#TheAlchemistLifestyle #IQS8wp #iquitsugarforlife I quit sugar for life

In my January business blog "The Power of Goal Setting" I said I I don't believe in New Year resolutions: to me, they sounds like something that we should do, that might be good for us, but boy they are such a pain and sacrifice that we give up at the first obstacle or opportunity ( let's face it, we give up quite easily too ), but I do believe in the power of goal setting. In line with the New Year New You/Me goal to be well, I reviewed the "I Quit Sugar" book and tried the IQS 8 weeks programme (from the book). I do not believe in diets as such but in eating fresh seasonal food, cooking rather than microwaving and 3 square meals a day; for me, food is also a sensory pleasurable experience rather than just checking nutrients and I do not deprive myself, if I fancy something sweet, I have it. This is why the IQS approach resonated with me; a step-by-step guide to kicking the habit (sugar), returning to a more natural way of eating and getting well (and losing weight in the process). I liked the fact that there isn't a prescriptive diet menu but rather a simple and accessible process of elimination first (sugar, processed foods), and crowding up later with wholesome nutrients. a way to reconnect with your taste buds, your natural appetite, and portion control. So, how did I do?

MY EXPERIMENT

More than two weeks in and I was feeling great, I’d survived multiple temptations but then I ate something sweet and eating that cake was one of the best things I did. I am glad I “fell off the bandwagon” because I realised that:

• My emotions dictate my sugar-cravings.
• When I feel down or I am bored the cravings kick in.
• Tastebuds had already shifted. Eating a small piece of cake gave me a sugar-head-rush, and later I actually felt sick; even after just 2 weeks without sweets, my body wasn’t able to consume that much-concentrated sugar in one hit anymore.
• Tolerance for carbs had lessened and that grains and starches kept me in a cycle of blood sugar ups and downs and cravings.
• And tolerance for alcohol, even on a full stomach, had dramatically decreased.

My approach since has been largely gluten and grain-free, a ‘paleo’ approach – perhaps you know it as the ‘caveman diet’ – fundamentally low-starch, low carbs, high fat, non-processed and organic; I found that this is how I feel at my best. Is it going to be I Quit Sugar for Life for me? Definitely - I have more energy, I need less sleep. And I have stable focus with hardly any cravings (mostly related to that time of the month...). Plus I am less bloated and I managed to lose a couple of kilos (eating MORE). Quitting sure is a way of life, living without process food (or very very little) and as Sarah Wilson said herself:

"Quitting sugar is about eating like your grandparents used to. Before the crap".

That sums it up perfectly for me and it is aligned to my philosophy around food & life. Life is for living, enjoy it and ditch the diet!!!