The 'Towards a Sugar-Free Future' Challenge

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Honey_Bear said:

But Cookie, you have no idea how many times I tried and failed to give up smoking and drinking!  

But you kept going, Honey_Bear - that's what counts!  It's like with this challenge.  Sometimes we have blips but gradually all of us are progressing.  You can do this!  

The last couple of weeks have been a real struggle for me as well.  I haven't figured out why I found them so difficult.  I haven't been especially stressed or anything like that.  I did wonder if it was to do with the weather.  I realise that might be a case of clutching at straws but it has been pretty dark / rainy lately and I'm one of those 'light-sensitive' people (I forget the proper name but I have a sunrise lamp to help with this).  The mornings have been noticeably lighter this week and I've managed to get back to normal.  Ultimately, my sugar-consumption comes down to my own discipline (or lack, thereof!) but I haven't been able to find any other explanation for the blip.  Based on my tracking, those were my worst two weeks since Christmas.  

In good news, I managed to get through Thursday sugar-free so I met my goal of four days and most of Friday 🎉.  How did the rest of your week go?  I love Buddha bowls - tasty and also colourful!  Such a good idea.  

I will be making homemade rice cakes today, following Morning_walker's idea (thank you, Morning_walker ).  Instead of chocolate, I'm using maple and chilli for one batch.  I've got some plain rice cakes and I hope the maple mix will set properly.  If not, I'll re-coat the cakes in dark chocolate which I know will set.  My family like the rice cake idea but it's clear they'd really like me to do the chocolate ones.  I have enough plain rice cakes that I might just do a chocolate batch for everyone else anyway, especially as my parents are coming over tomorrow and both of them love dark chocolate.   

This weekend, we have a family birthday and I will be enjoying the celebrations.  I'm going to try and keep my sugar consumption under control as I'd like to do another four days + most of Friday next week. 

I hope everyone is happy with the progress they are making.  Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

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Honey_Bear said:

I think this is the first time I've managed five full completely sugar-free days since I started this Challenge - I pretty much always fall at the Friday evening hurdle and indulge in chocolate.  Last night I didn't, so I'm chuffed with myself.  Onwards and upwards!

Amazingly well done, Honey_Bear!  I must have started typing before you posted this as I saw your message just now but it looks like you posted before my last post🤦‍♀️.  Five days in a row is a great achievement 🏅.

Honey_Bear

I think you're talking about SAD Cookie, which if I can remember it correctly is Seasonal Affective (?) Disorder.  I know some people are much more prone to it than others but to a certain extent we probably all are.  I mean who's more energetic in winter!  It's a time for hunkering down and hibernating as far as I'm concerned.  If I didn't have to walk the dog every day I'd probably only leave the house once a week to do my volunteering and the shopping. 

Years ago when I was a mature student (one of many stints as a student) I was chatting to the deputy principle about the spring term and he said it was always the lowest period of the academic year.  Everyone's excited at the beginning of the new academic year in September, there's half term to look forward to when reality sets in, then Christmas and all the festivities that take up the whole of December so there are no problems with winter coming on.  But January, when everyone's miserable because it's cold and dark with such a long time before Easter to look forwarad to, was entirely different.  Because in those days it was a short term, there was no half term, so by the beginning of February everyone felt utterly miserable in the relentless cold, wind and rain and dark mornings.  It was an agricultural college so we were particularly affected by the lack on light on early morning starts, weather - and the mud!  He said the lowest point of the whole academic year was 4th February every year, and after that things gradually got better.  He pointed out that it's a long slog from 2 January to Easter when the weather's bleak etc etc and I've always remembered to remind myself of that every year. 

Last year I planted hundreds of Tete a Tete bulbs in the garden and fed the camellias like mad so they'd all bloom really early for a bight of vibrant colour in the garden.  It's worked because they all cheer me up every time I walk up the path, even in the wind and rain. 

So far so good today, and instead of having a bacon sarni I had my bacon snipped up into a bowl of mixed green leaves and then instead of mushroom on toast for lunch I had them on a bed of more green leaves with a little balsamic dressing, followed by a handful of nuts.  Just about to scoff a cashew nut and cacao bar to wrap it up.  So far so good.

I hope you have a thoroughly enjoyable and indulgent weekend of celebrations, Cookie.

Honey_Bear

Well, that was interesting.  I completely forgot I could have sugar on Saturday so I didn't, which made it the first run of six days added sugar-free.  That's pleasing.

Sunday - I didn't splurge and go mad but I did have as much as I wanted of the things I wanted and that was absolutely lovely.

This week the plan is to cut down on the amount of fruit I eat, so although I love them the grapes have not been restocked.  Let's see how long I last without a big handful of them after supper.  We've got plenty of tangerines so in theory I should be fine. 

How was your weekend Cookie?

Honey_Bear

I was frustrated that I couldn't have a biscuit at teatime today until I noticed the jar of figs and thought, 'Oh, goodie, I can have a couple of those.'  That's a huge change from where I was six months ago!

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Congratulations on achieving six days in a row, Honey_Bear!  👏 👏 It's even more amazing because you didn't even feel the need for sugar on Saturday.  Clearly, things are starting to stick .  I was going to ask about the fruit as I think there are some really positive reasons to eat fruit but then I saw that you haven't given up fruit altogether, you've just chosen a less sugary option.  I keep being told to eat more fruit so I'm very conscious of the health benefits, despite the natural sugar!  The weekend was lovely, thank you.  I indulged but I was far more restrained than I've been in the past so I consider that a win.  I didn't deprive myself of anything and it was nice to enjoy the occasion with everyone without going sugar-crazy. 

We have leftover birthday cake still and I had a small slice today.  I had a feeling this would happen today but it's not the end of the world.  

