The 'Towards a Sugar-Free Future' Challenge

jackieblack

Good luck to you
I’m posting this to provide some motivation. I was very similar to you regarding sweets and chocolate and have struggled with my weight my whole adult life. I’d lose some and put it all back on again, and more.
Then, in October, a routine blood test (to rule out something completely unconnected) showed that I was massively diabetic, and it had happened so quickly, with a measurement so high, that I was immediately put on medication and told to eliminate all carbs possible from my diet (as all carbs turn to sugar in the body). That means no bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, cereals or grains. Nothing made with flour. No vegetables that are grown underground. Basically, I’m allowed to eat white meat, fish, eggs, cheese (limited dairy) nuts, veg grown above ground and a limited amount of fruit, but nothing tropical and definitely no bananas or grapes. Anything else is basically poisoning my body at this point. I apparently also have Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and gallstones. I had no clue and had felt absolutely fine. I have to weigh and log everything I eat.

The first week I felt like I’d been hit by a truck and had terrible flu like symptoms. But I’ve lost 40lb.
Hopefully, when my numbers have fallen enough to be in the ‘normal’ stable diabetic range I might be able to reintroduce small amounts of complex carbs.
If I’d developed more self control over my cravings for chocolate etc this might not have happened, but this is my life now. I don’t have a choice.

 I wish anyone who is trying to eat more healthily great success.

Honey_Bear

Wow @jackieblack, how terrifying for you to discover how unwell you were without any sign whatsoever.  The dietry changes sound incredibly radical but if they result in a 40lb weightloss in two months it just goes to show how significant an effect those carbs and sugar were having on your body, and in particular your liver.  How are you feeling now?

[Deleted User]

jackieblack said:

If I’d developed more self control over my cravings for chocolate etc this might not have happened, but this is my life now. I don’t have a choice.

 I wish anyone who is trying to eat more healthily great success.

Hi @jacki@jackieblack, thank you for sharing your story.  It is really motivating.  The last part where you say that possibly if you had more control over cravings this might not have happened is really powerful for me.  I need to give myself a kick up the butt and really take this seriously.  I hope your recovery is going well.

cookie02

Good morning!  How is everyone doing?  Welcome @[Deleted User]!  I find Honey_Bear's challenge thread really helpful for ideas, sharing experiences and trying to stay on track.  I hope it will help you too.  Thank you, Honey_Bear, and everyone else that comments, thanks and reads .  It has stopped me from going too sugar-crazy more than once!

My weekend was fine - sugary but not too sugary.  This week, I'm aiming for four sugar-free days but I've decided to be happy with whatever I achieve.  Yesterday was good, I wasn't sugar-free but the only sugar I had was my advent chocolate so I'm happy with that.  

@jazee, going from one bag of sugar a week to one bag per year is an amazing achievement!  Also, since we are on MSE, that is also good .  

@Honey_Bear, I'm glad the pate is working for you.  I might try this as I love pate but hardly ever eat it as I always thought it was very unhealthy (but I happily eat cheese almost daily).  The cheese is mini-sized these days but I like the idea of changing things up.  

@jackieblack thank you for sharing your experience.  Your results since the tests are amazing but I'm really sorry you've had such a scary and difficult time.  Thank you for the wake-up call and motivation to keep going.  I hope that your health continues to improve and hope you are doing well now.  

I hope everyone is having a good week  .  

[Deleted User]

Hi @cookie02, thanks for the welcome.  I did manange my sugar free day yesterday, which I am deligted about.  I definitely felt a difference and feel like I slept better.  I'll try agin next week for a Monday sugar free day.

Today is not a sugar free day and I've already started on the Lindt Chocolate Bear someone left on my desk this morning.  

Reading the ideas aboiut pate and cheese.  I love pate but also rarely eat it.  I think I'll incorporate this into my breaktime snacks for work instead of sweet things.

Honey_Bear

This is absolutely not scientific and there is no evidence to back it up other than my experience - after a few days of eating the paté I made I've pretty much stopped craving chocolate.  I still enjoy the taste and mouthfeel of chocolate but it isn't something I think about in the way that I did before which is incredibly helpful on sugar-free days. 

I used this recipe but skipped with the red onion salad because I don't have time at the moment, I didn't have any mace so I used nutmeg and we only had dried thyme.  Given the amount of butter in it you don't need any on the toast!  I find it works best with something fresh and crunchy with it, such as tomato or cucumber or dill or any other sweet pickles.  It's cheap and cheerful - other than the cognac or brandy, which is what she specified in the original recipe in her Complete cookery book.  I've made it before and it came out a bit grainy the first time because I over-cooked the chicken lives but left them a tiny bit pink this time and it is very smooth; they took about six or seven minutes to cook.  Either way, it tastes great.  (This is speaking as someone who can't eat liver, and can't bear the smell of any liver other than chicken livers being cooked.) 

