Last week I finally made good on my promise to get my eating back in line. Laura hosted a 7 Day Sugar Detox on Facebook, so I polished off the last piece of peppermint bark, stashed my other Christmas chocolates in the pantry, and stocked up on plain yogurt and natural peanut butter to get through a week of avoiding added sugar.
The most surprising thing about my week avoiding added sugar is how easy it was. Don’t get me wrong, it took planning and preparation, but I already don’t eat much sugar until after dinner. The best thing about my week avoiding added sugar is that it helped me break my cycle of after-dinner snacking. While Laura’s program focused on added sugar, she also encouraged us to limit processed foods, so I kept my hands out of the chips, even though they don’t have added sugar.
No-Sugar Added Breakfasts
Aside from skipping my nightly No Sugar-Added Klondike Bar (despite its name, since it is a highly processed food!), I had to make the most adjustments to my breakfasts.
I’ve been having a rice cake with peanut butter as a pre-workout snack, so I bought some no-sugar added peanut butter. It’s a bit oily (as most natural peanut butters are), but very delicious.
Remember when I slammed rice cakes?
Now I am hooked on Quaker Lightly Salted Rice Cakes
and they’re made with whole grain brown rice.
Instead of eggs and toast (since bread has a bit of added sugar), I opted for a hard-cooked egg and Triscuits, which is what I pack for breakfast after OTF or indoor cycling anyway.
The cucumber adds cool crunchy contrast to the salty cracker.
While my Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal recipe does not include any added sugar, I didn’t have time to make it last weekend, so I switched up my overnight oats recipe:
- 1/3 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 container
Coconutplain Chobani - 1/2 cup
waterunsweetened vanilla almond milk - 1 Tbsp raisins
- 1 Tbsp slivered almonds
- dash cinnamon
No-Sugar Added Lunches/Dinners
It was easy to avoid added sugar in my lunches and dinners, since I was able to cook dinner at home and bring leftovers for lunch. I did switch from using bottled salad dressing to using 1/2 tsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar, since most salad dressings have some sugar.
For “dessert” I had two clementines after lunch and a whole grapefruit after dinner–yes, I eat my grapefruit like an orange and don’t add sugar.
No-Sugar Added Snacks
Since even my “healthy” snack bars have some sort of added sugar, I opted for almonds and unsweetened dried cherries for my afternoon snack.
I feel so good after my week without added sugar that I plan to continue to limit added sugar, and hope to keep my mojo going through my next business trip at the end of the month.
[Tweet “Tips For Surviving A #SugarDetox”]
Weekly Wrap
I didn’t miss added sugar during my workouts,
which I’m recapping here for the Weekly Wrap Link Up
hosted by Holly and Tricia:
Monday: OTF
Tuesday: Quick Strength for Runners (Core + Hips)
Wednesday: CycleBar
Thursday: 5.25 mi run
Friday: OTF // Hot Power Fusion at Core Power Yoga
Saturday: 8.6 mi run
Sunday: Quick Strength for Runners (Balance) // 22 mi bike ride
Nuun does have 1g sugar per tablet from added dextrose, so I opted for water with a squeeze of lemon juice for most of my workouts, although I did take Nuun on my long run.
Have you ever done a “sugar detox” or tried to avoid added sugar?
Curious about Quick Strength for Runners?
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Wow! I’m impressed that you cut out all added sugars for a week! I would like to do that sometime, but haven’t been brave enough to try it yet. What are the main things you noticed about how you feel?
Mostly not craving more – it seems true that once I start with the sweets, I just want more, but if I don’t have them, I’m ok without them!
YESSSS.
That’s how it is here for me and the smaller biped too.
I wonder if I could try this for us both and have her think it FUN??
Christmas with the inlaws killed her….healthy tooth and grew her sweet tooth 🙂
You could start with info gathering – deciphering labels and keeping a tally. And then the visual of 5g = 1 tsp.
I did something similar last week but also cut out dairy. That was ridiculously hard for me. I’m still attempting to do the sugar detox but have added back in the dairy inmost days. I still crave some chocolate
Hah! I ate a lot of cheese this week – an alternate pairing with my almonds. The hardest thing about avoiding all added sugar is bread (if you’re being strict, it only has 1 g per slice), flavored yogurt, and bottled sauces–I didn’t know the second ingredient in Worcestershire sauce is molasses.
