The 'Towards a Sugar-Free Future' Challenge

cookie02

Happy Friday!  I was sugar-free yesterday so that's my first four-days-in-a-row for 2022.  I'm slightly shocked that I made it!  I've been sugar-free so far today and hope to stick to that until this evening.  I haven't set any targets for the weekend yet but I know to be careful, especially on Sunday, as I want to be sugar-free again next Monday. 

Honey_Bear, I'm sorry the liver wasn't to your taste but at least you know now.  How did yesterday go?  

Honey_Bear said:

Hi @jackieblack and thank you for coming back and updating us on your own personal struggle with irresistible foods like sugar and carbohydrates.  I had no idea that diabetes was effectively for life - I have always assumed that once it was under control you'd be able to enjoy the same freedoms to choose whatever you wanted, but in moderation.  That's really sad for you but a massive motivator for me just knowing that, so thank you so, so much.  

I hadn't realised this either .  It is definitely another motivating factor to keep going with this challenge, thank you both for pointing this out. 

Honey_Bear said:

I didn't try the second batch of marmalade yesterday and have got through today so far without much trouble so I'm aiming for the full four days again this week.  Four and most of a fifth is looking like a possibility, and without the pull of the m@gnums in the freezer I might be able to resist that Friday night treat.  We'll see.  I'm not promising anything or setting myself up for failure - four would be much better than I thought I'd be able to do at this stage.

The M@gnum question is an interesting one.  Is it the M@gnum itself that you look forward to, or is it more about having a treat as it's the start of the weekend?  I guess you'll find out later!  For me, it is more about it being the weekend.  I don't have a specific treat each Friday but I always have something . 

Honey_Bear

Huge congratulations on achieving four days in a row, Cookie!  I did too, so I know exactly how brilliant you feel today.  Like you I'm not planning on having any sugar today during the day but I might let myself off the hook this evening.  I'm back on this on Monday aiming for the full four days, if not five again.  I hope you're as chuffed with yourself as I am with me.

I'm retired so technically every day is like the weekend, but for reason it really isn't!  Friday night is the start of the weekend as far as I'm concerned and the reason m@gnums are a routine Friday night treat is that it's easily available from the freezer and rather large, so it always felt like a massive indulgence.  I absolutely love them so the lesson learned here is if they're not in the freezer I won't be tempted!  It's not the normal ones we love which I could get from the Co-0p at the bottom of the road, they're the salted caramel ones I really love and they're a supermarket journey away but I only go every two to three weeks.  I happened to go the day I discovered the freezer had packed up, so they won't be around for a couple of weeks at least.  This is no bad thing.

I'm just so pleased we've both managed the full four days!

jackieblack

cookie02 said:

@jackieblack Jackie, thank you so much for the update, this is wonderful news!  . I can't even imagine how much relief you are feeling right now and am very glad to hear that you are seeing positive results after having such a tough time.  I hope you will feel better now that your medication is being reduced.  By weird coincidence, I re-read your original post yesterday.  I save posts, tips, quotes and comments that I refer back to on days when I'm tempted to give in.  Thank you for sharing your latest news and for motivating us to keep going.  I hope you continue to see positive results .  

Thanks cookie02
 I am starting to feel a little better already, the horrible taste in my mouth is almost gone and the nausea is much reduced.

jackieblack

Honey_Bear said:

Hi @jackieblack and thank you for coming back and updating us on your own personal struggle with irresistible foods like sugar and carbohydrates.  I had no idea that diabetes was effectively for life - I have always assumed that once it was under control you'd be able to enjoy the same freedoms to choose whatever you wanted, but in moderation.  That's really sad for you but a massive motivator for me just knowing that, so thank you so, so much.  I'm so glad your last three months of full on effort have paid off for you and that your health is seriously improved.  I hope you feel a lot better really soon, so that it feels as though your determination pays off.  It all sounds really unpleasant; not something I'd ever really given any thought to, so a big wake up call.

