So it’s time for my last (mostly) sugar-free week of the year. At the beginning of the year when I was making my list of things, I added to do a sugar-free week each quarter. Not sure if I managed to do all 4 quarters.
However, during the course of the weekend I met the most unfriendly scale. You know scales speak in numbers. And the numbers this scale shouted at me. So very rude. SIGH.
In all seriousness, the number on the scale surpassed my warning number. Not a good thing. Turns out high levels of stress and stress eating plus (ahem) being a bit older means that number goes up faster.
Time to fix it. Seems a bit crazy to do a sugar-free challenge the first week of Advent but that’s what I’m doing. I went (mostly) vegan for 30 days one year the day after Halloween so I can do this.
However, in light of the season, I’m allowing myself one small treat each day. So, on Sunday, I did go ahead and get that peppermint latte, a tall (seriously, as much as I love Starbucks, why can’t we just do small, medium, and large? A tall is a small. Pro tip: if you just ask for a small, they’ll just give you a “tall”).
I’ll probably be referring to my sugar free Pinterest board a bit as well. Here’s my loosely conceived plan for my final sugar-free week of 2021.
Parameters of My (mostly) Sugar-Free Week
The reason I’m saying mostly here is because sugar is in everything it seems! And I’m not going to be so stringent as to worry over a gram here or there. Two grams of added sugar in a flour tortilla while annoying is not something I plan to stress over. I have enough stress in my life lately.
- Consume only foods with a sugar content of less than 5 grams (exceptions made for fruits)
- Drink only water and tea. Exception made for 2-4 oz. tart cherry juice, no sugar added, each night (Helps with inflammation and sleep, look it up!)
- Allow myself one bite (square) of dark chocolate if an intense craving hits
- Also, allow myself one small treat a day (does not have to be food related but must be well-thought out and savored if a food/drink treat)
Yesterday and Sunday, went fairly well on the sugar-free try despite the days being a bit stressful. Today things are calmer and ironically, now is when I’m really wanting a junk food type treat. Just plan to stay busy with more Christmas decorating until that passes. Or I decide what kind of proper treat I’d like for the day.
Have you ever tried to go sugar-free or mostly sugar-free? How did that go for you? Any quick tips?