Friday, February 24, 2017

I Gave Up Sugar for 1 Week. Here's What Happened.

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One Week Without Sugar
Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bubby and Bean possible. This sponsored post was written by me on behalf of Prevention.com.

I'm going to come right out and confess that while I generally consider myself to be a healthy person when it comes to food choices, December and January were the worst two months I can remember in terms of letting myself slip with food. I'd worked hard in the fall to shed the rest of my baby weight and increase my energy and stamina by focusing on consuming lots of veggies, fruits, and healthy proteins - and it was pretty easy for me to find the motivation to do this considering we had a beach vacation coming up in early December where I'd be wearing a bathing suit for the first time since before getting pregnant in 2015. But as soon as we returned from our trip and the lure of holiday season treats was before me, I instantly lost all will power and began consuming any and every form of sugar (which is truly my greatest weakness when it comes to food) put in front of me. Once January arrived, I had a full-blown sugar addiction. Winter's awful weather and short days only fueled my cravings, and I was left feeling bloated, tired, and sick. It was time to make a change.

I knew from past experience that the most successful way for me to create new healthy habits for myself is to start small. I'd also recently learned about Prevention.com's #SpreadTheHealth Healthy Habits Challenge, which consists of simple, one-week challenges in key areas (Nourish, Connect, Move, Grow, and Relax) that ultimately have the potential to create more profound, long-term health improvements. So I decided to focus on the Nourish Category and give up sugar for one week. This commitment would mean eliminating all refined sugars and artificial sweeteners, but would also include going without "healthy" or organic sweeteners (evaporated cane juice, honey, maple syrup, etc.). I would also focus on eating whole foods (including fruit, which contains fiber that helps to body to more slowly digest the natural sugars it contains) as much as possible. I'd done clean eating challenges before, but I had never gone from consuming such an extreme sugar-laden diet to completely excluding it from the foods I ate. And in the end, I was quite surprised with the results.
One Week Without Sugar
One Week Without Sugar

You can read all about my experience with eliminating sugar, including the obstacles I faced, the lessons and I learned, and what happened in the end over on Prevention.com. And I highly encourage you, my friends and readers, to join me and take a challenge of your own, then share your experience on social media using the hashtag #SpreadTheHealth. I think you'll be amazed at how greatly a short, simple effort can affect your overall well being!

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7 comments:

  1. I gave up most refined sugars about... two and a half years ago now. Initially, it was painful. But now, aside from a few exceptions - protein bars and whole wheat bread with 7 grams of sugar or less, a Mars bar about once a month and the occasional French-inspired pastry - I don't eat anything with refined sugar and I genuinely don't miss it. But at first, it was totally brutal. Looking forward to reading about your experience because I bet it's going to sound familiar...!
    xox,
    Cee

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  2. This is so cool and something I really need to do as well. I'm headed over to read about it!

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  3. I'm thinking on doing this same exact thing! I read the prevention article. I know I'm craving out of habit but it's a hard one to bust. I know that my eating has gotten out of hand I need to do what you are doing.

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  4. Way to go, friend! I love the idea of these challenges ... it's hard to make major changes, but when done in little increments, it's totally achievable! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. This is really inspiring! Going to check out the Prevention article now!

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  6. That's awesome, Melissa! I don't think I could go without any kind of sugar, although I don't each much of it.
    That photo with the heart lollipop is so cute :)

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  7. this is so inspiring! i am going to take a challenge too, so thank you. :)

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