No sugar? Hmmm, let's think about that!

While in one of my Facebook groups, I was invited to try a challenge.  I'm normally one who takes on challenges fairly well but this one had me very nervous and doubtful.  I was challenged not to consume any sugar in my diet for 7 days.  Too easy, breezy I thought.  I can give up chocolate, cookies, candy and besides I don't drink sodas anyway.  Then I read the guidelines and it said: No added sugars, no foods with sugar, no artificial sweeteners, not even my favorite agave nectar.  No honey, molasses.  No white sugar, no brown sugar.  Not even Splenda.  

I sat there and read the guidelines over and over and then it hit me!!!  Do you know what that really meant? No coffee!!! Um, Houston we have a problem, a big problem!!

But I was up for the challenge.  The first day was difficult.  I'm not going to lie.   I was so used to preparing my oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, apples and brown sugar in the mornings for breakfast.  But now that I couldn't eat sugar I was stumped.  So I did what most of us do when hungry;  I stood with the refrigerator door wide open, just staring.  Staring at the food I couldn't eat.  Trying to analyze the amount of sugar that's in that. How much sugar is in this?  Finally I made a decision.  Breakfast will be 2 hard boiled eggs and coffee.  Uh nope, scratch that!  No coffee, remember you don't like black coffee, Nikki.  Did I forget to mention I couldn't use my vanilla caramel creamer in my coffee either.  Hmph, somebody's going to be cranky today!!! 

Lunch was worse because I had no plan.  I drove around wasting my lunch hour trying to find something with no sugar to only end up buying a side salad from McDonalds.  Dinner was much better because my hubby already had something fairly healthy planned anyway.  Grilled chicken and green beans, I didn't eat the starch.   By the end of the day, I realized that to be successful on this challenge, you have to plan your meals.

So with day one down, I properly planned my meals and actually read the below suggested grocery list that was provided.

Produce
____ Fresh fruit (all) ____ Fresh vegetables (all)____ Dried fruit (no sugar added)

Dairy

____ Milk, low-fat ____ Almond milk, unsweetened____ Coconut milk____ Greek yogurt, plain, low-fat
____ Eggs____ Cottage cheese, low-fat ____ Feta cheese, low-fat ____ Parmesan cheese


Beverages
____ Pomegranate juice, 100% pure juice____ Fresh squeezed orange juice, home made
 ____ Green tea, home brewed____ Water infused w/fruits (e.g. limes and raspberries)


Meat, Poultry and Seafood

____ Wild caught salmon ____ Lean ground turkey or chicken ____ Chicken breast
____ Tilapia, cod or white fish____ Beef tenderloin____ Canned tuna


Grains
____ Quinoa ____ Brown rice____ Old-fashioned oats ____ Steel cut oats
____ 100% whole wheat/grain pasta____ Ezekiel bread/wraps____ Whole grain bread and wraps (no sugar added)


Canned Goods
____ Spaghetti or marinara sauce (no added sugar) ____ Chickpeas
____ Beans (navy, kidney, white, ect.) ____ Lentils
____ All natural tomato paste or tomato sauce____ Low sodium chicken or vegetable stock


Flour
____ Whole wheat flour ____ Coconut flour____ Rice flour____ Almond flour


Nuts, Seeds and Oils

____ Olive oil ____ Coconut oil, unrefined
____ All-natural nut & seed butters(almond, cashew, peanut, tahini)
____ Raw or roasted nuts (without added oils, salt or sugar), especially walnuts, almonds and pistachios ____ Raw or roasted seeds, especially pumpkin, flax, chia or sunflower seeds

Condiments/Misc.
____ Mustard____ Salsa (no sugar added)____ Guacamole
____ Unsweetened, organic applesauce____ Balsamic vinegar____ Rice vinegar
____ Apple cider vinegar____ Lemon/lime juice

As you see, you actually have a lot to choose from.  The hard part is figuring out how to prepare your food without any type of added sugar.

The rest of the week went fine, it wasn't easy but I survived.  By day 3, breakfast got a little boring.  Egg sandwich on whole grain bread was no longer appealing. So I switched it up and ate yogurt with granola mixed in it.  My version of the fruit and yogurt parfait at McDonald's.  I know granola is not on the list( don't judge me lol), but the package said it didn't have any sugar added.  A couple of days, breakfast consisted of pomegranate juice, trail mix with a few raisins and a banana.

Lunch and dinner became a little easier now that I had a plan and I took the time to actually think about my meals.  Like I said earlier, you can be successful eating less sugar if you take the time to plan.  Now don't get me wrong, this still was no walk in the park.  Every time I thought I could prepare one of my usual meals, it hit me!  Nope, it has sugar in it.  One of my favorite snacks is cut up cucumbers marinated in a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  However, since the vinaigrette has sugar, I had to kick it to the curb (temporarily.)

Did I go the entire 7 days without any kind of sugar?  NOPE!!!  Being sugar free is hard, people!  Especially according to these guidelines.  One day this week, I had training at work and I knew I was not going to make it without my coffee.  So, yes, I cheated.  I had my coffee AND I added 2 packs of Splenda.  It was the best thing eveeerrr! I tried black tea with no sugar and it was THE WORST...ugh!  On the same cheat day, I was tempted with the best sugary sweet known to mankind....a Krispy Kreme doughnut.  I didn't do it y'all.  I do have some standards.

Yesterday marked day 7 and I feel that I really accomplished something (pat myself on the back.) I think I will actually extend this challenge with a few provisions.  I like my coffee.  That is my truth and I'm sticking to it.  I probably wont use Splenda anymore and opt for the agave nectar. No more vanilla creamer, just plain low fat milk will work.

During this challenge, I exercised.  I had to keep my mind off of the cookies and potato chips in the pantry.  I walked on my treadmill, walked outside and pumped some weights almost every day.  I'm not sure if I lost any weight during this challenge because I refuse to get on the scale because it's the enemy.  But I was able to slide a pair of slacks over these curvy hips that I couldn't fit a week ago.  One goal down, many more to go!  YES!

So tell me, have you tried the eliminating sugar from your diet?  How did it work for you?  Give a sistah some tips.

Until next time, keep moving forward!
Nikki