Spring 2009 12-week "No Sugar" challenge (Page 2)

Ahhhh.  The 'ole accountability factor....welcome!

Sounds like this challenge is going to be tough to win.  I think we've got some determined people in here!  Yea!!

Count me in!!  I wanted to do the last one, but was in the process of weaning myself off of Splenda in my coffee (oh, yeah, plus all the junk I ate during the holidays!). 

I will post my weight as we get closer.  Thanks for putting this on, Sue!

Glad you decided to join us!   I think everybody's waiting to post their weight until we get closer.  I know I am!

Have gained 10 lbs this winter (pretty standard) and am in desperate need of some help   I will be doing the ironman in November, am new to this site, and need to lose the lbs.

 I say this as I finish my peanut M&Ms and think about other junk.  Sugar has a hold on me and need to break the addiction! 

Count me in!

Only problem I have is with sweets, chocolate, etc..... This is going to be probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I would like to be on the spreadsheet.......I promise to tell all truths. :}

Welcome to both the challenge and to BT!!  Nicely put about finishing the peanut M&Ms and still thinking about sugar.  That's the hold sugar has on me, too.  And yet, I feel like crap after eating sugar, so why do I still do it?  We're going to break that addiction and we'll never look back!

You're in!  Get ready to break the addiction...you can do it!!

Sugar hangovers are worse than a good night out.  

I'm in for sure!!! For me, sugar and especially chocolate triggers totally addictive eating behavior.  I've read that it takes 30 days to break a bad habit, so 12 weeks should do the trick!

 Just two questions to be clear - I saw in the New Year's Challenge that honey was allowed in tea.  I have noticed that a lot of otherwise healthy, preservative-free whole wheat breads list honey as the third ingredient, or so.  So do these little granola-like fruit and nut cubes that I buy from Wegman's to snack on.  Would these be allowed w/ the honey exception?

Also, what about Stevia - a natural sweetener from what I can tell?

 Thank you for organizing this one!  I am excited to see what I can do.

Yse, count me in! I have endometriosis and am not supposed to eat sugar anyway . . . but I am COMPLETELY addicted! Ah! My weight, as of today, is 188. Yup.

Is vegan carob allowed? It's natural.

generally, I think the rules are

• pretty much eat what you want if you're going out
• avoid sugar if you can at home as you can (it couldn't be higher than the third ingredient)
• no junk food (pretzles, chips)
• no baked goods (cupcakes, etc)
• 1 mulligan
• you can eat cake for your birthday or anniversary
• no soda, no artificial sweeteners
  
• get your sugars from natural sources (fruits)

Honey in tea = okay, in moderation; but I'd caution you to really think about it.  Is it really necessary?  Will it make you crave sweets?  I'd guess yes and you should really try to avoid it.  (think about the calories...!)

honey in bread - as long as it's the fourth ingredient or lower.  I can't justify allowing it if it's higher.  It might be natural, but it packs a heavy caloric wallop.

Same goes for the nut/fruit/granola bars. 

I don't know what to say about Stevia - group thoughts?  Are you using it to sweeten tea/drinks or for baking?

I'm not familiar with it.  Would you be using it in small amounts to sweeten beverages?

 I think the whole point was to go off anything that had any added sweetener as the 1st, 2nd or 3rd ingredient. I know the original challenge vetoed agave nectar and cane sugar, even though they are also natural. So I would guess that vegan carob is out as well. So while fruit contains natural sugar, it's not an ADDED sugar. You can't take the sugars out of a whole raw apple.

This makes sense - Natural and organic doesn't mean it is healthy (I use this "excuse" often to eat organic chocolate)...

I have been using the Stevia in coffee and tea.  I actually bought a stevia plant last spring, but I couldn't figure out how to use it straight from the leaf, and then it died.  So the powder that you can buy at the store is basically an herb in a powder form and has zero calories.

 Also, I was curious about carob because I had heard of it but didn't know what it was.  I found - "Carob is a tree-grown fruit with its own natural sugars that impart subtle sweetness and a mellow taste. Carob has its own unique flavor characteristics."  It does not have caffeine and is often used as a chocolate substitute.  Sounds like it would fall in to the category of fruit-type sugar, but your call on what falls within the spirit of the challenge, for sure.

 The call on honey makes sense.

I would go with no if you are using it to sweeten tea and drinks.  If you are using it for baking, the rules still apply.  It can't be a "sweet" and sugar has to be low in the ingredient list. 

Very well stated, wurkit.

As such, I'd say that carob is out, as is Stevia. 

I realize we all have different reasons for doing this....but I think the real value of this is to "re-train" our taste preferences to seek out wholesome sources of sugar.  Reach for a clementine vs a candy bar; plain raisins instead of a cookie.  Once our tastebuds "reset" themselves from the added sweeteners, think how much sweeter those wholesome sugars will taste.  (I may be way off on whether this will actually work out this way...but that's what I'm hoping for). 

Also, keep in mind that window of time before and after workouts....if your regular training food has sugar, you can eat it.  That said, however, even though I rely heavily on Fig Newtons and Nature Valley granola bars while training, I plan on giving them up for the reasons stated above.   It's all about re-training your tastes.....

Glad you're joining us!  It seems like a lot of us are looking more to change BF than weight. 

I would be in favor of Stevia or Splenda only b/c I would rather ppl use that then sugar.  A little personal in that I can't imagine not having splenda in my coffee but the point, I thought, was to break free of refined sugar and junk.  Stevia is natural 0 calorie sweetener - I dont personally like it but if that keeps someone from dropping sugar cubes in tea then, to me, it is breaking the sugar cycle.

nope! no splenda or stevia. if you do it, it counts as a ding. I plan on still imbibing in some diet coke on the weekends, and I'll be dinging it.

X2. The point is to avoided added sugars or sugar subsitutes. Artificial sweeteners are off the table too, even though they contain no calories. So stevia and splenda are no-nos.

Only honey is allowed, and in very small quantities. Though it'd be gross in coffee. I am very anti-coffee anyway, so it's not a personal loss, and I can drink my tea without honey or sweetener anyway.