Honey_Bear said:

I was frustrated that I couldn't have a biscuit at teatime today until I noticed the jar of figs and thought, 'Oh, goodie, I can have a couple of those.'  That's a huge change from where I was six months ago!

Well done for staying on track and for all the progress.  It is great to see how all these 'mini challenges' within the challenge are all adding up.  

Tomorrow, I hope to stay sugar-free and my plan is to have Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday as sugar-free days and then I'll have sugar again on Friday evening.  We still have some leftover cake but I'm hoping to avoid it tomorrow.  

Morning_walker, how are you getting on?  Are you still experimenting with one square a day?  I tried the DIY rice cakes this weekend.  They tasted great (I used maple & cayenne with a tiny pinch of cinnamon).  I didn't get to eat many as everyone liked them!  Thank you for the idea - we have one more snack added to the family rota now .  

I hope everyone is keeping well and having a great start to the week.  Good luck with your goals!

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It's nearly 6pm and I've made it so far without any sugar today.  In a few more hours, I'll know if I managed to resist the last of the cake and achieved my sugar-free day.  We have an open packet of dates I plan to have them instead of the cake.  I hope I stick to that! 🤞 

How is everyone doing?  I hope you have been having a good day.  

Honey_Bear

Well done on getting this far today Cookie, and I hope the rest of the day is equally successful. 

So far so good with me today, too.  I've been trying out new recipes of food that I absolutely love that Belovéd doesn't particularly want to eat.  Today's effort was falafel, which I need to make again because it's not quite right but is most certainly edible, sprouting seeds (must remember to rinse them three times a day) and I'm currently slow-cooking a huge batch of chickpeas to make hummus with.  Tomorrow I'll also make the brown lentil and rice thing I've been wanting to try.  The whole sugar-free thing seems to be having a massive effect on my diet overall which was totally unexpected. 

cookie02

Thank you, Honey_Bear!  I made it so that's my first sugar-free day this week .  How about you?  

We love falafel but I've never tried making them, we tend to just have the M0rris0ns own-brand which the whole family likes.  Out of curiosity, which seeds are you sprouting and did you like them?  I nearly bought a set with one of those tilting jars etc but I feel like you can probably do it in a regular container.  I was chatting with my mum and she reminded me that we used to sprout seeds when we were kids (no special equipment involved but she wasn't sure what we grew aside from cress which I already grow as all of us love it).  It's interesting as one of the things I enjoy about this challenge is that it has led to my family trying new recipes instead of just cooking the same things on repeat.  It's not just me, even when we see our parents, they are also trying out new things and even their neighbours seem to have adopted some of them so it's definitely having a ripple effect (the sweet potato with baked grapes seems to have made the rounds with all of my parents' friends now - thank you for that! ).  

Today, I'm aiming to be sugar-free.  I really want to get two days in a row so I feel like I'm back on track.  Honey_Bear, your cooking has inspired me, thank you.  I already know what I'm making tonight and tomorrow (a tofu stir fry and a fish curry) but we've just decided that we're going to do lentils later this week.  My dad brought us some homemade soda bread which we froze at the weekend.  I think that will go really well with lentils and some grilled veg.  

Honey_Bear

So far so good today as well Cookie, which makes it three in a row if I get through the rest of the day without giving in to temptation.  Fingers crossed for both of us.

The seeds I'm sprouting are mung beans and chickpeas.  Mung beans because they're the quickest - I put them on to soak on Sunday and I've got some to eat today so that's probably as quick as is possible.  The chickpeas are out of curiousity really, and as I was soaking some anyway for making hummus and the felafel I thought I'd try them.  A few of them have definitely sprouted but I'm going to let them go on for a few more days before I sprinkle them on my food because they're all a bit short at the moment.  The mung beans are pretty much ready to just have a final rinse before they go in the fridge. 

I'm just sprouting them in the big mayonaise and pickle jars we have lying around, and keep them in the kitchen to remind me to rinse them three times a day.  I've tried to do this several times before but always forgotten them along the way so they've gone a bit nasty.  This time I'm finding it easier to remember them which is useful.

The falafel were definitely edible but a bit dull.  That was probably because the fresh coriander was a bit faded but I've got plans to make another batch tomorrow afternoon so I'll rev the lemon juice and herbs up.  They're dead easy to make if you've got the time and patience, which in theory I have.

Having turned over to almost all fruit and veggies with a huge variety of them over the past 10 days, from a normal Western full fat full on diet I can definitely see a change in my skin already, which is very pleasing.  I knew I as probably overdoing the dairy in my diet in particular and I haven't gone vegan or even vegetarian but I can see how much difference this is making, which may be cumulative - cut out most of the sugar, then most of the the processed foods and finally cut down massively on diary and finally, finally, finally I can see a difference.  Each change might not have been significant but cumulatively I think there there is.  Let's see if that's real - the longer this goes on the more noticeable it should be.  It may just be a trick of the light in the bathroom!

I'm delighted you're finding this Challenge a spur towards thinking about healthier eating, and very gratified that the ripples are extending outwards.  If you'd asked me in August last year when I started it if I'd be where I am now I'd have scoffed - I was never going to be the person that could do with minimal amoutns of cheese because I absolutely love it, but something has clicked into place over the past 10 days.  I was making my normal Nigella recipe of hummus and simply left out the olive oil and it tasted so much lighter and nicer that I was really shocked.  That's the kind of thing I mean - totally overhauling the way we eat is just too much all in one go but a tiny tweak here and a tiny tweak there add up after a while and I've suddenly realised how much better this is for me after a lifetime of full on self-indulgence. 

And for the moment, treats really are just for the weekends.