Today marks the first day of what I hope is a life-changing 8 weeks. Today, I start my no-sugar challenge. Doing a no-sugar challenge has been rolling through my mind for the past few weeks now. Seven weeks from now, I’m going to be a bridesmaid in my brother’s wedding. A week after that, I’m going on a cruise. Two big events and I want to look my best in both.
But more than that, I need to feel proud of myself. There are areas of my life that are flourishing and areas of my life that are not. My health is one of those latter areas. I had big plans for my health in 2012 (after all, it is the word I want to embody this year) and the fact that I’m not achieving any of the goals I set out for myself is the biggest cause of this funk I’ve been under. It’s disappointing and frustrating. And I’m just really over these feelings. I’m done with feeling sorry for myself. I can give you every excuse in the book for why I haven’t lost weight or been able to stick to a healthy eating regimen but I won’t. I have to stop the excuses and start doing what I need to do to get the body (and lifestyle) I am craving.
The next 8 weeks are going to be tough for me. I don’t deal well with change and adhering to a sugar-free lifestyle will be difficult. But change is almost always necessary. In my case, it is completely necessary. As I stepped on the scale yesterday morning, as I completed my measurements to show myself where I am starting from, I know I have to tackle this head-first. I’ve been slipping back into old habits and nothing is changing. I feel worse than ever about the body that stares back at me. On the exercise front, I am flourishing, but on the eating front, I am back-tracking.
It’s time to get serious about my health and realize that I am not treating my body the way it needs to be treated. And sooner or later, that will all catch up to me.
I’ve set some parameters for these next 8 weeks, to give myself static goals to attain, as well as set me up to succeed:
- I am not going completely sugar-free. At least for the first few weeks of this challenge, I will allow foods that have 5g or less of sugar in a serving. I may tighten up my restrictions further into the challenge but for now, I know this will help my body in major ways.
- Fresh fruits and veggies are not off-limits. Fruit is notoriously sugary, but it’s good sugar. A cup of grapes has 24g in itself! That said, I do want to stay away from fruits that have more sugar than those that don’t. (On the flip side, a cup of apples has 13g of sugar while strawberries have 7g.)
- I am allowing myself one cheat day a week. Say what you want about cheat days, but I don’t think I could do this without knowing once a week, I can loosen my restrictions. This doesn’t mean I’m going to go crazy, eating an entire sleeve of Thin Mint cookies and a 2-liter of soda. It means, I may allow myself to have a soda with dinner, and a treat afterward.
- I will be weighing and measuring myself weekly. For this phase of my healthy living journey, I need to pay better attention to what’s happening with my body. It’s never good to put your whole self-worth in what you’re doing from what the scale tells you, but I do want to see results from this. If I put in the hard work and effort, I want to be able to see that.
- My weight goal is to lose 16 pounds over the next 8 weeks. That is 2 pounds a week, which is more than the average but again, this isn’t simply cutting down my calories but also cutting out sugar and soda.
- I would also like to lose 14 inches around my body. Another major goal, but this is a major challenge. I think I can do it.
More than anything, though, I want to be able to do this challenge and not give up. Eight weeks is a long time and by writing it down here, I know I will have the accountability I need to stick to it. I have two major events to work towards and I want to feel proud of my body in both instances. Simply put, I want to feel better about myself. And I think this challenge is exactly what I need to do that.
And now, for my first measurements.
| Weight (as of 3/18/12): | 154.4 lbs |
| Left Arm (as of 3/18/12): | 13 in |
| Right Arm (as of 3/18/12): | 12 in |
| Chest (as of 3/18/12): | 37 in |
| Waist (as of 3/18/12): | 39 in |
| Hips (as of 3/18/12): | 36 in |
| Left Thigh (as of 3/18/12): | 22.5 in |
| Right Thigh (as of 3/18/12): | 23 in |
Here we go! I am about to embark on a life-changing eight weeks. I have the mantras locked and loaded for when things get tough and the best part of the whole challenge is that my mom is doing it with me so we’ll have each other for support. And, of course, if you have any advice or yummy snack/meal ideas, throw them my way. I am all ears.
This sounds like such an awesome challenge and is something I’ve been considering myself. I’d love to know how it turns out for you and how many changes you make! Can’t wait to see your results! Good luck!
Thanks, Ashley! It’s definitely not easy but I finally feel as if I’m moving in the right direction. I’m excited to see what these next 8 weeks bring for me. Thanks so much for your support!
GOOD LUCK! I debated doing a sugar free challenge as well but I’m not sure I know food well enough to be able to do it! I think I still have a ways to go with cutting certain things out of my life… And I’m still far too dependent on things like coffee.
But you know what? Just because I think you’re awesome and extremely motivational, starting today I will also cut sugar out of my diet in a big way (not entirely like you though) but in the last couple weeks my eating habits have been less than great. Time to get back on track, it IS almost summer and although I don’t have any awesome weddings or cruises to look forward to… I wanna feel good too! Besides, I don’t want to put back on all 8-10 pounds I lost while sick. It’s not the *best* diet plan, but if they’re gone I’d rather not have the pounds back.
