Why I've Quit Sugar

Hi I'm Amy, and I was a sugar addict.

For the last few years now, I've eaten a diet that's included lots of cereals, fruit and the occasional piece of dark chocolate. Compared to my diet in my early twenties, this was healthy! Cereals are always marketed as being good for your heart, fruit is packed full of natural vitamins and dark chocolate that's over 85% cacao is a lot healthier than a milk chocolate bar right?

The problem is, these foods are still packed full of sugar.

I had heard about Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar a while ago but had also read some mixed reviews. I decided to find out for myself partly because I was curious, but mainly because I generally want to be free from my sugar addiction. I've always found my tummy to be my 'problem area'. Weight that just didn't seem to want to shift no matter how many core exercises I did. 

I bought the I Quit Sugar: Complete 8-Week Detox Programme and Cookbook and read through the recipes and the outline of the next few months so I knew what to expect. I soon realised that weeks 1 and 2 are already what I have cut out and changed in my diet for some time now, so I started from Week 3 of the programme. 

To get a rough comparison of just how much sugar I was actually consuming, I used a fitness and food app to track my food. I had already been tracking my food before I started the programme and from my diet of fruit and cereals, I was eating between 35-50g each day! Now I'm eating on average between 13-20g a day. 

Previously, I'd been eating fruit to snack on throughout the day at work, so this programme has given me a chance to get creative and find some other ways to enjoy some tasty snacks. Before, I would take an apple, an orange, a banana, some grapes and blueberries and maybe even some cherries on an average day. This is a LOT of sugar to be eating, as despite them coming from natural healthy foods, they still contain high levels of fructose. 

The programme encourages you to cut out fruit at the beginning to help our bodies re-calibrate to a 'clean canvas' so we can clear our system of any fructose, release the toxic build up in our fat cells and ultimately help ourselves to quit sugar and kick those cravings to the ground. Since starting the programme, I feel leaner, wake up earlier and my skin is clearing up. Collectively, I have lost a couple of inches from my thighs, arms, and hip area and about 5lbs in weight. 

Regardless of the number on the scales and tape measure, the main progress and changes inside my body that I'm more concerned about is how I feel. A mere week before I started the programme, I had been struggling to get out of bed before 7am and yet since quitting sugar I have naturally woken up and out of bed around 6am. Perhaps it's psychological. Perhaps cutting down on the bad stuff actually does work this quickly. My ultimate goal is to feel good, increase my energy levels and enhance my focus, so any other positive physical benefits are a bonus to me! 

The I Quit Sugar goal isn't to never enjoy a slice of cake again; it's to help our bodies understand the difference between hunger and cravings, which the body can find very difficult while sugar is pumping around our system. 

It has now been 11 weeks since I first gave up sugar and I don't for a minute regret not eating all the doughnuts, biscuits and sweets that were always available at work! Last week was the first time I introduced sugar back into my diet (something that the programme does encourage!) and I was actually quite surprised. My favourite Cadbury bar didn't taste half as delicious as I remember and I didn't feel any satisfaction from eating it. 

I'm hoping this is the start of a much healthier lifestyle, where I can eat something sweet if I choose to, but I can also stop easily. 

Why Fad Diets NEVER Work

Fad diets do not work. No matter how much you restrict your calories, eat low fat foods or cut out carbs, you will never be able to sustain this lifestyle for long. 

 

About 8 years ago, my Mum wanted to try Weight Watchers and lose some weight. Unhappy with the weight I had put on, I happily decided to join her and so the planning began! We stocked up on cookbooks, bought tonnes of low fat, low calorie foods and were full of enthusiasm. I logged a diary of my weight and began planning what we could and 'couldn't eat' for each day. Looking back, I think my Mum was already beginning to think I was over obsessing about calories but I honestly believed that I had finally found the key to a slimmer, and ultimately happier me. I could encourage and motivate my Mum, and she could do the same for me. It was a win-win situation surely?!

Travel Makes You Richer

"Travel is the only thing that you buy that makes you richer"

Anonymous

When was the last time you truly enjoyed life? When did you last spend the day not mindful of the time, living off of tasks to do or the same old boring 9-5 routine? As my Mum has always told us; you don't live to work, you work to live. 

I remind myself of this saying every now and then just to refocus and gain a little perspective. Life is full of surprises both good and bad. It's one big roller-coaster of ups and downs and we need to push through the bad times and embrace the highs. 

Ever since I was little I have always been fascinated by other cultures; their food, history, weather and the people. Our world is a beautiful and astonishing thing and we should take the time out to enjoy it. There is so much we have not yet even discovered! My own personal goal is to explore the deep oceans, swim around tropical fish and manta rays and play with wild dolphins. I want to learn more and more about wildlife and how we can help save them from a world of ever growing pollution and damage. I know that realistically we cannot all afford to go jet-setting off around the world, but we can take active steps to pave the way for us to make it a realistic goal. 

Next time you are feeling down, lost or fed-up, take the time out to re-think what you want to do with your life. What are you goals and aspirations? Spend more time doing the things you love and your life will be full of richer experiences. Your mindset will change and you will feel so much happier for it. 

Believe In Yourself

Take the time to invest in you; invest in your health by eating foods that will provide you with energy. Take time out to move your body and relax your mind. And most of all - believe in yourself. 

You can achieve all that you want to achieve. It all starts with your own thoughts. Even if you struggle to believe this at first, keep telling yourself that you are worth it because you are! Invest in a little self love each and every day and your thoughts will directly impact your actions. 

