30 Day Sugar Challenge

Today is the last day of 2018 and I am going to start off 2019 with a challenge. And, seeing the title to this blog, it should come as no surprise that I will be saying goodbye to sugar . . . for 30 days.

The plan: I will be giving up added sugar.  I will not be giving up fruit or any sugars found in whole foods but rather sugar found in things like candy, chocolate (tear), and cookies. I also do not intend to replace the sugars in my diet with splenda, stevia, or erythritol. I intend to have my tea without any sugars and I will be sweetening my morning smoothie with dates and figs. I will do this for 30 days. I don't plan for this to be a forever challenge. But, I do hope that it will get my sugar cravings under control and that I will learn to love fruit more and some healthy sugar free desserts.

Where I am now: Overall, I do eat healthily. But, I find myself getting out of control when I eat chocolate and cookies; which is why, for the most part, I don't buy those things and they do not go on the grocery list. But it can be difficult to restrain myself when I go to holiday parties or to a friend's house especially if they have chocolate or chocolate chip cookies.

I thought about discussing why I will be giving up sugar but there are whole books written about the subject. Later on I may discuss the reasons I have found most compelling but I am going to leave it alone for now.

 

Before I start this challenge I am going to set myself up with some tools for my success. I plan to read/say my motivational mantras daily and to imagine myself in the scenario under vision.

Motivational Mantras

1. Fact: the more you eat sugar the more you crave it. I like this one because it is motivating to know that it will get easier the further I get in this challenge.
2. I don't like sweets. It's not a lie! Because, even if I momentarily like the taste, I don't like how sweets can make me feel sick.
3. I eat to heal and nourish my body. I feel like this mantra can just help me make good food choices in general.

Vision

I imagine myself going to my mother's house (which is a place I often indulge) and find some fresh, homemade chocolate chip cookies. They offer me some and I say, "No thank you, I am not eating sweets." I walk to the counter and have a big glass of water and an orange instead.

And now a quick rhyme. . . 

In 2019, 

I'll be sure to defeat

My strong urge for cookies

And all that is sweet.

And after this challenge

It will surely unfold.

That I will be able,

to take over the world.