Today marks the weekiversary of giving up refined sugar and alcohol. I have one or two big life events coming up – namely a hen do (or gathering of the vixens as I’ve named it) and what inevitably follows unless the hen went catastrophically: a wedding. Yes, not content was I to turn half a century old mere weeks ago, but I was to embark upon married life for the first time with my partner of several years.
Better late than never as they say. So following my birthday celebrations which involved cake and fizzy wine in substantial quantities, I have decided to leave off the empty sweetness of refined sugar and the intoxicating powers of the booze until said vixen/hen and then again until our nuptials.

I’ll be honest. I might know a thing or two about good nutrition – I know my way around a rainbow
quinoa salad like the best of them – I also have a sweet tooth and I have always been fond of a drop. After all, like most humans, I find it as difficult to resist the high calorie sugar and fat-fests of our modern diets as anyone else. I am not a saint, a purely clean eater, or anything that might help me to practise what I preach all of the time. Indeed, I am a firm advocate of the 80:20 rule. Eat well and healthily 80% of the time and go for 20% naughty.

Like many of us over the summer, my partner and I found ourselves in the frozen ice cream section of the supermarket. And we also discovered an excellent local gelateria. Add to that an amazing birthday cake and…well, let’s just say I was starting to dumpling-out my clothes.

I don’t want to overstate it. I DO eat loads of fresh, organic vegetables. I exercise daily. It could be worse. But still, I don’t want to enter my fifties in a metabolic mess and my tongue was starting to go furry because of the sugar. I also had an ulcer on it – another sign of sugar overload. Sugar competes with vitamin C and will win every time. Low vitamin C can equal mouth ulcers. It also increases inflammation in the body and I have a bit of that too. And it cannot be good for my battle with chronic urinary tract infections. And besides, I was starting to feel lousy – sluggish, fuzzy, bloated etc.

So I made a little pact with myself. Removing refined sugar doesn’t mean removing ALL sugar. My rule is – nutritional value, not empty calories. Thus, fruit is fine. Melon, and yoghurt with berries, has replaced ice cream for dessert. Honey is a grey area – it has some health benefits – it is anti-inflammatory and contains antioxidants – but is still pretty much a pure sugar. I have had it, sparingly, a couple of times this past week. No maple syrup though. Sugar has crept in via chocolate sprinkles on my cappuccino when I didn’t ask for it. I am not a purist – I’ll live. Also, I tried a sip of my partner’s beer. Those were my only ‘cheats’. Note, giving up refined sugar is not the same as all sugar. I haven’t cut carbs. It’s not a keto diet. It’s way easier than that. But I can’t remember the last week I’ve had without cake, or a biscuit, or chocolate, or ice cream, or some kind of dessert, so it is a marked shift in dietary habits.

So what can I say one week in from abstinence of these two ‘vices’? The first few days were hardest. I craved something sweet and naughty and looked longingly at the gluten free carrot cake my partner had in the fridge. But I didn’t cave. The more sugar you have, the more you want. One week in, I am not needing my ‘sweet fix’ after lunch and dinner or in the evening in front of the TV. Oh yes, all of the bad habits had crept back in. When I was in need of a snack, I ate oatcakes with nut butter (filling) or a piece of fruit. I have had some crisps but I am now finding I even want these less as the evening snack craving has declined. So far so good. It is only a week after all, and perhaps I shouldn’t get so excited, but I am optimistic about the sustainability of this far-less-sugary me!

I haven’t craved alcohol particularly, instead opting for kombucha or Mother Root with soda water. I had an alcohol-free beer at the weekend at the pub and felt better for it afterwards. I didn’t feel deprived but then I was just out with my fiance. If it had been a larger social event, I might have felt differently, but I have given up alcohol for short spells before so I know it is possible.

I have felt less yucky, less bloated, my clothes feel a little looser (yes, already), and the weekend was more productive as I didn’t have a hangover for ANY of it! My sleep has also been sounder. Thanks to less evening snacking, my eating window has also reduced, giving my body more time for rest and repair. And my tongue is ulcer-free and a better, pinker colour instead of sporting an off-putting whitish coat. I am not having quite such pronounced hangry moments either which has improved my relationships (lol). And my skin is a little clearer. I am also thinking about food less, giving me time to think about other things. Haha.

So there we are. One week of this and a proper goal in mind. I know I will enjoy my gathering of the vixens and eventual wedding far more for this period of abstinence. Who knows? Perhaps this will herald a new sugar-free as the norm existence? We shall see.

I think if nothing else, this period of relative abstinence from things in the ‘naughty’ camp proves that it is easier than one might think to give up refined sugar, particularly if you have more nutrient-rich alternatives that are worth the calories and satisfy the sweet-cravings that inevitably come. Not drinking booze isn’t the social death you might fear and if you give yourself a goal to work towards – a realistic deadline rather than a year or forever – it is totally achievable. It’s also a worthwhile exercise for anyone dispensing this sort of advice to clients working towards their own health goals. Practice what you preach, as it were. It’s easier to empathise with people if you’ve been through something yourself. Besides, feeling ‘better’ is a worthwhile goal in and of itself – losing weight or having more energy will follow but these take longer to materialise. I’m glad it happened quickly or I might have been more tempted to eat that carrot cake!

If you’re reading this and feel inspired to take up a similar challenge, please do comment below. Or if you feel like you need a bit more targeted support with your own health goals, email me and I’ll get you booked in for a free chat!