30 Days NoGluten/Sugar Challenge

hi @StoicContemplation

i think part of the reason your diet has been like a "yoyo" the past few weeks is because your brain still believes that it can receive some kind of pleasure or comfort or benefit from junk food!

when you binge, you realize how horrible you feel eating junk food, and so you become motivated to stop. but, you start to feel deprived after a few days, and in order to end the feeling of deprivation you go back to binging. this is completely normal. the good news is that once you can truly see the lack of value held by these unhealthy habits, you'll realize you have no desire to do them, and no feeling of deprivation when you don't!
 
Day 2

I feel quite exhausted. I went to Aldi today and I had some cravings when I saw all the chocolate bars etc. But I resisted. Doing groceries when you're sugar/gutenfree is pretty easy. You can skip most of the isles.

This night I woke up at 4 am and felt hungry as hell. Not a real craving for carbs, but just hunger. Maybe because I went for a 8k run yesterday. So I warmed up some of the bolognese sauce. That's okay.

When I came back from the supermarket I had 2 dry sausages and a pack of cheese cubes. I know it's not the cleanest food and my behavior is still kind of 'bingey', but my goal now is complete abstinence from sugar and wheat. So I'm not giving myself a hard time for this.

Generally speaking the depression today was okay. Kept myself busy with job searching. Now I'm feeling quite lethargic. I expect I will feel a bit off for a few days.

I'm now making a cauliflower pizza... I already made it a few times and it's great:


Thanks for your post @glaze

Yeah it's a vicious cycle like you describe. That's why I see it as an addiction. Scientists have developed a scale that is specific for food addiction: The Yale Food Addiction Scale. It can be used to diagnose a food addict. If you answer yes to 3+ criteria, you could be suffering from a clinical addiction to food:

1. I find that when I start eating certain foods, I end up eating much more than I had planned
2. Not eating certain types of food or cutting down on certain types of food is something I worry about.
3.I spend a lot of time feeling sluggish or lethargic from overeating.
4. There have been times when I consumed certain foods so often or in such large quantities that I spent time dealing with negative feelings from overeating instead of working, spending time with my family or friends, or engaging in other important activities or recreational activities I enjoy
5. I kept consuming the same types of food or the same amount of food even though I was having emotional and/ or physical problems.
6. Over time, I have found that I need to eat more and more to get the feeling I want, such as reduced negative emotions or increased pleasure.
7. I have had withdrawal symptoms when I cut down or stopped eating certain foods. (Please do NOT include withdrawal symptoms caused by cutting down on caffeinated beverages such as soda pop, coffee, tea, energy drinks, etc.) For example: developing physical symptoms, feeling agitated, or feeling anxious.
8. My behaviour with respect to food and eating causes significant distress.
9.I experience significant problems in my ability to function effectively (daily routine, job/school, social activities, family activities, health difficulties) because of food and eating.
 
Day 6

It's still early days. My body is shifting from metabolizing carbs to metabolizing fatty acids. This takes some time and isn't always pleasant.

I have been eating mostly meat during the past days. Some of it raw organ meat, like liver. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but as adults we agree to disagree on dietary choices. Everyone has to find his own way.

A few days ago I felt very energetic. Yesterday I had severe cravings... I had headache, fatigue, irritability, etc.

I do still have cravings and experience a weird feeling whenever I pass a bakery. Is it a coincidence that they put the sweet pastries at the window of bakery shops [same in grocery stores]? Or is it a tactful decision to prey on the hijacked neurochemical desire that customers have for sugar?

MindfulWarrior said:
glass of kombucha
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Cool, someone recently gave me a kombucha mushroom. :)

I prepared the batch yesterday. It felt weird buying sugar and green tea the other day, because I'm off caffeine too. But I think it's worth the try. When it's ready I'm planning to have like 1 glass a day. I think I will let it ferment a bit longer than 2 weeks so that most of the sugar gets consumed by the bacteria and yeast. Next time I might make it with rooibos and raw honey instead.

