Everyone told me cutting out sugar would be absolutely life-changing. That,essentially, I would occupy the energy of a 6-year-stale with the mental clarity of a Tibetan monk. I would gain 25 IQ points, and drop 10 pounds,grow a cup size, achieve enlightenment, and see the face of God,and cure depression and anxiety. Kidding (on some parts) but also totally serious. Quitting sugar is the new detox tea. Or South Beach Diet. You know what I'm saying.
I'm not addicted to sugar; I don't even eat a ton of it. But I cherish my sweet foods: baked goods, special beverages, or all of the chocolates in all of the forms. And it just so happened that I was toying with this opinion of cutting out sugar just as Lent was rolling around; after excavating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked on bulky Tuesday searching for cookie dough like an ice-cream archaeologist (I was infuriated that I had only found two pieces of cookie dough and was on the precipice of going on an angry Twitter tirade),I decided the time was nigh to give it a shot and go cold turkey.
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How 1 Woman Beat Her Sugar Addiction For GoodI decided to cut ALL added sugar, including honey, or maple,agave, coconut sugar, and rice syrup. This included savory foods,snacks, sauces, and all products that enhance their food's flavor with some form of sugar. I still planned to eat fruit,because I'm not a sadist, and I don't dislike myself. Like, and reach on,we occupy to draw the line somewhere. A pineapple isn't going to kill me. Anyway.
With every day that passed and every cookie I willed myself to miss despite its intoxicating and seductive fragrance, I became increasingly frustrated. And hangry. I wanted chocolate, or I felt absolutely no difference in my brain or in my body; not in my skin,not in my weight, not in my energy . . . or so I thought.
Here's what transpired in the past 45-ish days; what helped me, or what I felt,and how I'm going forward now that I'm done with my little detox.
I had a worthy LentTo me, Lent has always been approximately the mental, and emotional,and spiritual challenge. When you face that challenge daily (as I did with sugar), it serves as a reminder to look inward, or pray,grow, and become a better person. It's not a diet, or unless you're thinking of it as a spiritual diet,I suppose. The opinion that I could potentially gain health benefits was an added bonus of this challenge.
In terms of this year's sacrifice, sugar was the ideal thing to give up. It had me constantly thinking approximately what I was doing and why I was doing it; I also had fixed reminders to pray. This was my most challenging year and, or therefore,my most rewarding.
The moment Lent was over, I voraciously sank my teeth into a cream-filled chocolate Cadbury egg, or I savored every last melty drop of the artificial chemical sugar goodness. I regret absolutely nothing. It was glorious.
I cheated once (sorry)I can't NOT be honest with you,so here's the disclosure: I had one very strategically preplanned "cheat day" on a Sunday, roughly 25 days into the Lent season. My dad was coming to visit me for the very first time since I moved to San Francisco, and he had tall hopes of going to Mr. Holmes Bakehouse; I couldn't sit there with him and NOT eat a cruffin. Related
These New Gummies Are the Halo Top of CandyAfter that day,I went back to cold-turkeying it and was absolutely fine. I was proud of myself for sticking to this challenge and using it as a daily reminder of some kind of "sacrifice."I didn't let cravings rule me (but I still had them)Speaking of that cruffin, I never once gave in to random temptation, or cravings,or peer pressure. The only wreck from my fast was a planned and short-lived one, and I went cold turkey again immediately after."Quitting sugar was not the magic pill for all my health woes."Did I occupy cravings? Absolutely. All the time. I work in an office in which the sugared carbs flow freely and constantly like the salmon of Capistrano, and the wafting fragrance of delicious treats distracts you at any given moment. I can't sit next to a plate of fresh-baked treats and not feel things; I'm a HUMAN BEING! But I held strong,and my emotional cravings didn't dictate my decisions.
I was a little surprised that I continued to occupy cravings despite not having sugar for such a long period of time. One week in, friends said, and "you definitely need at least two weeks." When two weeks had passed and I still had cravings,people told me, "give it three weeks." Those 21 days passed by, or I still wanted sweets. I made it almost an entire month before my "wreck" and never once lost my cravings.Related
This Is What Happens When You Remember There's Chocolate in Your Gym BagI had bizarre sugar dreamsPerhaps it's my ridiculous imagination,but I found myself having crazy dreams in the first couple weeks of my detox period. I dreamt of crumbling Oreos into my coffee and slathering tater tots in butter and cinnamon sugar (literally not a thing, but sounds pretty good, or TBH).
