How cutting out refined sugar changed one woman's life
How one woman cut out refined sugar, lost weight and went on to run marathons.
Photo: boegh/flickr The first week was utter garbage. I wanted cookies and brownies SO badly. Sugar is so far ingrained into our blood streams between the refined sugar/corn syrup/random “extrin”s, as I call them — of course we crave it. It’s in basically every single processed food, right down to turkey meat and spaghetti sauces. But I lost 10 pounds within the first couple of weeks just by saying goodbye to dessert. I wasn’t even hardcore yet back then — I was still eating processed foods like boxed dinners and frozen meals.
What difference has it made in how you feel?
I feel … great. Much more energy than I used to have. As I said, I started with just nixing dessert. Which branched into not buying frozen meals, and instead cooking my own meals and freezing them. Which branched into shopping the perimeter of the grocery store (produce, meat, dairy), with stops in the center aisles only for pasta and oatmeal. Once my energy levels were so high, and my moods started stabilizing, and my body started responding by shedding the extra weight… I thought, “OK, what next?” So I started training for a 5K. Then a half-marathon. Then a 25K (15.53 miles). Right now I’m a team leader for a run camp here in Michigan, training for the very first Kalamazoo Marathon in May of 2010! (P.S.: first person from every state to register gets free registry and a free pair of shoes! Google it up!) I recently started playing with buying/eating all organic food; it’s expensive, but worth it to eat chemical/pesticide-free foods! I’ve noticed that between the foods I buy, the daily multi-vitamin I take, and the exercise I do … I hardly EVER get sick. You know, it’s exciting that a whole world of opportunities has opened up to me, and all I had to do was change the way I eat. I just feel so confident.
Favorites are bananas, pineapple and mango. Of course, those all have natural-occurring sugar, but they also have a host of vital nutrients. I also like SUPER dark chocolate, 85 percent or higher. Lindt and Green & Black are favorites! Just stay away from artificial sweeteners. I used to make the mistake filling up on “sugar-free” candies and ice creams, because they were sugar-free. But they aren’t really danger-free; they are full of chemicals, and send a signal to your brain similar to sugar … they’ll royally screw your body over.
Be prepared for it to suck at first. Be prepared for people to judge you. Be prepared to fall at least once (maybe a few times). But also be prepared to feel great. Be prepared to lose weight. Be prepared to expand your world. Be prepared to finally have a grip on your own life, instead of the food you eat having a grip on it.
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Comments
I read about a hundred blog posts a week and i tend to only comment on a couple of of them, this is 1 of them.
I removed gluten from my diet and have never felt better: More energy and great mood. Then a year later I removed dairy: My lungs feel clearer and bigger than ever, breathing is easier. I haven't had the will to remove sugar, i love it, but maybe I should....
I gave up high fructose syrup - not as hard core as all sugar but still difficult. This was a couple of years ago. I had to read everything to see if it was something I could buy and eat. Back then, it was in almost every bread and snack food. I found I didn't need as much sugar to sweeten things and it became easy to turn down sweets. I just don't crave them the way I used to.
Sugar is sugar and your the body does not distinguish table sugar from sugar in fruit. Just don't be a gluton, duh. It's quite simple. Don't give up the joys in life. It's quite simple - balance, variety, and moderation.
A reasonable amount of ANY sugar will not hurt you. There is no evidence that processed sugar is worse than fruit sugar. Of course you must do what you have to to get healthy and if the only way you can do it is to convince yourself processed sugar is bad then go for it. But I have yet to find any scientific evidence of that being true. Is there some actual evidence of this somewhere? Empirically tested and all?
Watch the Video "The Bitter Truth". The Dr. addresses the idea that natural sugar is in fact the same refined sugar but less dangerous. The key difference is that natural sugar in fruit comes with fiber and nutrients that slow down it's processing in the body. The other key point is that sugar in it's various forms is being added to all processed food in huge amounts even things you don't suspect ( applesauce, bread, fruit drinks, peanut butter ) .
I did a sugar free diet for almost 2 years (a while ago) and I felt great! You only know that you can feel better than you do now if you experience it. My skin was so soft and smooth that I didn't need any skin creams. My eyes turned green instead of brown. i heard later that when you clean up your system your eyes go to their natural color. I can highly recommend it! I lost that way of eating, slowly got back into the habit of eating sugar. At first it tasted horrible, too sweet! Now I am.... More