Tonight I have a family dinner and I was already worried if it would be something like spaghetti. The problem with moderation in my case, is that it leaves me behind more deprived than complete abstinence. I don't think portion control is for me. Tons of my significant relapses that led to binges were in social settings. Luckily, it will be an oven dish with meat. I will get out of my way to decline deserts and starters like quiche. Otherwise, the cravings would be obtrusive the next day.

Thanks for the accountability, MW!
 
@MindfulWarrior

Heads up mate. We've all been there.

MindfulWarrior said:
I spent the evening out tonight so I had a drink and some appetizers, then a small cookie and a small brookie.
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Do you think that this might have caused a certain 'chaser effect' the next day? I always have it at least.

Whenever I eat sugar/gluten, I feel like suddenly I'm driving a car but someone else is steering the wheel for me. It awakens a monster in me, just like peeking at P does. I personally find it easier to say no to ther first cookie than to the second. Hence, I frame it as an addiction.

Day 9

I'm still having cravings. I need patience...
 
Day 13

So for I've been basically eating animal-based only. It's not that I necessarily recommend this diet. But I just want to try it. My carb consumption is basically zero. Today I had 1L of raw milk.

So I'm having massive cravings today.

I treated myself with a box of dried medjool dates after my dinner. I thought I deserved it after making it to 13 days. I drove to Aldi for this and walking past the isles of cookies was really tough. I took a pack of dates and got out. But after I ate the dates I was craving junk food like my life depends on it. I'm constantly feeding the idea of getting in my car and going to a local snack bar and a night shop...

Here's the truth:

It would feel awesome in the short term, but it's bad in long term. I would feel intense regret tomorrow morning. It would trigger a chaser effect where I would be craving bread again tomorrow. It would be hard to resist it. I would fall back into the pit of carbs.

So I'm making the decision not to get into my car and get myself a durum.

I'm not considering my dried date treat as a cut of the challenge.
 
Day 15

Yesterday was tough. I always get extreme cravings in the evening.

I went to the city and I approached a girl. We went on an instant date and she took me to a hookah bar. I smoked hookah. Not a healthy decision but I don't really see the issue of doing this like once a year. The last time I had a cigarette is over a year ago, and luckily this didn't create more cravings for nicotine. The mint tea had sugar and was pretty sweet for me.

For some reason I also got alcohol cravings. It's been almost 2 years that I'm without alcohol. I read in the book Food Junkies that studies indicate that binge eaters tend to replace their food addiction with alcohol... I guess it's the same reward system that is triggered. A neighbour invited me to a bar. I went but luckily I just took a sparkling water. When the bar closed, I was kind of relieved, because I was flirting with the idea of grabbing a beer.

When I was home I had intense cravings. The brain kept instilling this scene of me driving to the night shop, buying chips. I really felt like a drug addict who wanted his fix. Maybe these cravings were a result of the sugar that was in the mint tea. Although the compulsion was strong, I just couldn't get myself into my car eventually. I know it would lead to nothing. I looked into the mirror and I saw that my skin was kind of glowing because I've been off sugar and flour for 2 weeks. This gave me motivation to embrace the pain and just go to sleep. When I woke up, I was happy that there weren't empty bags of chips next to my bed.

I dodged a lot of bullets yesterday... What could have been a pretty unhealthy evening involving alcohol and junk food, was just a spontaneous date where I had shisha and mint tea with a girl. That's nice. I might have another date with a girl this week. I usually take them to a cosy bar. The only non-alcoholic drinks they serve are mocktails. These are sugary fruit juices. I will have to watch out with that too, because this can induce cravings.

MindfulWarrior said:
"Sometimes I have moments of clarity and I'm truly astonished, wondering, how can I be so weak? Selling myself away for what? Degrading myself, damaging my health, my well-being for minutes of pleasure. Constantly running away from pain and reality for what? Some pleasure, some comfort. It's sobering and confusing, upsetting at the same time. The more pleasure I have in my life the more I lose touch with the things that actually matter. I generally don't like this kind of thinking, or rather how it's typically used but sometimes all it takes is just to "man up"."
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Well put! We have to accept the pain. The hard part is the delayed reward. We can't expect quick results. We can't just undo the damage in a week or a month. It doesn't work that way.
 
