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Sugar-Free Recap

So I decided that I could not possibly live without sugar on Sunday, the day of treats and deliciousness. So my sugar ban is officially over.
Was it worth it? Yes, and no. I really did feel fine throughout the week. Sure, I missed reaching for candy after a meal but I survived and found some delicious replacements. One huge positive is that I really paused and considered the ingredients of any item before eating it. My diet was, on the whole, far less processed than normal and I'm sure that had to be good for me. I had plenty of energy for my workouts, and I made some switches to my normal diet that I might actually stick with long-term.
For example, I love love love these Clif Builder's Bars:


They have 20 grams of protein, but they're also covered in chocolate. In their place this week, I either made my own protein "bites" (protein powder, peanut butter, oats, plain, crushed shredded wheat) or ate a LaraBar:


These still contain sugar, but only in the form of dates. So lots of fiber and still absolutely delicious!
Another switch I made was buying plain Greek yogurt instead of my normal vanilla flavor. A LOT less sugar and once I've tossed all my toppings on top I barely noticed a difference!

Weight-wise, I lost 2 pounds this week. I've never mentioned weight on the blog before because I don't want it to be a focus of my posts, but in this case I'll make an exception. I was careful to keep my calories around the same as usual (2,100 daily, give or take) yet I still lost this weight. I assume some of it is water weight because I ate less processed foods (and as a result, less sodium). I've never lost this amount of weight in a week and a) not been actually sick (flu) or b) felt deprived and hungry. I would consider eating this way again prior to a race to ensure that I'm getting clean fuel and not carrying extra weight on race day. 

I had some really positive responses to my idea to eat a different type of diet for a few days and try it out. Some possibilities include: Gluten-free, vegan, raw, kosher, halal, Paleolithic. Would anyone like to join me for one of these or to suggest another one? Cara from Eat.Pray.Run. had a fantastic idea to try a week of eating one of these styles at the same time and then guest post our experiences for each other. I'm so excited about this so let me know if you're interested, and which way of eating you'd like to try!

What's your favorite protein/energy bar?
Clif Builder's Bars, in mint chocolate. They taste like candy, but since they have protein and vitamins it's totally ok, right?!

Comments

  1. Gluten Free is the hardest diet to follow because you don't realize how wheat/flour is used these days. Did you know that it is in your shaving cream, tooth paste and other products? Flour is used on most conveyor belts in factories so it contaminates the food. My dad has a binder that tells him what is safe to buy because he is Celiac (severe case). But if you try it do research on Gluten free products/brands. You will find that you can have some of the same things still. We have a local store in NY/PA that has all their gluten free products labeled. Elizabeth Hasselback has lots of info too!!!

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  2. I've really been wanting to try out the Paleolithic diet... I think it sounds interesting. :)
    And you are so right about the Builder's Bars... They are so tasty!!

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  3. You have got to find a mud run to do Vanessa! It is SO SO SO MUCH FUN! I had a blast! I will have a full recap coming up after I get my pictures in!

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  4. I would love to try one of these diets - I'd totally be in for any of them... except the paleolithic.. It just is too much meat and eggs for me! :)

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  5. Ok, I'll have to try your Clif bars in mint chocolate. I usually get that in Zone Perfect but they have only half the protein.

    Weekends are definitely the hardest for me to eat good. Or at least they used to be, like I've said in my posts, Friday nights used to be pizza & movie night which meant popcorn and candy too!

    runningtobeskinny.com

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  6. I would definitely be down for trying a new diet type every week! That sounds interesting and doing stuff like that always makes me more aware of the things I eat. My favorite energy bars are Clif Bars but not if I eat them every day (did that for a while, no good). I think making my own would be better and cheaper, but I need to actually do that rather than talk about it!

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  7. Hmmm very interesting. I wonder if it would be beneficial to eat this way before a race. I have heard of people doing it. I found giving up sugar during the week was easier than I thought but on the weekend I couldn't do it! I would be curious to see how raw and gluten free affects you. Maybe I would try it. You can do anything for a week, right? I'm not a "bar" person at all, the only time I ever eat them is if I get them for free from a race!

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  8. Awww, I wish I'd known how good those Clif bars are when I was there! I would have picked up a few instead of loading up my suitcase with 10,000 lifetimes worth of Larabars ;-)

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  9. i really like luna bars! i think they are delicious. they may have a lot of sugar...I really do not know but I think for the good things in it...it is worth it and totally filling.

    i think it would be SO fun to do a week trying out a new way of eating. I am very uninformed when it comes to these diets though...so as an introduction to each week could their be a post giving us the general idea?

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  10. Interesting! I really enjoyed reading about your sugar fast. Sugar is in everything!! I would absolutely love to read about a week of different ways of eating, and even participate, but depending on what it is, it might be hard for me to do it over here.

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  11. I think I need to stop eating sugar for a week too. I have been on a total junk food binge, maybe it would help :-)

    I am proud of you for being able to do it though. That takes some self control!

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  12. I have never tried cinnamon roll, mmmm yum!

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  13. Ok so these are the exact bars I need to search for! Nice to have a visual :)I've definitely decided to take a week off from sugar sometime in the near future. I'm already trying to cut back a bit and ease myself into it. Bought plain greek yogurt and cereal w/o Glad to hear that you don't miss the sweeteners in yogurt! I was a little worried about the tart/sourness being too much

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  14. Hi! Thanks for following my blog. I LOVE Clif Builder lemon bars - they are so good after a hard workout. I can't eat them anymore because they are not gluten-free, but they are yummy. :) Larabar makes a good banana bread bar, too.

    I would love to hear about your dietary experiments!
    -TheHungeredOne

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  15. Yum! I totally want to try those cliff bars. I honestly don't eat a lot of protein bars but would like to find a good one so I appreciate the suggestions.

    Good job on going sugar free for a week and I love the idea of trying out different diets.

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  16. That is really interesting. I know I should cut back on sugar, but I just need some motivation :). Good for you for finding some! Glad you made it through the week!

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  17. I love these one bars titled CarbRite protein bars, they have chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate brownie, and alot of other flavors. They are the best! I also like the Tink Thin bars, peanut butter is my favorite. I usually only buy them as a treat because they are kind of pricey, so instead I use oats, protein powder and peanut butter to make my own.

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  18. I think it is a great idea to try different weeks of different styles to really find out what you like. I have tried a no dairy diet and didn't like it at all. So i just stick to everything in moderation.

    Crazy talk that I actually don't really like protein bars. I just have a weird thing with them.
    Sarah

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  19. I enjoy the Odwalla Super Protein bars because of the natural ingredients. Also, they just came out with a new flavor.....Chocolate and Peanut butter and has the consistency of a brownie! So Good!

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  20. thats so funny I ended my sugar freeness this weekend too :) its overrated anyways.

    I LOVE protein bars, ESPECIALLY the ones that have chocolate coatings.

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  21. good for you! i go in spurts of no sugar, but lately its been a lot harder for me. i'm going to try this week (as i write this i'm looking at the strawberry chobani yogurt i just ate has 19 grams of sugar! yikes!)

    i followed a paleo diet with my boyfriend last year - we did it for a couple months (but cheated on the weekends) and did find that we felt much better and had lots of energy.

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  22. interesting stuff. I really need to ween myself off sugar -- I eat so much of it. so much. I actually blame running for it -- before a race, my only non-tummy-disturbing options are Gus, Chomps, Sports Beans, etc...so sugar for breakfast it is. And then at work, lollipops are my reliable stand-by (See's or Tootsie).

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