Well as y’all know, my “100 Days Without Sugar Challenge” ended last Friday. It was a tough challenge, but I really loved it and am so glad I did it!
First off, just to recap….I started the challenge on August 1st and it ended November 8th. The only “official rule” of the challenge was to not have ANY sugary treats like chocolate, cake, soda, cookies, muffins, candy, etc.
Yes, I still had foods that contained sugar. I just didn’t have these kinds of foods (with the exception of the chips)…
Yes, it was tough to avoid these foods for 100 days because they are so tasty!
BUT, even though they taste friggin’ awesome, they are seriously so so so bad for our bodies and are just as addicting as drugs and alcohol, IMO.
There was actually a recent study done that showed Oreos are more addicting than Cocaine.
I BELIEVE IT!
That’s why the majority of our country is unhealthy, overweight and probably miserable because of it.
Obviously, cocaine is far more detrimental to your health than Oreos, but it’s interesting to see how strong that addiction is.
Anyway, I’m definitely a lover of sugar. I’m sure I’ll fight cravings and my sugar addiction my whole life. But, that is WHY I did this challenge….to prove to myself that I am stronger than any temptation, craving or addiction out there.
I wanted to strengthen my willpower and take charge of my health. Here’s what I learned…
Results
I lost a total of 6-7 pounds. I am now back down to my normal low weight. I wish I would have lost more, but I know why I didn’t. I will talk about it more in a sec.
I also lost my muffin top, my clothes all fit great and I gained a little muscle too.
I took some “before” pictures, but I haven’t taken my “after” pictures yet. I plan to do that soon. They won’t be earth shatteringly amazing (It’s only 6ish pounds), but I’m hoping I’ll be able to see a difference.
What I Learned
I learned that eating a healthy diet (and sticking with it!) is 90% mental! The other 10% is the physical aspect of not bringing crappy food into the house and then choosing to not put it into your mouth!
Seriously, I just made up my mind that I was NOT going to quit. I can be pretty stubborn sometimes, so I just put on my “stubborn cap” and decided never to take it off.
If I found myself craving a sugary food, I quickly told myself, “STOP thinking about eating that food!” “I AM NOT going to compromise my goals, so why am I even considering it?”
If I was in a place that had lots of sugary goodness around (and that happened often!), I didn’t even think about it. I knew it wasn’t an option, so I didn’t give it a second thought. I didn’t agonize or stew over it and I certainly didn’t think “poor me” or think of myself as deprived.
I thought of myself as strong, capable and determined.
Oh, and this was the first Halloween season in my life that I didn’t have a single piece of Halloween candy.
I was pretty happy ’bout that.
I also learned that it’s not too hard to resist yummy, sweet foods UNLESS I’m hungry! When I’m full, I can resist crappy food all day long. BUT, hunger is a POWERFUL force not to be messed with. I knew I had to be extra diligent when I was hungry.
I tried to recognize when I was hungry so I could eat something healthy and calm the hunger demons. I also had some “legal” sweet things that I allowed myself to eat.
The Sweet “Legal” Foods that Helped to Keep Me on the Wagon!
Throughout the challenge, I kept several sweet foods on hand that I would eat when a sugar craving hit or when I just needed something sweet. Some of the foods were very healthy and some of them really weren’t.
All of the foods definitely saved my bacon. Here are my favs….
Fruit Leathers!
These are so good (I buy them at Costco.) They are 45 calories each and contain 100% fruit and no added sugar. These were probably my #1 “go to” sweet snack.
Bananas with peanut/almond butter.
I LOVE bananas with peanut butter and could eat them every day! This is also a great snack because it’s sweet, but it’s filling, nutritious and satisfying too!
Coconut Chia Seed Protein Balls
These are made with all healthy ingredients, but they do have honey in them. They are so good, but it’s really easy to overdose on them. SO if I did eat them, I limited myself to two. You can click here for the recipe.
Graham Crackers/Goldfish Grahams
These were probably the “least healthy” snack I ate, but I decided at the beginning to make them “legal.” I only had a few small rectangles or a small handful of the goldfish grahams at a time. The serving size for the goldfish grahams is 35, but I would usually only have about 10-15.
Greek yogurt/Protein Pudding
You have to be careful with yogurt because all yogurts are definitely not created equal! I love Chobani and Fage brands because they use real and quality ingredients. It’s best to use plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with fruit, honey, etc, but I LOVE Chobani Raspberry.
I also LOVE protein pudding. I use plain Fage yogurt in it and it’s wonderful. You can click here for the recipe.
I had other snacks that I enjoyed as well, but these were definitely my most common. I LOVE them all!