I digress. GOOD LUCK. I will try and help keep you motivated! Any time you’re about to grab a cheat food, just text me! Seriously. I’ll be like NO DON’T DO IT. 🙂
Just through these three days, I’ve realized I still don’t know enough but I think there’s a beauty in that. Even though I’ve cut out sugar, I’m still not eating a filling diet. So it makes you aware that everything you WERE eating before was just filling you up with sugar! New perspective. Yikes!
You are #1 on my text list when I want to buy a candy bar. AND I REALLY WANT TO BUY A CANDY BAR!
Good Luck!!
See, I have to eat sugary things because my blood sugar’s been known to get dangerously low. However, if you need a guide of healthy foods to eat, there’s a website called beyonddiet.com that my cousin does. They’ve put a lot of detail into helping you figure out the type of foods to eat to help you lose weight. I watched the tutorial with my cousin and it sounds impressive. Good luck to you on this venture!
I’m just three days into this and believe me, the detox is awful but I’m also wondering if it’s something I could sustain for a while. It’s been really eye-opening to see how much crap I’ve been putting in my body! And I’m sure I’ll learn so much more over the upcoming months!
I’m still in the midst of trying to reduce my sugar intake before I go into sugar shock, but I know you can do this and I know you’re going to rock at it. Wishing you the best of luck and love.
Thanks, Natasha. The support helps so much. 🙂 Detoxing from sugar is tough, but I know it will be totally worth it in the end. And maybe I’ll develop a new lifestyle out of it!
You are a brave woman! I have no doubt you’ll kick butt in this challenge. I know you can do it 🙂 Keep us posted, k? I can’t think of anything yummy to recommend but I am here for moral support if you need it. You know where to find me.
Thanks, Nora! Making myself accountable is the biggest thing and by writing this post, I have to keep it up! I know it will be tough, especially these first few weeks, but I also know it will be 100% worth it. And just being able to say I did it and didn’t give up? That’s better than anything.
I know I’m late, but your blog looks amazing!! I love it!
About the post: I’m so glad you’re allowing yourself a little sugar. You’re being very reasonable and I like your parameters! The amount of sugar in grapes shocked me… I eat a TON of grapes. Especially lately because I’ve been trying to eat all “free” food during the day so I can have a dinner that is around 10 points.
You’re so honest on your blog and I just love that about you! Honest and *brave* I wish I could post my measurements, but I think I would die of horror. I never get on the scale. It drags me down … instead I judge by how my clothes fit. I can always tell if I’m carrying a few extra pounds, but I’m really short! (I think you are too?)
Putting it on the blog and out there in Twitter/Blogland really does work. I’m terrified because I keep talking about this 20K race, and I’ve set the terms, schedule, bought the shoes… everything. What if I fail?! I don’t WANT to fail and look like a total slug to everyone, so I’m hoping that drives me!
Hang in there lady! Now, that we’re both doing WW points system we will have to start trading secrets! 🙂
Again, you are amazing, and don’t let yourself get down! You got this, and I have a sneaky feeling that you’re gonna blow that 16 lb goal OUT OF THE WATER!
Another sugar-giver-upper! Hooray! It is a lot of work… but worth it. My advice is get lots and lots of fruit to substitute for sugar cravings. Personally, my worst time craving sugar is after dinner and it really helps to reach for fruit instead of processed sugary snacks. I feel like subbing fruit for processed sugar is a good step one, because you’re body’s still getting sugar but it’s healthy for you, too. Good luck!
Thanks so much, Cait! My body is definitely in detox mode, but it’s not as bad as I first imagined. It’s a learning process and figuring out how to get the nutrients and “feeling of full” without the sugary crap! It’s amazing how much my body was being sustained on sugar. Scary even!
Gah! Just realized I didn’t resubscribe to your blog so I haven’t been getting your posts!
Good luck with this, sounds like a great challenge. I hope it works out well for you!
Good luck with this challenge! I think it’s good to allow yourself to have fruits… I remember my WW leader always told us to eat as many fruit and vegetables as we would like because no one was over weight because of those 2 things… and your body does need some sugar- especially natural sugar from things like fruit.
Stephany,
Just wondering what you do for breakfast without milk or cereal as an option?
I am about to start the Whole30 program soon and I am a die hard cereal and milk consumer. I think it will be most difficult to give up the milk. I will not be eating grains for those 30 days either. -Thanks in advance! Best Wishes, How are you doing? ? ?
Hm, that would be tough for me. Some weeks, I have whole-wheat toast and a hard-boiled egg for breakfast. (I always try to eat a piece of fruit as my “first breakfast”.) Lately, I’ve been eating Wheat Chex with milk. Since I’m mostly avoiding added sugar, I let myself have milk. So, basically, I can’t help you out at all! I’m trying to clean up my eating more than following a rigid diet, although sometimes being “low sugar” feels VERY rigid, hehe. 🙂 Good luck with your program!