I should do this. I’m pretty sure sugar is a trigger for inflammation. The good thing is I don’t eat a lot of foods with added sugars. Except for chocolate. That’s a huge weakness for me.
I think my beloved Coconut Chobani has at least 10g added sugar (comparing to the plain kind). 🙁
This is almost giving me a panic attack reading this LOL I’m not heavy into sugar, but I know I have more of it than what I should have. Good for you! I don’t think I’d be as disciplined.
Yes, the challenge will be easing back into “normal” eating while still limiting added sugar! She suggests 25 g (=5 teaspoons) as a goal, but that really doesn’t go far even in my “healthy” diet.
I did Laura’s detox in 2014 and it was a good week! I went into the NYCM weighing less because of it. My meals are mostly good. It’s the after-lunch handful of chocolate chips that sets me up for an afternoon of grazing. I need to reset.
I’m trying to be more aware of that. I know it’s so beneficial to limit the added sugars. Great time to start being more intentional about it.
It’s interesting to see what foods it is in. I knew it was in pasta sauce, so I made it from scratch. Not surprised about salad dressing, but surprised how much!
I have done sugar detoxes, but I always come back to sugar. I’m just careful about it. Lately I’ve been doing hummus & veggies as a snack more often because I know I tend to gravitate to sweet snacks if I don’t think about it!
I’ve never been careful about it, except when I was doing Atkins and South Beach ….
Impressive. I’m avoiding sugar too but not as much as you. I need to step up my game if I really want to see a positive change. Thanks for the inspiration.
As soon as I have to eat out or have less time to plan or prepare it will be harder!
I loved this article….I absolutely must do this too…..I am a vegetarian for about a year and a half and ever since my sugar has been slightly elevated. I know it is due to pasta, rice etc. I really must work harder on this. I also thank you for the inspiration. I must work harder on this….
Thank you! It’s amazing how small changes can have a big impact.
WAY TO GO WITH A NO-SUGAR ADDED WEEK!!!! My life is 100% no-sugar-added and has been for the last 15 years of my life! I don’t know how to live any other way, ha ha! I am proud of you! 🙂
You did great! It has been years since I’ve really tried to go off sugar. I do try to make small changes all week, like crackers instead of bread if I can, which in the end comes down to planning ahead. I don’t do so well meal planning, if I nail three days a week I call it a win lol
Yes, planning is key. I was able to be home for dinner every night, whicn meant I had leftovers for lunch too.
I participated in the sugar detox too! I really struggled getting enough calories and having enough energy to run and teach my cardio class Monday and Tuesday. By Thursday, I felt much better. It’s hard for me to eat every few hours! I had a strong long run in warm conditions Friday due to maintaining a clean diet and less sugar all week! I hope to continue eating clean and watching my sugar. Hope you have a great week!
I really focused on sugar only, so the only calorie cutting was from after-dinner snacking!
What a great primer for real-life implementation! I’ve been noodling over going sugar-free for a couple of weeks, and your very specific suggestions make it seem quite doable. Thanks!
It really is! You also can start with the next goal – limiting to 25 g per day. That way you could still have bread …. 🙂
Great job! I am trying to eliminate my sugar intake as well and started to drink my coffee black instead of my flavored creamers I love. It took me a few days but now I can. And I realized that I do not like it as much now, which is probably good because I am drinking much less than I used to do.
Ah started drinking my coffee without sugar years ago, so this didn’t slow me down there!
Good for you! I bet you felt much better after just a few days.
Diet and clean eating has been my challenge for years! I LOVE all things food. I try to eat a good breakfast and lunch and I’m bringing my lunches at work so that helps, but chips….. oh god… don’t get me started on the sweet/salty goodness of chips. 🙂 Great job
I’m with you, reaching into the bottom of the bag!
Dates and figs were my no sugar added snacks this past week. And as much as I’d like to eat too many of them, I suffer from tummy issues if I do, so that kept me in check.
