SUGAR FREE SEPTEMBER IS OFFICIALLY OVER! I kicked off this morning with overnight oats made with 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 tsp chia seeds, frozen strawberries, and the rest of the jar of Sun Butter.

I’ve got a lot to say about this interesting challenge, but first in case you missed the other Sugar Free September challenge posts, find them here:

• Sugar Free September Week 1 Recap
• Sugar Free September Week 2 Recap
• Sugar Free September Week 3 Recap
• Sugar Free September Introduction Post
• Sugar Free September Meal Plan Part One
• Sugar Free September Meal Plan Part Two
• Sugar Free September Meal Plan Part Three

Last Week’s Recap

Sunday, September 21st, 2014

• Really hard to get back on the no sugar train after the wedding on Saturday.

Monday, September 20th, 2014

• Little easier to get back into the thought of sugar reduction

Tuesday, September 23rd, 3014

• So over Sugar Free September, had the 1/4 of honey whole wheat bagel calling my name in the fridge

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014- Friday, September 25th,2014

• Not really that big of a deal

Saturday, September 26th, 2014

• Shared a very sugary drink with my SIL after a long day of shoveling rock,  they are moving and I won’t see them for a while.

Sunday, September 27th, 2014- Tuesday, September 30th, 2014

• Again not a big deal.  Skipped out on a piece of cake yesterday, truth be told I was happy to have the excuse, chocolate cake isn’t my favorite.

Challenge Results

Benefits

1. Increased sensitivity to sugar.  I noticed an increase sensitivity to sugar after only 2 weeks doing the challenge.  I was satisfied much sooner with less sweets which provided motivation for me to keep going when I slipped up.
2. I kicked my craving for desserts COMPLETELY.

One of my best friends also did SFS also and she really stuck to it.  (I still had protein powder and wedding cake).  I couldn’t have agreed with her more when she text me this:

1. I stopped chewing gum obsessively to the point of jaw soreness.  Stopping the gum habit led to less bloating and got rid of the soreness in my jaw.  I honestly think it was a nervous habit I had developed.
2. I can easily pass by sweets that aren’t “worth it” now, before if it was there I had to have it. Even if what was there was a stale crumbly cookie that no one wanted.  Now I can go back to having only things that are real treats like wedding cake!
3. I slept more soundly.  I didn’t really think about this one until my friend brought it up, but  I did sleep a lot more soundly and felt more energized throughout the day.

Downsides

1. I ended up replacing sugar with salt.  If I couldn’t have sugar then I wanted salty.  While I’ve also been a person with a thing for salt, I ate more chips and snack foods than I have in a really long time.
2. I am now addicted to salted nut butters again (see number 1).  I had kicked it to mostly natural nut butters but now I’m craving salted ones.
3. Sometimes stressful. At some points it was stressful trying to figure out what to eat when I was out and about.  Eventually I gave up on this though and just did the best I could, it was suppose to be that big of a deal.

What I’m Most Excited to Have Back

One thing that really surprised me was that in the last week or two I haven’t craved chocolate or real sweets.  Instead I craved healthier sweetened foods like:

–  Sun Butter

–  Einstein’s Honey Whole Wheat Bagel–> we have a bunch in the freezer

–  PUFFINS—> this shall be dinner or dessert

and condiments like….

–  Ketchup & BBQ Sauce

Would I Do It Again or Recommend It to Clients?

Yep! I think it was a great awareness, even as a Dietitian I was surprised by some of the places sugar or sugar substitutes are lurking.  I’m not usually one for “diets”, especially those that focus on cutting out one whole food groups or ingredients.  I don’t think there is such thing as an evil food group or food.  Even sugar has a function beyond adding sweetness, it also provides stability to delicate foods like meringue’s, texture like tenderness to cookies, helps bread rise, deepens the color of baked products, and is responsible for the crunch of certain crusts.  It’s for these reasons and it’s ability to extend shelf life that it is found in so many products.

For how long?  One week wouldn’t be long enough, but four weeks seemed a bit excessive.  I think the sweet spot would be somewhere between 2-3 weeks , but that is personal opinion.

Would I do it again?  Yes, but probably not with the same extreme unless I felt like I really needed it.

YOUR TURN!  Did you participate in Sugar Free September or have you ever cut out sugar before?