We've just completed week two of our Marketing challenge to go sugar free and I have to admit, I’m finding it hard.
A recent survey found Marketing professionals to be the worst snackers. And in our team, I have to be the worst. But I wanted to take part in the challenge to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle.
Everyone who knows me well, knows that I like to eat. Whenever there are team snacks at our treat table, I’m the first one there, and the last. So I knew this was going to be especially difficult for me.
Too much, too fast?
I started off really well, and cut out all things sugary, No chocolate, sweets or puddings - instead adding more vegetables and fruit. But looking back perhaps this was too extreme for me. Some days I felt so hungry and was getting headaches, all of which I put down to sugar withdrawal. On top of this dieting the marketing girls (and Stephen) and I even started exercising in our lunch breaks.
Week 2 and I have to admit I’m finding this too tough and have already fallen off the wagon. It seems sugar is hidden in everything… I thought I was being healthy by having spaghetti hoops for lunch (which according to a well known weight loss programme is fine), until I looked at the sugar content. One small tin contains 8g of sugar. I had 2 tins. Then I ate a low fat Greek yoghurt with blueberries. Again, I thought this was a healthy option, until I realised it contained 19g of sugar.
But alongside this ‘hidden sugar’ I’ll also admit that in the past week I have eaten a mini carrot cake, a scone, sweets that I pinched from my kids’ treat box, a chocolate bar and a very delicious chocolate hot cross bun that I ate on the train before work one morning. There might have been the odd glass of wine and a takeaway too – ouch!
Small changes
So what has this experience taught me? Even though I have been a little naughty, my sugar free diet has made me more aware of the nutritional value of everything I put in my mouth. But most importantly I’ve learnt that any attempts at healthy living have to be tailored to the individual and their lifestyle. I work full time with 2 young children, and sometimes find it hard to fit in a weekly supermarket shop.
So while I can make small healthier changes to my diet, and have started to check food labels to make sure I’m choosing the healthiest option, because I love food so much perhaps exercising more regularly is the better option for me. I have really enjoyed exercising with the team, and my clothes are definitely looser.
I can’t promise that weeks three, four and five of this challenge will be totally sugar free, but I’ll keep on trying!
Anna Hopwood is our Marketing Executive.