Sept 17 Weekly Challenge: Unsweetened
Options
themedalist
Posts: 3,215 Member
Theme: Healthy Eating
Challenge: Unsweetened
Having spent last week getting to know each other a little better, our challenge this week is kind of the opposite. This week, let’s put some distance between us and something that most of us love, but always seems to be thwarting the goals that we’ve set and the life we are working hard to create for ourselves. Do we really want to make space in our lives for something that keeps holding us back?
I’m talking about sugar. Most of us eat more sugar than our bodies can easily process and far more than what’s recommended. Excessive sugar has been implicated in a long list of negative health impacts from obesity, heart disease, diabetes, joint pain, dental disease, kidney and liver function, depression, and brain changes. People who eat a lot of added sugar (more than 25% of their calories comes from added sugar) are twice as likely to die of heart disease as those whose diets have less than 10% of total calories from added sugar. And for most of us, sugar is highly addictive. We eat sugary foods and we start craving even more sugar. We satisfy one craving only to see it come back a short time later. It’s a never-ending cycle.
If you know you eat too much sugar and you’re tired of the control it has over your life, if you’d like to pass on the endless parade of muffins, cookies, cakes, and candies that flood most offices, schools, and workplaces, and if you’re ready for a change...this week is a great place to start. Reducing your sugar intake requires time, commitment, and a personal plan tailored just to you. There is no one strategy that will work for everyone. But you can do it! And If you’ve been successful in reducing your sugar consumption, please tell us how you got there. Your tips and ideas will no doubt be appreciated by those who want to reduce their sugar intake.
This Week’s Challenge:
1. If you eat a lot of sugar and want to cut back: Ease off the sugar pedal gradually. Going “cold turkey“ usually isn’t sustainable. What are one or two dietary changes that you could make now? (See the “30 Easy Ways” article below for more ideas). Keep working at lowering your sugar consumption for several weeks. It may take more than one week to stop the sugar cravings and see a noticeable improvement in how you feel. Keep at it and it will happen.
2. If you’ve already de-sweetened your diet, but want to go further: What’s another change or two you could make to reduce your sugar further? Your food diary may give you insights into hidden sources of sugar that could be addressed. Please share with us how you’ve reduced your sugar intake so far. What specifically did you do? Tips, suggestions, and food swaps are much appreciated. What improvements have you seen in your health and in how you feel as a result of eating less sugar? Please share.
3. If you’re happy with your sugar intake now, but you used to eat a lot of sugar: How did you get to this point? What specifically did you do? Tips, suggestions, insights, and food swaps are much appreciated. What improvements have you seen in your health and in how you feel as a result of eating less sugar? Please tell us.
Make it a great week!
...............................................................................................
Suggested Resources:
How Sugar Affects Your Body
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body
30 Easy Ways to Stop Eating So Much Sugar
http://www.eatthis.com/stop-eating-sugar/
..................................................................................................
Our monthly challenge, This September I will..., continues! Please tell us how you are progressing and how it's going for you!
Challenge: Unsweetened
Having spent last week getting to know each other a little better, our challenge this week is kind of the opposite. This week, let’s put some distance between us and something that most of us love, but always seems to be thwarting the goals that we’ve set and the life we are working hard to create for ourselves. Do we really want to make space in our lives for something that keeps holding us back?
I’m talking about sugar. Most of us eat more sugar than our bodies can easily process and far more than what’s recommended. Excessive sugar has been implicated in a long list of negative health impacts from obesity, heart disease, diabetes, joint pain, dental disease, kidney and liver function, depression, and brain changes. People who eat a lot of added sugar (more than 25% of their calories comes from added sugar) are twice as likely to die of heart disease as those whose diets have less than 10% of total calories from added sugar. And for most of us, sugar is highly addictive. We eat sugary foods and we start craving even more sugar. We satisfy one craving only to see it come back a short time later. It’s a never-ending cycle.
If you know you eat too much sugar and you’re tired of the control it has over your life, if you’d like to pass on the endless parade of muffins, cookies, cakes, and candies that flood most offices, schools, and workplaces, and if you’re ready for a change...this week is a great place to start. Reducing your sugar intake requires time, commitment, and a personal plan tailored just to you. There is no one strategy that will work for everyone. But you can do it! And If you’ve been successful in reducing your sugar consumption, please tell us how you got there. Your tips and ideas will no doubt be appreciated by those who want to reduce their sugar intake.
