So, yesterday was my 10th consecutive day without eating sugar! I started this journey almost 20 days ago, and it’s been pretty interesting! There are quite a few things I’ve learned during this process:
•There have been very mixed feelings from others about this. Some people have been unbelievably supportive, cheering me on in my successes and guiding me through my struggles. There have been others, however, that have not been supportive to the point of almost calling me an idiot for doing this. I don’t think cutting sugar out of a diet is for everyone. I don’t think everyone has a bad relationship with sugar, and I completely understand that some people can’t or don’t want to do this. But it has helped me become more confident.
•Buying food that doesn’t have sugar (isn’t heavily processed) is more expensive than regular grocery shopping, but we were trying to eat healthier before, so we were used to spending more on food. Here in MN, we are spending about $100-$150 a week on groceries for the two of us. A lot of that has been staples and things that we don’t finish in a week, like nuts and salad dressing.
•There are still times when the addiction to sugar still has a pull on me. Yesterday, for example, there was a part of me that was excited because completing 10 days would mean I could have sugar again. I had a little sugar today, and I honestly didn’t like how it made me feel. Progress!
•I have been more creative with meal planning and finding healthy snacks. For the most part, it has been good because our meals have been really delicious. There are times when it is really tough, because I am tired from work, really hungry or not motivated to cook, and would rather eat out, but we always manage to get dinner on the table.
I think that this has been a wild success for my husband and I. It definitely hasn’t been easy, but we are creating habits that will serve us well in the future. Now, I just need to survive the minefield that is Valentine’s Day.
All Things Autumn 
I understand. I had to go gluten free for health reasons and I couldn’t believe the range of reactions I got. Good for you, it’s so hard to make such a big lifestyle change
I just keep telling myself it doesn’t matter what others think, this is my health and I think I’m making the right decision. I’ve heard a gluten free diet is really tough!
Good for you. I became a healthy eater about 4 years ago and I’m so much happier. Keep it up, you’re doing great.
Thank you so much for the support! I’m already really happy with how everything is going and I’m only a few weeks in!
I’m so glad that you are doing this. Just this week I was reading I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson and I realized that I consume more sugar than I thought. Since than I decided that I want to do the same and get the sugar cravings out of my system. I will begin next month, but for the past few days I’ve being reducing my intake and I notice a difference. I was definitely an addict. I’ll be excited to read updates on your process.
I need to read that! It is definitely not easy all the time, but sugar is seriously in everything it seems! Let me know how it goes, I’m excited to read about your progress.
Sugar is in more food than we realize. Reading labels helps when eating process food in maintaining some moderation.
It definitely does help! My husband and I spend a lot more time in grocery stores now, but it’s worth it knowing we are getting healthier items.