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1 August–12 October 2026

The challenge

Sugar-free September

Baseline 1–30 August · challenge 1–30 September · results by 12 October

The campaign begins with a cost baseline in August. In September, Alexander is testing one month without added sugar. The plan, method and every reviewed result will be published here — even if the outcome goes the wrong way.

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Short answer

What is Sugar-free September?

Sugar-free September is Alexander's open 30-day test without added sugar within the 1 August–12 October campaign. The Swedish Food Agency's sugar guidance and the Swedish Consumer Agency's household costs provide neutral context. Receipts, weight and method are published without turning one person's result into a promise about how anyone else will respond.

Open method

The rules are set before the first result

The campaign opens with August's cost baseline. The September stage means no added sugar, not a supposedly sugar-free diet. Measurement times and the comparison method are locked so an unexpected or negative result cannot be edited away afterwards.

Receipts show actual cost; Smaklig's estimate is not used as evidence.

Weight is measured on the same digital scale on Monday morning.

The figures receive the same visibility regardless of direction.

Corrections are dated and remain in an expandable history.

Correction history

No corrections have been published yet.

Weekly results

Latest from the challenge

The cost baseline is measured from 1–30 August, followed by the September results. No results or savings are published before a reviewed measurement. The table is updated with reviewed figures on Sundays.

Reviewed weekly cost and weight results
WeekCostWeightMeasuredSource
Week 36Sep 1 – 6 Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurementPublished with the result
Week 37Sep 7 – 13 Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurementPublished with the result
Week 38Sep 14 – 20 Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurementPublished with the result
Week 39Sep 21 – 27 Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurementPublished with the result
Week 40Sep 28 – 30 Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurement Waiting for a reviewed measurementPublished with the result

Cost in context

The comparison is a scenario, not an advantage

The personal outcome is compared only with the preregistered baseline. The Swedish Consumer Agency's 2026 food costs are used as separate, neutral context for the right household type — never as proof that this household would have saved a particular sum.

Read the Swedish Consumer Agency's 2026 food costs

Four separate choices

Participation is not the same as adoption

An account activates nothing automatically. Each state is entered and left independently of the others.

Join the challenge

An explicit choice to take on the challenge. It does not start email, menu adoption or comments.

Receive the weekly email

A separate, active and versioned consent. Participation never starts emails automatically.

Adopt a menu

A separate action that copies a published menu edition. You can adopt without participating.

Comment on an article

An account is required to write or react, but neither participation nor menu adoption is required.

About the journey

Round two, with the same demand for openness

Alexander founded Smaklig in 2026 after using AI-planned weekly menus in his own weight journey. August opens a new measurement sequence with a cost baseline before the September stage. An older weight is therefore not reused as the starting value, and the app's savings estimate is not treated as a result.

Read the full founder story

Articles

Method and background

Campaign articles are published throughout the challenge and host their own discussions on the article page. Until then, these guides explain the cost and weight measurement background.

Meal boxes vs own planning

How comparable food costs must be bounded before a savings claim can be credible.

Read the article

TDEE calculator and macros

Background on energy needs, measurement and why one person's weight outcome cannot be generalized.

Read the article

Latest discussions

Comments belong to the articles

When approved comments exist, a readable selection appears here and every entry links to its article. The hub has no composer, reply controls or separate thread to moderate.

No campaign comments have been published yet.

See the articles

Frequently asked questions

Questions about sugar, cost and method

What actually happens in your body when you cut down on sugar?

Responses differ between people and depend on their whole diet, habits and health. The Swedish Food Agency recommends that free sugar provide less than ten percent of energy, preferably less. This challenge documents only Alexander's experience and measurements. It is not used to promise particular symptoms, a set weight loss or medical effects for anyone else.

How much does food cost per month for one person?

The Swedish Consumer Agency's estimated 2026 food cost for one adult is about SEK 2,730 per month, but that amount is a reference value rather than a receipt for a particular household. Age, household type, lunches, special diets and personal choices affect the outcome. Alexander's actual receipts are therefore reported separately from the agency comparison.

What is a reasonable food budget?

A reasonable food budget depends on who is in the household and which meals are included. The Swedish Consumer Agency's tables can provide neutral context for the correct year and household type, but they do not prove an individual saving. The challenge therefore states the baseline, scope and source beside each comparison and never mixes a reference with measured cost.

How do you make a budget and reduce your food costs?

Start by defining which people and meals the budget covers, then collect real receipts for a fixed period. Plan purchases, compare only equivalent alternatives and follow the outcome without counting app estimates as money. In this challenge, the same method is locked before September, and any deviations or corrections are published openly rather than removed.

Follow the full campaign

Plan, figures and results in one place

Bookmark the latest section. New reviewed figures are published on Sundays, including when the outcome did not go to plan.

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Content last reviewed