Thank you Honey_Bear
 I didn’t know either that once diabetes is ‘triggered’ it is permanent, but I was told that, it’s similar to the way a rehabilitated alcoholic is always an alcoholic, however long they’ve been dried out and sober.   Apparently once the body’s ability to process glucose effectively is damaged, that is something that can be improved but never fully repaired.  Fortunately, unlike an alcoholic, it is reasonable to have the dietary equivalent of one small drink occasionally without doing too much damage but the potential to ‘fall off the wagon’ is always there.

Honey_Bear said:

 If we ate the diet we're designed to eat - mostly plants, lots of veg, some fruit (but not that much, it's seasonal) and some protein we'd be a lot healthier.  We have very ready access to that diet but we find the richer diet of sugar and fat really easy to get hold of and very, very affordable nowadays.  We eat so much sugar that fruit no longer even tastes sweet to a lot of us which has to be danger warning, surely, that we're eating too much sugar but most people seem to ignore that and load on even more.  It's a law of diminishing returns and as @jackieblack says, one that leads us down a dangerous road if we don't learn a little self-discipline early on.  It's hard!

This is so true!
Since my strict diet change 3 months ago, I now get all my sweet treats from fruit - an apple now has a sweetness to me, which I never noticed before, and completely satisfies the craving. In fact, I ‘treated myself’ to a single square of Dairy Milk this week and it tasted so horrible to me that I have no desire whatever to ever eat chocolate again. If anyone had told me that a few months ago I would have laughed and completely dismissed the thought as nonsense. 

A huge “well done” to you and cookie02 for the efforts you are making and for every day that you manage to control your cravings.  👏🏻👏🏻

Honey_Bear

jackieblack said:

Thanks cookie02

 I am starting to feel a little better already, the horrible taste in my mouth is almost gone and the nausea is much reduced.

That is such good news.  Is there any chance you'll be able to come off the drugs completely now that things are under control, or do you have to take them forever?  Living with a horrible taste in your mouth and nausea must be wearing.  I'm glad those are lessened but you'd want them gone permanently, wouldn't you.  Well done for coming this far and showing us sugar fiends what can be done with strong enough motivation. 

Your analogy about booze is interesting.  I was rather too fond of it myself and stopped drinking well over seven years ago because it was having such a negative impact on my life.  I've no idea whether I'm an alcoholic or not but I wouldn't go back to drinking again if you paid me because I genuinely love the freedom of not even thinking about booze, when for years it was my social life.  While everyone else is getting pickled I can quite happily enjoy the evening without even being slightly tempted or wanting to go back to old habits.  I have to say that from the day I stopped drinking to feeling like that was probably a full two years but the last five plus a bit years have been very plain sailing.

What your comment about fruit, particularly apples, shows very convincingly is that one of the problems with sugar is that the more you have the more you want, and because it's now so readily available and so cheap our tastebuds are now so habituated to it that we need more and more to satisfy the sweet cravings. 

My mid-afternoon cravings have been kicked into touch by having a big enough lunch, or a couple of dried figs or a date bar, and I'm now aware of the fact that my evening sugary indulgences weren't because I was craving sugar, it was a treat I allowed myself to have every day.  In other words, a treat had become a habit.  We've been buying more fruit over the past few weeks, so last night's treat was a couple of apricots and a small glass of pomegranite juice (from a L!dl Waste Not box because they'd gone well past their best), and we always have tangerines knocking around, or grapes which I know you reminded us a few weeks ago are very high in sugar.  Apples just aren't sweet enough for me yet, which shows how far I've got to go. but at least they're all a healthier option for where I am right at this particular moment.

The good news for me this week is that for the first time I managed the full five days sugar-free.  I'm chuffed as nuts about that, and when I weighed myself this morning I was pleasantly surprised - there is progress, albeit slow.

