How to Survive A No Sugar Challenge

Have you just accepted a no sugar challenge?  Well, welcome to the club.  No sugar challenges offer friendly competitions and an opportunity to kick the sugar habit with friends. 

So, why are no sugar challenges so popular?  And, why did I invite my friends and the Keep It Tight Sisters community to participate in a 7-Day No Sugar Challenge? 

Reasons for a 7-Day No Sugar Challenge

First, the sweet tooth thing is real!  So, let me be honest and confess that I just eat too much sugar!  Yes, I know what you’re thinking.  Dee, “Aren’t you a registered dietitian nutritionist?  And, my polite answer to you is that I am human. 

Second, one of my self-care pledges for the year is to reduce my sugar intake. 

Third, too much sugar increases blood sugar levels, then a while later, the blood sugar drops.  And, guess what happens?  You feel hungry and tired, and then you eat more sugar or food to feel better.  While there is ongoing debate among scientists as to whether sugar addiction exists is real, there is agreement that eat too much sugar can become a bad habit that is hard to break.

Fourth, I just can’t ignore the research.  I believe that processed sugar is the single worst ingredient that manufacturers put in our foods.  Why is that?  Well, it gives us a lot of calories, but with no added nutrients.  And, this can damage your metabolism over time.  Furthermore, it gets you addicted to or in the habit of eating more sugar.

Additionally, a 7-day challenge:

• Is easier than a 30-day challenge (Ha)
• Helps you to be mindful of what you eat and how much you eat
• Shifts the focus from eating just for pleasure to fueling your body with foods that are delicious and nutritious
• Increases awareness about the many forms of sugar
• Forces you to seriously examine your sugar addiction or sugar habit
• Gives a weight loss boost

 So, if you’ve accepted our 7-Day No Sugar Challenge or just want to reduce your sugar intake, here is how to survive it.

Put a Date On Your Calendar

Set a date on your calendar to start.  In some cases, the date may already be set if it is an official no sugar challenge.  In general, I recommend giving yourself one to two weeks before you do the challenge.

So, why is this important?  Well, it gives you time to clear your pantry and refrigerator of all the high sugar junk in the house.  And, in case you’re wondering, I am not telling you to go ahead and eat all the junk so you can be ready for the challenge.  You can give it away or throw it out.

And, another reason for the date on a calendar is to get your mind ready for a major change.  Initially, 7 days may not sound so bad.  However, it can be 7 days of being very uncomfortable (aka “a mini hell”).  So, use this time week or two to get your friends and sister girls on board with the challenge. 

Don’t Buy It Or Bring It Home

Now, here is something we can all agree on.  If you buy the sweet stuff, you will eat the sweet stuff.  If you bring home the sweet stuff, you will eat the sweet stuff.

So, just don’t buy it or bring it home.  Please be honest with yourself.  This is always a moment of truth for me because my weakness is ice cream.  Eating the cold, creamy stuff can set my health goals back a week or two.  And, you know what?  Some version of it is always on sale when I go grocery shopping—chocolate covered bars with almonds sprinkled on top, pints of high fat gelatos, or small containers of salted caramel ice cream.  And to make it worse, my favorite grocery store seems to always have some weekly BOGO (buy one get one) deals on my ice cream, cookies, or candy bars.

Long sigh.  Deep breaths.

So, if I want to survive a no-sugar challenge, I really cannot buy the stuff or bring it home. Now, this will be easier if you live alone.  However, if you have a family at home, it will be more difficult. 

No Sugar Challenge=Read Food Labels

My post on reading food labels, discussed the importance of reading food labels for the amount of sugar in a product.  If sugar is listed in the first three ingredients, then the product has a lot of sugar!  Added sugars have a lot of different names like:

• Cane sugar
• Brown sugar
• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup
• Sucrose
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Invert sugar
• Lactose
• Malt syrup
• Maltose
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Turbinado sugar
• Trehalose

What’s the bottom line? If, the food is in a package, read the label and look for the amount of sugar in the nutrition facts panel and the kind of sugar in the ingredient list.

Oh, and don’t forget to look at the serving size!

Eliminate Candies, Sweets, and Desserts

I believe that 50-75% of the sugars in the diet come from foods like: 

• Ice cream
• Candies
• Chocolates
• Cakes, cookies, pies, muffins, and other baked goods
• Flavored yogurts

So, I can almost hear you thinking, “I can’t do this.” “Why did I sign up for this challenge?” Well, you can do this because you have a great group of sisters who are doing it too, and we will support each other. Second, you signed up because you eat too much sugar and you are trying to get it under control.

Oh, and by the way, these “comfort foods” or “little treats” after a tough day are really “big, bad habits.” Enough said.

Eat Fruits But No Juices

Fruits and natural juices provide us with valuable vitamins and minerals. However, whenever possible, always choose to eat fruits over drinking juices.

Why?

Well, fruit juices are concentrated sources of sugars that increase your blood sugar levels fast. Another issue is that most people don’t know the serving size of juices.

8 ounces of orange juice has close to 2.5 times the sugar and just one-third the fiber of a large orange

So, you may be getting a little nervous and thinking, “So, what about fruit smoothies?” “Aren’t they healthy?”

Girl, have you seen the size of those smoothies that people sip on all day? And, many of those green smoothies have juices as the base. So, control your blood sugar spikes by eating the fruit over the juices. But, don’t go overboard on the fruits either.

We need 2 to 3 servings of fruits a day. That works out to 1.5 to 2 cups a day. Click here to find out more about serving sizes for specific fruits.

No Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

We drink a lot of our calories! And, a lot of those calories come from juices and alcohol (another fun topic to address later). But, a lot of our calories also come from sugar-sweetened beverages like:

• Sodas
• Sweet tea
• Kool-Aid
• Lemonade
• Fruit punch
• Coffee drinks (iced coffee, lattes, frappuccino, etc.)
• Smoothies

And, if you’re from the Caribbean, Latin America, or Africa let’s go ahead and add these local beverages :

• Ginger beer
• Mauby
• Soursop
• Passion fruit
• Sorrel
• Ting
• Malt (malta)
• Peanut punch
• Etc.

Now, stay with me now because I feel your pain. Yes, all of these have to go in a 7-day no sugar challenge.

Drink These Instead

So, what are you supposed to drink during a no sugar challenge? Well, these are great options:

• Plain water
• Water infused with fruits
• Sparkling water
• Tea, with no sugar
• Coffee, with no sugar

Try These Tips When the Sugar Urge Hits

Most of us are conditioned to eat something sweet after a meal, especially dinner.  And, this is a social as well as a cultural issue.  However, the bottom line is that you are most likely to reach for something sweet at the end of a meal or mid-afternoon.  So, here are some tips for when the sugar urge hits.

• Drink at least 1 cup of water
• Drink a hot or warm cup of lemon water
• Drink peppermint tea
• Take an apple cider vinegar shot
• Chew sugar-free gum
• Brush your teeth immediately after eating
• Gargle with mouthwash

Now, It’s Your Turn

Well, I hope you feel a little more educated about what to avoid on a no sugar challenge.  Remember, if you’re having a really hard time curbing your sweet tooth or reducing your sugar intake, get a friend to go with you on a no sugar challenge.   

1. On a scale of 1-5, how high is your sugar intake? 
2. On a scale of 1-5, how hard will it be to reduce your sugar intake?
3. Call a friend to join you on a no sugar challenge.

We look forward to hearing about your experience with a 7-day No Sugar Challenge in the comment section of this blog.  And, you can join the conversation on the Keep It Tight Sisters Facebook Page.

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Keep It Tight Sisters.

Eat. Move. Breathe.