Health Goals

It's time for a sugar fast

When I started my weight-loss journey in 2012, I put myself on a sugar fast for the first eight weeks. I'm glad I did that. Since then, I've completed a sugar fast one or more times a year...sometimes for 30 days, sometimes for 7-10 days. Remembering that I've done a sugar fast for eight weeks helps when I start a fast for 30 days.

Most people are aware of the many health benefits obtained from a sugar fast, so I won't delve into that here. A sugar fast is also a great way to kick off a weight-loss plan or to quickly shed a few pounds that have crept back.

When I was setting health and fitness goals for this year, I decided to plan for five sugar fasts throughout the year, beginning with a 30-day fast in January, and later following with three 15-day fasts and an additional 30-day fast, for a total of 105 sugar-free days for the year.

Dates for these fasts have been carefully selected to avoid holidays and family celebrations. For other events, I will just work around those as they come along.

In the days prior to my first 30-day sugar fast, I was actually looking forward to it. I knew that I had overindulged in sweets during the holidays and picked up 3-5 pounds. I was ready to start that first fast in January. I started the fast after my husband's birthday and ended it Valentine's Day.

For the first two weeks of that fast, I planned to exclude all sweets, except fruit. Sometimes during a 30-day fast, I will add treats made from Forks Over Knives recipes, using sugar substitutes during the third and fourth weeks. But it was at the end of the third week for this fast that I made a substitute treat sweetened with dates.

Yesterday was the first day of my second sugar fast, a 15-day fast. Both a 30-day and 15-day fasts are relativity short term goals, but the fullfilment is a super accomplishment when they are over. For this 15-day fast, I have several events to plan around. I plan to bring food that I've made to eat. Not only do I obstain from sugar, but I use these fasts as a time of naturally and gently detoxing from environmental toxins with whole and organic foods.

With a few hundred calories saved each day from not eating sweets, I'm expecting to drop a couple of pounds down to my "crusin' weight." After losing 40 pounds, I weighed 140. During the second year of my weight-loss journey, I dropped another three pounds and weighed 137, which I consider my "crusin' weight." Of course, weight can fluctuate between 2-3 pounds daily. I started this fast at 139, so at the end of two weeks I expect my weight to be 137 pounds.

~~~B~~~