Honey_Bear

Nearly started on my last minty bar of chocolate, it being Saturday and all, but the phone rang.  By the time I'd finished dealing with the call I'd spied my date bars and helped myself to a couple of figs to scoff with my tea.  Very pleased with myself.

cookie02

jackieblack said:

cookie02 said:

@jackieblack Jackie, thank you so much for the update, this is wonderful news!  . I can't even imagine how much relief you are feeling right now and am very glad to hear that you are seeing positive results after having such a tough time.  I hope you will feel better now that your medication is being reduced.  By weird coincidence, I re-read your original post yesterday.  I save posts, tips, quotes and comments that I refer back to on days when I'm tempted to give in.  Thank you for sharing your latest news and for motivating us to keep going.  I hope you continue to see positive results .  

Thanks cookie02
 I am starting to feel a little better already, the horrible taste in my mouth is almost gone and the nausea is much reduced.

So glad to hear this @jackieblack, I hope you continue to feel better and see progress 🍀 🤞.  Thanks for all your support and inspiration .  Your comment about D@iry M1lk is interesting as I've noticed that I don't like it as much as I used to.  I thought that was due to them changing the recipe but maybe my tastebuds are changing...  I can hope!  I'm definitely not at the state of just eating an apple and finding it sweet but I do find dates tastier than most chocolate now.  Since being on this thread, I know the dates are basically natural sugar plus a bit of fibre but I count them as being better than any other sweet I'd be tempted by. 

 Honey_Bear said:

Huge congratulations on achieving four days in a row, Cookie!  I did too, so I know exactly how brilliant you feel today.  Like you I'm not planning on having any sugar today during the day but I might let myself off the hook this evening.  I'm back on this on Monday aiming for the full four days, if not five again.  I hope you're as chuffed with yourself as I am with me.

Thank you and well done on your great results this week, Honey_Bear!  Five days in a row is amazing *and* you resisted the minty choc today! 🏅👏  Interesting that the delay led to you making a better choice with the figs.  It reminds me of the spending advice where you should wait a bit and see if you really want something before you make an impulse purchase.  It sounds like it might work with food as well, especially if you have tasty alternatives easily available.  In that spirit, I've just moved a box of dates to the cupboard where we keep the chocolate to see if that leads me to make better choices.  By the way, I put a mirror on the inside of the cupboard door.  It is a handbag-sized mirror and I don't think it's working the way the researchers outlined (too small!) but it has had a positive effect as it reminds me of this challenge.  I have found myself opening and closing the cupboard without taking anything!  That is a little miracle really as the cupboard is packed with cookies and cake and biscuits.  Another positive side-effect is that my extended family members are also becoming more aware of sugar.  

Yesterday, I had a small piece of cake after dinner so I'm really pleased that I ended the week with 4.5 sugar-free days!  

Today, I had one biscuit earlier with a cup of tea.  I will be joining in with dessert later but I've cut back my portion sizes a lot and I no longer feel like I'm depriving myself - even better, my family no longer feel guilty as they know I really want/need to do this.  

It's great to see more progress all round.  I hope you are all having a lovely weekend 

Honey_Bear

Opening and closing the sweetie cupboard without taking anything out is a major victory every time you do it, Cookie.  Go you!  There is no doubt in my mind that having the stuff in the house is a major driver for eating it - by the time I get to the Co-0p I've got past most of the urges to eat chocolate, or at least had a few minutes to reflect on whether I really want to do that.  Right now I'm building up to going down there to pick up some tangerines and grapes to see if they'll help me get through the evening. 

I'm thinking about Lent.  I'm not religious but I find the discipline of Lent useful.  It'll be sugar but more likely to be the sugar in the cholesterol-reducing yoghurts than anything major.  Porridge without yoghurt would be tricky though.  Once I've worked out what to add to make it palateble I should be fine.  I'm thinking keffir at the moment, a sort of halfway house but I haven't read the ingredients yet.

jackieblack

Honey_Bear said:

jackieblack said:

Thanks cookie02

 I am starting to feel a little better already, the horrible taste in my mouth is almost gone and the nausea is much reduced.

