Reston Mom: no sugar challenge

I've got my whole family joining me in a no-sugar challenge for this week, since this is completely my weak spot. It hasn't been as difficult as I'd imagined. I realize that if I just stay away altogether, the cravings begin to wane after a bit and are manageable. However, once I start eating sugar, it just sucks me right in.

So for this week: no adding sugar to things like oatmeal or coffee, no sugary foods or beverages, no chocolate (argh!), no sugar substitutes - except for small amounts of honey or stevia. I did not stop a few things like peanut butter (we choose a variety with very low sugar) but I have been trying not to gorge us on fructose either - such as over indulging in fruits and fruit juices, what would be more than normal moderation or other processed - even minimally processed - foods like "health bars" that contain a lot of brown rice syrup or "cane syrup" . It's easy to turn to replacing the sugar in my diet with other stuff to fill that craving instead of focusing on eating what is really good for me.

You'd be surprised what things you find sugar in. You've got to read labels closely for sugar, corn syrup, sucrose, etc.... Even "healthy" foods like yogurt contain a lot of sugar.