If youāve been reading our blog, you will know that I have a real hate for sugar. Iām not talking the natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables, Iām talking the addition of sugar in otherwise healthy products that keep us wanting more and more of the sweet stuff. This is the final blog of the series – feeling good living sugar free.
Getting to Be Sugar Free
Before I went keto, I could never have imagined living without sugar. If I had a good day, I celebrated with a sugary treat. Bad day? Iād drown my sorrows in sugary treats. Believe me, stress eating is a real thing. And, the more you eat sugar, the more you crave it when youāre stressed.
Then, one day, Bill ended up in the hospital. The doctor (who was amazing and we credit him with saving both our lives) tested him for hyper-insulinism. Sure enough, Billās body didnāt know when to stop producing insulin. Unless he ate every couple of hours, he was over-producing it. The years of indulging in sugar and starchy carbs had caught up with us. He was left with a decision – take medication that would ruin your kidneys, or go on keto. We chose keto.
Learning to Cope with Living Sugar Free
Seeing as food, particularly sugary food, was the vice we turned to, we needed to find something else to deal with stress. Stress will never go away – thatās part of life. So, how do we deal with it? On top of that, I have an anxiety disorder and I used to cope with anxiety through food.
We had to find something else to help us get through the tough times.Ā But, it turns out that keto actually helped us with that.Ā Itās not just about weight loss.Ā Learning about keto was something we did together, and that activity became a passion for us.Ā Once we entered ketosis, we had more energy, which helped us get things done.Ā And, we found that our mental health was, well, healthier.Ā
The Withdrawal Process
Going without sugar was not all fun and games! Iām not sure how much of the keto flu was my body switching to burning another fuel source and how much was sugar withdrawal. I missed sugar, and I constantly craved it. People would be at work with candy or chocolate, and I just wanted to jump them and steal it. I didnāt like foods that werenāt sweet, so for a while, I was just eating to live. I was cranky and hungry. It wasnāt pretty.
When the Body Adjusts to Living Sugar Free
Slowly, I noticed that I was enjoying different foods. I now like fuller flavours and spicier foods than I did before. I enjoy foods that I didnāt like before. Butter chicken is now one of my favourite meals. I now drink coffee with just cream – no sweetener. Turns out, I like coffee! Iād only been tasting creamers with sugar in them before.
I have a good level of energy all day. Where at one time, I struggled to stay awake at 2pm in the afternoon, now itās just another time of day. I donāt have the highs and lows I used to. Sure, I still enjoy a mid-afternoon nap now and then, but Iām not needing it like I did when I was using sugar to get kicked into gear. Honestly, I just feel healthy.
Final Thoughts of Living Sugar Free
Sweetness now hits me in the face and makes me feel ill. I had a piece of pepperoni a few weeks ago at a friendās house, and it was honey garlic. I almost gagged. Needless to say, I didnāt take another piece.
About six months after I had started keto, I did an off-plan day and gave in to my craving for a Dairy Queen Blizzard. I ate it, and overall I enjoyed it, but it wasnāt the same as it used to be. It didnāt fill a void for me. I think if I ate it now, it would probably make me sick.
I still have some cravings from time to time. But, it helps to know that the experience of eating sweets isnāt the same as it was before keto. I like how I feel without sugar in my body, and Iām going to keep it that way!
Wendy
