
What happens when you go 30 days without sugar? I struggleddd on a weekend getaway where I figured sugar could be the culprit, so I decided to try 30 days without sugar!
A few months ago, me and my best friend went on a girls trip to the Greenbriar (again.) We always have the best time at the Greenbriar! This year however, my little frienemy came to visit the morning we left…
I had been getting my period on weekends for a few months so my cramps didn’t seem to be a huge burden. They were obviously uncomfortable, but I was always able to stay home, relax, and nap through it.
I felt fine on the drive down, but a few hours after we got there, I wasn’t feeling well at all. My cramps were so painful that they were making my legs ache and my stomach was hurting so bad. I tried to power through, I even stopped at the Greenbriar gift shop to buy overpriced advil…I hate taking advil, but desperate times call for desperate measures. My period was not going to ruin my weekend.
I went to bed around 10:30, which is way earlier than I go to bed on a normal day. When I woke up the next morning still in pain, gave in and took the advil. Finally, I started to feel better after breakfast! I was so annoyed that I wasted almost an entire day of our trip feeling awful.
When I got home, I decided to do 30 days without refined sugar.
I used to not suffer from period cramps or any PMS symptoms really, but recently they have progressively been getting worse. My diet hadn’t been the best recently either, so I figured it had to be all the sugar I’d been eating.
I got into the habit of brunching a few times a month, eating dessert every night after dinner, and eating more gluten than I should have been. (Gluten makes me inflamed which gives me headaches, digestive issues, acne, cramps, etc. when I eat too much of it.) I figured going refined sugar free for 30 days would make a big difference in my monthly symptoms.
You’re probably thinking, “Why don’t you just go on birth control to get rid of your cramps.”
I will never go on hormonal birth control because it doesn’t prevent issues, it just covers them up. It can also lead to breast cancer, infertility, and even worse hormone imbalances. Unfortunately, these are things that doctors don’t tell girls before starting hormonal birth control. There are non-hormonal options however, they don’t help with symptoms and they can sometimes make symptoms worse.
If birth control works for you, that’s great! I try to live a more natural, holistic lifestyle. Birth control doesn’t align with my lifestyle or views on health and wellness.
So anyways, I had so much willpower to stick with no sugar that I really didn’t experience any kind of withdrawal symptoms.
That could also be because even when I’m eating bad (for myself), it’s exponentially less refined sugar than the Standard American Diet. Me eating a junky diet probably still wasn’t enough sugar to cause any withdrawal symptoms.
By the end of the first week, I had noticeably more energy! I was working out 4-5 times a week without having to “make” myself work out. I just had plenty of energy for it! Also, I was sleeping better too (which could also explain having more energy.)
By week 2, my skin was looking really good! I don’t suffer from regular breakouts, but every once in a while I’ll get a few little spots. Week 2, I had no little spots on my face and my skin was noticeably smoother! It also looked more hydrated.
Also during week 2, I started to notice more muscle definition! My skin wasn’t feeling “thick” so it was really making my muscles pop! When you eat too much processed foods, you can tell by how thick your skin is. Especially if you’re in the process of losing weight and you just can’t seem to get rid of the last little bit, or if you’re down to your goal weight but still look like your skin is thick, it’s probably due to processed food.
I’ll talk more about this in the future, but a lot of “health foods” have enriched flour as an ingredient. Enriched flour is super processed! That’s just one of many crappy ingredients in some “health foods” that could be preventing you from losing the last few pounds.
Weeks 3 and 4 I didn’t notice any big changes. My skin still looked great and my energy levels were still high, but that was it.
When I got my period again the following month…
I still felt awful! I’m still trying to cut way back on sugar and only eat it for special occasions because I just feel better and look better overall, but I was disappointed it didn’t make a difference in how I felt during my period.
It may make a difference for some other women though! If you’re struggling with time of the month issues, it’s definitely worth a try! It just wasn’t the root cause of my symptoms and that’s okay!
I’m in the process of trying some other methods and working on figuring out exactly what is causing my symptoms so I’ll definitely keep posting on the process!
I know for a fact that sugar is bad and gluten can screwup your body! I have recently been diagnosed with gastrointestinal issues and prediebetes
So needless to say trying to follow the low fodmap diet is extremely hard and difficult! Not to mention limited, I feel like a short order cook, one Dr says that I can have anything to eat that I want and when I do eat it I hurt! So.. what do I do eat the foods that make me sick or be a short order cook. I think I know the answer.
That’s tough! I can’t give personalized advice however, a lot of people find success with food journaling. Write down what you eat and how you feel. There’s no one size fits all diet or nutrition plan!
Supplement with magnesium and Potassium, you will love it
Yes, magnesium and potassium are so important for women’s health!
Barbara oneiil has a great lecture on hormones and these things ur talking about!! Look her up on you tube! She’s a naturopath
Hi, im Connie 31 year old female commenting all the way from South Africa. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and have since been on different chemotherapy treatments until June 2023 when my oncologist took the decision to stop my treatment as my cancer has spread to a few organs, because chemo was not effective. Iv lost a lot lot lot of weight and im struggling to get it back, iv been feeding this tiny body a lot of junk food and sugar knowing it’s not ok but i need my body back 😭 what is it that i can do or eat or drink anything at this point please help
Hi Connie, I’m so sorry to hear about your cancer. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I can’t give specific advice and this is not medical advice what so ever, but I truly believe in eating what God gave us. Fruits and veggies, grass fed meat, herbal teas…if God made it, eat it, if man made it, avoid it is what I always say. If there is a holistic doctor where you live, I’d recommend talking with them. Praying for your healing!
Connie, the junk food and sugar is definitely not healthy for you at all, since you have cancer.
Eat more lean proteins to gain some weight.
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
Your body needs real nourishment for health. Please stay away from the junk food and sugar. You will not be well eating that stuff.
I pray you heal from breast cancer and that you can eat a healthy diet. God Bless 💞