Back to basics.

As many of you will know I did a walking marathon last year. Unfortunately this year I am not marathon fit. I have been through a huge house move from one end of the country to the other. It’s a time of huge change in my life, and added to this, some of you might remember me mentioning some health issues. Contrary to what I initially thought, whilst I still have some thyroid problems, my poor health was mainly down to carbon monoxide fumes, from a faulty boiler. Thankfully I am on the up now! Anyway what does this all have to do with a sugar free blog. Well it’s taught me a very valuable lesson, or maybe a couple! Firstly value where you are at this point in time, not where you want to be 6 months from now! Secondly it’s okay to go back to basics, and start over again. There is no shame in it. In fact it’s a good reminder of how far you have come.

Whilst I have pretty much maintained my practically sugar free eating. Apart from the very occasional treat sneaking in, I am really proud to have maintained it, and kept going. Sugar free works great when you are feeling well, the sun is shining, and all is right with the world. The greater challenge is to maintain it when you are ill, the weathers bad, and life is rubbish. So when I look back to how I used to be, I cannot tell you how pleased I am to have kept going with my sugar free’ing. However I have been feeling really fed up, with not being able to get out walking so much, and weight gain bought on by my thyroid playing up. It’s sometimes very hard when you have reached a mountain peak, to recognise that maybe you just need to settle for reaching the top of a hill instead, or to just put one foot in front of the other, and keep going. So last night I swallowed my pride, and decided I would start climbing up that hill again. I signed up to do a 3 mile (5k walk) in 2 weeks time. 10 years ago I did a series of 5k walks, and back then for me it was a massive achievement. I was grateful NOT to be the last, because when you are permanently last in cross country at school in the winter. Then sneered out by pupils, and teachers, you never want to be back at the point again. So given this was such a massive achievement, why can’t I just accept that doing a 5k walk following ill health is good enough?!  It beats me!! My point is that sometimes we have to accept where we are at now, at this point in time, regardless of what happened last week, last month, or in my case last year.

How does this relate to going sugar free? Well I would suggest quite a bit. It’s okay to start back on the first rung of that ladder again. It’s okay not to achieve what you did last year. It’s important to do things in a way that work for you now! LIFE happens, we are human! When I first went sugar free I was so overwhelmed by the abundance sugar free websites, books, blogs etc. They all looked perfect, how could I maintain perfect. The reality is, I couldn’t, and you know what I don’t want to be! Well not much anyway!! Ha ha. This is why I set up this blog because, I wanted every day people to realise that sugar free eating doesn’t have to be done to perfection! It can be done in the Goldilocks style of being just right for you.

I spent many years beating myself up about my weight. But the moment I took control back, ditched the scales, and did it my way, I relaxed. I am not going to say that how I look, and extra pounds gained don’t niggle me. Of course they niggle me…. a little. I am only human!! BUT I can honestly say I am no longer controlled by the negative thoughts I had around food, and my own body image. I am free, and I really believe the day I quit sugar was the day I was liberated.

So whether your sugar free journey has taken a dip, or you haven’t quite climbed Everest, it doesn’t matter. What would you like the next step on your ladder to look like? Achievements can come in many different shapes, and forms. They don’t have to be huge, think about if it works for you now, how realistic it is, and above all are you going to have FUN, and enjoy it!! If the answer is a big huge, resounding yes, I think you have just found the next step on your ladder. Good luck.

As for my latest challenge, I am taking part in a 5km Leg it for the Legion walk in Carlisle in aid of the British Legion, and as part of their poppy appeal. I am really excited because, it will give me the chance to explore a new area, and of course raise money for a great charity. So I guess it’s time to dust my walking shoes off, and get some practice in!!

A Sugar Free Adventure

I saw a post on Facebook the other day, and this is what it said. (With grateful thanks to the Motivation Quotes FB page, for sharing this quote by William Feather)

‘One way to get

the most out of

life is to

look upon it as an adventure.’

 

It struck a cord with me. What if everyone contemplating quitting, or reducing sugar saw it as an adventure? Yes, an adventure! I am not sure about you, but I love an adventure. The excitement of planning it, getting ready for it, setting out, and exploring, and enjoy the sites. How exciting! Something I found when I quit sugar was that there was an overwhelming amount of information out there. Lot’s of glossy sites saying do this, or do that. You can look AMAZING if you do this, that, and the other. Everything looks perfect! I’m NOT  a celebrity, I don’t have thousands in the bank, and I am far from perfect. So how on earth can I follow one of these oh so perfect plans?! I am a 40 something from the UK, it’s a struggle enough dealing with the day to day stuff call LIFE!!! So how on earth can I have the perfect sugar free diet!!! The truth is certainly in my experience that little thing they call perfect doesn’t exist, well certainly in my experience. The reality I decided was I couldn’t manage a perfect sugar free diet. But maybe just like Mary Poppins, I could manage practically perfect! So that’s why I packed my bags, started planning, and decided to go on my very own sugar free adventure.  Here I am two , and a half years on. Still far from perfect! My diet is MUCH healthier, but not the healthiest! BUT I have lost over 2 and a bit stone (28lbs/14kgs), I am no longer controlled by my eating habits, I have ditched the scales, and eat pretty much what I like. Above all I am happy, and relaxed about food. Even better I am not paying out loads of money on slimming , dieting, or exercise. Does it sound too good to be true, I promise you it’s not!!! Why not start planning your own adventure? Maybe you could end up in the land of Sunny Sugar Free.

