Hello, my name is Sarah and I was once a sugar addict! It’s true, not so long ago I was really hooked on sugar and found it hard to get through the day without eating sugary snacks. I wasn’t worried though; sugar is low in fat and it’s fat that’s bad for you, right? Well, no – that’s not right.
During my high sugar days, I found I had to eat lots of sugary snacks to keep my energy levels up. At the time I didn’t understand why but it turns out that while a sugary snack gives you energy, it’s a very short burst. So, just an hour or two later, you need another sugary snack to get you going again. I even found that if I tried to eat less sugar, I felt tired, weak, and suffered headaches.
I came to realize that my sugar addiction was all too common and lots of people felt the same way. I decided I should do some research and boy, am I glad I did!
Sugar – Very Unhealthy
It turns out that sugar is probably the unhealthiest type of food around and I had no idea. It contains no vitamins or minerals but uses lots of them when you eat it. Sugar basically “robs” vitamins and minerals from your body instead of providing them.
Sugar is also linked to a veritable A to Z of illnesses and diseases. All the diseases we used to think were caused by fat are actually caused by sugar; it is VERY bad for your health.
Sugar also interferes with fat loss. If you eat sugar, your body cannot burn fat very well – even if you are dieting and have cut your calories. It makes you wonder why so many low fat diet foods contain lots of sugar!
Cutting back on sugar – not as easy as it sounds!
So, I thought, I’m going to cut back on sugar and that’s when the fun really started! Not only is sugar addictive, it’s also added to lots of foods – often where you’d least expect it. You’ll find sugar in all the obvious places like cakes, soda, cookies, and candy but it’s also in soup, instant noodles, potato chips, many sauces and almost all processed foods. Avoiding sugar is like a reverse game of “Where’s Waldo” – it’s everywhere!
And to make things even harder, many food manufacturers use different names for sugar to make it harder to find. There are over 60 different names for sugar so they can hide it in plain sight. You can discover these names at “61 different Names For Sugar”.
20 No-Sugar Days Diet
I finally decided enough was enough and gave up all added and refined sugar for 20 days straight. I called my journey the 20 No-Sugar Days Diet and wrote about it here. During this diet I lived by two simple rules:
1. No added refined sugars (white sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar etc.)
2. No added artificial sweeteners (Truvia, Splenda, NutraSweet, aspartame etc.)
I allowed myself to eat fruit as fruit sugar (fructose) is naturally occurring and contains healthy vitamins, minerals, fiber and amino acids. In fact, if I craved sugar, I really enjoyed a piece of fruit.
Speaking of cravings, there were days during my 20-day quest that I really felt like I needed some sugar. This is understandable I was going through a kind of withdrawal. To help me, I researched how to best beat sugar cravings, something I wrote on the article “7 Ways To Fight Sugar Cravings”.
Sugar-free recipes just for you
As I mentioned, many foods contain added and refined sugar so I had to learn to make more of my own meals. That way I could control my sugar intake and keep it as low as possible. I kept my favorite recipes and am happy to share them with you here.
So, was all the effort worth it? Do I feel happier and healthier without sugar? Did I lose weight? Yes, yes, and yes!
The results of quitting sugar…
While the first few days of the 20 No-Sugar Days Diet were hard, after about a week it got much easier and by the end it was no problem at all. My energy levels stabilized, I stopped craving sugar and sweets, I wasn’t hungry and, best of all, I lost weight and my tummy looked flatter. I even found that food without sugar in it began to taste naturally sweeter. It’s only when you eliminate super-sweet added sugar that you realize how naturally sweet fruit actually is.
I had struggled with sugar for many years and it took the 20 No-Sugar Days Diet to break my bad nutritional habits. It worked for me and I know it can work for you. That’s why I have produced lots of guides and recipes to help you do your own no sugar diet.
Conclusion
Cutting back on sugar is probably the most important thing you can do for your weight and your health and I’m here to help. It might be tough in the beginning – it was for me. But, after a few days you’ll start to feel better and after a couple of weeks you’ll forget you ever struggled with sugar addiction at all. Make today your first no-sugar day!
My weight loss plan using Meal Replacement Shakes
15 Meal Replacement Shakes Recipes
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