So, in brief, I’m going into this week with the challenge ahead to avoid all added sugar in my eatings.
Why? Well, the summer is dwindling, the salads and ice water appeal is dropping with the temperature and with longer nights and festive parties on the horizon it is the time of year when my waist watching always goes to pot. By cutting out added sugar i pretty much immediately throw out the vending machine snacks that tempt me away from the good and nutritious snack path. A quick, easy diet win. And I need a diet win with bridesmaid fittings and a last minute sunshine blast in Tenerife booked in the not too distant future.
Also, carbs. I love carbs and I tire of their constant demonisation by the dieting community. I’d like to show that if you count your calories and make reasonably clean decisions you can still eat plenty of carbs and be full and happy if you just knock off the excesses, often stealth excesses sneaked into sauces and convenience foods. In related experimentation my weight has not budged for the last month but I have a noticeable increase in spare tyreage which I’m putting down to a lax attitude towards bakery products and crisps where once there were oatcakes and bananas.
I should say this won’t be a massive challenge for me in planning as I have been on a strict very low sugar diet in the past for medical reasons. I know the theory- drop the jars of sauce and the sweets, don’t get into pre made sandwiches or pastas. Meticulously check ingredients lists on anything that isn’t a plant or a lump of raw meat. The theory is easy. The practice when you are hungry or cranky or just plain sick of carrot sticks is the hard part.
So how have I prepared myself? I just ate a swan song cappchino ice cream bar for a start. I also stocked up on salad items, chickpeas, fresh fruit and veg for the week plus avocados and expensive tea to sub in for the kitkats and sneaky soft mints I will not be treating myself with. I’ve told the Mr and now you that I want to do it, opening up to some accountability and I’ve started my diary. I will still log my daily calories and aim to hit roughly 40% of those calories from carbs, just not sneaky added sugary ones.
For the sake of clarity I am dumping anything that has sugar as an ingredient, rather than a natural component. So nutritional sugar in apples, carrots and sweetcorn is fine. Sugar in a bar of dairy milk, not fine. Sucrose, maltose and HFCS off the menu too. Weird milk related additives based on lactose, gone. I have already lost my usual lunchtime cup a soup and had to rule out the pickle jar. No bloody gherkins as there is sugar in the pickling mix and I am not happy about this one bit. Gah. I will also not be going for faked sugar subs either, so no weird fake chocolate no sugar generic diet brand aspartame breakfast bar thing or diet cokes either. In case it didn’t go without saying I won’t be adding my own sugar to anything and honey and agave and the like are no go items for the week.
I take my coffee black and have a fresh packet of apples to hand. I can do this.
Why the hell am I doing this?
Food. Boom. 