The 'Towards a Sugar-Free Future' Challenge

Jazee

Morning.  Quick update from me.  I am still eating sugary things but the quantities are much less.  I no longer finish a whole pack of sweets in one sitting for instance.  Also I am still losing weight, slowly but that's ok.

Honey_Bear

cookie02 said:

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! 

I feel exactly the same Cookie, but you're waaaaaaay ahead of me because I hadn't realised December started this week!  To be honest I've been so focussed on that few days in London that I had no idea what was in my diary for this week, so I'm starting off behind in many ways but hey ho ho ho, it'll be fine no matter what.

Well done on the weightloss Jazee.  As long as this Challenge is having a positive effect it really doesn't matter if you're not adhering to any 'rules' - whatever works for you is what's important.  I didn't finish the two packets of ginger chocolate biscuits in one sitting each which was my old habit.  Both, once opened, were around for about four days so I'm counting that as a HUGE victory, so your unfinished packets of sweets are exactly what this is all about as far as I'm concerned.

My week of allowing myself to indulge was interesting.  I took a bar of chocolate to eat at the football match we went to (not something that's normal for me but it is for Belovéd (season ticket holder), and I'd never seen his team play a match at Home and we've been together for 28 years!  So I ate most of it on Tuesday at half time, and then had a m@gnum on Thursday evening after we got home.  That was it for the three days and didn't feel the lack at all.  I was totally amazed but it may have had something to do with gargantuan hotel breakfasts and massive burgers with chips in the evenings. Needless to say I over-indulged after we got back but that's okay, and it wasn't anything that I haven't done before and the weekend wasn't hopeless either.

I think this is working.  I don't crave sugar in the way that I used to, and I don't go any more mad on the days when I technically can than I used to and although it hasn't diminished my intake on some of those days, it has on some others.  I lost a kilo when I first started this challenge but I was also cutting out fat for a couple of weeks because of my high blood pressure, but it turns out that's actually normal.  I had it measured a couple of weeks ago at the surgery because I was so worried about it and there's no problem with it, so it was operator error at home on my part after all and I've been worried about nothing for years - so daft.  And I now know there's a blood pressure machine in the waiting area at the surgery which I didn't know before, so I can go there and measure it any time I want.  I'm not in this to lose weight at the moment although it would be nice, but if I can succeed in eating less sugar and change that permanently I will have achieved more than I thought possible anyway. 

So, this week I'm back on track and because Friday falls in December I'm definitely going to cut out the teatime treat I've always allowed myself, but if I do happen have have a m@gnum on Friday evening I'm going to let myself off the hook by going totally sugar-free on the following Monday.  That's the only way I can think to ease my way in to the full five days a week and I'm not going to beat myself up if I can't beat the temptation this Friday. 

It being December I'm also acutely aware that the whole sickening season of massively over-indulgening is on us and I genuinely can't face feeling sick from over-eating as a permanent fixture for the month, which is what seems to happen to me most years.

in_need_of_direction

Well, too long has passed since I posted.  Made it through last week bar a mini cupcake on Thursday celebrating a colleague’s birthday.  Then had a major crisis this week and my sugar free Tuesday was hijacked by consumption of four chocolates during the day and two evening biscuits. But that was then and tomorrow I’m aiming to restart sugar free.

I’ve also decided that I’m going to stick to my two days a week until jan. if I manage more, great but I’m trying to avoid heading for failure.  

That is a big change for me as I’ve lots of experience of going astray from a diet then jacking it in.  This thread has helped me see that one blip doesn’t need to derail.  Thank you all for that.

hope things are good with you all.

Honey_Bear

I think that's a brilliant call, In Need, and you're absolutely right to stick with two days a week sugar-free and not worry about stepping it up.  This isn't about keeping up with other people,  Committing to something that feels uncomfortable isn't a recipe for success.  Setting achievable goals and feeling good about reaching them is how to get to where we want to be, so I'm all in favour of your decision.

As for myself, I'm following your example because I'm seriously vexed by sugar-free Friday evenings at the moment, so rather than beat myself up for failing I'm going to allow myself Friday evenings off from this Challenge for the whole of December. Plus which, I think I've already said that because Belovéd's birthday is on 6 January I'm allowing myself the 12 Days of Christmas to Twelfth Night off the Challenge completely - they are all High Days and Holidays.  If I over-indulge I'm not going to beat myself up, but if I can rein it in a bit that would be marvellous.  I'm happy with those decisions for the next month or so. 

Our shared chocolate Advent Calendar is on the mantlepiece.  Belovéd is having the Odd Date Chox and the Even Days are mine, so I'll have a stash of one, ie today's, by tomorrow evening.  If I stop at that and resist the temptation to have a M@gnum I'd be very happy with myself. 

Doing this Challenge with December such a turning point has made me realise just how important a feast day Christmas would have been in the days before sugar became as cheap as it is and so not available to very many, and why twelve days of festivities would have been so important for the entire population of the UK.  The days are short, dark, cold, wet and windy for weeks, sweet things were in very short supply, no fresh fruit available, and then pretty much right at the point of the shortest day - a feast!  Lasting days!  Bring on the mincemeat, and the Christmas pud and cake with their dried fruit tra la etc etc and it totally makes sense.  What doesn't to me any more is living like that every day all year round which is what I've been doing for years.  I am totally looking forward to it this year, which is a complete change from the last 40 years of rather dreading the wall to wall over-indulgence simply because it was ramped up from the every day indulgence and also went on for too long.   

