How I Survived Going Sugar-Free for 3 Months | 5 Easy Tips

The end of February 2018 marked my first 3 months going sugar-free.

That doesn’t mean I haven’t had it in some form. It just means that I haven’t gone out of my way to use refined sugars or sugar replacements on a daily basis.

But this week I was looking through my cupboard and it hit me. I haven’t had added sugar in a while.

It was not a pre-planned, strategic decision either because I had struggled to go sugar-free before. But this time was different.

I simply went to the grocery store and chose not to buy sugar that day.

However, as a lover of cooking and baking and all things cakes and pastry, it was not that easy.

Here’s how I survived my first 3 months going sugar-free, and how you can do the same.

* Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.

1- Create a Sugar-free Kitchen

The first place to start is to get rid of the sugar in your pantry. If you have any of the following items, you can dispose of them too:

• Pancake syrup
• Corn syrup
• Flavored syrups with corn syrup/sugar base that you know are unhealthy

Regarding honey and maple syrup, they tend to have a lower glycemic index, and they are sweeter than sugar so you use less of it.

I used maple syrup for 2 weeks after going sugar-free because I had a small amount in my pantry. I used it up and haven’t looked back.

You can choose whether or not you use natural sweeteners like these depending on your health goals.

2- Fall in Love With Savory Breakfasts

Most traditional breakfasts are very sweet and this is honestly a bad way to start the day. That initial sugar gives us a burst of energy that depletes.

This causes sugar cravings, fatigue, and other unpleasant side effects.

Instead of cereals and other sweet breakfast dishes, try having some eggs, sandwiches, or even leftovers.

Here are some sugar-free breakfast options.

3- Find Natural Sweeteners To Use

If you’re considering going low sugar, the key to success is creative substitutes. Honey, maple syrup, and stevia are some well-known options.

I wanted to go for as long as possible without added sweeteners so I didn’t use these either.

But I decided that I was going to have pancakes for breakfast on Saturdays and they were going to be delicious- sugar or no sugar.

For a while, I pureed bananas and used them to make banana pancakes. I had some leftover maple syrup that I used instead of pancake syrup, and that was delicious. (After that maple syrup finished in the first month, I haven’t replaced it.)

Here are some other natural substitutions that I made:

In oatmeal– Coconut or almond milk to sweeten, topped with berries, raisins, or bananas.

In smoothies- bananas, papaya, and milk.

In coffee and tea- none (but I barely drink coffee so you’ll have to experiment with some sweeteners below)

When baking cookies– bananas, raisins, and dates.

In salads- grated carrots and beets for added sweetness instead of dressings (but you can find sugar-free dressings as well)

I basically use a lot of fruits and vegetables. These meals were all delicious but they took some getting used to. I also didn’t have them every day so it wasn’t a huge deal.

If you are on a low carb diet and don’t want to use too many fruits, this post about how to enjoy fruits on a low carb diet might help with that,

4- Find Sugar Replacements to Fill The Gap

If you aren’t as fond of bananas as I am, then you can use sugar replacements in your meals. Your choice will depend on what your reason for going sugar-free is.

If you’ve realized that the only flavor you can appreciate is ‘sweet’, then it’s time to switch things up.

Also, if you’re going sugar-free for medical reasons, it’s best to talk to your doctor to see what your options are.

No matter what your reason is, it’s best to define what sugar-free means for you.

Are you eliminating only refined sugars or all sugars? Will you be using unprocessed sweeteners like honey or sugar substitutes?

Some of the most popular sugar replacements are:

• Stevia
• Monk Fruit
• Erythritol

If you want to know more about sweeteners to use when cooking or baking, I recommend reading these 2 articles:

• Low Carb Sauces and Sweeteners
• Best Low Carb Sweeteners & How to Use Them

5- Have An ‘If, then’ Philosophy

So I have had added sugar in some way over the past couple of months. You can probably tell that it doesn’t bother me.

Why?

I never go overboard because I use the ‘if, then’ philosophy that I spoke about in this post, 7 proven ways to lose weight naturally.

Let me explain.

If you’re at home and you have a cookie craving that you can’t ignore, it’s best to purchase a cookie the next time you go out, rather than:

(a) buy the ingredients to bake them yourself. Or (b) buy a whole box and take them home with you.

This prevents two things from happening.

1– If you live alone (and you’re an average person like me), you will eat that box of pastry in a couple of hours. Your brain will constantly tell you ‘just one more’.

2– If you end up buying the ingredients, you’ll end up with sugar laying around. Do you think you’ll ignore it the next time you could use some sugar in your coffee?

Of course, this is different if you live with others and you know they’d eat most of whatever you bake. But if you live alone, it’s best to purchase one serving of an item and move on.

You can try to limit any indulgences like this to once per week.

Or if you love baking and want to find healthier options to make at any time, here are some sugar-free, low carb desserts, and a low carb cookbook that has recipes with less than 5 grams of carbs, which means no sugar.

P.S. I know that this point goes against the sugar-free lifestyle. However, if I eat healthy 98% of the time, I’m not going to worry about a brownie. I believe that you should do whatever works for you.

It all comes down to this…

You have to know what you want and decide if it’s worth the sacrifice.

We’ve conditioned our tastebuds with sweet things. If we decide to take a break and explore the flavors of the food that we’re having, we could learn a lot.

Did you know that carrots have a sweet taste that you can use to your advantage? Grated carrots can be used to add color and sweetness to smoothies, salads, and oatmeal.

Did you know that using bananas in cookies gives them a soft, chewy texture and holds them together perfectly? You don’t even need eggs when you have bananas.

Did you know that coconut milk and honey is an amazing flavor combination for oatmeal and smoothies?

Learn your food. Experiment. Do right by your brain and your body.

I really hope these tips helped you as much as they helped me. Try going sugar-free for 1 week, and let me know how it works it for you.

 

All the best,

Lailah