No Sugar Challenge: What Happened When I Quit Sugar for 30 Days

Last year I developed a bad habit of snacking. I had lost all self-control in the face of a free donut or plate of cookies.

I made excuses like "Well I did go to the gym today" or "Overall I eat pretty healthy" or "It's not like I do this every day"... until I started to do it every day.

I knew something had to change when even though I exercise often I noticed I was developing early onset dad-gut.

So I decided to quit sugar for 30 days.

Why Sugar Is So Bad For You

Most of us know that too much sugar is a bad thing. It is something we have been taught since we were kids.

But apart from simply putting a little bit of weight on your gut there are a lot more serious problems that come with eating too much sugar:

Metabolism damage - Sugar can wreck your metabolism over time.

Type 2 diabetes - High sugar intake dramatically increases your risk.

Liver and kidney damage - Your organs take a beating from processing all that sugar.

Skin inflammation - Sugar causes breakouts and premature aging.

Joint pain - Inflammation from sugar affects your joints.

Tooth decay - Your dentist was right all along.

On top of all these bad things it does to your body sugar is also highly addictive. A study found that sugar releases dopamine in a similar way to cocaine. That is why it feels so hard to quit.

Step 1: Clear Out Your Kitchen

The first thing I did was go through my entire apartment and find all the things with added sugar.

There were some no-brainers. Ice cream is loaded. Chocolate snacks are packed. My once a month energy drink had tons of sugar.

But I was surprised to find sugar hiding everywhere:

My protein bars had more sugar than I expected.

My breakfast cereal was basically a dessert.

Even the bread I was buying had 5 grams per slice.

If you have very little self-control the only thing you can do is completely change your environment. It is impossible to eat snacks that you refuse to purchase and bring into your home in the first place.

All this stuff needs to go.

The Cravings Were Real

The cravings were the worst for the first couple days. But even a week in I was struggling late at night.

One night around day 7 I had a bit of a sugar craving and instinctively went to my snack cabinet. Here is what I found: organic rice cakes. Nothing sweet.

Before I started this challenge I did not realize how much sugar I was really eating. Most people when they try to cut out sugar are talking about added sugar. Sugar that gets added to processed food like table sugar honey or high fructose corn syrup.

It is recommended that you get under 5% of your calories from added sugar. For a 2000 calorie diet that is only 25 grams of added sugar.

Added sugar adds up quick. An average bottle of Coke has around 55 grams. Most of us consume 160 to 200 grams per day without realizing it.

What I Changed In My Diet

I started preparing healthier meals. Fish with brown rice and sauteed kale. Salads became my go-to because they were convenient and easy to prepare.

I found workarounds and substitutes for meals that included sugar. Instead of fig jam sauce I used mustard. Instead of vinegar I used olive oil with a healthy squeeze of lemon topped with salt and pepper.

The key is you do not need sugar to make food taste good. You just need to retrain your taste buds.

The Results After 30 Days

Energy levels stabilized. No longer did I have huge swings of high to low energy throughout the day. When you have lots of added sugar in your diet you get big fluctuations in blood sugar which make you feel like you have energy then you crash.

My dad-gut started disappearing. It did not vanish completely but the tide had turned. I was definitely feeling leaner.

Cravings disappeared. After about 14 days the cravings started to go away. I saw sugar for what it is: a short term buzz that creates no long term benefit.

Track Your Sugar Intake

The hardest part is knowing which foods contain hidden sugar. The Sukali app makes this easy.

Just scan your food with your phone camera. The AI tells you exactly how much sugar is in it. When you see the numbers cutting sugar becomes simple.

Take The Challenge

Going forward I am not giving up sweets completely. In this life we need to enjoy things. But I am bringing sugar back in moderation.

Start your own no sugar challenge today. Get rid of all sugary things from your house. Drink more water. Eat fruits for natural sweetness. Track everything you eat.

Your body will thank you. And who knows maybe you will finally lose that dad-gut too.