Tag Archives: no sugar

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day 8 & 9

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get off sugar, no sugar diet, should i give up sugar, is sugar bad for you, the white stuff, is sugar evil,Yesterday was my birthday and before I agreed to do this programme I promised that my birthday would be a day off. Otherwise I was not sure I could agree. While I did ‘break’ the diet to a degree something else happened: healthy sugar habits.

In my phone call to Laura, my mentor me off sugar mentor, she looked over the questionnaire that all people who do the programme fill in. The questionnaire is lots of food questions so Laura can access weaknesses and what your eating habits are. We both realise I am not an emotional eater but that I tend to use drinks with sugar and caffeine in to boost my energy and get me through the day. I asked her about alcohol as, although I do not drink a lot in my personal life, my work life requires me to review alcohol and go to parties were cocktails flow freely. Laura says the programme is not overtly strict and alcohol is allowed, the sugar is generally burnt off, but to be careful with the affect of alcohol on blood sugar levels. Rose and sweet cocktails are out: dry white wine and red wine are in.

So back to my birthday: small gift cake (yes, really! What has happened to me? I could have had any cake and choose one about the size of my fist and give most of it to my other half), only white booze which is not sweet and two cups of tea. While this is diverting from the programme I am proud of myself. My birthday is usually a decadent blow out.

Birthday aside, now the real work begins. Week two and three are far stricter: no fruit except avocado, tomatoes, lime and lemon, no dark chocolate, no white bread, pasta or couscous. No fruit drinks either. Yikes.

It is scary but I have already decided to take this seriously. I am already slimmer and Laura says I am doing well. I feel like I have been through the worst of the detox and there is new opportunity to open up my culinary horizon. I saw a cake on my friends Facebook page and felt I was missing out, and then I just think about my health. I feel I have been abusing my body with large quantities of caffeine and sugar.

Last week I did better than I thought I would and this week I am determined to do even better. I will be posting some recipes and facts about sugar. I already feel better about my health and the future in general. It sounds like a strange thing to say but we live in a very convenient society. To flex your willpower and say no, even to things you really want, makes you feel powerful. You even think about the next obstacle to climb, the next thing to conquer. This is hard, but that makes it more worthwhile.

Time To Give Up Sugar? Day 6 and 7

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get off sugar, no sugar diet, should i give up sugar, is sugar bad for you, the white stuff, is sugar evil,I am at the end of week one and Laura is happy with me. Laura is a reformed sugar addict and Mentor Me Off Sugar is her programme. She also has an excellent website.

My first call was with Laura today and she talked me though what I could and could not eat. I filled in a questionnaire and she has gone through all of my eating habits. My weakness is tea and fizzy drinks. If I skip a meal when eating out it is usually dessert. I do love chocolate, biscuits and sweet treats though.

Week one is the easiest of the four. In week one and four you are allowed fruit and dark chocolate. You are eased into the programme but week two and three are harder: no fruit apart from avocado, tomatoes, lemon and lime. No chocolate and no white bread, pasta or cousous. Sob.

Yesterday was relatively easy despite it being the weekend. I had a cup of tea because of the weakness, fainting and headaches but apart from that, and a square of the Green & Blacks organic dark chocolate I had in my goody bag from the Sure Improve Rooms, I don’t break despite a long walk with lots of temptation. I feel very proud of myself. Even better, a lot of my friends have sent me emails of encouragement and articles about sugar. I feel happy and healthier. I now have a 26 inch waist in just a week. I have also lost weight from my hips and my stomach. I still have a headache but the intensity is less. Both Laura and I agree that I have gone through a strong detox because of the headaches – which were so bad they made the migraines I had as a child feel easy- nausea and weakness. Another reason for the strong detox is the lack of caffeine. I just cannot drink tea without sugar.

Today I feel more energetic. I am slimmer and feel happier. I still miss tea, fizzy drinks and cakes but I am determined to get through to the end of the programme. My body is already changing and I want to give my all. I can feel myself being converted to a healthier lifestyle and I start to think of what else I can do. I am using bread, butter and cheese as a crutch for sugar and Laura says she did this too. The next step is also to get off bread. I love bread but we will see what happens. I have also decided to take up Pilates and yoga. I am almost surprised at this new and improved me. I can’t see a future without sugar yet, but I can see one with moderation. Another benefit is that amount of work I get done: anything to distract me from sugar and how great it tastes.

What do you think? Would you give up sugar?

 

Time To Get Off Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day Four

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This has gotten interesting and a little bit complicated. Yesterday after getting a cup of tea to stop myself fainting I remembered I had an event. And Events equal cocktails and canapés. Thankfully none of the canapés were sweet, but the cocktails, I assume, were. I am not sure if they break the diet or not as I cannot remember them being on the no list, but I am smart enough to know I probably shouldn’t have. I had two but they were small and they did not put sugar in. It is a slip but I am hoping not a big one.

