Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away (in the US). I don’t usually open with OMG it’s whatever month already, but seriously, how did this sneak up on me? Because somehow it did.
After months of racing and traveling for races, I was definitely in need of a little reset. And luckily for me, just in the nick of time Laura Pfeifer Wellness posted a 7 day sugar detox in her 90/20 Clean Eating Community (a closed group you can ask to join here).
I am joining Fairytales & Fitness for Fridays with Fairytales & Fitness, a link up for healthy liftestyle bloggers and sharing some thoughts about sugar.
Fairytales and Fitness
Sugar should be a controlled substance!
Seriously, like most addictive drugs, you build a tolerance to sugar, and the more sugar you eat, the more sugar you want. Not only do you want more sugar, but as you consume more sugar, it takes more sugar to make something taste sweet.
Speaking of sweet tasting things, artificial sugars tend to taste way sweeter than actual sugar. Sure, there are no calories in them, but they’re still just priming you crave sweet things. They don’t really do a body good, either.
A reset is the perfect name
With months of higher mileage training, races, and travel, there were treats. Lots of treats. And those treats were definitely showing up in my clothes. Everything fits, but not quite so well as they should.
I do keep an eye on my sugar intake. In fact, when I got back from the retreat, Mr. Judy asked me if I knew that ketchup could have a lot of sugar in it. Then he was puzzled, because ours didn’t have much.
Hmmm, wonder why that is?
Sugar has a tendency to creep up on you. One cookie becomes two. A dessert after dinner becomes dessert after dinner and lunch. Breakfast becomes sweet more often than savory.
Yes, it was definitely time to take a good, hard look at what I was eating and reset that sugar set point. I did not completely ditch sugar, by the way. I did definitely reduce the amount of added sugars I was consuming every day.
Where sugar hides
Sugar is everywhere these days:
- Tomato sauce
- Salad dressings
- Breads
- Flavored Yogurts
- Condiments
- Soups
Sugar gets you hooked, and companies want you hooked. Your best bet is to read labels. Note added sugars and portion sizes — just because it’s a small package doesn’t mean that it’s just one serving per package.
The sweet reward
I am a lifetime Weight Watchers (or Wellness that Works, as they now call themselves) member. That just means that as long as I’m within 2 pounds of my goal weight (which is basically tied to a healthy BMI), I can attend as many meetings as I want and never pay a dime. And for the last five years I haven’t paid anything.
Every long distance race I ran this year seemed to bump up right to the first of the month weigh in (the one that determines whether or not you’re free for the month). For the last couple of months I did have to pay for meetings. I wasn’t much more than 2 pounds over my goal weight, but I was over. Finally, this month, I am free at last.
Of course it’s not really about the number on the scale. It’s about how I feel in my own skin. It’s also about my energy — sugar may give you an instant boost of energy, as most runners know, but in the long run, too much of it will drag you down.
I’ll always have a sweet tooth. I’ll always fight sugar creeping too much into my diet. I’ll never kick it out completely (and I didn’t with this reset, either). Sometimes, though, you have to put on your big-ger girl panties and take a hard look at what you’re doing and how it’s making you feel. And if it’s not making you feel good in the long run, a little reset may be just what the doctor ordered.
Have you entered my giveaway of Couch to Active here? Time is running out! Read my review here — this will make a great holiday gift for someone!
Do you ever think about the amount of sugar you consume?
Where was the most surprising product you’ve found added sugar in?
What is your favorite sweet treat that doesn’t have a lot of added sugar?
Chocolaterunsjudy 
I’ve been cutting way down on sugar and I’ve been rewarded with fewer migraines.
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That must feel really great! But it does cut into the whole baking thing. 🙂 Or at least for me, because I do have to taste!
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I still bake but my “tastes” are much smaller and less frequent.
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We were just talking about how much added sugar there can be in store bought spaghetti sauce last night — as we were making our own. My Dad taught me that a sprinkle of sugar over the top helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes, but the jarred versions have WAY more than that. I’ve gotten a bit sloppy with my eating, but at least I’ve stayed out of the Halloween candy!
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Carrots in tomato sauce will also help to cut down on the acidity.
We don’t do Halloween candy, so that makes that really easy. I don’t make my own tomato sauce, but I do read the labels. 🙂
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I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and since my diagnosis with RA, I’ve gradually cut back on sugar in my diet. I didn’t do it intentionally, but I do notice when I indulge that I get such strong cravings for more, something I never noticed in the past. I also feel really good (knock wood) and I can’t help but think that it’s because I’ve really cleaned up my diet. Don’t get me wrong, I do occasionally indulge, but when I do, it reminds me of why I don’t eat sweets all the time.
