25 Day No Added Sugar Challenge

 25 days of April, no added sugar. Well, almost. The No Added Sugar Challenge of 2021, from April 6th, through to the 30th. 

I would consider this a successful challenge for myself. Although there were cheats here and there, this challenge provided an awareness to my eating habits, that was dolefully neglected. That is on me. Complacent, lack of awareness, lack of knowledge, lack of understanding. I will say all of these had a part. Stress may be another factor, but again, that is also on me, and my choices. 

I decided to take part in this challenge, at first thinking I don't eat that much sugar anyway, so easy breezy right? Well not so much, especially in the first couple of weeks. Day 1 I started to look at Everything I consumed, and traced and tracked how much sugar was in all of it. The results surprised me - quite a bit.  Not realizing that sugar is in Everything, really everything - that is prepared anyway. I also realized how much prepared food I do consume. In today's world of the hustle bustle, gotta be here, gotta get there, there is very little time. Time to prepare, to investigate, to experiment. 

So I managed to cut down the prepared foods, make more meals at home, with leftovers for lunch, and was able to cut down the sugar - a lot. I cut out my coffee creamer, and my sweet tooth snacks. As I said, there was a few days of cheating in there, but nothing too substantial. I managed to eat less than 10 grams of sugar in a day (this was all sugar in food or drink already) for most of this challenge. I lost some weight, and I gained a much healthier eating attitude. 

I plan to continue on this path. Even grocery shopping today, our cart was not filled with the regular sugary treats, and snacks. The honey and cream in my coffee has even grown on me. No more coffee creamer. I think that alone was half of the sugar intake in a day. I will still treat myself once in a while, but it will no longer be 3 or 4 times a week. I will keep it at 1 or 2. I know there will be one off weeks, but I won't let this to become a habit again. 

I feel good, I feel healthier, and I feel a great accomplishment. This continued path will be a life changer, and I am most looking forward to it. 

Thank you Miss Ward for the challenge, for the lifestyle change, and for inviting us all to take part. I am grateful!