That is such good news.  Is there any chance you'll be able to come off the drugs completely now that things are under control, or do you have to take them forever?  Living with a horrible taste in your mouth and nausea must be wearing.  I'm glad those are lessened but you'd want them gone permanently, wouldn't you.  Well done for coming this far and showing us sugar fiends what can be done with strong enough motivation. 

Your analogy about booze is interesting.  I was rather too fond of it myself and stopped drinking well over seven years ago because it was having such a negative impact on my life.  I've no idea whether I'm an alcoholic or not but I wouldn't go back to drinking again if you paid me because I genuinely love the freedom of not even thinking about booze, when for years it was my social life.  While everyone else is getting pickled I can quite happily enjoy the evening without even being slightly tempted or wanting to go back to old habits.  I have to say that from the day I stopped drinking to feeling like that was probably a full two years but the last five plus a bit years have been very plain sailing.

What your comment about fruit, particularly apples, shows very convincingly is that one of the problems with sugar is that the more you have the more you want, and because it's now so readily available and so cheap our tastebuds are now so habituated to it that we need more and more to satisfy the sweet cravings. 

My mid-afternoon cravings have been kicked into touch by having a big enough lunch, or a couple of dried figs or a date bar, and I'm now aware of the fact that my evening sugary indulgences weren't because I was craving sugar, it was a treat I allowed myself to have every day.  In other words, a treat had become a habit.  We've been buying more fruit over the past few weeks, so last night's treat was a couple of apricots and a small glass of pomegranite juice (from a L!dl Waste Not box because they'd gone well past their best), and we always have tangerines knocking around, or grapes which I know you reminded us a few weeks ago are very high in sugar.  Apples just aren't sweet enough for me yet, which shows how far I've got to go. but at least they're all a healthier option for where I am right at this particular moment.

The good news for me this week is that for the first time I managed the full five days sugar-free.  I'm chuffed as nuts about that, and when I weighed myself this morning I was pleasantly surprised - there is progress, albeit slow.

The horrible taste and nausea continued to decrease with every passing day on the lower dose of meds and are now just about gone. I guess time will tell whether I’m able to come off them completely, depending on future blood test results. I’m still doing a finger !!!!!! test first thing every morning and if that reading increases on a regular basis I have to advise the diabetes nurse (that might mean a need to increase meds again), but I’m really hoping that isn’t necessary 🤞🏻.

 The good thing about fruit is that, although it contains sugar, whole fruit also contains fibre which slows the absorption rate.  Fruit juices, however, are a disaster as you don’t get the fibre and a glass of fruit juice can contain the juice (and therefore the sugar) from 4-6 fruit - way more than someone would eat if they were eating the whole fruit. 

Honey_Bear

I'm so glad the nausea and horrible taste are fading for you JackieBlack and that you can stay off those meds.  Nasty having to do the finger-jabbing every day but at least you know where you are all the time and it sounds as though staying off the meds is a good enough incentive to help keep you on the straight and narrow though, because I can't think of anyone who'd want to feel horrible all the time. 

The fruit juice thing is really annoying.  I stopped drinking it years ago and regard it as flavoured sugar-water but because it's supposed to count as one of the 5 a Day, Belovéd still has it.  Personally I think the guidance is rubbish, but we're stuck with it.  I will admit to having a smoothie very occasionally on high days and holidays when I'm travelling but I haven't even had one of them for years.

I caved last night and had a custard tart for dessert, but that'll be the last one of those I ever eat it was so disappointing.  It would have been a full six days if I hadn't done that, and pleasingly I didn't indulge in compensatory chocolate but just had a few grapes instead.  Today, however, I am going somewhere really special for lunch, so dessert will defo, 100%, be on the menu.  Back to it tomorrow.