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It was first really brought home to me when I did Montreal. I’d forgotten the stevia, which I used to sweeten my tea, but since I wasn’t feeling well I really felt I needed the tea & just drank it unsweetened.
After that I slowly weaned myself off of adding sweetener to tea at all.
You’re so lucky to not have a sweet tooth! Unfortunately it’s in my DNA.
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I always day this but I KNOW I need to cut back with sugar.
Fall is the wort time of year for me when it comes to sweets. I always want to try the pumpkin flavored cookies, the maple pecan cupcakes, and all the fun fall flavored Frappuccinos! Not to mention all the Halloween treats and leftover candy! Uggh!
Thanks for linking up!
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It’s a really hard time of year to get a handle on it, what with the holidays and the shorter days. So the reset just came at the perfect time for me!
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There is sugar everywhere! I think about it all the time and try to avoid the artificial ones as much as I can.
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I actually do think artificial sugars are so much worse, and it seems most people don’t even blink an eye about it. I avoid anything with splenda for instance, but it seems like most people think nothing of it!
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I’m allergic to Splenda. Swerve is the only one that doesn’t give me side effects ! I can’t give them up completely, I love sweet🤣
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I have been making a huge effort the last few years to reduce sugar. As you say, it’s not so easy. It’s in everything and yes it does sneak up on you. Congrats on all of the progress you have made at WW.
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Oh, I’m still a few pounds away from my happy weight, and of course the next few weeks will be challenging, but it was a nice victory this week!
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I really don’t think about sugar at all. I do try to avoid artificial sweeteners and use the real thing.
I don’t have candy chips or any kind of dessert or snacks in the house. I do not bake.
So I reserve that for in restaurants. My hubby will eat fruit or yogurt. Yes everything has sugar. Such is life.
For me is not to overdo eating. It’s not just sugar that puts on the pounds.
If you read Bethany’s latest post. It’s how cares how much you weigh or if you are a little overweight. Just be active and you’ll feel healthier.
No obsession about diets or fixes in Europe.
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I read Bethany’s blog. Let’s just say I agree with some things & disagree with a lot of things, too. I do admire her body confidence.
Overdoing anything can lead to weight gain, of course, but sugar is really sneaky & unlike many other things that will cause weight gain due to overindulgence, it’s not something that we actually need. And much, much more addictive than many other foods.
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Yes. She is confident. I need to be more confident related to body image. I have at least given up on numbers. That do not accurately measure what you look like.
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I started cutting back on sugary foods about 10 years ago. Since Halloween just finished, it’s amazing how much sugar is out there, and what I used to eat. Now I look at things like Sweet Tarts and wonder how I could ever eat so many of those. If I tried that now, I’d get sick.
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Oh, I can absolutely tell you that if I ate the way I did when I was in college or high school, I’d be ill. Live & learn, as they say.
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I used to have a HUGE sweet tooth. I was a dessert every night type of gal. And I didn’t really care about the fact that it was a lot of sugar because I still felt good (as long as I didn’t overeat dessert) and my weight was fine. But for some reason, over the past two years, my sweet tooth has gone away! I rarely have dessert, and if I do, it is literally like one small piece of chocolate. I used to laugh at people that said they had a small piece of dark chocolate for dessert. In my brain, that is NOT a dessert hahaha. Once in awhile I do crave more sweets. Like last night, for some reason, I was craaaaaving chocolate and peanut butter, so I ate a whole Hershey bar and dipped it in peanut butter! It was probably like 500 calories but I didn’t care because my body just wanted it. Right now, in all honestly, I get most of my sugar from veggies and WINE!!!! 🙂
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That’s so interesting that your sweet tooth just disappeared! I wish that would happen to me! I’ve had to work really hard on it. Time was I couldn’t have chocolate in the house at all, but now I have lots & just a bit satisfies me.
You’re doing an amazing job of listening to your body. That’s something I still struggle with!
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It took me a long time. I struggled with disordered eating and exercise for years. I never thought I’d be at the point where I could just eat like a “normal” person. I mean, there are times where I regress a bit, but I am doing so much better. Like last night I had the Hershey Bar and peanut butter and was satisfied and didn’t feel guilty. 4 years ago, I would have been like “well, I just ruined everything, time to eat every morsel of food left in the house”. It was bad.
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I have a horrendous sweet tooth. I stay away from artificial sweeteners, though. I was just thinking of doing a sugar detox….now that my marathon training is done, I need something else to focus on, right? 😉
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