Photocred to the ever-talented T before jumping in the car for soccer practice. "I think those were perfect Mom, the lighting was amazing!" hahaha!
I never thought "no sugar" and "me" could reside on the same planet but the last seven weeks have proved me wrong and given me control of my eating once again--which is what this was all about in the first place. I didn't do it to lose weight or to jump on anyone's bandwagon, I did it because life had gotten super stressful and I was eating away my feelings and frankly feeling a little disgusting. My sugar tolerance has always been really high and my self-control equally so, but the exhaustion and stress started to win and I went from eating an after-dinner cookie to eight after-dinner cookies (or a whole batch of cookie dough, or a half carton of ice cream, or three brownies). I was ready for a change and since the end of August and month of September are relatively holiday and birthday free in our family I thought it was the perfect time to do a total sugar fast.
By total sugar, I mean I went mostly totally sugar free. I ate natural sugars--fruit, honey, and sometimes a little pure maple syrup on my oatmeal. That being said, I did eat store-bought whole wheat bread and I did use store-bought salad dressings, and I understand they both have sugar in them but I had to cut a couple of corners to make this whole thing sustainable. I did not cut corners on snacks. I didn't eat crackers, or cookies or basically anything that came out of a box or a bag. That included cereal, which if you know me basically meant I starved to death (wink wink). If I was hungry for a snack during the day I ate vegetables, fruit, yogurt, nuts, eggs or cheese. That's basically it. I also didn't drink soda or juice, except for one lemonade about halfway through when Aunt Flo came to visit and James was trying to help the hormones!
Overall, I'm super proud of myself for what I accomplished. Like I said before, never in a million years did I think I'd actually be able to go sugar free for an extended period of time. But I did it. I DID IT! And now it's over, hallelujah.
So, real talk. 1) Did I feel a whole lot better on this sugar-free thing? and 2) Would I do it again?
The simple answers are 1) I was a little grumpy TBH and 2) prolly not--at least I hope not! Here's why.
The first few weeks I craved sugar hard core, but at the same time it made me feel super accomplished that I didn't eat it. I had one of two cheat days the first week of my sugar-fast (ice cream museum) and it actually didn't even taste as delicious as I was hoping and I was excited to be a clean-eater again. However, once the cravings ended and the weeks kept going by I was just a little bitter that I couldn't have a donut with my family on Saturday morning or a treat on date night with James or birthday cake at my brothers birthday party for heaven sake. I also realized that while things had definitely gotten a little out of control, my life is really busy and stressful and tiring right now and I'm happier when I can have a little afternoon piece of chocolate or after-bed treat--and I'm OK with that. Some people aren't and some don't agree with food fueling happiness (and that's totally cool for you!) but as for me and my house, a cookie for the win! James will be the first person to tell you that a sugar-eating Heather is happier, nicer, funnier and more optimistic about life than a sugar-deprived one. I just kind of felt like life was normal but there was no reward at the end of the night for being a good mom, and how lame is that? Also, I didn't feel a whole lot different after cutting sugar out of my life. No extra energy. No feeling stronger (at least not physically). If anything I was a little more tired than usual without a little sugar boost. Seven weeks after starting my sugar fast I am feeling in total control of my mind and body and I'm hoping I never have to do this again. Moderation is the key and I'm looking forward to introducing sugar back into my life.
There are a few things I will not change come Sunday though, things that I learned in the last seven weeks that I want to continue. For example, instead of cereal for breakfast every morning I am now eating plain greek yogurt with honey, chia seeds and almonds or oatmeal with fresh fruit and nuts. These breakfasts are so healthy and delicious and I want to keep eating them. Also, my mid-meal snacks are way better now and I never want that to change. I always have at least a dozen eggs boiled in my fridge and have a cupboard full of nuts and dried fruit and I don't want to go back to the habit of eating fishies or animal crackers when I give them to the kids. I'll also continue making clean meals for my family and have them for both lunch and dinner for James and me. This eating experiment helped me better understand what I used to put in my body compared to what I should/do now put in my body--and I've loved being aware and in control of those things.
So overall this was a great seven weeks. I'm seven pounds lighter, much more aware and in control of my eating, but I'm also so excited for Sunday cinnamon rolls and birthday cake. As Taylor Swift says, "Baby, let the games begin!" (She's talking about eating in that song, right?!)
{I wrote this a few days before Quinny's birthday and then forgot to post it because I was working on other posts so it's a little late, but here it is! It should be known that two weeks later I'm loving eating clean with an occasional spoonful of cookie dough!}
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