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Old 04-28-2014, 07:14 PM   #1  
starting over again
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Lightbulb One week without sugar ... retraining your tastes challenge?

Hello everyone! It's Monday 4/28/2014

I has been a long time since I posted! I am working on starting again, having gained back most of what I lost, and lost most of what I gained

Anyway ..... I am challenging myself to one week without sugar!

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with sugar in moderate amounts - especially in fruits and dark chocolate - but I want to retrain my taste-buds because I find I don't appreciate natural flavors and natural sugars the way I should.

So, as a way of giving myself some accountability - I am challenging myself here on the forum boards, and if anyone wants to join in they certainly can!

If you want to join in, how strictly you define sugar is up to you.

For me, it will be no fruit, no starchy veg, no sugar or sugar containing products, no grains and no artificial sweeteners - not the kind of thing I want to do long term as it is very restrictive, but I think it will give me the kind of reboot I am looking for in how I appreciate food.

I am starting today, and excited to see what changes this week may bring!
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Old 04-28-2014, 11:18 PM   #2  
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Hello! I am on a "Sweet Retreat" as I call it I refrain from sugars dramatically in my opinion. I went from being able to eat 10 reese's eggs and a pound of chocolate covered peanuts along with a milkshake, soda and poundcake AND icecream (Yes it can be done in one night) to only using 1 sugar per greentea that I fix

I do eat natural sugars, anything in fruit or veggies. I am reading labels and setting stuff back that isnt very good. I guess I refrain from sugary foods that arent so great for me. I do eat peanut butter in very light moderation.

How do you restrict yourself?
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Old 04-29-2014, 06:18 AM   #3  
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Normally I eat plenty of fruit, bananas, oranges, berries, etc. and moderate amounts of starchy veg (like corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes) just mostly focusing on getting plenty of different colors of vegetables. Even dark chocolate in moderation as well.

But last week I got really resentful, thinking of all the foods I cut out/ cut back on (because my gut is a painful IBS mess right now and my blood sugar level is pre-diabetic ) and I had a big weekend binge of what i felt I was missing (a whole XL pizza and a large big mac meal and tons of after easter sale chocolate) - which made me feel pretty sick.

After that I realized two things: 1. I am not appreciating what I can eat - just focusing on and feeling sad about what I can't. 2. I don't realize how much unnecessary sugar is still in what I am eating (like in my salt substitute blend, in my salad dressings, and other condiments) so I wanted to take a week off from all sugar (even most carbohydrates) and sweetners to try to give my cravings the boot, learn to read labels better and retrain my taste-buds to not expect such an overwhelming amount of sugar in every bite.

I am hoping at the end of the week, to have learned to enjoy the natural sweetness of foods like peppers and bananas and enjoy other spices like cinnamon and ginger so that I don't feel so deprived and to have learned to cut back/out on sugar I don't notice (like in my spice blends and condiments)
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Old 04-29-2014, 11:10 AM   #4  
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When I had my first banana it was sweeter then any chocolate I had ever had.
You can do this! Good luck!
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Old 04-29-2014, 11:31 AM   #5  
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I restrict my sugar out of necessity. It's what has been making me HUNGRY.

I no longer eat sweet fruits (bananas, mangoes, peaches) and stay away from bread, potatoes, corn, etc.

What it has done for me (when I follow this diet) is that bittersweet chocolate - of about 60% tastes plenty sweet. Milk chocolate is way too sweet. Blueberries have more flavor, etc. I start to taste trace amounts of sugar much more.

Most importantly, I feel better, less hungry and more in control of my life. it's the spiked insulin in my system that was telling me to eat too much.
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Old 04-30-2014, 09:55 PM   #6  
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I didn't make it the whole week - only 2 days ..... that splitting headache wasn't just sugar withdrawal - it was related to a dental problem that ended in a very painful root canal this afternoon - and with the root canal came inability to eat anything solid even this evening. Now I could have just had broth, but decided to set the sugar issue aside and have mashed potatoes.

Even if I didn't make it a week, I still learned a few things - there was a lot more hidden sugar in what I was eating than I realized and there are many things that I have been auto adding sugar to, that I can do just fine without adding sugar (I"m looking at you ginger tea)

I will work on healing my mouth for now, and cutting back but not completely on the sugar. Maybe the next time I try a sugar vacation, it wont be so hard.
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