Why I Didn’t Lose More Weight
Mmmm Kay, I’ve told you guys that I’m a slow learner. I figured out about 2 months into the process that I was eating entirely too much crap. I ate healthily most of the time, but I definitely snacked and indulged too much (on non sugar foods) on the weekends. I talked about it in this post if you’re interested.
I lost 2-3 pounds within the first few weeks of the challenge, but then my weight loss came to a complete halt. That’s when I decided to take it up a huge notch and cut out all fried foods, white flour and most processed foods. I lost another 2 pounds within a week and could actually see a difference in my body.
Sadly, I piddled out the last week of my challenge and went back to eating my normal “healthy, yet sometimes crappy” diet.
I know if I would’ve cut out the white flour, fried foods and most processed foods for the entire 100 days, I would have had AMAZING results! That’s extremely hard to do though, dang it.
But, one thing I definitely learned from this challenge is you get out what you put into it. When I busted my butt for a couple weeks, I definitely SAW and FELT the results. But, when I slacked a little, my results slacked. Go figure.
Did I Cheat At All?
Other than one small issue, I didn’t cheat at all! I did have one bowl of Froot Loops, but I didn’t count it as a treat. I decided not to make a habit of it though, and only had them one time.
I went to Chick Fil-A twice during the challenge. If you dine in the restaurant, they come around and bring you dinner mints. I ate the dinner mint both times (gasp!)
Soooo, other than those two small indiscretions, I only had one full blown issue.
Ya….during the LAST week of my challenge I had a lemon bar! Dang it. My daughter made lemon bars and I really wanted to try one. I hadn’t had a lemon bar in years, so I decided to take one small nibble. Well, that small nibble turned into several small nibbles and I probably ended up eating an entire bar.
Super lame. My daughter said, “you better put that on your blog!”
So, I am.
Little stinker.
Yes, I was sad I faltered at the finish line, but I’m still very happy with how I did as a whole. Ya know, that last week of the challenge was definitely my hardest!
Isn’t that weird? It reminded me of running….if doesn’t matter if you’re running 5 miles or 25…that last mile is always the hardest.
Well, that’s my challenge in a nutshell. I learned so much from it and I’ll probably do it again. The main thing I learned from it is I can make my life what I WANT it to BE!
If I want to lose weight, I CAN!
If I want to tone up and gain some muscle, I CAN!
If I want to eat a healthy diet, I CAN!
If I want to stop eating sugar (or any other bad food), I CAN!
If just depends on how bad I want it.
I also learned to NOT give up! Healthy living is a lifetime process, not a destination. You just gotta keep on trudging along.
Well, I’ll be quiet now. Here’s an awesome quote I’ll share with y’all…
Have a great night! Love you all. xoxo
Congrats for a job well done! A while back, I committed to 7 days without sugar, which easily turned into more than a month without the sweet stuff since I was getting such good results and feeling fabulous. Since the holiday are coming, me thinks I’ll challenge myself again with no sugar AFTER Christmas. hehe
I was just thinkin’ the same thing…I want to start another challenge of some sort after Christmas for sure!
You go girl! You are so inspiring! Thanks for being a motivating factor in this tough journey we’re all in together!!
Thank you so much! Living a healthy lifestyle all the time is tough (and pretty much impossible for me!), but it’s so nice to know we are all in this together!
Great job. I am currently giving up gluten and am realizing that I am finding other ways, besides cookies, cakes, etc. to sneak junk in and need to stop it. I need a bit of your will power.
I hear ya….if there is a loophole to be found, I will find it! I struggle with willpower all the time, but for some reason it’s a little easier when I do some sort of mega challenge. Weird, but it works!
I think you did an awesome job – I’m sure that I would have had a few more things that I would have to “allow” myself.
And – for the record – I think you look great!!!
Thanks so much, you are so nice. I wish I could have gone 100 days with absolutely no sugar at all, but I think I would’ve been committed to the funny farm, lol!
It’s funny that you referenced the oreo article. I saw that too and forwarded it to my husband because he is an oreo addict. I’ve known for years that it was as similar an addiction as drugs or alcohol, I didn’t need a scientific study to prove it. All I had to do was reference the few times he has actually left the house at 8 or 9 pm to go to the store and get oreos because I forgot them on my shopping trip. Seriously. Fortunately, my husband is also a marathon runner and his nightly oreos don’t even come close to matching the calories he typically burns in a day, but still. Yeah, sugar is bad and is a true addiction.
That’s funny about your husband! That is fortunate he’s a marathon runner…it’s amazing how many calories they burn. 😉 Sugar is definitely a strong and very real addiction, dang it!
Glad to see Honey Grahams on your list, I like these as my “kind of cheat” snack.
