"No Sugar" - Week 2 & Beyond.

[neelu]

Alhamdulillaah. On day 100 of 100.

MashaAllah well done for sticking with it

[Fakhri-bin-Ali]

Last night I had a chocolate biscuit - one of those Fox's rounds... It was so sickeningly sweet I thought to myself, 'people actually eat these because they're meant to be treats?' It almost sent me on another no sugar spree there and then... I thought 'I'm better off carrying on(!)'

I did have some some Asian halwa though, a little earlier and it tasted quite nice - considering I've never liked Asian sweets. It was good. Not too sweet.

Alhamdulillaah. I'm good like this, tbh. Don't feel the need to have any of these things. Maybe when the hot weather comes and I feel depleted and needing that quick sugar intake I'll allow myself to have ice-creams

But for now, Alhamdulillaah. Perfectly content with fruits.

[neelu]

When I started reducing my sugar intake, at first I thought it made no difference but after a few months, I had a particular milk chocolate bar (a type of gluten free kitkat) that I normally really like and suddenly it tasted sweeter than how I remember it. That's when I realised I'm actually adjusting and getting used to not needing it as much. I still have sugar but seem to be satisfied with a bit less of it than before. A more regular treat is a milkshake I have with banana and unsweetened raw cacao powder- that way it doesn't need any sugar but still tastes chocolatey. If you want a more thick milkshake then add some ripe avocado to it. There's also a gluten free sugar free egg free banana cake recipe I've seen online that I'm thinking we should try maybe for Eid or an occasion like that inshaAllah.

Also if I make desserts on occasion, then I halve the amount of sugar in the recipe and substitute the rest with a few stevia drops (or banana depending on the recipe) and it's sweet enough. The banana pancakes I made didn't require any sugar, honey or stevia as it had enough sweetness in itself. Other times I've made mango lassi lollies out of greek yogurt, mangoes, a very small amount of sugar and a bit of stevia. I made them last year when mangoes were in season but this year I think I'd add a bit of cream to the recipe and infuse it with saffron.

[Fakhri-bin-Ali]

Right. Had halwa, chocolate biscuits, Chocolate Gateau, a couple of Madelines and I'm done, I think. Pretty much forced myself to eat those.

Back on insha'Allah. 40 days insha'Allah from now.
As with the last time, let me just say if I break my word, I'll take on whatever 'punishment' is set by any of the forum regulars.


On day 1 of 40.
Alhamdulillaah.

[Fakhri-bin-Ali]

Day 2 of 40.
Alhamdulillaah.

[Umm Uthmaan]

Indefinable
Flawed

Let's start together..

[Flawed]

Indefinable
Flawed

Let's start together..

I can try out a "less sugar free" diet, beyond 2 weeks

[Umm Uthmaan]

I can try out a "less sugar free" diet, beyond 2 weeks

Yeah that’s sounds good. Let’s do that :D

[Flawed]

Guys seriously wheres all the sunflower oil gone? Heard it had sth got to do with russia not exporting it :/

And what happened to imran Khan?

[neelu]

Good- sunflower oil increases inflammation and I'm not convinced it's good for us. If you normally eat desi food at home, then using mustard oil+ a little ghee would taste better (btw mustard oil can make meat look a slightly darker colour but don't let that alarm you- it tastes great). Alternatively, garlic infused olive oil is quite good for light cooking. My brother and his wife are really into healthy eating so they tend to use coconut oil or olive oil for cooking with though taste wise they are not my favourites. Given the choice, I wouldn't use sunflower oil at all.

Guys seriously wheres all the sunflower oil gone? Heard it had sth got to do with russia not exporting it :/

And what happened to imran Khan?

