The 'Towards a Sugar-Free Future' Challenge

SueP19

@cookie02 @Honey_Bear

Ohhhh yeah all fruit is far from equal, think soft and tropical is high in fructose and easy peasy to get at and harder crunchier fruit is less and slow release 

Although some fruit is better than no fruit 🤣

I was most shocked over root veg, it's has higher levels of sugar in them, when eaten raw they are the apple, cook them and they become the banana 😁 hope this all helps 👍

~FlowerPot~

@SueP19 thank you, that poetically expend why I airways chose a banana over an apple! Alough i only like them just yellow, i don't like them overly sweet at all.

Good day today, no sugary snack until after tea. And that was a blueberry muffin. Not really fancied any chocolate, i did get the dark choc bar out earlier, but didn't have any of it, not really that keen on dark choc, so that was good! 👍👍
Best day this year, so far. 

cookie02

Well done, FlowerPot, that is a great result and it's still early days for 2023 🏅.  

'Some fruit is better than no fruit' is definitely where I'm coming from right now, SueP19!  I hadn't realised how much difference cooking makes to root veg or the apple > banana comparison - thank you for the info.  

This week, I've managed three sugar-free days.  Two were completely by accident thanks to an incredibly busy couple of days at work on Monday and Tuesday.  Yesterday, I had a sugary coffee but today I managed to stay sugar-free (on purpose, not by accident, although I'm happy to have any accidental sugar-free days to add to my tally too!).  

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to stay sugar-free until the evening.  This might be tricky as I've got the afternoon off and will be meeting a friend for lunch.  Even if I don't make it, this is my best start to the year ever sugar-wise so thank you to Honey_Bear for starting this thread and to everyone for sharing their experiences and insights, it makes a huge difference 🌺.  

How is everyone doing this week?  

Saver-upper

Hi everyone  ,
I have been following this thread for a couple of weeks, and I really really really need to get onboard. It is absolutely ridiculous the amount of sugar I eat in a day    .Biscuits, the children's sweets, Cadbury chocolate bars (have eaten the majority of a 360g of Cadbury dairy milk bar in just over 24 hours!!), occasionally cake, occasionally spoonfuls of Nutella! Did I mention Cadbury chocolate? 

Over lockdown I gained nearly 2 stone in weight! I was not able to go to work (because I work in people's homes), so I was home all day, drinking tea and eating biscuits and chocolate. I knew I had gained 2 stone in weight, but recently I have also started doing online surveys again. One survey last week asked me my BMI. When I worked it out, I realised I am officially obese. Not just overweight, as I thought, but medically obese. THAT was a shock!

So, time to do something about it, and I need to be kept accountable. 

I am going to start reading this thread from the beginning, but please give me your best hints and tips (and maybe a jolly good shake  )

Honey_Bear

Sue P, thank you so much for the information about fruit and veg. I confess to eating a whole mango with yoghurt this morning and it was absolutely delicious, but I can absolutely taste the difference in dates (which we've also been eating this week) and mango versus apples.  I was surprised by the root veg information, but of course it makes complete sense - raw carrots are okay, roasted they're fabulous.  Ditto parsnips, although I'm not sure I'd bother eating a whole one raw. 

From the very beginning I decided not to be a sugar nazi and allow myself natural sugars in fruit (because i know about it but I didn't before) and veg can now be added to that list.  I don't regard honey and dates as acceptable sweeteners when I cook because that's just a cop out for me, but it might be fine for someone else.  I allow myself mayo and tomato ketchup although I know they both have sugar in, mainly because when I need them I need them, and I don't have them at every meal, or even every day.  A chicken or turkey sandwich without mayo is an abomination, and cheap fish fingers (although there's a point beyond which I won't go regarding cheap food) are massively improved by the addition of pink sauce.  Again, I don't eat any of those things every day, just occasionally. 

Having said that, I can now see quite clearly why I still have a sweet tooth because I'm drip feeding my taste buds sugar every day, even if I resist the Pure, White and Deadly stuff (kudos to John Yudkin for that book - which was published in the 1970s and is still available if anyone's interested.  No, I've never read it but it's been on my radar for decades and was and remains massively influential in how the debate about diet generally is discussed and influenced by the food industry.

There are no hard and fast rules to this Challenge but I know when I think I'm cheating and it isn't when I eat a mango or dates, but I will think about going more down the apples route and not buy very many more mangos or dates.  It was me that bought the mangos, Belovéd who bought the dates. 