Day 22

Time for an update. So it's been more than 3 weeks since I have had any sugar, grains, flour, etc. I've been basically eating an animal-based diet. Yesterday I was craving sugar like crazy. I went to the supermarket and got myself a box of dried medjool dates instead to sooth the cravings. So if I track my sugar intake for the last period, I only had 2 boxes of dried dates, a mint tea which contained sugar, and some kombucha which contained some sugar too. Yesterday evening I 'harvested' my kombucha tea and I had 1 glass. It tasted the sugar and this induced cravings for more. There are potato chips, waffles and candy of my cousin in the house and it was really tempting to eat it. Luckily I didn't give in.

I basically have been late night cravings almost every night. The only thing that works is to just go to sleep, and then I wake up with a sense of relief "Pfew, I dodged a bullet." I expect these cravings to go away after 4 weeks. Otherwise I might have to start ditching other foods, like dairy. I honestly think the incidental sugar intake is suspending the withdrawal.

I've also been eating 3-4 tablespoons of Udo's Choice oil everyday. This is a oil blend based on seeds with a good omega 3/6 ratio. I take this because I always get a dry skin in the winter. These oils protect the organs and in the winter you need more of them. You can't survive with dry organs, but you can with a dry skin. That's why your skin gets dry in the winter.

MindfulWarrior said:
Unrelated here so feel free to PM me if you prefer but how did you approach that girl? I remember you had a thread where you did 100 cold approaches. I feel like unless there'd be something specific to talk about in a particular situation I'd be really awkward.
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I approached that girl in a 'direct' way on the streets, by complimenting her on her eyes [she made eye contact]. It took me tons of approaches and failures to be able to do a cold approach like this though. I started out by asking for directions and gradually evolved into more flirtatious conversations with women. It's hard to give "cookie cutter" adivce on this where I can say "just do it like this". It requires consistent action, patience and self-acceptance. You can PM if you have more questions, or we can take the discussion to my cold approach thread, which is still active. :)

Btw, I appreciate your honesty in describing what you're eating.
 
Day 26

Almost 30 days...

Yesterday and the day before I had a date with a girl. On both dates, I took a mocktail which was basically a sugary fruit juice. Last time I had one of these I had intense cravings for more sugar when I came back home [and I gave in], but now it was allright. I didn't even finish the whole thing. I just use it as something to 'sip on'. When I came home I just had my meat and went to bed. I also had a glass of my own kombucha. It's still pretty sweet so I'm going to let it ferment longer or just give it away to my parents. I don't think it's a safe drink for a sugar addict like myself.

One thing that I've been noticing lately is the improvement in my mood. I have less negative thoughts. I feel less irritable. When I go to the city, I feel confident. I feel more relaxed in social situations. This is definitely [albeit partly] a benefit of ditching sugar and flour whilst pursuing a diet high in saturated animal fats. Maybe it's the Udo's Choce oil that doing it's work. Maybe the B vitamins of nutritional yeast.


MindfulWarrior said:
9/21.

Plain coffee. A green juice, a sandwich for dinner cause I couldn't care less what I ate today, home made apple sauce, some sugary stuff.

Eating window: 12H.
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Have you ever considered eliminating your "trigger food" completely? In my view that's the easiest way to get off sugar eventually. If I have even the smallest nibble, that can reintroduce cravings and lure me back into a relapse/binge that can undermine weeks of good behavior.

"Cheating by having a bite here or a spoonful there is also an excellent way to suffer withdrawal in perpetuity. Withdrawal will not end if the substance is constantly being reintroduced into the brain reward pathway. This is perhaps one reason why a gradual detox that does not eliminate the trigger completely is actually more difficult than a cold turkey approach." Dr. Vera Tarman

The problem of our contemporary conception of eating disorders:

"Most medical clinicians prefer to encourage people to eat all foods, including sugar, in moderation. Food addicts who present their abstinence treatment plan are often discouraged, even if their plan is working. The irony is not apparent to health professionals: Would that same clinician urging moderation of sugar insist that a crack addict learn to smoke crack in controlled amounts? Advise a cigarette smoker to cut down to just three cigarettes a day? It is the rare person who once smoked a pack a day who can gradually reduce their habit to three cigarettes a day without undue emotional strain."
 