What happened in Pakistan was a few years ago, America decided that Imran Khan would be useful at helping negotiating with the Taliban about a US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the transfer of power. Once that was sorted out, America decided they no longer have any use for Imran Khan so they would dispose of him. They already knew the opposition parties are sycophants who'd sell their own mothers for money and acceptance from the US so they told the opposition to entice IK's coalition partners away from PTI to get rid of him, which they were glad to do. Then the US told its puppets in the army to withdraw support from Imran Khan so that he would be isolated and have no way to hold on to power. Then as they have control of the deep state, they also told the judiciary to ensure that Imran Khan is out of office regardless of what the law and constitution says and of course they obeyed their masters.

People are depicting this as IK being anti American and therefore being punished for it, but actually he's a servant of the secular West as much as his opposition- the only main difference with him was that he wasn't there to steal from the country to fill his own coffers (the way all the other parties are)- but other than that... he is not 'Islamic', he is not anti American (as his supporters like to pretend he is). It was just a matter of transferring the leadership role from one secular person to another- though of course for IK supporters this is scandalous cos they know how much the others are corrupt criminals.

Whoever comes to power in Pakistan has almost nothing to do with who gets voted in or who the general public want. These decisions are made by the US and the Pakistan army and they pick whoever will do what they want- it has nothing to do with the people so these big crowds and protests wont change anything.

[Fakhri-bin-Ali]

Day 3 of 40.

At this point I can safely say grapes are definitely tastier and just better than chocolate. Alhamdulillaah.

[Ya'sin]

Fakhri, do you eat rice? If not, what are the substitutes

I want some ideas for meals when I start the elimination process because I'm always exhausted and weak

[Fakhri-bin-Ali]

Fakhri, do you eat rice? If not, what are the substitutes

I want some ideas for meals when I start the elimination process because I'm always exhausted and weak

I'm Bengali.
Rice = Food
Food = Rice.

I stopped for some time and was eating veg in its place but I couldn't stick with it. Was losing weight too fast and of course it's not the same...


(For me this whole no-sugar thing hasn't had bread, rice, other similar carbs eliminated. It's really all the other stuff - the sweet stuff - that it's been about.)


---------
Day 4 of 40. Alhamdulillaah.

[Ya'sin]

I'm Bengali.
Rice = Food
Food = Rice.

I stopped for some time and was eating veg in its place but I couldn't stick with it. Was losing weight too fast and of course it's not the same...


(For me this whole no-sugar thing hasn't had bread, rice, other similar carbs eliminated. It's really all the other stuff - the sweet stuff - that it's been about.)


---------
Day 4 of 40. Alhamdulillaah.

Ok thanks
yes, I'm the same, I need baath and salom to feel nourished

I think I'd faint if I just have vegetables as a substitute, the carbs hold me together even though I feel exhausted

(Because I feel constant fatigue, I have to figure out what is impacting my energy- excluding the sugar and tea).

If anyone has ideas, feel free to share with me on another thread if you want

[neelu]

I don't know what to suggest about carbs. Eliminating sugar I can see the health benefits. When people talk about eliminating carbs, they also say that's healthier for losing weight, for being energized etc but I can't imagine it as it's such an integral part of our diets and I feel AWFUL if I try to eat low carb things. I could maybe reduce the portion of rice to cover only half the plate but I couldn't go less than that.

Advocates of low carb say that awful feeling of withdrawal is only temporary and lasts a few days after which you adjust but I've never been able to maintain it that long to find out and I don't trust that I'd feel okay afterwards I just think I really need this. Besides someone told me if you have hormone issues then low carb wont be good for you and you wont adjust and I'm sure my hormones are off as well so that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

Best advice I can suggest for healthier eating though is just increase the proportion of veg in your meals. Everyone goes on about carbs and protein and yeah those are a normal part of a healthy diet but the best nutrition is often in the veg so increase the proportion of it as part of the meal. So rather than have chicken and rice, you have half the plate with rice, a quarter with chicken, a quarter with a veg dish such as palak or whatever you prefer, then to increase the proportion of veg you have a side salad and cucumber raita, or you add some pickled red cabbage or something like that.