There is a children’s book called Going on a Bear by Michael Rosen. It is about going in search of a bear. Not very sugar free related, I know. The book/rhyme refers to children going in search of a bear. Some of the words in it say , ‘you can’t go under it, you can’t go over it, you’ve got to go through it’. Having spent many years working with children, and young people what I love is their sense of adventure. The fearlessness, and confidence they tackle things, and the way they can face things head on. Something that many of us adults find a challenge! So, it got me thinking the other day, and made me think about this in relation to quitting sugar. I can certainly relate to this children’s rhyme to this in relation to sugar free eating. When you go sugar free , you have to face up to doing so, the challenge of going sugar free. It’s often so easy to think I might skirt around it, and try and avoid it. Maybe I can quit sugar Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I can’t do the weekends, or Tuesday/Thursdays! But the reality is, you have to really go for it. Well certainly in my experience. So why not plan your sugar free adventure to destination….Sugar Free.  I promise you it’s gonna be fun, and who knows it might even change your life too!! So here are my Sugar Free Adventure Tips!!

• Plan your journey…how would you like your journey to be
• Be open to new experiences…..it’s going to be so much fun
• Remember it’s your journey….where do you want to go
• Tell others about your experiences. Why not set up a blog, or fb page
• There is no right or wrong it’s YOUR trip
• Remember to enjoy the journey not just the destination!
• If you get lost, or make a bit of a detour. Does it matter? You might make a exciting discovery!
• Experiment!
• Get creative!
• Make it FUN!!
• Be passionate about your journey
• Enjoy your journey

 

The best way to tackle going sugar free is to face it head on. Don’t avoid that sugary mountain, you can’t go around it, over it, or even avoid it. The best way is break it down cube by cube, in small size chunks. Let’s face it none of our sugary habits just happened over night, they developed over a period of time. So quitting, or reducing sugar isn’t just going to happen, it might require a little work. But like all good adventures, the best ones are fun, with a bit of sightseeing along the way.  Quitting sugar doesn’t mean, your life will turn sour, and will lose it’s sweetness. Have fun, and good luck. xx

 

 

 

My Sugar Free Week-June 2018

I haven’t written a sugar free post for a while, so I thought I would write one. Believe me my life isn’t that exciting. But quitting sugar does change lives, and when I reflect back to my sugary eating days, I realise how much my life has changed. So when I post about sugar free weeks, it’s not a case of look at me my life is SO AMAZING!!! I promise you it’s definitely not. I share with you more to demonstrate when you ditch the fizzy drinks, the chocolate, doughnuts, and all the hidden sugars, life does go on!!! Not sure if it was just me, but when I decided to quit sugar in 2016, I felt really depressed, and thought my life would be over!!!! How wrong I was! In many ways when I quit sugar that is when life just started for me.

Before I quit sugar, I have to confess some of my time was spent thinking of sweet treats. The trips out, and special occasions when I could something ‘naughty’. Then don’t even get me started about when I went to slimming groups. My life started to revolve around the days I had to be good, and the days that I could eat something (well usually more than one thing that was naughty). Not anymore!

This week I have still been on a bit of a high after this blog was voted one of the top 5 UK sugar free blogs , and websites in the UK. I mean how did that happen!!! I have to confess I have for the last few months been struggling health wise, and had been wondering about continuing with this blog. Although I am still passionate about sugar free eating, sometimes it is hard to blog especially when you don’t feel well. I don’t want this to becoming repetitive, or boring in any way. I want it to continue to inform, and inspire others. I always believe if things are meant to be they are meant to be, so the exciting news I had last week was a real motivator! I realise I am probably rambling on a bit, so apologise if I am. I mentioned my health, I have an underactive thyroid, and recently it’s been a bit sluggish recently, however I have been feeling especially bad since moving. We discovered last week that a lot of my symptoms related to carbon monoxide, due to an issue with the boiler. Thankfully all sorted out now, and I am starting to feeling MUCH. MUCH better.