This Week’s Challenge:
1. If you eat a lot of sugar and want to cut back: Ease off the sugar pedal gradually. Going “cold turkey“ usually isn’t sustainable. What are one or two dietary changes that you could make now? (See the “30 Easy Ways” article below for more ideas). Keep working at lowering your sugar consumption for several weeks. It may take more than one week to stop the sugar cravings and see a noticeable improvement in how you feel. Keep at it and it will happen.
2. If you’ve already de-sweetened your diet, but want to go further: What’s another change or two you could make to reduce your sugar further? Your food diary may give you insights into hidden sources of sugar that could be addressed. Please share with us how you’ve reduced your sugar intake so far. What specifically did you do? Tips, suggestions, and food swaps are much appreciated. What improvements have you seen in your health and in how you feel as a result of eating less sugar? Please share.
3. If you’re happy with your sugar intake now, but you used to eat a lot of sugar: How did you get to this point? What specifically did you do? Tips, suggestions, insights, and food swaps are much appreciated. What improvements have you seen in your health and in how you feel as a result of eating less sugar? Please tell us.
Make it a great week!
...............................................................................................
Suggested Resources:
How Sugar Affects Your Body
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body
30 Easy Ways to Stop Eating So Much Sugar
http://www.eatthis.com/stop-eating-sugar/
..................................................................................................
Our monthly challenge, This September I will..., continues! Please tell us how you are progressing and how it's going for you!
4
Replies
-
And it's Move It Monday! Post your Monday workout here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10637806/move-it-monday-weekly-challenge
2 -
I am pre diabetic so sugar is a big no no but more so foods that my body don’t easily processes and converts into sugar. High glycemic index foods or starches, simple carbs, etc. I have made a great deal of changes in my diet but have not conquered the monster yet. Candy or juices were never an issue with me but milk and bread and a diet with very little to no veggies. None at all.
This was a typical day for me: chocolate milk and a sandwhich for breakfast, rice and beans and meat for lunch with a soda, a sandwich as a snack with white milk, and then pasta with chicken for dinner with soda. Chips and dip for a late snack. Lots of processed foods high in saturated fats and calories. Now I am undoing the damage I have done to my body.
I still eat bread, drink soda, have pasta, chips but not daily. Those that can see my diary can see I’ve come a long way but jnow that sugar is addictive and considered a drug. There is hidden sugars on everything. This is a great challenge and this week I will take a look at what food items I am still consuming that have sugar or hidden sugar.
Food swaps that I love ( because that is the whole point, to eat what you like) are zucchini noodles instead of pasta and cauliflower rice for regular rice, almond or coconut milk for regular milk, lettuce leaves for wraps instead of tortillas.
Good luck everyone. Looking forward to reading all your tips.3 -
I have wanted to sugar detox for a while now but never got started. This week we have 2 birthdays with cake and ice cream. UGH....now I have an excuse not to indulge. I will tell the kids I am in a challenge not to eat extra sugar this week. I am guilty of sugary snacks at night. This week I will refrain from junk food snacks. I will have fruit, nuts and yogurt. This challenge is just what I need. Thank you.
BTW...I am aware that fruit has sugar and my yogurt has a small amount. I am looking to rid my diet of added sugar and junk food.3 -
ugh! but I have a slice of apple pie cheesecake waiting for me at home
Well, I'll probably still eat it, but I'll watch my sugar all the rest of the week. I normally use a sweetener like Splenda in my tea or coffee. I'll cut back on the number of packs I use. And i'll be cutting out sodas from my diet again. I got back into drinking them almost daily. bad, bad, bad. 3 -
@PinkyPan1 I have a birthday tomorrow. And I just realized my coffee creamer has added sugar...nooooooooooo.2
-
A few years ago, I was thinking about how alcoholics have to just never drink again. Never pick up another drink. And I found myself a little envious (I know this sounds strange) because they don’t need alcohol to live, but I need food to live. I can’t just say I’m not going to eat again.
So I started mulling it over and I realized there is absolutely no value to eating white refined sugar. In addition to that, if I do eat some, I definitely want to eat more of EVERYTHING! I realized that it was just like the alcoholic’s alcohol. I quit eating refined sugar. When I did that, I found that the next set of trigger foods involved white flour. So I went through the same reasoning: I don’t need white flour to live. I can eat whole wheat, corn, other things; I’m going to cut it out, so I did.