I know, grahams are so good! 😉
Wow!! I am so glad I’ve found your blog!! So inspiring!! I decided a little over a week ago to cut out refined sugar (except for rare special treats) for various reasons… 1. it’s addictive 2. I have really bad insomnia and I’ve found research linking refined sugar to sleeping problems… Anyways, thank you so much for sharing all this!! So motivating!! Just wondering do you plan to eat sugar again? Do you still crave it? When you broke the sugar fast (if you did) did the food taste overly sweet? Thanks again!!
Sincerely, Cailee!
Thanks so much! Good for you for cutting out refined sugar. I know it’s so hard! When I go off of sugar and all refined carbs, I definitely notice an improvement in my sleep. I sleep like a baby and it’s pretty miraculous. Yes, I’ve already eaten sugar again. I took last weekend off and felt so sick from the sugar I ate. I wish I could just never eat it again, but I know I will always love my favorite treats. I’m sure I’ll always crave sugar too. However, when I cut out most refined carbs from my diet, my cravings go WAY down. It’s too bad carbs are just so dang yummy!
I love to read your blog! I am a young mommy with an unhealthy family history. i’ve changed history in my own life. It’s not a quick fix, for sure. My family always asks me why I am not like the rest of them. If I was less diplomatic, I would say because I want it badly enough… I am loving my journey and enjoying treats along the way. Way to go in completing your challenge!
I especially appreciate that you enjoy good food. I love reading your recipes. I’m converted to almond milk 😉 (especially Silk’s Dark Chocolate-hahaha…)
Thanks for sharing your journey with the world!! I sure enjoy following along!
Awww, thank you so much! I’m so impressed you’re changing your family health history all on your own. Good for you. I’m sure it’s not easy. Hopefully, some of them will decide to follow you too. Keep up the good work! 😉
I’ve done sugar detoxes a couple of times. One thing I thought was interesting is that when sugar was introduced to the US, it was grouped with all the other white powdery substances, just like a drug. I notice that when I cut out sugar, my hunger levels go down. I think it is the other good stuff that fills me up more than the sugary stuff. Anyways – thanks for the post!!
It really is frightening how much sugar is just like a drug! I totally agree with you…when I’m eating well, my appetite goes way down. BUT, when I start eating junk and sugar, I can’t seem to get enough. Auuughh.
That is so great that you were able to do that! My friend and I were just talking about taking on a challenge in the new year and starting it off with a cleanse! If you have any good suggestions, please send them my way!
Thanks so much! I actually have some big plans for the New Year! I’m thinking of eating a 100% clean diet (my own version) for 30 days. I know it will be tough, but I really want to do it. I’ll definitely post the specifics when I finalize everything. You should do it with me!
You are awesome girl!! I’m so amazed at how well you did…even with a couple slips, that is so much better than MOST! I wouldn’t worry too much about the 6-7 lbs because seriously, it really is more about how your body changes and looks and that doesn’t always necessarily reflect on the scale. You look amazing, lean and fit so obviously your choices work! I totally agree that sugar is like a drug, it is a domino effect. I LOVE sweets and I will always love them, I enjoy them and I just love to create and bake, but I do my best to use whole ingredients and REAL ingredients and consume absolutely no processed, artificial ingredients and try not to overdo it anyways and that keeps me in check and really does make a difference compared to the old junk I used and limiting my intake. I make a lot of things and give as gifts so I don’t eat them all myself, lol!
Thanks so much for your encouragement…it really means a lot to me. I love healthy treats because I feel like I can “have my cake AND eat it too!” I have a bunch of healthy treats I’ve been dying to try, including a bunch of yours!! Yum. 🙂
I LOVE this post! It made me laugh out loud and nod my head! I CAN TOTALLY RELATE to nearly everything you said. I esp love what you say at the end. It’s so motivating. I am keeping this post forever. Thank you!!!
Ha ha ha, thank you so much!! I actually just read that post again and it makes me want to do another 100 day challenge. They are always hard, but I’m always glad I do them. I definitely let the sugar creep back into my diet over the holidays and I’ve been having a hard time keeping it out every since! Auuughhh! I wish you all the best!
Thank you for sharing your journey!! I’m about to start my own sugar-free challenge, but was feeling super intimated by other bloggers who went to sugar free extremes. As a young professional in a big city, it’s very unrealistic for me to meal prep three times a day and obsess over every tiny ingredient on the nutrition label. Your blog post gave me hope! I love your practical approach to the challenge and your persistence 😀 all the best to you!
Thank you so much for your comment! I wish you all the best on your sugar-free journey. It is so easy to get intimidated by all the extreme and hard core stuff on the internet. However, I’ve found I have the best success when I make my challenges and lifestyle practical, livable and doable! It helps me stick with it for the long haul.
I am taking up the 100 day No Sugar Challenge by today and will post the results on the comment
My finish date is 6June2019
Yay!!!!! <3 Good for you!!! I hope you love it and feel awesome. Yes, let me know how you do!!!