar habit to break and we're going against nature here.  We're pre-programmed to scoff as much sugar as we can get by the survival instinct, which just regards it as cheap and easy energy.  I'm in this for the long haul so one or two days a week of slip ups don't matter in the grand scheme of things because we're so conscious of the sugar temptation, which to be honest I just allowed myself to indulge without much of a second thought in the past.  I'm waaaaay ahead of where I used to be on that score so I'm not going to bring myself down by focussing on what I haven't managed to achieve, only focussing on what I have managed to achieve.

This week I'm also letting myself off the hook for indulging myself with a slice of cake, a large cookie and a handful of Fer3ro Roch3 chocolates, which I have to admit I don't really like but they were there so I did.  I was at a funeral, hadn't had lunch and having filled up on sausage rolls and sandwiches then visited the cake table.  I'm calling it a High Day and leaving it behind me with no real regrets.

On Friday, though, I did that thing of, 'Oh, I'm allowed sugar today so ... don't mind if I do!'  Actually, I think that will be the last time I indulge to that extent because afterwards I just thought, 'Why?  It's not as if the biscuits won't be there on Saturday and Sunday, so I don't need to cram them in just because I can in theory.'  So today I've been much more measured and had an 0ptions hot chocolate and a date, two figs and cashew bar and will stop at that.  If I feel like a M@gnum after pizza tonight, then I'll have one but if not, I won't just because I can.  (I probably will, though!)

Next week we're in London Tuesday to Thursday so they are definitely Holidays and I don't intend to stint myself at all.  I'll be good on Monday but that will be it for the week, and I'm going to do that without the slightest twinge of self-recrimination. 

cookie02

Good morning!  How is everyone doing this week?  

Honey_Bear said:

Hugely well done for stopping at one, Cookie.  I know it's frustrating when you feel you've let yourself down but you haven't at all.  You're in this Challenge and that makes you much more aware of the number of times you eat sugar, which means you feel more negativity when you indulge.  The trick is to remember that stopping at one wasn't your normal behaviour before, or at least that's what I'm assuming because I never could or did!  Count your victories because otherwise it'll all feel grim and we need to feel victorious to carry on.

Thank you for the wisdom and encouragement, Honey_Bear.  Yes, you are right -I would normally have eaten far more than just one of anything so things are heading in the right direction.  

Honey_Bear said:

Next week we're in London Tuesday to Thursday so they are definitely Holidays and I don't intend to stint myself at all.  I'll be good on Monday but that will be it for the week, and I'm going to do that without the slightest twinge of self-recrimination. 

I hope you are enjoying your High Days this week and that you have a good trip!  I meant to say that we tried that sweet potato recipe last weekend.  It really is good and it would never have occurred to me to bake grapes!  If anyone is reading this and doesn't like sweet potatoes, it is worth trying the baked red grapes alone.  Since that was a hit with the whole family, I tried baking white grapes and they were also delicious.  I know they have sugar but I try to eat fruit anyway since it has other benefits and I don't count that (only added sugar).  

This week, I'm aiming for four sugar-free days (Monday-Thursday).  So far, I've managed three days so I just need to get through today.  Tomorrow, I will aim to be sugar free until evening.  We'll see how things work out.  

Jazee & In Need, I hope things are good and that you are also chipping away at your targets .  

cookie02

Hello everyone, I hope you had a good weekend.  My weekend was fine food-wise.  I enjoyed cake, mince pies and chocolates but I didn't over-indulge (by my standards  ).  I really struggled last week but managed to make it to the end of Thursday sugar-free.  It was really hard to meet my target so I'm a bit worried about this week.  I know we're supposed to aim for five sugar-free days in December.  This week, I'm going to stick to my goal of four sugar-free days (Monday to Thursday) and I will try to be sugar-free until Friday evening.  Depending on how this week goes, I will aim for five days next week (but I'm still not sure how to deal with Fridays!).  We'll see how it goes.  I hope everyone is well and that you have a good week!