Thursday Three – Sugar Free Edition | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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It’s time for another edition of the Thursday Three!! This week is the “Sugar Free” edition because, as most of you know, I’m on a sugar fast through May 14th. It’s going pretty well except for all the label reading, severe headaches (from withdrawal) and constantly looking for a source of protein that will satisfy my hunger! Granted I knew what I was up against for this week and I knew it would be a constant battle but OH.MY.WORD!! Sugar and its counterparts is EVERYWHERE!!

Easter is coming up and with that comes all the candy and sugary treats! I know a few of my cohorts are going to go ahead and have a few sugary treats for Easter, but I’ve come up with enough alternatives that I am convinced that I can go sugar free through Easter as long as I pay attention to what I am doing. By this weekend I hope to be over with most of the headaches and cravings and I don’t want to start over just because I can’t handle the dessert table! 🙂 

Three Things I have learned over the past few days, that I didn’t know before I started this fast or I ignored sufficiently enough to fool myself!

        1)  Hidden sugar is in almost ALL processed foods!! I have been reading labels pretty faithfully for the past 10 years, as my youngest son has food allergies, so I know that just because it looks and sounds like a good option doesn’t mean it really is but oh my goodness!! Did you know that there is sugar/sugar substitutes in things like cheese and peanut butter? Things that don’t necessarily say “sugar” doesn’t mean it’s not there in another “alternative” source of sugar either! The sandwich bread that I normally buy has 5 different sources of sugar in it!! I always looked at the calorie count, fiber content and to make sure it started with “whole wheat”. I stopped at that….UGH!! NO MORE!! Why does a slice of whole wheat bread need sugar? Why can’t it just be wheat, water and yeast? Christy found this list of sugar and sugar alternatives that are everywhere!! I DARE YOU TO READ IT and then read the label to some of your favorite foods!

       2)  There really are a lot of different exciting weird side effects of not eating sugar! We desensitize ourselves from it in our normal day to day living but I’m finding out that even after giving up sugar only a few days I have more energy!! A friend noticed that I just seem more alert and more energized on Wednesday! In the afternoons, I would normally start really craving sugar and then I would turn to a snack and a coke if I was out and about! Since Monday, if I start thinking I’m wanting some sugar I grab some raw nuts or some source of protein that I can get into my system quickly! I’m getting about the same amount of sleep, and I’ve been able to be “on the go” all day long now! I’m getting more done in my day to day life, therefore making me happier! Sugar actually drains me of energy and makes me want to take a nap and I don’t have time for naps.  I’m still getting the withdrawal headaches but I’m beginning to notice that if I just go fix myself a protein snack I can curb it pretty quickly.

       3) When I cut out the sugar I started wanting to eat more fruits and veggies! Cutting the sugar from my diet has helped me clean up my diet tremendously and wanting to fix more food at home!! It’s so hard to eat properly while eating out I find I want to cook more, which will help our budget. I’m looking at food from a “how will this feed my body nutritionally?” point of view instead of “how will this taste to my tastebuds, right now?” point of view! I’ve fixed home made sweet potato fries (in the oven) and I’ve eaten salad without adding yucky stuff to either of them!! I’m also eating a whole lot more protein, which will help me lose weight better! Speaking of losing weight…..I’ve already lost 1.5 pounds since I gave up sugar Monday morning!! Yep, that’s a pretty sweet (pun intended) reward considering I’ve done nothing but gain this year up to this point!!

Are you ready to make a change and cut the sugar? If you are and want to join us in our 30 day fast we are having great conversations and learning even more than these 3 things over at the private Facebook group!

xoxoxoxo,

Ann

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