Monday, July 26, 2010

Hey Sugar!

I think this one might be the hardest challenge so far.... 

One Week Without Sugar!



Anyone who knows me well will know I am an absolute sucker for sugar. Not just chocolate and lollies (which I can eat in excess quite easily) but also sugary drinks and sweet carbs.  NO WILL POWER! 

But after watching Donielle's video and spending some time looking at Sugar Stacks, I am ready to try no sugar for a week.... This is already a difficult ask as I have already shopped for the week and lots of things came home with sugar in them! But I want to see just how much difference sugar makes to my insulin resistance.

The fact is I probably would eat 16 sugar cubes.  I crave sugar really strongly, for most of the day, every day. In fact, last night I felt particularly unwell, and thought I was going to be sick. Instead I realised my body was just craving sugar as I had forgotten to eat lunch and was late for dinner. That's ridiculous.  Seriously. 

I already experience quite severe peaks in my reaction to sugar. When I have been eating too much sugar I experience:

- Hyperactivity
- Talkativeness
- Increased heart rate from moving faster
- Increased productivity and concentration followed by...
- Major 'crashes' of extreme tiredness, listlessness and dizziness

And yet a "happy medium" of a high sugar diet everyday has meant that my body has become used to sugar and without it I actually have WITHDRAWAL!! Ridiculous I know, but my PCOS manifests itself mainly in insulin resistance for me, and its something I really need to get a handle on.

There's just one other thing though - I can't handle diet products.  Sugar replacements usually contain phenylalanine or aspartame and my body just can not handle either of those things! 

So... its a week without the sweet stuff for me and we will see how far I get! 

What Am I Giving Up?
- Processed foods containing forms of sugar; such as cereals, milo, biscuits, pasta sauces, dressings and condiments
- Chocolate and lollies
- Sugary drinks
- Note: I already do not drink tea, coffee or alcohol so this will make things a bit easier

What I'm Not Giving Up
- Fruits and vegetables containing natural sugars, as the health benefits of the other elements of these are nutritionally dense and good for you!

I'll check back in this week and let you know how I'm going. Anyone else up for the challenge?

1 comment:

  1. Hello O Brave One. Wow ... what a challenge. Although how sad is it that sugar and processed foods become such a necessity! I can definitely relate to the craving for something sweet. I often get it after eating a main meal - I couldn't possibly be hungry, it's just that I feel like something sweet. So annoying!

    Best wishes for your week! Even if you don't cut out sugar every day for the rest of your life, cutting down and finding healthier alternatives can only be a good thing!

    Looking forward to reading about how you go and any good recipes you find!

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