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abstaining from alcohol and porn, I definitely get. I'm mainly managing to abstain from the latter, but still can't forego the afternoon beer, although I know it's negatively affecting my blood sugar. But gluten, I just don't see it. My wife is gluten-intolerant, she has no choice, so I'm accustomed to buying GF when I shop (I do all the shopping). But subjectively I can't feel any particular affect from wheat products (like cereals, bread etc. I do think the intermittent fasting idea is a really good practice and am intending to try and get into that pattern come Jan 1 (along with many more vegetarian meals).
 
I want to start reducing my sugar and gluten intake drastically. And I will also aim at a healthier diet in other food sections, too and probably also report on that.

I will still bake (and eat) sometimes with sugar and gluten but over time I want to shift to sugar-free bakery. Also I will allow myself to eat self-made baked goods from others.


Rules for the first 30 days

- eating own pastry is allowed but I will never bake just for myself
- eating self-made baked goods from others is allowed
- dark chocolate (70% cacao and more) is allowed
- (driet) fruits, pickles, dates, honey ... all that stuff is allowed
- all other sugary sweets (cookies, chocolate, bars, pastry from bakerie, sugary beverages, industrial foods with added sugars ...) are NOT allowed

- no "empty" bread or pasta
- as of 1st of January: no alcohol
- coffee and black tea is allowed for now


Required

I need to remind myself constantly and use breathing, time-outs, self-talk, urge surfing to get along. Also I will accompany this with exercise and visualize my goals of healthy, fit, attractive and happy lifestyle. And report here of course.


Resets

I need to change my ways quite drastically, to make this reality. I need to go full in and aim for success. But even then I expect setbacks. It might happen that I just forget my promise for a critical moment or give in to temptations in the heat of the moment. I'll be transparent about it and continue the challenge. And I won't reset the whole challenge as long as I don't mess up completely. To eat less sugar and etablish some alternative behaviors is the basic goal here.


Progressive Change

After the first 30 days I want to go for more and optimize my nutrition and behavior further
 
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Glad to see you on track, MW!

I wanted to write an update for a long time but I kept procrastinating it...

So I was in Morocco until the beginning of last week. When I was there, I loosened up with regards to my diet. I drank a lot of tea with sugar, had bread, ate pastry snacks, etc. It's not that I was eating like crap all the time, but abstaining from sugar and gluten was difficult. I even started smoking again when I was there.

I got back and I had difficulties getting back on the wagon. Things aren't black-and-white, but my diet is currently not like I want it to be.

Tomorrow is a new day. Back on day 1.

Also, good luck @Last Resort Report
 
It's been months since I have updated this thread.

For the last months I have been mainly eating meat, cheese and fruit. I quit keto and I don't buy veggies anymore. I really like the minimalism of this diet and I feel that meat is the best source I could get in terms of nutrients. Whenever I only eat meat long enough, I feel amazing.

That being said, last months weren't perfect. There have been sugar binges. I have had gluten and other nasty stuff on multiple occasions. But I always got back on the horse and get back on steak and butter.

This weekend wasn't too great, I went to a gas station 2 times to buy a sandwich and cookies. It's not a good thing to do for sure. But is it a catastrophe? Does it make me rotten just because I ate some bad stuff? No, that's all-or-nothing thinking.

But I do come here in order to make a some sort of a gesture in order to commit myself in doing everything to avoid sugar and gluten. The fact remains that I am a food addict who has a very hard time to control my consumption of foods with sugar.
 
StoicContemplation said:
It's been months since I have updated this thread.

