Sugar Free September

Happy Wednesday! After a particularly indulgent weekend, Mr. Hungry and I feel like we have become a little reliant on sweet foods. I don’t think that sweet foods are bad, I actually think they can be enjoyed pretty regularly.  However, that being said we both feel like we’ve started to tip the balance and moderation scale to slightly overboard.  As I wrote about in my post on What Moderation Really Means, I believe you can only find moderation when you identify the times you’ve gone overboard.  Normally this means I would just buy a little less sweets for the house and be a little bit more aware of my sweets intake.  However there are some benefits to a “sugar detox” such as:

–  Resetting your taste buds so that later on less sugar will be more satisfying

–  Kicking your cravings so you are less reliant on sugar

So before the holidays are here, a time of constantly available treats, why not tame the sugar cravings a bit?

Our “Rules”

I don’t believe in total restriction of anything because that just triggers cravings, however I do believe in “temporarily avoiding…”  At least that framework sits better in my mind.

Avoidance of…

• Obviously sugary foods like sweets, candy, donuts, pancakes, etc…
• Sugary drinks including coffee, juice, tea and soda
• Purchasing anything with added sugar
• Sugar substitutes including stevia or truvia (are sweeter than sugar and increase your affinity for sweets) –> for me this means in my coffee and my gum addiction
• Refined Grains/Processed Foods (this one is pretty much standard in our house, but when we eat out is another story)
• Alcohol

Emphasis on…

• Whole foods over pre-packaged ones
• Creating well balanced meals with protein and healthy fats
• Including moderate amounts of healthy carbohydrates from fruit, starchy vegetables, dairy, and whole grains.

Sugar detoxing can be on any level, some people totally remove ALL sugar from their diet.  By that I mean they totally get rid of sugar even in condiments, sauces, etc.  For our approach the first week will be the most lenient, Mr. Hungry still has Greek Yogurt to eat up, but then I will avoid purchasing anything with added sugar.  If it’s already in the house though (like BBQ sauce) I don’t think either of us will get so desperate that we will binge on it.  I won’t be hunting down sources of sugar and eradicating them, but I will be mindful of my intake.  The best approach for me is always a more laid back one, stress doesn’t help anything right?

 

Motivation

Motivation is important to keep any health goal going so here is what we came up with –

• For each time ONE of us eats an obviously sugary food, $5 extra dollars goes into the collection plate
• If I make it through the month with less than two slip ups (we have a wedding to go to, I’m just being realistic) than I’m either going to try stitchfix or fabeletetics.  No slips ups would mean both 🙂
• If Mr. Hungry makes it with less than two slip ups he is going to buy new workout equipment

My Expectations

• Since I’m already at a healthy weight, I don’t expect to lose anything
• I do expect to save money on less coffee and frozen yogurt
• I expect to reset my taste buds so less sugar leads to more satisfaction
• I expect to be more challenged to reduce my stevia/truvia intake than actual sugar

[Tweet “I’m kicking my sugar cravings and joining @hungryhobby for #sugarfreeseptember! Join in with us!”]

We would love for you to join us in Sugar Free September!  Leave a comment if you’re in!

I’d also love to hear about other peoples experiences with “sugar detoxing.”  How did it go?

(Also stayed tuned for some tips to beat your sugar addiction on the Formulx blog coming up later this week!)