So back to the sugar, or should I say sugar free’ing, and actually quitting sugar is very freeing. I have been aware that because I haven’t been that well, I might have gained a few pounds. Back in the day when I ate loads of sugar, and my eating habits were totally out of control, I would obsess about it. I would get on the scales hoping for a miracle weight loss, and then hate myself when I had gained even more. I certainly don’t like putting on pounds, but I am relaxed about it now. I am not controlled by food anymore, I am in charge. Being in control of my eating habits is one of the most positive things to come from my sugar free experience. I am no longer driven by what the scales say, my sugar cravings, or how I look or feel. I can’t tell you how good that feels.

We have relatives staying with us at the moment, yesterday we went out I indulged in a small cup of ice cream. It was lovely a bit too sweet, but I hadn’t obsessed about it. I hadn’t even planned to have it, it was one of those spur of the moment things. Yet last night everyone ate crumble for dinner, apart from me. I genuinely didn’t want it, or need it. I was happy to sit, and watch everyone else it. Sometimes people feel bad eating stuff in front of me, but I am really fine about it. I was much happier with my apple. Yes seriously. These days often my first thoughts are how many grams of sugar are in that??!!

So to identify some of the key points of my sugar free week, for those that can’t face reading the LONG version!! Ha ha.

1. My week doesn’t revolve round food
2. I don’t crave food
3. I’m not controlled by my weight
4. I have a healthier outlook on food
5. Occasionally I have something sweet, but often it tastes to sweet

 

Despite my health issues for the last few months, my physical and emotional wellbeing is overwhelmingly much improved since quitting sugar. I am not controlled by it. I am a lot more aware of the impact food has on wellbeing, and the relationship I have with food is so much healthier.

I have been really lifted after my exciting news last week, I am really keen to develop this blog further, and see how else I can inspire others, and raise awareness. If you have any ideas please feel free to email me at tracy_smithers@aol.co.uk.  Also If you have been inspired, or helped by this blog or my PRACTICALLY A SUGAR FREE ME FACEBOOK page, and would be willing to write a testimonial , that I could post on here and facebook, I would love to hear from you. Maybe your sugar free experiences could help inspire others too. Thank you. xx

EXCITING NEWS!!!!

I am super, super excited, and totally overwhelmed to share with you, that this blog has been nominated as one of the top 5 sugar free blogs, and websites in the UK for 2018!!!!

It has been nominated by Feedspot Blog Reader. I knew nothing about this until my sugar facebook page, was tagged in a post they shared. Thank you to everyone that supports this blog, my facebook page, or if you have attended one of my workshops. I started this blog in February 2016, 6 weeks into my sugar free journey, in the hope that I might inspire, help, and support others with quitting sugar. At the time I just hoped a few people might read this, and find it helpful. So to be voted one of the top blogs, and websites in the UK is AMAZING!!!! Thank you again, and lots of love. xxFor more details about this award check out this link.

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_sugar_free_blogs/

How does sugar work?

When I quit sugar, I was shocked about how often it is used in foods. I was also determined to make sweet tasting alternatives, without the sugar! However I am not a chef, or a cook so my challenge was, just how do you bake without sugar?! I LOVE baking cakes, biscuits, and desserts. I have ALWAYS had a sweet tooth. When I quit sugar I didn’t want to miss out on all the ‘treats’, yet I had no idea how to go about substituting the sugar. Through trial, and error I have come up with a few successful recipes, that I eat, enjoy, and I am happy to share with others. Yet, there have been others that have been much less successful!

I have just come across a really interesting website  . The site has a whole host of interesting , and easy to read sugar free information.

https://www.dansukker.co.uk/uk/about-sugar/sugar-–-more-than-a-sweetener.aspx

Among all the interesting information it provides, are the working properties of sugar. So basically how it works within foods. We all know it adds a sweet taste, and smell, but you might be interested to know that it also does the following:

• Adds volume
• Provides texture
• Increases the shelf life
• Ferments
• Reduces the freezing point
• Retains colour moisture

 

Sugar doesn’t have any vitamins, or minerals, but does act as an energy boost.

Speaking from my own experience, it is very often so much easier to go with the usual recipe. Until I quit sugar I just stuck with my standard recipes, and didn’t really tend to experiment. It’s not easy changing the habit of a life time! However what I have learnt over the last couple of years is, that it is possible to quit sugar , and still enjoy your foods, and some tasty treats.  I had to do a lot of re educating of myself. When I went sugar free, I didn’t want to feel deprived, or like I was missing out. So instead of thinking I can’t have this, I re framed the thought, and looked at a way that I could create an alternative. Not everyone is into baking, however I think it is really useful to be aware of how sugar works in foods. Knowledge is power!!

One the things I learnt quite early on is, that sugar free baking doesn’t last as long, but on reflection does it need too?! Surely eating food at it’s freshest, is best? In life people often say, you get out what you put in. Maybe this needs to start with what we eat.

Sugar free eating doesn’t need to taste sour, there are a range of sweet tasting alternatives on my recipe page. Please check out the link for more details.

Recipes