For the last months I have been mainly eating meat, cheese and fruit. I quit keto and I don't buy veggies anymore. I really like the minimalism of this diet and I feel that meat is the best source I could get in terms of nutrients. Whenever I only eat meat long enough, I feel amazing.

That being said, last months weren't perfect. There have been sugar binges. I have had gluten and other nasty stuff on multiple occasions. But I always got back on the horse and get back on steak and butter.

This weekend wasn't too great, I went to a gas station 2 times to buy a sandwich and cookies. It's not a good thing to do for sure. But is it a catastrophe? Does it make me rotten just because I ate some bad stuff? No, that's all-or-nothing thinking.

But I do come here in order to make a some sort of a gesture in order to commit myself in doing everything to avoid sugar and gluten. The fact remains that I am a food addict who has a very hard time to control my consumption of foods with sugar.
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How did it go Stoic? Any longterm improvements?
 
StoicContemplation said:
It's been months since I have updated this thread.

For the last months I have been mainly eating meat, cheese and fruit. I quit keto and I don't buy veggies anymore. I really like the minimalism of this diet and I feel that meat is the best source I could get in terms of nutrients. Whenever I only eat meat long enough, I feel amazing.

That being said, last months weren't perfect. There have been sugar binges. I have had gluten and other nasty stuff on multiple occasions. But I always got back on the horse and get back on steak and butter.

This weekend wasn't too great, I went to a gas station 2 times to buy a sandwich and cookies. It's not a good thing to do for sure. But is it a catastrophe? Does it make me rotten just because I ate some bad stuff? No, that's all-or-nothing thinking.

But I do come here in order to make a some sort of a gesture in order to commit myself in doing everything to avoid sugar and gluten. The fact remains that I am a food addict who has a very hard time to control my consumption of foods with sugar.
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When you leave out all carbs (meat has about zero carbs if I remember correctly) it's clear to me that you get a craving for them at a certain point. Is it really beneficial to cut out completetely one of the three macronutrients? Or maybe I misunderstand and this is rather a form of reducing carbs to a minimum because you will get some of them with the keto food anyway.
Well, I can't say I understand the keto mechanism, but to put it simply, if your body craves carbs and sugar like hell I would advice to not try to ignore and withstand that craving, but to choose a healthy form of carbs that you can eat without later regret.
 
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How ironic, receiving an alert from this thread right now...

I am a mess. Completely powerless. I've been depressed, so naturally I've found myself reaching more and more for these drugs, to the point where it's gotten really problematic again. It's time for me to start considering these foods a drug again and to take action accordingly, at least to me these are legitimate drugs. Never has it filled the void in my heart. Whenever I indulge, my hunger is without end, it's a worthless endeavor to even try to satisfy it, not only that but I come back to the same empty feeling, except worse.

Contemplating these verses lately:

Proverbs 6:27-29
Can a man take fire in his bosom,
and his clothes not be burned?
Can one go upon hot coals,
and his feet not be burned?

I think that whenever I try to stop, the withdrawals convince me that there are other alternatives to being so drastic, or maybe once I am not under the spell I just start being foolish and not taking it seriously enough. Regardless, I have made up my mind and I'm ready to live a life free of these drugs. Sugar especially, but also bread and dairy. Change requires sacrifice. I often worry about it being annoying socially speaking, but who cares, if it makes me happy and healthy, if I am a nuisance to some, who cares? It says more about them than about myself, it's never personal. I'm doing this for myself, and besides, I won't be a nuisance to the right people. Then there is FOMO with regards to the same thing, which has a little more weight. Still, not indulging in these foods doesn't mean I can't share good moments with others around food, and if it means living a better life then this small sacrifice is worth it. The mind makes it bigger than it is.

Day 0, here we go again... I'll start it off with two 48-hour fasts, I need this to rid myself of all the crap I've consumed. I feel bloated and disgusting.

Mangold said:
I want to comit myself too, to fast from industrial / added sugar and low gluten intake, whole, organic food in 2024.
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Welcome, feel free to join me. The coming New Year does make the idea extra attractive, that'd be nice, but that hasn't stopped me before.
 
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