Flower Pot, well done on getting the chocolate out and not eating it.  Not sure how anyone can manage that, but hats off to you for doing so.  I'd have probably eaten the muffin too if I'd resisted the chocolate earlier.  Your best day so far is something to celebrate and I've done a little jig to do so, just in case you forgot to.

How did the rest of the day go Cookie?  If you made it through that would be fantastic, but either way three days in January is Woo Hoo! time.  I love the way you keep going through thick and thin - it keeps me really motivated even when I'm having one of my weaker weeks.  More of that a bit later.  (It's grim.)

Saver-Upper, I'm so glad you've been reading along and getting the vibe on the Thread.  You're more than welcome to contribute anything you want to say, and if you can read from the beginning you'll find everything out that we've deduced for ourselves and contributed.  A few pages ago I can remember offering some suggestions to someone who was thinking about joining in as numbered points so if you do read from the beginning, you'll come across my Top Tips.  Currently, off the top of my head I'd suggest the following:

1.  I wouldn't go cold turkey and imagine yourself just stopping eating all the things you're used to eating because that's a diet and diets don't work.  The aim here is to gradually re-educate your taste buds.  If you cut out all sugar you will get headaches, which are a withdrawal symptom and I don't think most people operate at their best when in pain.  Other people may be able to do that but I'm not one of them.  The gradual thing works much better unless it's a health emergency such as diabetes, and this is not the thread to manage a health condition, it's a life choice thread.

2.  Set yourself up for success.  If your sugar habit is chocolate for breakfast, cake for lunch, biscuits for tea and pudding after dinner, then starting low key might be the best idea.  Getting through to 1.00pm for a day or three a week would be an achievement, and it means that when you're biting table legs in frustration about not being able to have food you're used to, you know you'll be able to fairly soon.  If you've read from the start you'll know that my plan was one sugar-free day a week to begin with, then two when I was used to one day a week, then three and so on.  When I need a reset because I've been over-indulging I go back to one day a week and then two etc etc.  I don't expect to be able to do this easily because it's just not.

3.  Find snacks that you really like and make sure you have a reasonable supply of them easily to hand early on.  Fruit is a classic healthy snack but if you eat 11 pieces a day - yes, someone I've met thought he was eating healthily and couldn't understand why he was putting on weight, but ... 11 pieces of fruit a day will do that.  When I'm really craving something sweet mid-afternoon (my danger time of day) I eat a date bar which happens to be available at Lid1 opposite the chocolate bars but other options are available in the 'healthier' areas of supermarkets.  I have also been known to knock up a quick dip with cream cheese and whatever happens to be lying around like leftover Stilton from Christmas and a drop or two of milk, but no-one's going to lose weight substituting chocolate with cheese.

Good luck with whatever you decide will work for you but take it slowly and let us know how you get on.

So, as far as my week's been a disaster.  No, I haven't gone back to pre-Challenge levels, and actually from a purely objective point of view even on my bad days I eat around half the amount of sugar that I used to eat and I'm chuffed as nuts with that but disappointed in myself that I don't think I've managed a single sugar-free day this week.  I would have yesterday but Belovéd offered me the chocolate tin after dinner last night and, wouldn't you know it, I took one square.  If I hadn't I would have had a sugar-free day this week and at this stage of the week even that doesn't look likely now.  Because Friday, obviously. 

So, a bad week, being over-tired because I did too much on one day isn't a valid reason but it explains Wednesday and to a certain extent yesterday.  There's no excuse for Monday and Tuesday though.

So, onwards and upwards, I'll see if I can limit the damage over the weekend and think about Monday when it arrives next week. 

~FlowerPot~

Thank you guys @cookie02 and @Honey_Bear Unfortunately it didnt follow on to the next day, But Im still making it as a success.Thank you for doing the little jig!!

I am very much more conscious about the food im eating at the moment and that can only be a good thing. I know Ive put on about a stone during COIVD and from grief, and this is defiently due the comfort eating!

Hopefully improving habits will also improve the waistline

Apart from one day I have completetly stuck to not eating snacks till after lunch at all. This is huge and im very pleased Im not going to try and extend it until 3. The 3pm slump!!

@Saver-upper , you are welcome , ive ony just joined, although I have tried many times over many years to eliminate sugar, its never worked for very long. But this time, i dont really have a fixed agenda, Im just going gently, one step at a time and hoping this approach maybe more successful as it will be a gradual reducing of sugar from my diet.

