Thought you might like to know what happens when you go on a sugar binge after being clean for months.

Some people get headaches, some people start vomiting, some people just get really tired. Me, I got fat. Bloat city.

Two weeks ago my tummy was as flat as it could be, given I have a c-sec pouch and crinkly stretchies. I entertained myself sometimes playing with my belly button, extra crinkly thanks to an old piercing scar. A tactile fun space worthy of a theme park, but it was flat. Quitting sugar had done that, and nothing else.

Then some things were said that pushed my biggest buttons and I went for the sugar. 5 chocolate frogs one day @ 5g each. A big pile of marshmallow snowballs the next @ 15g each. I don’t even like marshmallow.  2 cherry ripes @ 25g each. Over the course of a week if it was in my house and sweet, I ate it.

Seems being cured of emotional eating only applies to the small stuff.  My big issues are still there, and are still triggers.  I’m disappointed with myself about that.

But back to the consequences…I’m round. I’m still a smaller size than I was, but back to being round and expansive. My tummy is no longer crinkly and fun. A bender of one week did that. Imagine if I stayed on the sweet stuff for longer, how round would I get?

There are other repercussions too. Digestive sadness. Back pain. General body malaise. Inflammation.

Back to detox :( Quitting again is worth it, truly, I just wish I could quit my emotional triggers too.

Quitting sugar – for childish fussy eaters

When you quit sugar you knock out a whole bunch of foods you used to rely on in probably heavy rotation. What if, like me, you’re a bit fussy about foods and aren’t sure what exactly will be left to eat?

I pretty much developed my palate to that of a 10 year old, and went no further. All the recipes posted by various people make me think ‘ewwww!’.

Here’s the deal: I’m lactose intolerant, so all these cheese savoury & milky things are out. I don’t substitute soy either. I’m meat difficult and fancy veggies scare me. I can’t cook. Artificial sweeteners don’t exist in my universe.

Umm, why haven’t I faded away?

Because what I do eat is simple, and so yummy. Sometimes the food even touches (but only in a conditionally pre-approved manner).

Favourite foods

Bread in egg

Whisk some eggs. Chuck in some sliced wholemeal bread to coat. Fry* until golden.

Easy peasy. Serve with some steamed veg of your choice. It’s much nicer with tomato sauce on it, so sometimes I cut up some tomato and get smushing.

Rissoles

Cos I’m an Aussie, luv. Lean minced beef, onion, herbs, breadcrumbs (make your own, packet ones often contain sugar), egg to bind, and curry powder or something to flavour. I tend to follow my Dad’s recipe of ‘ooh, that looks interesting, I’ll bung that in’.

Mix it all together, make a ball and fry* until almost burned. They’re better that way. Serve with brown onion gravy.

Impossible quiche

The one and only fancy thing you’ll catch me making.

Cook some bacon & onion. It’s weird if you don’t cook them first. Chop into your preferred size.

Combine 1/3 cup SR flour, 1.5 cups of milk/milk substitute & 4 eggs. Whip it. Whip it good. No lumps, ya’ll hear?

Pour just the egg mixture into your GREASED quiche pan. The mixture magically makes its own base while cooking. Layer your chosen delights throughout.

By chosen delights I mean you can put sliced postman in there, I don’t care. Whatever floats your boat.

Personally, I go with zucchini,cherry tomato, bacon, onion & sweet corn. Then of course, whatever else I see.

Top with around 125g of cheese if you swing that way. I put the barest sprinkle to give the illusion of cheeseness without going over my limit.

Sprinkle gently with mixed herbs

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes. Longer if it doesn’t look right. When you see smoke you’ve gone too far.

My personal favourite right now

A crusty bread roll with a hint of butter. Has to be completely cooled down, melted butter is on my weird list. Must also have seeds on top.

*When I say fry something I don’t mean submerge it in oil. That would probably start a fire. I mean lubricate your pan with a dash of your preferred oil.

So there you have it. I eat meat. I eat carbs. I eat vegetables. Just not weird things like spinach, celery, hot dogs, stevia, ricotta, cheese, cheese, more cheese, quinoa etc. That said, there are PLENTY of recipes available that you might like to integrate into your sugar-free lifestyle. Check out  Sarah Wilson’s blog for a weekly recipe, or join the Quit Sugar challenge happening over at Crash Test Mummy.

 What’s been your best ‘quit sugar’ moment so far?