This post is all about our 30-day no sugar challenge: why we did it, how we did it, and what we thought about it.
Every year, my husband and I do an eating challenge to increase our awareness of what we are putting into our bodies. For the past couple years we have done a version of The Daniel Plan for 30 days, where we eat whole, unprocessed foods and avoid gluten and dairy. This is how we discovered that my husband Dave has a sensitivity to gluten. In September, Dave shared this video from WheezyWaiter with me, and we decided to do a similar challenge (thanks for the inspiration, WheezyWaiter).
During our past Daniel Plan challenges, we avoided processed sugar and artificial sweeteners, but used natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup, and we allowed 100% fruit juice. However, I do feel that at times we pretty much turned into Pooh Bear, carrying around our honey pot everywhere. “A little honey on this, a little honey on that…”
We thought it would be good to push ourselves a bit more in the sugar category. SO, here were our rules for our no-sugar challenge.
Rules:
- No added sugar
- No sugar substitutes, even natural ones like honey and maple syrup.
- No fruit juice.
Our only source of “sugars” would be from whole fruits and sugars found naturally in foods. Since Dave is sensitive to gluten, we will also be continuing to eat gluten free. Our one-year-old son participated in a “lower sugar” diet, eating what we ate for main meals. We gave him limited amounts of sugar, like fruit juice.
Why did we want to complete the 30-day no sugar challenge? Here were our initial thoughts on why we should do it.
Dave wanted to do the challenge because:
- he’s addicted to sugar
- he knows sugar is an inflammatory
- he wanted to lose some weight
- sugar isn’t good for us
I wanted to complete the challenge because:
- I know that it will bring awareness to what ingredients are in the foods we eat
- it’s easy to become desensitized to sugar
- I know there’s research about sugar and how it’s not that great for us and our brains
- it’s important to do things together as a couple so you can support each other!
We both felt confident that we could complete the challenge since we had completed similar eating challenges in the past and because we generally eat a healthy diet. We don’t drink soda or other sugary drinks. However, we both knew that this challenge wouldn’t be easy. Here’s what we thought would be the hardest:
- Dave: Snacks/being snacky, what to eat
- Alicia: Meal planning and losing the convenience of buying things at the store
The Start: October 14, 2018
We weighed-in and took some initial body measurements. Results will be at the end of this post. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything too significant because we weren’t focusing on exercise, but I was curious to see if anything changed over the 30 days.
I took notes throughout the 30-day challenge. Here are the highlights:
Day 4 – How’s it going so far?
So, I’m surprised that I feel a difference this early in the challenge. So far I’ve been feeling better than usual. Normally at about 2:30 or 3pm my brain feels like it shuts off, like I need to take a nap. Instead, I’ve been feeling more alert in the afternoons and feeling that I have more energy. I’m not really craving sweets yet. We’ll see how the 26 remaining days go.
Dave started off with a debilitating headache on day 2, very likely from sugar withdrawal.
Day 6 – I’m still surprised about my brain feeling alert, though today I did get tired around 4pm (but we ran a lot of errands all day). I actually haven’t been craving ice cream or candy which isn’t typical. Dave is having a rough time so far, with another bad headache on Day 5 and just generally not feeling well.
Day 9 – I developed a migraine after work, however, I don’t think it’s related to the no sugar. Dave wants ice cream.
Day 11 – Dave wants pumpkin bread and a tub of frosting for snacks. We both feel like we feel full more often and maybe even eat less.
Day 18 – It’s Halloween. Would it be that bad if I just had one piece of Halloween candy? Or a brownie? Or both, with ice cream??? (My cravings are here.)
Day 20 – Dave says he’s doing good. I’m doing okay, but a piece of candy would be nice. It’s hard to motivate myself to plan meals and get groceries, but it gets done.
Day 26 – We both still want chocolate. We still feel like we eat less overall and stay feeling “full” longer (normally I have an afternoon snack, but haven’t been hungry until dinner time). While I do think my brain is more alert, I get tired in the afternoons again.
Day 30 – We made it! What now?!? We did our final weigh-in and were happy with our results! We both agreed that we’d like to continue with a lower sugar diet, but that honey, maple syrup, and fruit juice would be okay in moderation. A dessert here and there (with portion control) is fine, too. We’d also like to make exercise a regular part of our routine again!
Day 35: After the challenge – We both had a few pieces of Halloween candy here and there, but today we had our first major dessert since our no sugar challenge. Dave felt sick almost immediately after. It was about 2 hours later for me that my stomach didn’t feel so great. Though it tasted good, our bodies told us we didn’t need it. Dave started a daily 90-second plank challenge and continues to lose weight.
The Results:
Notes:
- We are both huge supporters of getting regular exercise, but with the change to colder weather and juggling life with a toddler, it wasn’t part of our routine for the past 30 days. These changes are assumed to be solely based on the change in our diet.
- We didn’t follow any particular style diet plan except for avoiding added sugar (and gluten). We did allow whole fruits, grains, and dairy.
- At the start of the challenge, I personally was at my typical healthy weight, though I did feel that I could work on increasing the muscle to fat ratio.
And now, drumrollllll…
Dave lost a total of 6.4 pounds. He lost 4 inches around his waist, 1.5 inches from his thigh, and 1 inch around the hips. Four inches is amazing!! I lost 1.4 pounds, and my measurements decreased by 1 inch in the waist and 1 inch in the hips, with my thigh remaining the same. We both could visually see the loss of fat around our waists, which was very encouraging. We were pleased!
Takeaways:
- About 10 days into the challenge, we both felt like we were eating less during mealtimes. We also felt like we were hungry less often during the day.
- Our cravings did not disappear, but it wasn’t too hard to resist sugary foods.
- I initially felt a spike in alertness and energy, but about half-way through I wasn’t noticing the difference anymore (perhaps I got used to the new normal).
- Dave had an initial sugar detox period of time, but then felt good throughout the challenge.
- We both noticed visible changes in our body, especially around our waists, which was especially encouraging.
- The food we ate tasted really good. It took a good deal of planning each week, but it was totally worth it. We felt like we were eating well, and it was delicious.
- After the challenge, we more readily noticed the effects of sugar on our bodies when we had dessert.
How did we do it? What did we eat?
Here’s my 30-day no sugar challenge meal planning post, which goes over everything food related – what we ate, recipes and resources, where I bought foods, and if it changed our food budget. I’ve also started a list of no added sugar or sweetener products that I’ve found at stores – you can find that here.
What does research say about our health and sugar? Here’s my post on what I learned from a book titled The Case Against Sugar.
What do you think? Would you try a no added sugar challenge? Comment below!