I've already decided I will be making a batch of ginger Twinks and one batch of my absolutely favourite rich as rich can be Brownies to last the full twelve days.  I don't like mince pies, Christmas pudding or Christmas cake, so although I've already bought them for Belovéd I won't be having them.  Ginger Twinks and Brownies it is for me, and I'm thoroughly looking forward to them.

in_need_of_direction

What are ginger twinks 

Honey_Bear

I'll see if I can find a link, In Need. It's a MSE Forum buscuit recipe for fake h0bn0bs that taste nothing like them but are so wonderful that it doesn't matter.  The person that originally posted it was called Twinks and it kind of turned into a 'thing' on MSE for several years.  My version involves adding crystalised ginger.

ETA:  Original forum thread here.  I make them with butter, never ever margerine, and add anything up to 225g of crystalized ginger.  The thread itself runs to hundreds of posts, some of which are variations and well worth trying if you are looking for the perfect buscuit.  I keep meaning to make shortbread but never get around to it, so the result is that Twinks are just about the only biscuit I ever make.  I've had to stop making them recently because once I eat one I can't stop myself and have been known to gorge on them. 

Confession Time.  I gave in last night.  I don't get cravings anything like as much as I used to, thank goodness, but last night I had the mother of all chocolate cravings that just wouldn't go away.  I resisted for as long as I could, well over an hour, but gave in and had my Advent calendar chocolate, and then half a dozen chox from a box a neighbour had given me for taking her out to lunch last Sunday.  I was tired and that's always a trigger, but there's really no excuse.  My only comfort is that last Sunday, when I could have had chocolate after a small supper I didn't want any, so there's a kind of swings and roundabout thing going on in my Excuse Suitcase. 

It is crystal clear though that it's not sugar per se I have a problem with, it's chocolate. Many many years ago I heard that chocolate is high in iron, and took an iron supplement.  The cravings stopped and I stopped eating chocolate completely for years.  I'm wondering if I should go back to taking one and see if that helps.  I'm going to do a bit of background reading today and see what the current thinking is.  I've found this which seems a reliable enough of information.  I know that absorbtion of iron supplements can be tricky so I'd rather do it through a dietary tweak than pop additional pills, and I'd have to do it for a couple of months to get a real assessment to see if it works but it may be worth a try.

cookie02

Happy Friday!  I hope all of you have had a good week. 

Jazee, it's great to hear that you are making progress and losing weight.     

Honey_Bear - Operator error is a much better outcome than actually blood pressure issues although I'm guessing you could have done without the stress that came from that.  At least you know now and it is good news .   

In Need, I count any sugar-free day (and even any sugar-free mealtime) as a win.  If two days is what works for you, that is great.  Well done on all the progress you've made.  Better that than over-stretching and ending up in a pickle...  

On that note, I aimed for four days and hoped to make it to Friday evening sugar-free.  What I've achieved is two sugar-free days and then I had my Advent Calendar!  This is a bit of a family tradition and I can't believe I'd forgotten about it.  Next week, I will try and save my chocolates for the weekend, or I will 'donate' them .  We'll see how it goes and if I'm restrained or generous enough next week!  Hope everyone's well and that you have a lovely weekend.  

Honey_Bear

I caved.  I didn't make it through Friday either without indulging myself.  Life's too short to beat myself up about it so I'm not going to.  Next week is another week, so I'll start over on Monday. 

In the meantime I can't quite believe how much less sugar I've been eating overall since mid-August, so I'm chalking this one up to a blip.

cookie02

Hey everyone, I hope you are having a good week.  My goal was to get four sugar-free days plus to be sugar-free on Friday until the evening.  So far, I managed to be sugar-free on Monday, had sugar yesterday and I've been sugar-free so far today but it's not over yet...  

Honey_Bear said:

In the meantime I can't quite believe how much less sugar I've been eating overall since mid-August, so I'm chalking this one up to a blip.

This is so true, Honey_Bear.  If I think about my sugar consumption from a few years ago, the difference is even bigger.  I have been trying to focus on that bigger picture without getting too annoyed with myself today!  I'm also trying not to use yesterday as a reason to just go ahead and eat sugar again today.  I could feel my resolve weakening so I thought I'd jump on here and send an update to try and stay on track .  I hope this week is going well for you and everyone else participating in this challenge.  

Honey_Bear

Aaaah Cookie, I feel your pain!  That was exactly how I felt on Friday when I caved.  Well done on resisting so far today, and I hope you make it through the rest of the day without giving in to temptation.

I had my booster on Monday and have been laid pretty low since with little incentive to eat anything at all, much less sugar - I just don't have any appetite at all.  However, there's something I have to do tomorrow so I've forced myself to eat a bowl of porridge and a boiled egg and toast and will have supper later just to get my blood sugar up after 39 hours with nothing but water.  The thought of sugar is beyond sickening - long may that last!