Good luck and let us know how you are getting on

flowers

x

Saver-upper

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all that for me Honey_Bear- I do appreciate it. Thank you for the encouragement ~FlowerPot~

Today has been a "sugar-free" day, going by my usual standards. As usual I had marmalade on a slice of toast for breakfast. Google told me that the (measured) teaspoon full  was 2.4g of sugar (just under half a teaspoon). The only other sugar-filled food I had today was a packet of crisps with a cup of tea (so I still felt like I was having a treat, without eating my usual 6-8 chocolate hob-nobs.) I can actually take or leave crisps.All my other cups of tea today have been without biscuits. And I cannot remember the last time I chose to drink tea without biscuits to dunk!

So, a spoonful of marmalade and a packet of crisps. Quite an improvement on my usual daily consumption of endless biscuits, chocolate , and sweets.

Have spent the evening reading the thread from the beginning. It has always been such a safe, supportive thread, thank you 

Makingabobor2

Just when I thought I was starting to get into better habits, after a few bad days, DH only went and brought home a big bag of QS chocs that he got from work. He does get random things sometimes....lol  I must resist them, or at least only have 1  day. 

cookie02

Welcome, Saver-upper, and well done for already taking steps to getting your sugar-free days.  Honey_Bear's advice is the best and the only thing I'd add is to give yourself time and to just keep going.  If you eat sugar at one meal and you're frustrated with yourself, don't be - we all do this.  Just enjoy the sugar you've eaten, draw a mental line under it and aim to be sugar-free at your next meal/snack opportunity.  Over time, I've found that getting the sugar-free days is quite addictive itself (a much better addiction to have!).  Above all, just keep going.  Since Honey_Bear started this challenge, my sugar consumption has reduced enormously, as has my family's.  This is an amazing result for me but I've had days, weeks and, if you're catching-up on the whole thread you'll see, whole *months* where I have failed to get sugar-free days.  It all adds up over time so just keep going and aim to make small - manageable- changes like what you did this week, instead of cutting everything out and ending up miserable.  

Honey_Bear, I managed to finish the day sugar-free, thank you!  I think I was helped this week by some incredibly busy days at work which meant that I had less time to grab coffee near the office or raid the kitchen at home.  I'll be in the office again for part of next week so the real test for me will be the week after when I should be back at home for the whole week.  As for your week, I'm sorry it's been a tough one for you.  You managed a low-sugar day on Thursday with only one square so I would count that as a win though .   The fruit question that you and SueP19 raise is an interesting one.  I have dates as one of my 'healthier' options and I will keep them for now as I find them really helpful.  I don't tend to eat as much tropical fruit and I don't use honey or other substitutes in cooking.  The only time I veer from this is with maple syrup which I use for my spiced pecans but that is one/two tablespoons and I don't make them that often.  I also try and balance the health benefits from fruit vs the sugar side.  Right now, I think I really am in the category SueP19 joked about where I probably don't get enough fruit and the types of fruit that are lower sugar (apples, pears) just don't appeal to me (yet).  I remember a post from jackieblack a while back and I think she said that her tastebuds had reached the point where she found these things naturally very sweet but I'm definitely not there yet.  

Making, this happens with my family quite often, although they have become better at doing this less often (or having the big treats while I'm away!).  If you think resisting might drive you mad, your option of one a day might be the answer. A low-sugar day is the next best thing to sugar-free days .  Good luck!

Flowers, that is such a great achievement 🏅.  Good luck with your new goal.  If you haven't already, you might want to try and have some kind of back-up snack ready to help you get through the 3pm slump, similar to Honey_Bear's date bar.  I also use dates, date bars or toasted spiced pumpkin seeds.  

Pollybear, how has your week been?  

Today, we'll be out for a family lunch this afternoon and tomorrow is currently due to be a quiet day at home.  There will be sugar but I'm hoping to keep tomorrow's sugar levels under control as I'd like to have at least two sugar-free days next week.  

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Saver-upper

Thank you cookie02. This is such a supportive thread  >

A busy day at work today. I didn't really have lunch. Had a teaspoon of marmalade on toast this morning, which has been my "only" sugar today.

When I got home, I had chilli con carne with sour cream and a handful of Doritos. Google tells me the Doritos contained 1g of sugar

 Had pasta bake, carrots and bacon for tea. The jar said there is 6.1g of sugar per quarter of a jar. I only had 1/6 of the bake. And having eaten my body weight in Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate in January, I'm pretty sure pasta bakes are not my sugar downfall  .

I hope everyone is doing well this weekend. Weekends can be hard, can't they?