I saw the following quote recently and it couldn't be more true. Don't let your life be full of regret. Take that leap over any barriers...you never know you might actually enjoy it ;) 

"Our headspace dictates our perspective...our perspective dictates our experience...our experience is nothing short of life itself."

Andy Puddicombe

Surround Yourself With People Who Encourage And Motivate You

I am a firm believer that no matter how hard you strive to achieve your dreams and goals, it can be incredibly hard, even hinder your success if you have to go through the journey alone.

 

If you surround yourself with people who encourage you to do well, support you to achieve your dreams no matter how big or small and motivate you when it feels like there is a mountain to climb, you will honestly feel a lot more invincible knowing there's an army behind you.



Luckily for me, I have a boyfriend and family who have always encouraged me to follow my aspirations. They just want me to be happy no matter which path I choose to follow and I am so grateful for that. I can only imagine how difficult and heart-breaking it must be when the people closest to you don't encourage you to reach for what you truly want.

 

If you are embarking on a healthier lifestyle like me, please feel free to comment or send me an email; whether you are going through a rough time, need some motivation or just want to chat, I am always here :)

 

The online fitness community can be very encouraging, but it's important to take the right advice and not go down the wrong path. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fitness and health expert (just yet!) but I am in the process of studying Fitness Nutrition and will only ever post advice that is real, scientifically proven and that I follow myself. I sought to gain a qualification so I could eliminate all the rubbish out there and to know once and for all not only for my own journey, but for all of you lovely readers who may want everything you need to know in one place.

 

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comments, and I will endeavour to answer them to support you and your own journey. 

Good Things Come To Those Who Sweat

If you had told me a year ago that I would enjoy exercising, that I would enjoy that feeling of finishing a workout that I never believed I would be able to complete, I would have laughed in your face. 

When I exercise now though, I love the feeling of accomplishing something that is making me stronger, more powerful and most importantly, improving my health and fitness. Each time we sweat through exercise, we are getting our hearts pumping, getting the blood flow circulating and testing our mindsets. We are building up our muscles and improving our strength. 

I have found personally over these last few weeks that by doing the BBG workouts, my strength is already improving. If you're not familiar with the workouts, there are three a week that consist of four sets of movements with reps. These are circuits and you repeat both to make up the four sets. The weeks alternate so you repeat the moves from Week 1 in Week 3, Week 2 in Week 4 and so on. This is brilliant though especially when you repeat the circuits because you notice how much your body and muscles already adapt to complete the movements! 

Everybody's progress is different however, and sometimes you may need to adapt a movement if you are struggling to complete it. After all, any move is improving your form and fitness and you don't want to injure yourself if you are finding something a little difficult. Plus, imagine that satisfying feeling once you can complete it further down the line! 

So if you're doubting your progress, aim to get moving every day. No matter how big or small, every little bit of walking, running, cycling or jump lunges are all counting towards improving your fitness. 

Learn To Love Yourself

We've all been there. You've eaten more than you can stomach and you're feeling pretty guilty. You've worked SO hard to keep on track and now you've gone and blown it on a takeaway. 

It's not the end of the world. Don't beat yourself up about it! As I said above; we've ALL been there and you're not alone. 

This time of the year is particularly difficult. We've just spent the previous month indulging in our own body weight chocolate, mince pies and turkey, and now we're all on a health-kick to start off the new year. The problem is, at first you may be motivated and determined, but once you're a few weeks in your body will naturally start to crave all the junk food you've been recently used to.

Many nutritionists claim it takes us about 5 weeks to drive our sugar cravings away. 5 whole weeks to get rid of any sugar cravings?! Just how addictive is sugar?! But by making small, achievable goals, you will feel far less overwhelmed and a lot more likely to stay on track. I've found that sometimes I set myself huge challenges and then when I don't quite hit all of them, I feel disappointed and annoyed with myself! It seems ridiculous to be so hard on ourselves when we should really be focusing on the positives. By choosing to do a workout when I was tempted to chill out and watch TV. By cooking a healthy meal from scratch when I really fancied fast food. These healthier decisions are what I am ultimately working towards; a healthier lifestyle. Therefore in some respects I have already achieved this by making these changes which can only be a good thing! 

In time, these choices will become healthy habits and will only get easier to make as the cravings wear off. Exercise will become part of my daily routine, and I actually already enjoy cooking dishes from scratch knowing that every ingredient is fresh, clean and nutritious! 

I hope I can encourage you to learn to love yourself, be proud of your achievements and to not be so hard on yourself when you don't quite hit your goals. We are only human at the end of the day, and any progress is good progress. So eat healthily, move your body and remember to treat yourself ;) 

Take A Step Back In Order To Move Forward

For years I had a plan. I was goal-driven, working incredibly hard to get the best results not only in education but in my jobs too. Like most young people, I had my life mapped out, at least for the next ten years or so. 

However, it doesn't always work like that. Life throws curve balls at you and time seems to pass so quickly. It's how we deal with these curve balls and stop stressing or panicking if things don't always go according to plan. 

If you feel overwhelmed by work or money or just in general at the frantic world we find ourselves in, take a minute out of your day to step back. Find somewhere quiet to sit or lay down. Why do you feel so overwhelmed? What is it that you can do to actively change this? Can you talk to a friend or family member to help you? 

Communication is key to friendships and relationships. After all, most problems seem a lot less daunting once they are shared. A heavy burden weighing down on your shoulders can seem unbearable. It can build and build and effect your everyday life. Share the problem. Find ways of overcoming them so that you can get on with your life. That way you are not controlled by it, but you have taken control of the situation. 

"It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it."

John Steinbeck