“I Quit Sugar” My Journey…
I Quit Sugar
I Quit Sugar. Well, kind of… You see, I am on a journey to cleanse my body of sugar. JOURNEY is the key word here… A traveling from one place to another, usually taking a long time. Yes, cleansing my body of sugar just might take a while. So I am sharing my journey with all of you. I am giving myself a place to come and gripe. A place to come and share my struggles and my successes. My tips and tricks and new recipes. And a place to come and chat about how miserable I have made my life. LOL.
I am fairly confident that I consume waaay too much sugar. We probably all do. It’s not like I pound soda or eat candy. And I honestly never ever keep sweets at home… because I will eat them 😉 HOWEVER, sugar is in everything these days. And I just kind of started to feel like crap. So much so that I just had enough. I have read one too many articles about sugar causing cancer… sugar causing liver problems… sugar causing weight gain (kind of obvious but ya know)… and sugar being highly addictive. I refuse to be addicted to anything. Even sugar. Did you know that according to a new study, sugar is more addictive than cocaine and nicotine?!? That was enough for me!
As I mentioned, lately I have kind of been feeling like crap. From being extra sleepy to lots of headaches and even foggy thinking at times, I just haven’t felt great to say the least. Soooo I started to Google all of my symptoms. I know… I know… never ever Google anything medical. After I determined that I probably didn’t have a hundred different diseases and I wasn’t actually dying, the most probable cause that kept popping up over and over and over was consuming too much sugar. And when I really sat down and thought about it, I probably actually do. From a sugary coffee and breakfast bar in the morning to an occasional soda in the afternoon and sugar in every single processed food I eat, it really just adds up! So I got back on Google and started to find ways to give it up. Sounds crazy but this girl loves a good Starbucks. I may be able to makeover a room in record time but I am NOT good at creating new ways to make things I am used to eating every day. And sugar is kind of my bestie. I may need help coping. So I found this book…
I Quit Sugar…
“I Quit Sugar” by Sarah Wilson- SHOP THE BOOK!
And I bought it. If you have read my “Weight Loss Story“, you know that I have good luck with books. I am such a planner and a list making fool that I need things laid out in writing. I need someone to tell me what to do and how to do it. Especially with things I don’t love like cooking. So I am giving it a go. I am quitting sugar. It is an eight week journey that I am determined to complete. I started last Tuesday and although I did have two “bad days” with Irma weather and crazier than normal schedules, I did pretty good. I would give myself maybe an 8 for last week 😉 My plans were to be one week ahead of you if anyone wants to join me so that I can share my experiences and tips and things I learned. I would also LOVE to hear ideas from all of you as well!
Week one is simply cutting back. Try and eat half or less of the sugar you typically consume every day. I get migraines very easily so easing into this sugar detox is key for me. So much so that I am altering her plans a little to really really ease myself into this sugarless life. More details on that in weeks to come. SO I did just that. I literally drank my coffee with half the sugar and traded my breakfast bar for avocado toast. And maybe a Chick-fil-a mini or two. I did not drink any sodas or sweet tea and I avoided all sweets. I may or may not have had a tiny slice of Winnie’s birthday cake and a cookie or two during Irma. However, I easily ate half of what I would normally consume in a week.
So what happened? For starters, I did get quite a few headaches. Coincidence? Maybe, but I doubt it. I am headache free now though and honestly can already tell that I feel so much better! It is so crazy but literally Mark has even commented about how much better I seem. And it has been just seven days! Excited to see what this next week will bring with even less sugar and excited to share more about my journey! Thanks for following along!
XOXO, Brittany Hayes
Ash says
Sounds good! I’m starting this journey as well, and I agree that keeping sugary temptation out of the home is a must. My sister-in-law is a weight loss coach and have me a 30 day bible study book by Barb Raveling that helps train you to treat food as a tool and helps to avoid temptation.
Brittany Hayes says
Great thanks! I will have to look at that book! Good luck to you!
Nicole S says
I am so looking forward to these blog posts! I, too, need to try to quit my sugar intake as well. You will be my inspiration!
Brittany Hayes says
Awesome thank you SO much! XOXO
Beth says
I quit sugar totally 18 months ago. Feel soooooo much better. Lost 30 pounds. Still eat sweets- i follow Trim Healthy Mama. Never. Going. Back. Great decision- you can do this!!
Brittany Hayes says
Wow that is AMAZING! You go girl! XOXO
Stephanie says
Looking forward to how this works for you. I’ve drastically reduced the amount of sugar I eat, but, been unable to cut it out entirely. I looked at this book too. I’m curious to hear what you think of the recipes. I cook almost everyday and found the recipes to be very expensive and time consuming to prepare. Not the best choice for me.
I would also like to see a post from you on how you recently lost several pounds. I noticed you had lost more weight from your post about the family vacation in the Bahamas. I’ve read the past posts about what you regularly eat and it seemed VERY good and healthy with not much sugar at all. I’m assuming you weren’t eliminating sugar back then. Hope you don’t mind the suggestion.
Brittany Hayes says
Thanks so much for following along! Yes, snacking and coffee are my main sugar triggers. I always crave it in the afternoon when I get to feeling sleepy. Cutting gluten was my main weight loss tool over the Summer. Thank you so much! XOXO
cindy taylor says
I think I will look into this…might be worth trying
Brittany Hayes says
Awesome! Definitely worth trying!
Channing says
I’m addicted to sugar as well. Similar but not entirely the same, I’m doing the Whole30 right now to help kick my sugar addiction. You can’t have any added sugars but you can have fruit. I limit it to 2 servings a day. I didn’t have headaches but like you I was feeling like crap groggy and foggy and knew I needed to make a change. I’m 2 weeks in and to be honest the thing I miss most is sugar in my tea in the morning. I hope you are successful because it’s definitely hard, I know you can do it. I found that figuring out if it was a craving or true hunger has gotten me through oh and drinking LOTS of water to keep hydrated.
Brittany Hayes says
That is so awesome! Good luck with keeping it up! Gosh it’s so hard! XOXO
Mindvalley says
I love the post. Thanks for sharing these thoughts. Very inspiring!
https://blog.mindvalley.com/how-to-stop-eating-sugar/