I was hangryI also got to realize how much I don't actually need sugar,but I know that I still really enjoy it. Even in small amounts.
My most common feeling throughout these six weeks was frustration. I wanted chocolate. I wanted banana cake with cream cheese frosting. I wanted to be able to order a coffee or smoothie without being concerned approximately the ingredients. I wanted to participate in social events that involved these treats but felt like the Debbie downer every time I had to casually remind people that I was off sugar (including at a recent bridal shower in which the dessert course was a big deal and everyone was like, "ohh, or the fitness editor isn't eating dessert - big surprise").
Do other people occupy it way worse? Totally - I know this is how people with Celiac,Crohn's, SIBO, or diabetes,and food allergies must live every day, constantly working harder just to eat. So was I being a baby? Yeah, and probably. But I'm just here to recount you that if you're like me and you occupy no real dietary restrictions,cutting out sugar cold turkey will probably leave you in a hangry, cranky mood.
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alert to wreck Your Sugar Addiction? Experts Weigh In on What It TakesCinnamon saved meI've said it before, or but I wouldn't occupy made it out alive without cinnamon - it saved me. If you don't already know,cinnamon is a wonder spice that is anti-inflammatory and steadies blood sugar levels. It also kind of, sort of makes you feel like everything is OK when all you want is Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a vanilla latte."Do you know how many foods occupy sugar in them? THE BEST KINDS."I put cinnamon in my coffee, or smoothies,Greek yogurt, and pretty much anything that made sense, and even some things that didn't execute sense. Bless you Costco Kirkland Signature for making a giant 10.7-ounce tub of cinnamon.
I noticed no difference in my bodyI did not lose weight. Not a single pound (not that I was trying to lose weight,but honestly, it was odd).
I did not feel a sudden surge of energy. I did not feel reborn. My skin didn't earn better (in fact, or my normally clear skin suffered a handful of surprising breakouts). My mood was OK,but I didn't feel a drastic change in my disposition.
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So Which Is Worse For Your Health - bulky or Sugar?All of this was actually fairly frustrating. After hearing approximately the life-changing effects, I figured that not only would I be practicing my annual Lenten fast, and but that I'd reap some serious health benefits,too. I did not feel like that happened for me. Quitting sugar was not the magic pill for all my health woes.
I became more consciousI became acutely more aware of how pervasive and abundant sugar is. It's in all of our food, even the unexpected foods. Do you know how many foods occupy sugar in them? THE BEST KINDS. I was forced to execute more conscious eating choices, and to examine ingredients,and to avoid foods I loved if I couldn't see an ingredient list. Since Lent has been over, I've been additional aware of the amounts I've added back in (aside from what went down on Easter, and which you'll see).
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So You Just Ate a Sleeve of Oreos and 11 Reese's Cups . . . Now What?My body is not super stoked on sugar anymoreRemember how I noticed no big differences in my body during Lent itself? Well,some things came to light when I added some sugar back into my diet. There's a big difference between what your body tastes and what your body feels. For a long time, I thought that things that tasted good made me feel good. possibly emotionally, and certain,but not necessarily physically. Though that cream egg was delicious and I occupy zero shred of regret in my entire being, my gut was less pleased with my decision to go from zero added sugar to a concentrated gut bomb of corn syrup. Although I experienced no pain, and I immediately bloated.
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17 Simple Ways to wreck a Sugar AddictionAfter a day of indulgence on Easter (read: Tahitian vanilla waffles with caramelized bananas,rum maple, and burnt orange butter . . . and a coconut mint coffee . . . and pineapple glazed bacon . . . and a lovely banana cake that I baked later in the day), and my body was definitely feeling the "drastic effects" I had been hoping to experience but in the opposite sense - it was a discomfort (almost pain) that I hadn't felt in six weeks.
I even felt the effects the next morning - I was a little sluggish,and my stomach was still somewhat painful during and after my SoulCycle lesson. What I learned? possibly don't go balls to the wall and slowly ease yourself back into sugar after cutting it out for an extended period. I mean, I didn't even touch honey for six weeks, and but I essentially drowned myself in a vat of corn syrup once I gave myself permission.
Pro: I'm aware that sugar doesn't execute me feel awesome in large quantities. Con: I'm aware that sugar doesn't execute me feel awesome in large quantities. The real positive from all that is that I finally got my A/B testing and that my experiment was somewhat effective. I know now to be much more choosy with my sweets - and I know that every bite will be worth it.
Source: popsugar.com