When I took out those two foods, lo and behold, I didn’t crave them and I didn’t crave as much food in general. This was looking like a pretty good deal! It’s been a steady weight loss for me since then, with no hunger until the past two weeks.
I didn’t cut back slowly. I took the Alcoholic’s Approach & Stopped.
Now, I do have some small measured items with sugar, but in very small amounts with a meal. For ex, I’ll bring 1/2 oz of very dark chocolate, a sliced apple with cinnamon, and/or an oz of nuts if I’m going to something with desserts. You realize over time that your body feels WAY BETTER with your substitution!!!
3 -
I forgot to mention that after a couple of months of not eating any refined sugar at all I decided I would let myself have 1/2 serving of a sugary desert once a week I did that for three or four weeks and when I realized in the last two weeks was that I actually didn’t like the taste of the food but when I liked even less was having to white knuckle it to get off the sugar again for the next 2 1/2 days so then by choice I cut out all sugar3
-
I have been working for years to reduce my intake of sugar. My first step was eliminating the obvious sweets - cookies, cakes, and candy. I'm not perfect, but I now really notice how bad I feel after I indulge,and that helps me avoid mindless sweets. I'll have a special treat, but store-bought sheet cake is not worth it. I can wish someone a happy birthday without eating cake.
The second step was eliminating sugar and whitener from my coffee. I now drink it black.
I eat very little refined sugar, A half teaspoon in a cup of tea (although I do drink several cups on some days) and a teaspoon of jam on my PB&J sandwiches. However, I eat a fair amount of fruit,especially at this time of year. I have figured out a strategy for fruit. I share it, so I have only a third of a peach instead of the whole fruit.2 -
So due ro stomach issues I decided to take a break from surgary junk food it's the middle of week 3 for me. The first 2 weeks where actually pretty easy then day 15-18 was hard. I almost gave in a couple of times but I didn't. I also just found out my gym is doing a no candy challenge for October so I think I'm going to at least go that long before I think about allowing any sugary junk food back into my diet. Hopefully by then I will decide I don't really want it.2
-
Heidijens123 wrote: »So due ro stomach issues I decided to take a break from surgary junk food it's the middle of week 3 for me. The first 2 weeks where actually pretty easy then day 15-18 was hard. I almost gave in a couple of times but I didn't. I also just found out my gym is doing a no candy challenge for October so I think I'm going to at least go that long before I think about allowing any sugary junk food back into my diet. Hopefully by then I will decide I don't really want it.
@Heidijens123 TERRIFIC work!!!! Your body & future health Thank You!
I promise you that the cravings will disappear. Truly.
Great plan on continuing through October! The longer you stay off it, the less power it will have over you. And as I found and many on MFP have posted you actually lose your taste for it. Fruit begins to taste so much better when you don’t it sugar, I have always found. I had some berries yesterday that blew my mind, truly. Sugar is more of a one note.
Apparently we are hardwired from birth to want sugar so we really shouldn’t blame ourselves. But I remind myself that was when sugar was really hard to find ... it would just be when fruit was on the trees and the rest of the year there wouldn’t really be much around.
I’m so proud of you!!🏆🎉🌟👍2 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »Heidijens123 wrote: »So due ro stomach issues I decided to take a break from surgary junk food it's the middle of week 3 for me. The first 2 weeks where actually pretty easy then day 15-18 was hard. I almost gave in a couple of times but I didn't. I also just found out my gym is doing a no candy challenge for October so I think I'm going to at least go that long before I think about allowing any sugary junk food back into my diet. Hopefully by then I will decide I don't really want it.
@Heidijens123 TERRIFIC work!!!! Your body & future health Thank You!
I promise you that the cravings will disappear. Truly.
Great plan on continuing through October! The longer you stay off it, the less power it will have over you. And as I found and many on MFP have posted you actually lose your taste for it. Fruit begins to taste so much better when you don’t it sugar, I have always found. I had some berries yesterday that blew my mind, truly. Sugar is more of a one note.
Apparently we are hardwired from birth to want sugar so we really shouldn’t blame ourselves. But I remind myself that was when sugar was really hard to find ... it would just be when fruit was on the trees and the rest of the year there wouldn’t really be much around.
