Staying Low Sugar Post Challenge

The sugar free challenge has been a struggle for me, I cannot lie. So I reached out to someone I respect who can provide all of us with more great information on recipes, ideas and ways to continue eliminating unnecessary sugars from our diets.

I’ve been following Amanda on Run to the Finish for years, so I was immensely honored when she asked me to guest post. My name is Alisa, and I run the website www.GoDairyFree.org (Yes, that is my job! I’m a lucky girl). I also blog recipes and food at www.AlisaCooks.com, and I’m working on getting into the swing of things at my other blog www.DairyFreeandFit.com.

Sugar-free challenges are fantastic, and my huge congratulations to all of you who are giving it a go. I did a 10-day sugar-free challenge several months ago and learned a ton about myself. The number one life lesson was that I am truly a “sweet” person when it comes to taste buds. Like someone who loses 50lbs on a crash diet, only to gain it back plus more, I found sugar quickly creeping back into my life and perhaps reaching an even higher percentage of my diet post-challenge.

To clarify, my philosophy on what constitutes sugar is pretty much the same as Amanda’s. To me, sugar-free means no added sweeteners. You can read my post outlining this, but in summary, my definition of sugar includes agave, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, etc. I do feel some stevia is okay, as it really is an herb, and should be treated as a flavoring agent (trust me, too much is just nasty!) and whole fruit is a-okay and encouraged, though I do try to avoid fruit juices, per this guy (this video is a must watch!).

Now, let’s get to the nitty gritty - how to have lasting results after a sugar-free challenge. Some of you can adapt to sugar-free without a problem, and much prefer bitter and salty tastes anyway. I’m jealous. Those of you, who are like me, may think you have conquered the sugar beast with this challenge, but without a post-challenge action plan, you will gradually fall right back into your old habits time.

For you, I have the … Post Challenge Analysis & Plan (or Low Sugar Plan – for those of you who didn’t join in on the sugar-free challenge)

1. Assess how much added sugar you were consuming daily pre-challenge. Do not forget anything – what you add to your coffee, how much is in that “energy” bar, jams and spreads, sauces, sweet snacks or desserts, drinks, etc. Did you know that even sushi rice contains loads of sugar? Yes, it is everywhere. To help give you a rough estimate of how much you intake, each teaspoon of sweetener has approximately 4 grams of sugar.
   
2. Set a sugar allowance. Post challenge I thought, “Okay, I’ve done sugar-free, now I will just eat less sugar naturally, right?” Wrong. Sure my taste buds were craving less sugar the first week off the challenge, but with each passing week they adapted back to their old ways. To create a long-term strategy for myself, I researched what is a healthy amount of sugar to intake in a day. According to this guy (yes, he's back), if you consume less than 1/4 cup of added sugars in a day (he lumps fruit juice, but not fruit, into this too) then you are doing pretty good. I know many of you are balking at this number, but you may be surprised. Reference back to #1 and keep in mind that a can of Classic Coca Cola contains almost 1/4 cup of sugar. Just one 12-ounce can. But, like most of you, I felt that based on my answer to #1 (which was already around 1/4 cup per day on average since I drink just water and herbal tea, but I do have to test recipes and review several products that contain added sweeteners), I could do better. So I set my goal to no more than 2 Tablespoons of added sugar (including honey, maple, agave, etc.) per day, with one “cheat” day per week. I don’t plan my cheat day though. I let it happen naturally. Some weeks I don’t have a cheat day at all, and some weeks I may have two. Such is life. As long as I stay on track, I’m happy.
   
3. Keep a sugar journal. I simply add up how much added sugar I’ve had in a day (in teaspoons or tablespoons), and write it down to keep myself accountable. You won’t need to track your sugar intake forever. After a while, assuming the sugar number you have set for yourself is sustainable for your lifestyle, it will come naturally. If you notice that you are slipping into periodic sugar comas, just revisit your allowance and journal. No regrets, just reset.
   
4. Don’t be hard on yourself. I love sweet, and the sugar-free challenge was actually a little piece of torture for me. Straight up, that’s why I didn’t join all of you on this challenge. A huge part of health is happiness. Challenges are great, but unnecessarily forcing a strict diet over the long term can make life difficult and less than pleasurable. You can reap wonderful health benefits with a sugar-low diet, and it is far easier to maintain. So let yourself enjoy some of that chocolate guilt-free.

To help keep my sugar intake down, but my carb cravings in check, here are just a few simple sugar-free recipes that I enjoy often:

• Breakfast-Worthy Banana Bread (pictured below)
• Grain-Free "Brownies"
• Soft-Serve Style Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Mexican Chocolate "Shake"
• Apple Cinnamon Dutch Babies

If this post doesn’t inspire you and help you realize that we can still enjoy many great foods without sugar…you are even more addicted than I am! Thanks to Alisa for some amazing information and a post that I will be bookmarking!!
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