When I embarked on the No Sugar Experiment two weeks ago, I honestly didn’t think it would be that hard.  I didn’t think I had much added sugar in my diet.  I eat fairly healthy, I don’t drink soda, eat candy or sugary cereals.  This should no biggie.  Wow, was I wrong.

Turns out  sugar is in so many food items.  The more labels that I looked at in my pantry and freezer, the more shocked I became at the amounts of added sugar.  It was similar to the awakening I had back in September when I weaned myself from artificial sweeteners, specifically Splenda.  I didn’t talk about it much on the blog, but after reading some less than stellar information about artificial sweeteners, I decided to ditch it.    I started reading labels and realized that I was ingesting much more of it than in my few cups of coffee.  Nutritionally speaking, it’s useless, so I got rid of it and noticed a dramatic difference in the way I felt.  I had body aches for years that I thought were just a by-product of  “getting older”, but they disappeared after removing artificial sweeteners from my diet.

For my No Sugar Experiment, I put some simple “rules” into place…

1. No refined sugar.  That encompasses all sugar as we generally know it – granulated, powdered, corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup (which is in everything!).
2. No “natural” sugars.   This included cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses and even agave which is considered a more natural sweetener, but is still processed.
3. No flour.  Now, there is no sugar in flour, but many foods made with flour are also made with some form of sugar.  When I did the research on recovering from overeating, the elimination of flour was strongly encouraged due to its ability to contribute to cravings also.

I was probably the strictest with the sugar (again, only added sugar, not sugar that is inherent to a food such as fruit, milk or yogurt).  In the interest of not wasting everything in my pantry/freezer,  I did allow some flour if it wasn’t too high on the list of ingredients. 

So, what the heck did I eat?

Lots of great food!

First, let me clarify that adhering to these “rules”, especially the no flour part, did not make this a low-carb diet!!  I have been on a low-carb diet before and I know it may work for many people, but I am not a fan.  If I had to make a comparison, I would say that my past two weeks of eating was extremely similar to the old Weight Watcher’s CORE plan (now Simply Filling technique) which incorporates whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy,  fruits, vegetables and healthy fats.  Basically, “clean eating!”

As I said, the “detox” period that I had read about didn’t concern me since I wasn’t a straight- up sugar-eater.  I sure was in for a surprise!  Days 1 through 4, I felt like crap.  No better way to describe it.  I experienced body aches, fatigue, skin breakouts, irritability (sorry hubs and daughters), body temperature fluctuations and HUNGER!  It was not pretty.  Especially the hunger part.  My stomach was growling every 2 hours!  I didn’t understand it and still don’t know if or why that was a part of the process, but I never quite experienced something like that other than when I used to go on those fad, extremely low-calorie diets.  This wasn’t one of those diets and I made sure to feed that hunger along the way because I didn’t want the hunger leading to caving in to cravings.

Around Day 5, I was feeling better.  My hunger was evening out and actually diminishing a bit.  I enjoyed eating the filling foods and grains and thanks to Ezekiel flourless breads, I wasn’t missing the flour much either.  I was able to fulfill any sweet cravings that I had with homemade watermelon water ice, banana “ice cream” or just fresh fruit.  Every day was getting easier and the cravings for sweets and simple carbs were drastically reducing.

It wasn’t until about Day 10 that I noticed the most change.  My head felt clearer, my mood was stabilized, the body aches were gone and my stomach was flatter.  I felt less bloated, completely regular in the bathroom department (sorry –TMI) and had more energy, especially in the afternoons.  My clothes were fitting better which leads me to believe that I may have lost weight, but honestly, I’m hesitant to check the scale.  I may have actually gotten to the point where I don’t even care about that.  I am more interested in seeing it not go up more than going down anyway.  Maybe I’ll take a peek in a few weeks, but ultimately, the clothes will tell. 

Now, being 2 weeks in, the best way I can describe how I feel is –PEACE.  I don’t totally understand it, but I feel peaceful with and in control of my eating.  On Saturday (and over the weekend), I was surrounded by sugar-laden foods.  I didn’t eat any.  I didn’t want to;  the pull wasn’t there.  I may have had a tiny bit of fear about what might happen if I did have just a small taste.  I remembered The Dark Side and I really don’t want to go back there.  I like PEACE.  It feels good, so I’m sticking with it as best I can.

I’m believing more every day that I can live this way for life.  In a way, I’m going against my core belief that healthy living is “everything in moderation.”  I am adding “don’ts” to my list and that’s not been something that I wanted to subscribe to for a healthy eating lifestyle.  However, having a food addiction or problem with food and overeating or whatever way you want to classify it, does warrant some type of “don’ts” or “rules.”  Do they have to be steadfast, hard rules?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I guess only time will tell.  It will have to be one of those learning experiences.  I’m willing to do it.  I can’t tell you how much I like this feeling.  I’m ready.  I’m gonna give PEACE a chance…

Have a great day, everyone!

Do you have a “don’ts” list or do you believe in “everything in moderation” ?

This has been one HOT day!  We hit 90 degrees in the Philly area!  When it’s hot outside, my cravings for cold foods definitely increases and fruit seems to be my number one pick!

There was no time for formal morning exercise since I had to be out the door early to chaperone little daughter’s field trip.  Breakfast had to be simple and quick, too.  A yogurt bowl works!

In the bowl…

• 1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
• 4 drops NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia
• 8 strawberries
• 2 tbsp. sliced almonds

Pretty sloppy, huh?  Sorry about that!

Then, it was off to school where my workout began.  We piled 80 kids into a good old fashioned school bus with no air-conditioning for a 45 minute ride to visit the Camden Aquarium with every other school in the United States.  Seriously.  There were 33 other area schools visiting that day, not including the general public.  It was craziness!  I must have counted the kids in my group 1,000 times to make sure I didn’t lose anyone!

We buzzed around to see as much as possible with the time that we had allotted.  The kids were wearing down and we broke for lunch.  I brown-bagged it, too…

Applegate Farms Herbed Turkey Breast, mustard and baby spinach on Ezekiel bread…

with carrots and leftover (the last of it!) roasted chickpeas…

We toured more of the outdoor attractions at the Aquarium, loaded up the bus and went back to base camp.  Sweaty.  Very Sweaty.

When I got home, I needed water…

Aaaaaah

The cool treats continued!  I had a frozen banana calling my name.  I’ve been seeing homemade banana fro-yo or banana ice cream on many blogs (most recently on Skinny In The City and Iowa Girl Eats!)and couldn’t wait to try it! 

It’s just as easy as my watermelon water ice!

Place frozen banana in the food processor…

Let it run…

Almost there…

Creamy, fluffy and still frozen.  Top with almonds, taste and cry from the goodness of it all…

Where has this been all my life?  I can never be without it now.  There may be a banana shortage soon.

I believe we can thank the “raw food community” for this small miracle!

Dinner was barley.  Can you stand to see another barley dish?  Good, because it seems to be reproducing on its own in my refrigerator.

Leftover Barley Delight – leftover Caprese Barley Salad, leftover chicken and grape tomatoes…

Now, I need some fruit!

Brilliant Blogger:  Tami at Nutmeg Notebook had a great post today about measuring your success by more than the scale.  I loved her tip about trying on a clothing item every week to gauge the fit instead of relying on the scale.  Such a fantastic concept! 

Have a great day, everyone!

Does your appetite decrease in the heat?  Do you crave more cold foods in the spring/summer?