I’m so proud of you!!🏆🎉🌟👍
Thank you!!!1 -
@prgirl39mfp I believe you had a birthday on the 18th, right? I’m sorry to be late with this but I hope you had an awesome day! My daughter’s 40th birthday was that day, too🙂2
-
@prgirl39mfp I believe you had a birthday on the 18th, right? I’m sorry to be late with this but I hope you had an awesome day! My daughter’s 40th birthday was that day, too🙂
Happy birthday to your daughter!! Actually it was my son's 15th. Mine is in April. We still have left over cake so it has been a struggle. hahaha. Hope you guys had a great time celebrating. Thanks for asking.1 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »Heidijens123 wrote: »So due ro stomach issues I decided to take a break from surgary junk food it's the middle of week 3 for me. The first 2 weeks where actually pretty easy then day 15-18 was hard. I almost gave in a couple of times but I didn't. I also just found out my gym is doing a no candy challenge for October so I think I'm going to at least go that long before I think about allowing any sugary junk food back into my diet. Hopefully by then I will decide I don't really want it.
@Heidijens123 TERRIFIC work!!!! Your body & future health Thank You!
I promise you that the cravings will disappear. Truly.
Great plan on continuing through October! The longer you stay off it, the less power it will have over you. And as I found and many on MFP have posted you actually lose your taste for it. Fruit begins to taste so much better when you don’t it sugar, I have always found. I had some berries yesterday that blew my mind, truly. Sugar is more of a one note.
Apparently we are hardwired from birth to want sugar so we really shouldn’t blame ourselves. But I remind myself that was when sugar was really hard to find ... it would just be when fruit was on the trees and the rest of the year there wouldn’t really be much around.
I’m so proud of you!!🏆🎉🌟👍
You both are amazing! How inspiring. Sugary cravings are the worst. But like Madison mentioned you do lose your taste for it. Good luck!2 -
This challenge at this very moment did not work for me. I am struggling with depression and menopause and I have succumbed to my cravings. I feel very disappointed. My food issues go deeper and this will require hard work. I am confident once I feel better I can re direct my eating and focus on the healthy stuff. I started the day right, of course was craving some sweets so I made banana pancakes and added some pumpkin spice. They were delish.
@77tes I am transitioning to drinking my coffee black. I found an almond milk creamer and it has cane sugar in the ingredients
I drink cold brew so I started added cinnamon or spices to the coffee grounds and it makes it taste really good. Baby steps. And I agree with the cake/birthday thing. I am still looking at the leftover cake from Tuesday. 3 -
I have been working for years to reduce my intake of sugar. My first step was eliminating the obvious sweets - cookies, cakes, and candy. I'm not perfect, but I now really notice how bad I feel after I indulge,and that helps me avoid mindless sweets. I'll have a special treat, but store-bought sheet cake is not worth it. I can wish someone a happy birthday without eating cake.
The second step was eliminating sugar and whitener from my coffee. I now drink it black.
I eat very little refined sugar, A half teaspoon in a cup of tea (although I do drink several cups on some days) and a teaspoon of jam on my PB&J sandwiches. However, I eat a fair amount of fruit,especially at this time of year. I have figured out a strategy for fruit. I share it, so I have only a third of a peach instead of the whole fruit.
I’ve taken a similar approach to what @77tes and @MadisonMolly2017 have done. I wanted to be free of the cravings for candy and desserts, and sodas. I didn’t like the idea of feeling compelled to eat something that I knew had no nutritional value and gave me only a few seconds of pleasure. The first couple of weeks of no desserts and no candy were rough. But I trusted that they wouldn’t last and they didn’t. Sugar lost its grip on me and I flat out refuse to be in its clutches again.
I eat a lot of yogurt since I don’t eat meat. To reduce the sugar content, I mix my yogurt with plain yogurt. I’ve gotten used to having things less sweet and now I prefer it. I personally don’t worry about the sugar in fruit. Fruit has lots of vitamins and minerals as well as fiber that slows down the absorption of the sugar in the fruit. But I’m not prediabetic and I recognize some folks do need to control all sugars.
I still enjoy an occasional dessert at a restaurant. To me that’s worth the indulgence. I had some blueberry cobbler a few weeks ago topped with ice cream and it was delicious! But because I didn’t have dessert the next night, there were no cravings and no danger of the sugar habit resuming. That’s been a key for me. Have an occasional treat out of the house, but don’t let the goodies come in!4 -
Heidijens123 wrote: »So due ro stomach issues I decided to take a break from surgary junk food it's the middle of week 3 for me. The first 2 weeks where actually pretty easy then day 15-18 was hard. I almost gave in a couple of times but I didn't. I also just found out my gym is doing a no candy challenge for October so I think I'm going to at least go that long before I think about allowing any sugary junk food back into my diet. Hopefully by then I will decide I don't really want it.