We live on the Harris Teeter Organic Creamy Peanut Butter. I swear my younger son would starve to death without that stuff.
Good for you! My FAVORITE peanut butter is just peanuts. Love the natural nut butters the most.
Good job… yeah I just did 27 or so days.. working on moderation at this point. I saw BIG changes when I stopped.
That’s a long time to stick with it! I’m taking it one week at a time.
Sounds like you did a great job with the sugar detox! I’m pretty good about my sugar intake, but I could definitely improve. Just not sure how I’d survive my morning coffee without sugar!
You did an excellent job with this! I haven’t done a complete detox, but try to limit my sugar on a regular basis. It’s not as hard as I thought it would be. I’m constantly checking labels for grams of sugar. After doing this for several years and getting used to a lower sugar intake, I find manufacturers put way more sugar in products than necessary! But — don’t get me wrong, I still like a sweet treat on occasion. 😉 Thanks for linking, Coco!
Yes, I like my sugar front and center – like in a fudgey brownie. But I’m not craving one now, nope, I promise. 🙂
That’s some pretty impressive meal planning. I’ve though about this but just haven’t taken the steps yet!
My main challenge with this would be giving up chocolate. Every once in a while I go sugar free for a week if I need to, but like you I don’t eat much added sugar in general. Other than some chocolate. 😀
Yeah, I stocked up on chocolate over the holidays!
I love that triscuit/hard-boiled egg/cucumber combo! I need to make more HB eggs – Mr PugRunner and I argue a lot about them. He believes in the one egg a week thing, and I am all about eggs all the time. I guess he will just have to deal with them in the fridge.
I am trying to cut down on sugar and dairy. Those are my vices and it’s hard to let go.
I thought the link between eggs and cholesterol was discredited ages ago. I have at least one egg a day. I use the Eggland’s Best pre-cooked eggs because they are so darn easy and done just right!
See, I would love to do a week of avoiding added sugar to see how I feel but I don’t know if I can give up ice-cream. Does it could as added sugar if it’s already inside the ice-cream? haha
The natural sugar in the milk doesn’t count … Maybe you could cut out everything but the ice cream and keep to a serving with less than 25 g sugar?
Wow, what an accomplishment! I’m always amazed at how much sugar there is in some processed foods. Its EVERYWHERE!!!
Great job! I am so intimidated by trying to remove added sugar…I really don’t think I’d make it through! But I love the recipes and ideas you came up with for the week. I may need to give this a try, even though it would be SO hard!
The fact that the challenge only ran for one week made it totally do-able. I wouldn’t have signed on for a month, even though I am continuing past the week.
I try to stick with natural sugars as much as possible. It looks like this challenge has been great for you. Good job with sticking with it!
You did awesome! I love that you make it look so easy. 🙂 It’s always the chocolate for me, and so far I haven’t bought more… we’ll see how long I can keep going. So glad you could join us!
I’ve not done a sugar detox but after all the sweets and holiday foods I had gotten into a habit of needing something sweet after dinner too! I don’t really know why I’m not one to have it often but just a few times seemed to make that habit stick!!
I’m glad you did well with it Coco!
Those darn habits can be hard to break!
One day, I think I’ll try a sugar detox, but it will be HARD! I agree that with some planning, though, I might be OK. 🙂
The egg/triscuit/cucumber breakfasts looked really good!
It’s so simple, but hits all the taste buds!
I love that you did eggs on tricuits with cucumber! That looks like an awesome snack! 😀 I need to make baked oatmeal sometime soon so I’ll have ready-made breakfasts! :] Great job on cutting out that added sugar!
I bake it in single serving size ramekins, so I just grab and go and reheat at work. 😉
I bet you did feel great! I have never tried a sugar detox- the thought alone scares me! LOL!
I’m working on eating healthier- not avoiding sugar, just trying to not eat out and not eat fried foods/fatty foods as much. I have a really bad habit of not cooking and just buying lunch like pizza etc. But I want to lose some belly chubs so you can actually see my abs lol.
Your workout week looks a lot like mine! I’ve been doing CycleBar and OTF as cross training for running. It’s a great workout!
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