The three books that started my journey, all by David Gillespie
After a long discussion with my husband the other night we came to the conclusion that the health of our family is a top priority. And the best thing we could do for our children is to quit sugar.
So how is this time going to be different?
Firstly, I'm starting this blog. The aim being that I can write about our progress (or setbacks) and that will help to keep me motivated over the month or so it should take for us to break the sugar addiction.
Secondly, I am pregnant. Baby number 3 is due early February and now that I am well into the second trimester I am finding my cravings for any food in general has been tempered somewhat. Whereas before I could inhale a block of chocolate, now I am well and truly stuffed after half a block and can put the chocolate away. I still have trouble leaving anything sweet in the house uneaten for more than a day or two but it is better than before. I've had ice cream in the fridge for over a week - a big step for me. Also, I think this pregnancy is going to be about savoury foods rather than sweet. So why not take advantage of that?
The reality is that the idea of quitting sugar (which I admit is going to be very hard anyway) with 3 children, one of them a newborn is frankly absurd and impossible. If we don't do it now we won't be able to quit for at least a year or so and in the mean time the kids will becoming more and more addicted to sugar.
So here goes, I am now on Day 3 of our sugar-free lives. This week we are concentrating on getting our head around the idea of no sugar and trying to eliminate the obvious culprits in our diet. I write more about this later.
Hang in there, its the best thing I've ever done.(almost 5 months sugar free) But I have to admit we have no kids still at home so it was much easier to do.Though in saying that you wouldn't find person more addicted to sugar than I was. Definitely better if you remove all temptations from your home & have lots of alternatives readily available, good luck.
ReplyDeleteHI I found that If you allow yourself a chocalate, buy a chocolate that is sweetened with Stevia, this helped me enormously, also I make muffins or anything else sweet that I want to eat , sweetened with glucose (dextrose in beer section of supermarket) and this satisfys any sweet cravings I might have and I dont feel deprived. It is especially useful if losing weight is not the main priority just getting healthier. as these are also fattening but just healthier. I found that after a while I dont need as much anyway and still lost weight. but have stopped losing now and am maintaining my current weight reasonably well. hope this helps Maree Hamming
ReplyDeleteFirstly well done on admitting all the ups and downs! It is extremely difficult to give up sugar( I have embarked on this 3 weeks ago) and yeah I have had my set backs, over indulging in alcohol one night( lots of sugary cocktails) and then eating crap food the next day :( But in saying all of that, I've got back on it and I don't think it's about failing or punishing yourself.... You already have taken a big step in eliminating or at least halving your families intake!!! And I totally agree, our families health is far more important than the evil sugar we put into our bodies..... But it do readily available that we as adults have to re educate our selves and therefore our children!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work..... Support is what will get you through :)
Thank you all for your comments and support. We are all getting a bit antsy now and I suspect the next couple of days are going to be really hard. Seeing your comments this morning made me even more determined to continue through it.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up! My husband and I have been sugar free for over 2 yrs now and beleive me it gets easier. I started by removing ALL contraban from the house so there was nothing there to be tempted by. My adolescent kids have since brought stuff in and I just keep it in a different shelf and there is no temptation. Times when I have needed a sweet fix are attended to by mixing baking cocoa with rice malt syrup and a little thickened cream. Thats quite decadent for us! I've become quite adept at substituting dextrose for sugar in a lot of my recipes when there is a call for something baked. You wil be amazed at how quickly you'll feel the benefits. I now find sugary foods sickening and am not the least bit tempted by them! The hardest part is dealing with other peoples reaction to the fact that youve taken charge of your own life. Some of the responses are quite irrational! You soon learn to spot the severe sugar addicts that are of course all in denial!
ReplyDeleteWell done and Keep going! I've been sugar for
ReplyDelete3 years now, and I fell great I can walk passed
any cake shop or confectionary iale in the suppermarket with out flinching an eye lid not one ounch of cravings its the best feeling been free from sugar,
It is so worth it. We stopped 80% of our sugar intake 2 months before I fell pregnant with my daughter- that was 15 months ago. In the last 4-5 months, we have cut out the two pieces of chocolate at night in front of the telly, the gin and tonic, and enjoy a beer and savoury dips and crackers before dinner instead. I have lost 9 kilos over the last 9 months and I am lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. We have also noticed that when we do succombe to the sugar temptation, it grabs us with a vengeance and the desire to EAT! EAT! EAT! is insane! It just highlighted for us how addictive the stuff is, and how it affects our appetites. We truly do not miss it. You can get through this early stage of withdrawal and live a healthier life for you, your family, and your unborn child! Good luck, and good perserverance.
ReplyDeleteAs you are pregnant read this - http://www.thenutritioncoach.com.au/real-food/me-pregnant/
ReplyDeleteWhen you say you are quitting sugar are meaning all the processed junk or are you including fruit as well...?
Hi Natalie,
DeleteI'm not going to stop eating fruit, but I am going to make sure I don't increase the amount of fruit I am eating now. I'd probably only have one or two pieces a day.
I think there is a big difference between the sugar in a piece of fruit and the sugar in a 250g block of chocolate, 2 (big) bowls of ice cream and a can of coke (and yes, I could eat and drink all that in an evening on multiple evenings in a week). There is no way to put a good spin on that sort of eating.