If you haven't got the time or the inclination to make it I'm pretty sure that any shop bought paté would work just as well.  I've never understood why paté is expensive because apart from the booze there's nothing in it that's expensive, and most supermarket paté doesn't include booze anyway.  I don't drink but I don't have a problem with booze in food.

I'm also going to have a hunt around for a few terrine recipes as alternatives and see what I can find.

cookie02

[Deleted User] said:

Hi @cookie02, thanks for the welcome.  I did manange my sugar free day yesterday, which I am deligted about.  I definitely felt a difference and feel like I slept better.  I'll try agin next week for a Monday sugar free day.

That's a great start to the week, Allie23!

I wasn't sugar-free yesterday as I ended up eating my advent chocolate.  I only had the one though... I have a feeling I'll be saying that a lot this month.  I keep reminding myself of how much worse this was last year.  We are making progress and that's what counts!

Honey_Bear said:

This is absolutely not scientific and there is no evidence to back it up other than my experience - after a few days of eating the paté I made I've pretty much stopped craving chocolate.  

I am happy to test it out based on your experience, Honey_Bear.  Even if it doesn't stop the sugary cravings, I will have enjoyed eating it .  Thank you for the recipe.  I saw one for smoked mackerel pate too and might try that as well.  

Honey_Bear

Smoked mackerel paté is my absolute favourite, Cookie.  I can eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner, and have been known to when Belovéd is away - which he is over New Year so I may very well allow myself to make a huge bowl of it.  I fling skinned smoked mackerel fillets in the food processor, a pot of creme fraiche (half fat is fine) and either lemon or lime zest and juice depending on what I've got around, and a handful of parsley if I've got any or dill if I want to be posh, or chives if there are any growing.  A grind or three of black pepper and that's it, much simpler than the liver one, which I'm eating because I want to get my iron levels up and it's the fastest way I can think of. 

I've just made another batch because I finished the first box of it for lunch today.  The chap next door has been very ill and needs to put on weight.  Apparently he loves paté so I made a batch for him at the same time.  I just need it to cool and set in the fridge so I can melt some butter to pour over the top and then I can give it to him. 

I sinned last night.  It was the wretched Advent calendar wot tempted me as well.  I'd feel guilty about it if I could be bothered, but it's December, and two days worth of Advent calendar chocolates is rather better than two sharing bars of minty chocolate over the same three days, which would have been something to regret.  Somehow a couple of Lindt balls doesn't seem so excessive in comparison, does it?!

So, like you, I rather feel that there's a high likelihood I may be saying that a lot, too.

Honey_Bear

I would dearly love to be able to report that Wednesday and Thursday were sugar-free and this Challenge is a breeze, but neither would be true.

Wednesday - no excuse.  Thursday - I was shattered and just gave in after not eating enough during the day because I was so busy.  I have to do something this afternoon that I'm stressing about, so I'm not sure today will be successful either.  You win some you lose some. 

I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  Instead I'm going to celebrate NOT buying any more of those minty bars of my absolute favourite chocolate because it turns out they have palm oil in them and I'm not going to have another heart-broken orang utang beating a digger with a tree branch on my conscience.  So instead I bought a small supply of a very well known expensive brand of chocolate to stash for Christmas, got home, read the label and ... palm oil.  So that brand won't be getting any more of my money either.  It's actually now quite hard to buy processed food of any kind without the stuff in it, even some brands of peanut butter have it in which makes no sense at all.  Back to basics, I guess.

I am aware, however, that I'm eating a lot less sugar than I was back in August when I started this Challenge, and while the target is obviously a bit over-ambitious for me at the moment, I'm on the right track because I've cut down hugely.  That's more important than anything else.  The big mistake would be to say to myself that because I'm not perfect there's no point in bothering.  There's every point in being ambitious and never giving up on that ambition.

cookie02

Thank you for the recipe, Honey_Bear, I will definitely be trying that!  I hope your iron levels are improving.  

Honey_Bear said:

I sinned last night.  It was the wretched Advent calendar wot tempted me as well.  I'd feel guilty about it if I could be bothered, but it's December, and two days worth of Advent calendar chocolates is rather better than two sharing bars of minty chocolate over the same three days, which would have been something to regret.  Somehow a couple of Lindt balls doesn't seem so excessive in comparison, does it?!

So, like you, I rather feel that there's a high likelihood I may be saying that a lot, too.

This made me laugh and it also describes my week very accurately .  

Honey_Bear said:

I am aware, however, that I'm eating a lot less sugar than I was back in August when I started this Challenge, and while the target is obviously a bit over-ambitious for me at the moment, I'm on the right track because I've cut down hugely.  That's more important than anything else.  The big mistake would be to say to myself that because I'm not perfect there's no point in bothering.  There's every point in being ambitious and never giving up on that ambition.

That is great, Honey_Bear!  Any progress is worth celebrating .  I didn't manage any sugar-free days but I've been keeping a food diary so I can see exactly how much worse it could have been and I'm happy with that.  

Hope everyone is doing well.  Enjoy the weekend!