Refined Sugar and Me -- Let's Check in on Week 2

It's Monday, so let's check in for week two of the limiting refined sugar challenge of 2017! How's everyone doing so far?

Here: I'm down 5 lbs (!) from where I started doing this on December 30, but that has kind of stalled out. This was pretty much what I expected, though, after my last abortive try at this -- after everything settled out I was losing more like a pound every week or two. But aside from that, I feel good. The stabbing withdrawal headaches and hunger pangs of week one are gone, I have more energy and fewer headaches overall, my digestion is better, and I'm no longer getting that exhausted mid-afternoon slump.

• See also: Week One of Refined Sugar and Me in 2017: The Experiment Begins.

Your questions, answered

Here's what you've been wondering so far -- and if you have more questions, please do ask them here as we continue to figure this out together. 🙂

Is the whole family doing this?

A couple of you asked if the kids and MashupDad are also avoiding refined sugar in the New Year. The short answer is: No. The longer answer is: MashupDad is figuring out what it is he wants to do. The kids will naturally eat less added sugar as time goes on because: I do most of the cooking around here, and as they eat down what's already in the pantry I'll be paying more attention to food labels when buying replacements. But I'm just starting with myself, here. One thing at a time.

Why not just give up carbs in general?

I am aware that sugar and carbs tend to go hand-in-hand, but: First off, it makes more sense to me, both from my own experience and from the reading I've done, to worry about added and hidden sugars than it does to worry about natural sugars. I've watched MashupDad go on and off low carb diets that don't let you eat an apple, a carrot, or beans, and there is no way in the world that is ever going to work for me or seem like a natural way of eating.

Secondly, I know myself. If I try to give up all carbs, I'm setting myself up to fail -- as much as I love sugar itself, I love bread and potatoes more. But one thing? One thing, I can do. I gave up a three-cans-a-day diet Coke habit over three years ago, so already know that I can handle one thing.

Lastly, avoiding refined sugars in itself means avoiding a lot of processed and packaged foods. Even if I never lose another pound doing this, I feel better eating mostly real foods -- and will avoid all of the other stuff hiding in processed foods, to boot.

Have you watched Fed Up?

I have indeed watched Fed Up, and highly recommend it. The documentary is currently available on Netflix, or you can probably pick it up at your local library.

What do you do when you get cravings for chocolate or {insert your favorite sugary food here}?

As I type this, I'm eating blueberries ($.99 a pint at Caputo's!) and sea salt popcorn (which I've been buying in big bags at Costco). Yes, I'm buying popcorn in bags -- as long as it's minimally processed and contains just popcorn, sea salt, and oil. Here's what I have found: Every 2-3 hours I try to snack on something with protein, good fats, and/or fiber, such as nuts, cheese, popcorn, apples, avocado, or hummus. When I fill up on healthier snacks, I'm much less likely to overeat at meals -- and am more successful at staving off cravings for the things I don't necessarily want to be eating.

When I start craving a certain food, it also helps to try to step back and try to figure out why I want that food in particular. I don't miss chocolate as much as I miss ice cream -- but when I really started thinking about it, it wasn't the sweetness of ice cream I was craving so much as the creaminess and the mouthfeel -- so I had some avocado, and it actually helped. If I realize I really just want something sweet, I'll have something like a cut up apple and a little cheddar cheese, or some blueberries and popcorn.

Ten days in, I'm also noticing that fruits and veggies are just beginning to taste naturally sweeter when they're no longer in competition with sugary desserts and the HFCS and its equivalents that hide out in a lot of processed foods.

So, that's me this week

How are you doing on your own healthier eating plan so far -- and what have you found that helps you stay on track? Follow the whole Refined Sugar and Me series here.