@Heidijens123, sounds like you might have also found your October challenge for this group as well!3 -
prgirl39mfp wrote: »@prgirl39mfp I believe you had a birthday on the 18th, right? I’m sorry to be late with this but I hope you had an awesome day! My daughter’s 40th birthday was that day, too🙂
Happy birthday to your daughter!! Actually it was my son's 15th. Mine is in April. We still have left over cake so it has been a struggle. hahaha. Hope you guys had a great time celebrating. Thanks for asking.
Having left over cake after 3 days is a victory! Maybe it’s getting too old to eat now and it’s time to toss it!?! I had an absolutely amazing day with my daughter. We celebrated 40 years of magic😍. No cake but a great French breakfast in Omaha’s Old Market and a day at a museum with a million laughs.4 -
themedalist wrote: »I have been working for years to reduce my intake of sugar. My first step was eliminating the obvious sweets - cookies, cakes, and candy. I'm not perfect, but I now really notice how bad I feel after I indulge,and that helps me avoid mindless sweets. I'll have a special treat, but store-bought sheet cake is not worth it. I can wish someone a happy birthday without eating cake.
The second step was eliminating sugar and whitener from my coffee. I now drink it black.
I eat very little refined sugar, A half teaspoon in a cup of tea (although I do drink several cups on some days) and a teaspoon of jam on my PB&J sandwiches. However, I eat a fair amount of fruit,especially at this time of year. I have figured out a strategy for fruit. I share it, so I have only a third of a peach instead of the whole fruit.
I’ve taken a similar approach to what @77tes and @MadisonMolly2017 have done. I wanted to be free of the cravings for candy and desserts, and sodas. I didn’t like the idea of feeling compelled to eat something that I knew had no nutritional value and gave me only a few seconds of pleasure. The first couple of weeks of no desserts and no candy were rough. But I trusted that they wouldn’t last and they didn’t. Sugar lost its grip on me and I flat out refuse to be in its clutches again.
I eat a lot of yogurt since I don’t eat meat. To reduce the sugar content, I mix my yogurt with plain yogurt. I’ve gotten used to having things less sweet and now I prefer it. I personally don’t worry about the sugar in fruit. Fruit has lots of vitamins and minerals as well as fiber that slows down the absorption of the sugar in the fruit. But I’m not prediabetic and I recognize some folks do need to control all sugars.
I still enjoy an occasional dessert at a restaurant. To me that’s worth the indulgence. I had some blueberry cobbler a few weeks ago topped with ice cream and it was delicious! But because I didn’t have dessert the next night, there were no cravings and no danger of the sugar habit resuming. That’s been a key for me. Have an occasional treat out of the house, but don’t let the goodies come in!
Exactly!! I hated cravings enough to give up sugar. I believe my gut biome has changed for the better!3 -
prgirl39mfp wrote: »This challenge at this very moment did not work for me. I am struggling with depression and menopause and I have succumbed to my cravings. I feel very disappointed. My food issues go deeper and this will require hard work. I am confident once I feel better I can re direct my eating and focus on the healthy stuff. I started the day right, of course was craving some sweets so I made banana pancakes and added some pumpkin spice. They were delish.
@77tes I am transitioning to drinking my coffee black. I found an almond milk creamer and it has cane sugar in the ingredients I drink cold brew so I started added cinnamon or spices to the coffee grounds and it makes it taste really good. Baby steps. And I agree with the cake/birthday thing. I am still looking at the leftover cake from Tuesday.
@prgirl39mfp
I’m sorry to hear re: depression & menopause. What helps you at these times?
Strolls around the neighborhood?
Comedies on TV?
Putting in uptempo music
Calling a friend?
I don’t have depression & menopause changes are behind me, but the meds I’m on so sometimes affect my mood. I do the above things + decluttering + getting out in
Nature
But what helps me the post is perspective based upon gratefulness.
Grateful for our country not being at war.
Grateful for MFP
Grateful for the beauty of the sun through leaves
Etc.
Best to you!3
