Just a spoonful of sugar! Or not.

As mentioned previously I have decided to pursue monthly goals again. We have made it about halfway through January, let me update you on my latest challenge. 

With my friend Candice, I have decided to give up sugar for the month of January. 

Never will I be able to deny that I have a sweet tooth. It's not that I necessarily crave sweet treats regularly, but when something is in front of me I really struggle to not eat it. You know how that happens, at Christmas especially? Normally I wouldn't eat 10 cookies in a day but when they are just sitting out, I just kinda grab one every time I walk by. And there is no "kinda" about it. 

Christmas is a time for food splurging and I have no problems with that. A lot of the foods eaten around Christmas are only eaten once a year. Have fun, enjoy heavy foods, eat a few extra cookies. But for me, come January, it is time for a reset. And this year that re-set is sugar. 

Later in the month I will post final thoughts of the challenge but here are some things I have found so far:

1. Sugar is in everything, especially my breakfast foods. 

When I eat oatmeal, yogurt, or cereals like Special K or Raisin Bran I feel like I'm being healthy. But with all the added sugars in these foods (or the amount of maple syrup I normally put in oatmeal) it's like having a dessert for breakfast. As one who has gotten an embarrassing amount of cavities, sugar is probably something I should avoid as the first thing I eat in a day. 

2. I'm actually...liking things without sweetener?

For the month I am trying to avoid anything sweet other than fruit. (No honey, no maple, I've only used Truvia once.) The biggest things here that I have stopped sweetening are coffee and tea. I usually have a cup of tea 1-2 times a day and add a little sweetener. Now I don't add anything and I am loving it just as much, maybe even enjoying the flavor more. And recently I drank coffee black and didn't even want anything sweet. So strange. 

3. Sometimes it gets frustrating. 

For the first week or so, being off sugar was a bit of a relief. I didn't blow through all the chocolate and candy David and I received in Christmas stockings. But now I'm ready for a treat. During the week David and I eat pretty healthy but usually we are more relaxed during weekends. Frankly, it is getting annoying to have no splurge sweet treat throughout the week. 

15 days left of this thing, I can do it!