The 'Towards a Sugar-Free Future' Challenge

cookie02

Hello again!  Things got a bit crazy and it all feels like one very long day so I was shocked to find that I haven't checked in since Saturday!  My sugar consumption over the weekend was ok.  I had that tiny piece of chocolate on Saturday.  On Sunday, I had two Ginger Nut biscuits (one of my favourites!) and two small pieces of cake.  This is far, far less than I've had in the past so I'm happy with that.  The fact that I stopped at two Ginger Nuts is a miracle as there were times when I scoffed a whole pack in the past.  

My goal for this week is to be sugar-free Monday-Thursday and then for most of Friday (until the evening og).  So far, I've made it through yesterday and today sugar-free.  Work has been so busy, I've barely had time to think about sugar.  The rest of the week should be a bit quieter but I hope I'll be able to stay sugar-free. 

Well done for your restraint over the weekend, Honey_Bear!  I'd forgotten about the post-Christmas struggle.  It's great to put things into perspective but also shows how much difference consistency(ish) makes .  

I hope everyone had a good weekend and that you're having a successful week.  Good luck with achieving your goals! 

Honey_Bear

Good luck with this week Cookie.  Well done for stopping after two ginger nuts because we both know how easy it is to just keep going, and the same goes for the two small slices of cake.  I find that even if I know I can have anything I want on the weekend I rarely eat as much sugar and/or chocolate as I used to every day of the week.  I'm just so much more conscious of it now, whereas I always knew I shouldn't be eating as much as I wanted and felt guilty every time I did, now I just don't feel the same level of urges.  That's not to say I don't get cravings, and if it weren't for those date bars I doubt I could get through most days without succumbing to temptation, but I prefer this set of circumstances to that endless cycle of gorge and guilt. 

I've got Covid-19 and I decided in advance, once I know Belovéd had tested positive and therefore the chances were high that I would, that if it were such a miserable experience I would allow myslf off the hook for both sugar and chocolate.  Morale matters, and I'm pretty sure having unsatisfied cravings and feeling miserable aren't going to help me heal, so that decision was made days ago.  As it happens, although my first cup of coffee tastes pretty grim in the mornings, the others afterwards taste normal and apart from having what feels like a proper full on cold so far I've been absolutely fine.  I'm not pushing myself, I'm getting plenty of rest and I'm eating slightly reduced amounts of everything but enjoying what I do have because we eat well anyway.  So, so far, no sugar, no chocolate - because I don't have a decent enough excuse.  I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that!

cookie02

Sorry to hear that both of you are ill, Honey_Bear.  You are right, now isn't the time to be cutting out sugar or chocolate, if those will help you feel better and give you a boost (morale and energy-wise).  Well done for still staying sugar-free, I don't think I'd have had your level of restraint.  I'm glad that you're aren't experiencing any of the nastier symptoms of Covid-19.  I hope you'll be better soon 🍀.  

Food-wise, the date bars - and dates in general- are amazing!  They are definitely a key part of keeping me sugar-free on the days when I manage to do so.  I'm having one of those weeks where I keep losing track of the days but it's definitely keeping me away from the sugar.  I haven't even had time to plan my Friday night dessert 😲.  So far, I'm on track to meet my goal of four sugar-free days plus most of Friday.  We'll see if I make it!

Have a speedy recovery, Honey_Bear, and best wishes to everyone else that might be under the weather too.  

Honey_Bear

I've got a really sore throat, which has been hanging around for 48 hours.  Ice cream, in the form of a m@gnum helped. 

cookie02

Honey_Bear said:

I've got a really sore throat, which has been hanging around for 48 hours.  Ice cream, in the form of a m@gnum helped. 

😞 Sorry to hear, Honey_Bear.  Ice cream-as-medicine sounds like a good strategy though.  I hope the worst is over and that you'll be feeling better soon.  Do you have any Manuka honey?  It isn't very MSE as it tends to be quite expensive but I've been using it for a few years now and I think it helps.  

On the subject of ice, we've been having some really random snow flurries here today in between some lovely sunshine.  I was supposed to go out but decided against it.  We just had those hot cross buns that appeared in the cupboard the other day (my family knows my weaknesses ).  They were delicious but one was enough for me and that's my sugar done for today.  

Honey_Bear

Hot cross buns are irresistable so I don't blame you at all.  I've had the C19 blues today so I had a chocolate thing this evening.  I can still taste things so it was very sweet and very self-indulgent, just what was needed. 

Morning_walker

Hello, I fell off the bandwagon last week and went back to eating a lot of dark chocolate to lift my spirits. Will try again next week to get back on track. Have a lovely weekend all. 

Honey_Bear

Hi Morning Walker.  I'm so sorry you had a week when your spirits needed a lift.  I know the feeling well and have done exactly the same thing in the past, and probably will again at some point.  Although having said that, I over indulge on chocolate whether my spirits need lifting or not most of the time.  I hope next week treats you a lot more kindly and you don't feel tempted to indulge - which we all do sometimes. 

I also ate a chocolate last night, which I shouldn't have because of Lent, but this C19 thing laid me a bit low.  Nothing so far today, which is good.

Honey_Bear

I don't think I ate any sugar at all yesterday.  With C19 I get hungry at meal times and then feel so full after I've eaten that the rest of the time I'm not ttempted.  Still scoffing the date bars, but I lost a kilo in four days so I'm assuming that means I'm eating less overall.  This is no bad thing.

Today I had a teaspoon of homemade strawberry jam on my toast, which was almost all a huge strawberry.  It tasted gorgeous, but at present I have no plans to eat very much until dinner time.  I think I will probably let myself have some chocolate after dinner but I won't mind if I don't feel like it.

Morning_walker

Hi Honey_Bear, take care - I hope you recover soon.