Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I quit sugar...

well, sort of.

all my DAILY cake and biscuit scoffing had me worried

especially after i read about my friend rachel's efforts to 
quit sugar 
inspired, I decided to embark on a similar journey

my version of this 'diet' was quite simple, really. 
as much about reducing my sugar intake as my craving for anything that tasted sweet. 
no cakes, biscuits, lollies, processed cereals, honey, jam, dried fruit, juice and anything else containing refined sugar for 
37 days

spot the difference!


Before: MindLESS scoffing of cake!                              After: MindFUL indulging


yesterday was the 37th day - yay!

how did it go?

truthfully, the first week was difficult
i discovered just how frequently my need for a sweet hit punctuated my day
hourly, i reckon

i ate up to seven pieces of fruit a day at first
reducing it eventually back to two but allowing myself a medjool date or persian fig here and there

in the second and third weeks
it got easier as my tastebuds got 're-trained'
its hard to explain but the lovely french patisserie i could never seem to walk past without buying a sweet morsel from, didn't even register in my consciousness as their cabinets laden with macarons, eclairs, madeleines and petit fours beckoned to others
(i'm still a little freaked out by that)


I DO miss baking 
i just have to learn to bake without wanting to consume it all as it comes out of the oven
maybe i could bake and share with the neighbours 

meanwhile, my mummy tummy deflated!
its so nice to get back into jeans that I haven't been able to wear for years. 

i have more energy and don't have to snack constantly. 
the persistent, desperate craving for something sweet is almost gone, much to my surprise.

i have not mentioned exercise
somewhere in the 37 days were two weeks of school holidays so i did not get to my twice weekly group fitness sessions but i did kick the footy around a fair bit with the kids and got out to the park or beach

i think its important to remember that its not all about having to get to the gym
rather finding opportunities in our 
everyday comings and goings
just MOVE


not having scales was liberating
instead of waiting for the numbers to drop
i waited for the previously snug pants to drop
and i'm almost there

did i ever slip up?
sure i did
 i had a Bliss Bomb or five, and a slice of dessert at my cooking club dinner the other night 
i was aware of and savoured each mouthful 
i think I had forgotten how to do that

my take home message to anyone thinking about doing something like this would be
to forget the word 'diet'
its not about depriving or punishing yourself
its about finding alternatives

my 37 days may be up
but i'm thinking this is how i want to live the next
37 years

ok, i'm a bit excited about it
i have never felt this good
why don't you give it a try?












2 comments:

  1. So so SO proud of you Est and glad that you are feeling so good.

    i've been experimenting with baking with dextrose. It doesn't have the funny taste of stevia. It's also easier to convert old recipes by replacing the sugar with dextrose. . . i just worry about how refined it is and wonder what the process for removing the fructose is. David Gillespie talks a lot about this in his books.

    rachel xo

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Rach-you and my (vanishing) Paul were my inspiration. Not to mention that ring of flab around the middle that was stubborn!
      Three things I don
      t know anything about

      1. Stevia
      2. Dextrose - where do you get it?
      3. David Gillespie-is that the Californian blogger?

      Must look that up. Is the whole family doing the sugar free?

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