No Sugar New Year Challenge (Page 32)

I am still alive no dings, I don't even look for it, but I feel off the exercise wagon. Which I just got back on today. The food thing is going so well I am toying with the idea of going harder core and trying to go vegetarian for 90 days. I am really nervous about where I will get protein from on a daily basis to maintain muscle. Any opinions ideas? I have just changed my food choices and it works fine. I am down 17 lbs because my caloric intake went up and my exercise was non existense for nearly a week, but I still lost 1 lb during that time.

Ray

I agree.  I am amazed how well it is possible to live life without all the "treats."  I "want" ice cream, but I have managed to survive quite well, still healthy and happy, without it.  In addition to the lack of sweet cravings, the most amazing thing is how easy it is to regulate my food intake/appetite.  I am simply not as hungry as I was before.  I have to believe that the sugar (not so sure about the sugar substitutes) causes me to think I am hungry when I am not. Those feelings of hunger came at times other than mealtimes and I would reach for a non-healthful snack. That, more than anything else, has me nervous about going off the challenge.  

So, I do believe that I am going back to Diet Coke.  I had already gotten to the point of not having one every day and I like the fizz.  They really aren't all that "sweet."  But for everything else....  Because of the impact on appetite I think I am going to limit my intake of "treats" to at night, except on special occasions, like family birthday parties.  If I have a treat at night, it is usually WW ice cream or Dreyers Slow Churned ice cream.   This way I avoid the never-ending treats we seem to have at the office and (hopefully I can do this) avoid the excess food I eat while driving between Southern and Northern California, which I do about once a month.  Five to six hours of boredom eating can just devastate a whole lot of good eating. 

That's my plan.  It doesn't look like I will "win" this challenge because there are other no-ding people who have lost a whole lot more weight than I have, but I already feel like a winner.  This has been one of the most insightful things I have ever done and I thank you Dream Chaser for the challenge.  

I can't believe it.  I checked my BodyFat % last night before dinner and it was 18.0%. That is down almost 5% in three weeks!  Weight is virtually unchanged, so I must be putting on some muscle somehere.  I'll break out the tape measure in two weeks and see what I have lost/gained.

My dings.... pizza on Friday nights.  It has become a family tradition for dinner. Any ideas how to get around it?  I have just water with it.  Used to be I could not have pizza without  Diet Coke. 

I will have to agree with Leah. I feel like I've accomplished a lot in this challenge. Thanks DC. While I haven't seen significant decrease in weight I don't have those energy highs and lows in my day. I find that my meals tide me over longer because I've cut out the sugar and replaced it with longer acting carbs, protein and fat. I'm amazed how long I can go without needing a snack. While I was hungry by lunch I survived through a 5 hour clinic and didn't need to munch, huge accomplishment for me. 

I laughed at Kathy's dream about drinking Diet Pepsi. I had a dream last night that I was drinking lemonade, glass after glass of the stuff, when I realized what I had done I was so upset. I woke up laughing.

oh wow, I just had the hardest 30 min of my life...the teachers had to serve the school lunch today. I was in charge of desserts. Yikes!!!

I'm so proud. I made it out of there with only one slice of pizza.  I still agonize looking at chocolate cupcakes....

Way to go!!

When I'm around dessert I like to tell myself that while it may look and smell good it's probably doesn't taste that good.

I was at the store a couple of weeks ago and they were giving away freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. They smelled wonderful. I avoided the area but passed a woman who had just finished eating one. Her comment "eh ... wasn't worth standing in line for." I still have cravings every now and then but it's fairly easy to talk myself out wanting desserts.

We were talking about this over dinner. I like the look of cupcakes and cake but most of it doesn't taste nearly as good as it looks to me. My kids and husband all disagreed.

Now what temps me is chocolate or ice cream or something with chocolate like Cheesecake with chocolate. I haven't had my mulligan yet and am thinking of using it soon for some yummy desert maybe Valentines day or another time.

Okay People.  Let's update our weights on the spreadsheet with only three weeks to go!!

Let's buckle down for these last three weeks!! 

I got a $100.00 Gift Certificate.  Who wants it?

