31 Days Sugar Free In Review
Amazingly going sugar free of the 31 days of January turned out to be much easier than I anticipated. As a reminder, my rules for sugar free were this:
- No refined sugar
- No corn syrup
- No high fructose corn syrup
- No sugar substitutes
- Fruit OK
- Carbs OK
- Natural sugars OK
I had been on kind of a sugar bender through the holidays and thought I would have a much harder time giving it up.
For the first 5 days or so I ate a lot of fruit. I wasn't getting the refined sugars anymore so I had to up the natural sugars to kind of balance things out. After that I still ate a few pieces of fruit each day but not as much for the sugar as just to have something to snack on.
The most unusual part of the whole thing to me was how much hungrier I felt in general. I had to keep a close eye on my calorie intake because I was overly hungry the entire time. My theory on this is that sugar kind of numbs your hunger. Coffee will do the same thing for me. I can stave off eating with coffee for awhile, not forever.
So one of the gains that I made was an awareness of how much sugar is around and how often I reach for it out of habit. I also learned that there are many natural alternatives and natural sugar doesn't wreak havoc on your system like refined sugar does. I didn't experience the usual highs and lows in my mood or energy levels that had become part of my life. That was a huge thing.
Typically a "sugar free" diet consists of removing ALL sugars and anything that gets converted into sugar by the body as well.
White rice, pancakes, bread, corn flakes, crackers, parsnips, and potatoes are some of the foods that act like sugar in your body.
This is borderline crazy to me. The rational part of me knew there was no way I could possible cut ALL of these without failure.
I've decided to continue on with refined sugar free and make it part of my life. How about you? Anybody else have a different experience?
Try the Calorie Counter at MyFoodDiary.com
I go completely sugar free and limit the simple carbs and starches. EVERYTHING is better when I eat this way:
No crazy mood swings as I go from sugar high to sugar low.
I feel healthier.
Better, more even energy levels throughout the day.
I need less sleep but have less fatigue.
I don't crave sugar.
I don't overeat.
Hypoglycemia and diabetes run in my family, so my biology may be a little unusual.
Post a Comment