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Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day 8 & 9

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get off sugar, no sugar diet, should i give up sugar, is sugar bad for you, the white stuff, is sugar evil,Yesterday was my birthday and before I agreed to do this programme I promised that my birthday would be a day off. Otherwise I was not sure I could agree. While I did ‘break’ the diet to a degree something else happened: healthy sugar habits.

In my phone call to Laura, my mentor me off sugar mentor, she looked over the questionnaire that all people who do the programme fill in. The questionnaire is lots of food questions so Laura can access weaknesses and what your eating habits are. We both realise I am not an emotional eater but that I tend to use drinks with sugar and caffeine in to boost my energy and get me through the day. I asked her about alcohol as, although I do not drink a lot in my personal life, my work life requires me to review alcohol and go to parties were cocktails flow freely. Laura says the programme is not overtly strict and alcohol is allowed, the sugar is generally burnt off, but to be careful with the affect of alcohol on blood sugar levels. Rose and sweet cocktails are out: dry white wine and red wine are in.

So back to my birthday: small gift cake (yes, really! What has happened to me? I could have had any cake and choose one about the size of my fist and give most of it to my other half), only white booze which is not sweet and two cups of tea. While this is diverting from the programme I am proud of myself. My birthday is usually a decadent blow out.

Birthday aside, now the real work begins. Week two and three are far stricter: no fruit except avocado, tomatoes, lime and lemon, no dark chocolate, no white bread, pasta or couscous. No fruit drinks either. Yikes.

It is scary but I have already decided to take this seriously. I am already slimmer and Laura says I am doing well. I feel like I have been through the worst of the detox and there is new opportunity to open up my culinary horizon. I saw a cake on my friends Facebook page and felt I was missing out, and then I just think about my health. I feel I have been abusing my body with large quantities of caffeine and sugar.

Last week I did better than I thought I would and this week I am determined to do even better. I will be posting some recipes and facts about sugar. I already feel better about my health and the future in general. It sounds like a strange thing to say but we live in a very convenient society. To flex your willpower and say no, even to things you really want, makes you feel powerful. You even think about the next obstacle to climb, the next thing to conquer. This is hard, but that makes it more worthwhile.

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day Three

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So yesterday was hard. The latter part anyway. I was okay until lunch times when, as I wrote yesterday,  I felt nausea and fainty and had a cup of tea. That made me feel better for a while and then for the rest of the day and night I had the most awful headache. Like someone had attacked me with a knife. My concentration was low and I felt lethargic. Because I cannot drink tea without sugar – frankly, I think it is one of the worst tastes in the world – I also have had minimal caffeine. This morning when I woke up I was so weak and dizzy I found it hard to get out of bed.

I felt optimistic until I went to the supermarket. Then just how much I was missing out on hit me. It was very hard and made my life seem less fun. What is wrong with biscuits and chocolate anyway? Later I watch a TV show and the characters are having a burger and coke. I realise it will be September until I can have a burger and coke again. I feel deprived. Which is silly in a world where a large portion of the population don’t have enough food or water.

Yet somehow in all of my silly sadness and yearning for another cup of tea comes a resolve: I will do this. At the moment my body is not liking it and neither am I, but I will do it. The jaffa cakes are still in the fridge, I have switched to camomile and spearmint tea and I have had a few pieces of fruit. On week one of the Mentor Me Off Sugar Programme you are allowed fruit but not on week two and three.

I have a delicious sea bass for supper and buy good wholemeal bread and cheese. I have the bread with some amazing olive oil I have been sent to review and realise there are other things in this world apart from sweet treats. Although if I just replace sugar with bread and cheese I will be fat in no time I do enjoy the treat.

Instead of deprivation I start to think about opportunity. The opportunity to rewire my body to a healthier me and the opportunity to eat new, different food. Even with my headache and my tiredness, I am excited and aware of all of the possibilities. Onwards.

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Day Two

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get off sugar, no sugar diet, should i give up sugar, is sugar bad for you, the white stuff, is sugar evil,Day two and I am okayish. I have taken it better than I thought I would. Yesterday, apart from a cup of tea in the morning, I had no added sugar. However, I still seemed to eat a lot of sugar. It is in everything so when I say I am on a no sugar diet I just mean no added sugar. Sugar is in everything and almost impossible to avoid.

Yesterday I actually managed okay. I had a coronation chicken salad from Waitrose for lunch, a banana ( which turned out to be a mistake at 19g of sugar!) and for dinner I had a mishmash of stuff in the fridge; prawn cocktail, salmon, salad and half an egg sandwich. I have just moved into a flat and out of laziness my fiancé and I just ate what was in the fridge. We haven’t even learned how to turn the oven on yet.

So no biscuits, chocolate, fizzy drinks or sweets on day one. So far so good, although on week one you are allowed fruit and dark chocolate. I even have some green tea with mint and actually enjoy it. Around lunchtime I was craving tea and the Jaffa cakes in the fridge but I refrained.

Today is another matter. It is not that I miss added sugar but I decided to try without the tea, even though I have loads of work to do and I worry about caffeine withdrawal, a headache is not something I need when I am this busy, but in the end I start feeling nausea and faint. I have a cup of tea and feel better.

So far I feel proud of myself. I looked at a bottle of Coca Cola with my name on it in WH Smith but I didn’t buy it even though I have been looking for one for ages. Still no biscuits, sweets or chocolate. No dessert last night either. I might last the distance yet.