I go to the Sure Improve Rooms with my friend, Mail on Sunday journalist Holly Thomas, and she is amazed that I have managed three days on a no sugar diet. It is not fun at the moment to be honest, I have a constant, awful, headaches, I have no energy and I am craving cake and chocolate. On the way back Holly and I check out our goody bags. “If there is chocolate in here I am going to kill myself.” I tell Holly dramatically. There is, but by some joyous miracle, it is Green & Blacks dark chocolate. On week one I am allowed dark chocolate. I am so happy I actually hug Holly. Before the event I was busy so I grabbed a Sainsburys Meal Deal for lunch. I usually get a coke with this. I look at if longingly but with pride I grab a bottle of water, yes, water! I almost cannot believe myself. Who knew I had this willpower?

Today I went into London and I saw tea shops, constant coca cola signs and people with the cans or bottles on their hand. I have lunch in Pret and they have fizzy juice. I really want a San Pellegrino, chocolate or cake but I don’t break. We are constantly bombarded with images for foods full of sugar and salt that are terrible for us. In the house it is easier but there are the headaches and the weakness to contend with. This is not easy but I have noticed I am already less bloated just four days in and my cravings are being replaced with something stronger and greater: determination.

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day Three

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So yesterday was hard. The latter part anyway. I was okay until lunch times when, as I wrote yesterday,  I felt nausea and fainty and had a cup of tea. That made me feel better for a while and then for the rest of the day and night I had the most awful headache. Like someone had attacked me with a knife. My concentration was low and I felt lethargic. Because I cannot drink tea without sugar – frankly, I think it is one of the worst tastes in the world – I also have had minimal caffeine. This morning when I woke up I was so weak and dizzy I found it hard to get out of bed.

I felt optimistic until I went to the supermarket. Then just how much I was missing out on hit me. It was very hard and made my life seem less fun. What is wrong with biscuits and chocolate anyway? Later I watch a TV show and the characters are having a burger and coke. I realise it will be September until I can have a burger and coke again. I feel deprived. Which is silly in a world where a large portion of the population don’t have enough food or water.

Yet somehow in all of my silly sadness and yearning for another cup of tea comes a resolve: I will do this. At the moment my body is not liking it and neither am I, but I will do it. The jaffa cakes are still in the fridge, I have switched to camomile and spearmint tea and I have had a few pieces of fruit. On week one of the Mentor Me Off Sugar Programme you are allowed fruit but not on week two and three.

I have a delicious sea bass for supper and buy good wholemeal bread and cheese. I have the bread with some amazing olive oil I have been sent to review and realise there are other things in this world apart from sweet treats. Although if I just replace sugar with bread and cheese I will be fat in no time I do enjoy the treat.

Instead of deprivation I start to think about opportunity. The opportunity to rewire my body to a healthier me and the opportunity to eat new, different food. Even with my headache and my tiredness, I am excited and aware of all of the possibilities. Onwards.

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day Two

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get off sugar, no sugar diet, should i give up sugar, is sugar bad for you, the white stuff, is sugar evil,Day two and I am okayish. I have taken it better than I thought I would. Yesterday, apart from a cup of tea in the morning, I had no added sugar. However, I still seemed to eat a lot of sugar. It is in everything so when I say I am on a no sugar diet I just mean no added sugar. Sugar is in everything and almost impossible to avoid.

Yesterday I actually managed okay. I had a coronation chicken salad from Waitrose for lunch, a banana ( which turned out to be a mistake at 19g of sugar!) and for dinner I had a mishmash of stuff in the fridge; prawn cocktail, salmon, salad and half an egg sandwich. I have just moved into a flat and out of laziness my fiancé and I just ate what was in the fridge. We haven’t even learned how to turn the oven on yet.

So no biscuits, chocolate, fizzy drinks or sweets on day one. So far so good, although on week one you are allowed fruit and dark chocolate. I even have some green tea with mint and actually enjoy it. Around lunchtime I was craving tea and the Jaffa cakes in the fridge but I refrained.

Today is another matter. It is not that I miss added sugar but I decided to try without the tea, even though I have loads of work to do and I worry about caffeine withdrawal, a headache is not something I need when I am this busy, but in the end I start feeling nausea and faint. I have a cup of tea and feel better.

So far I feel proud of myself. I looked at a bottle of Coca Cola with my name on it in WH Smith but I didn’t buy it even though I have been looking for one for ages. Still no biscuits, sweets or chocolate. No dessert last night either. I might last the distance yet.