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pfYL7DR_dx-AbseBP8X53EA&hl=en

I'm so impressed with the weight loss people. Way to go. While my weight isn't down as much as I was thinking my pants are fitting much better and I can see more definition in my arms. I think I have it in me to hold out until the 28th without any dings.

Thanks again for starting this challenge Dream Chaser.

I went up a few...not surprising after last week.

 I couldn't believe I didn't have birthday cake for my birthday...so I had oreos this weekend. I'm counting that as my cake instead. Yay birthday oreos.

Happy Birthday!!

  I was looking forward to my ice cream cake....I think 4 oreos = birthday cake.  and now no more cookies.

Its amazing though, I was doing so well....gotta get back on with the fruit!

The latest thing I had to pass up was chocolate pudding that my daughter made...whole milk from our cow, fresh eggs from our chickens...oh my word, it smelled so good! The whole family laughs at me for wanting to smell their sweets!

And, by the way, I've gone from being so proud of myself for resisting sweet treats to being mad because I WANT SOME DESSERT!!! (I thought we were only supposed to be grouchy about it for the first couple of weeks...that has just hit me now!!!

Husband and I are going on a date this weekend, and I can't have something wonderful like CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE because I used my mulligan for a stinkin' stupid Dr. Pepper!!! 

Nobody wants the Gift Certificate??  Who wants it?

I'm back on the "No Sugar" bandwagon.  I fell off yesterday.  Hard.  I'm back to Full Base Training and my body keeps craving food!  I explained to the wife that we need to just get all the junk out of the house, or if she wants to keep junk food, she needs to keep it in a separate, secret location   So this way when my body says binge! I binge on fruits and veggies and natural nuts ... not swiss candy bars and rochettes

This is about the sixth or seventh time I've fallen off the No Sugar Wagon.  But I'm determined.  I remember when I finally quit smoking it was probably on the four of five-hundreth try.  You know it took Thomas Edison around a thousand tries to finally perfect the light bulb   Never give up.

Me me me me !!

I couldn't agree more.  I find myself struggling more and more lately, I was MUCH cleaner the first two weeks, but I've made so many little changes that are manageable.  I'll never get over my love of chocolate, thats the hard part.  The other hard thing is the tremendous guilt I feel....but I do feel much better that I'm spending my calories on bread or fruit, instead of chips or candy.  Regardless of weight, I'm getting more nutritious food!

I was sad that I missed the start of this one, too, and would like to participate in one for the spring.  I wouldn't mind even chipping in on a gift certificate fund to sweeten the pot and share the cost.  I wouldn't even mind setting it up myself, except that I am very new to BT and don't know how the spreadsheets and things work.  I think it would be really beneficial if someone in the current challenge were willing to moderate so that the group could benefit from some of the questions that came up along the way, and so that the initial parameters are well understood by all.

 Is anyone willing?

Me me me...I hope to drop another 3 pounds and get into the 150s again. I'm amazed how much different I feel and look losing 13 pounds.

I hit the 20 lb mark of weight loss since the start of the contest. And am down 30 lbs, since 12-16-08. I am so glad we did this it really helped me a lot. While I definitely want to win the gift certificate, I think you made weight loss the tie-breaker. To be far we should use a percentage of body weight loss versus straight number I think. This would put Kathy in front of me roughly 7.9% to about 7% just guesstimating. Not sure who else is down big numbers, I do plan on winning, but just wanted to throw that out there. Plus, getting to read Kathy's posts and suggestions have helped me so much. I should probably send her a gift card myself!

Disregard you did put Weight loss percentage in the rules just reread them.

So I am at 7.04%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2nd place I am coming for you!

It will all come down to the final 2 weeks. Yikes next week is a rest week for me..well I get my first day off tri training since 12/25 Still running 14 miles, 3 bikes and 2 swims. Last week I am starting a more cycling build...this week would be 30+30+50+18 miles if I could do them all outside...more than that.

I will need to be good at eating perfectly.

I've gotten my weight loss mojo back and that is priceless. I will be leaner, less body fat and faster at Ironman this summer!!!!

You guys rock!!

I've dinged twice, used my mulligan and have been hovering between 131-132, so I'm out of the running.  However, I am enjoying my newest abs pic!!