I'm Quitting Sugar

So I've decided to quit sugar. And when I say sugar, I mean fructose. You just have to watch the news to constantly hear this makes you fat, that makes you fat, this is unhealthy this is killing you and I always thought meh whatever, I'm healthy enough. Yeah I get a bit tired or reach for a coffee in the morning to get me through the day but that's normal isn't it?? Perhaps not.

I recently stumbled upon Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar For Life in Costco (I may or may not have had sweets in my trolley....) and had a bit of a flick through. At first I thought why would I need to quit something that I don't eat much of? I'm not a big fan of chocolate, don't add sugar to my tea or coffee and prefer savoury to sweet. Once I figured she meant fructose, what that actually was it started making sense. I bought the book (put the sweets back on the shelf) and did some more research on the internet. I stumbled upon David Gillespie's Sweet Poison (which Sarah's books are based around) which I must say is an amazing read. It flicked so many switches in my head and made me realise just how much fructose is a problem and what it's doing to me. I'm what is considered normal weight, but carry a little weight around my ribs (which is bad news), I'm constantly tired and lethargic, I'm anxious, suffer depression and anxiety, have puffy eyes, am prone to breakouts, can be moody (yep I'll admit it!) and often just feel 'meh'. I always just though this is me and couldn't be my diet - I eat low fat foods, I watch my calories and exercise as much as I can. I was pretty wrong!

(image from www.iquitsugar.com)

 

So I have decided to quit! I have signed up to Sarah Wilson's online 8 week quit program (available at www.iquitsugar.com) Yes this did cost $150, but in return you get shopping lists, meal plans, movement plans, access to forums as well as expert tips, sugar faq's and webinars. It took me a while to mull over whether the $150 was worth it and it came down to ease of use as well as helping equip myself with the necessary knowledge to be able to continue it on after the 8 weeks has finished. I can easily blow $150 on beauty products or clothes but this seemed worth it as an investment in my health (erm cliche or what!?).

As a little exert from Sarah's book, consider this:

• We're eating more low-fat food than ever before.
• We're joining more gyms.
• Yet we're putting on more weight.
• Today we eat more than a kilo of sugar a week. 150 years ago, we ate none.
• Low-fat food often contains more sugar than the whole version (sugar is added to make a food taste like the original).
• The low-fat industry is big business.

Sarah also asks should you be quitting?

• Do you get an energy slump in the afternoon?
• Do you need something sweet after meals?
• Does your stomach get bloated after eating?
• Are you unable to eat just one piece of cake and walk away?
• Are you 'podgy' around the middle, perhaps even slim everywhere else?
• Do you often feel unclear? That you're not always sharp and on-form?

I ticked yes to almost all of these. I've worked out that on my previous 'healthy' low fat diet I was consuiming 20+ teaspoons of sugar a day. Sugar was hidden in everything. In a typical day I was eating 2-3 pieces of fruit, yoghurt, honey in my tea, muesli, dried fruit. All this, I've now learnt, is a mine field of fructose. I'm not going to sit here and preach and tell you all to quit, I just want to detail my journey.

I am going to keep a weekly 'diary' on this blog of my journey through quitting sugar. The program officially begins on Monday 29th September, and today we were given access to the meal plans and shopping lists so we can shop and prepare for the week ahead! She gives tips on how to prepare your kitchen, create a freezer stash, and what exactly the 8 weeks hold. As a little example, this is what the 8 weeks will look like:



I'm very much looking forward to starting (I have actually started to cut down my sugar intake over the last couple of weeks anyway) and I look forward to 'reviewing' the program here as I go.

If you have any questions aout qutting sugar, or what the program entails please feel free to comment or send me an email :)