Free to be Sugar-free

     I am still avoiding sugar. Goin' strong for 10 days so far. Ok, I did slip a bit when I had a Hershey's kiss yesterday and a bite of Baby's cookie. But other than that I'm really doing this! 

     I have to admit the reason for the excitement is because this morning the scale said I've lost 4 lbs. That is not bad for 10 days of doing nothing out of the ordinary except avoiding sugar and sugar substitutes. I eat when I'm hungry and do my usual 3x a week workouts and gardening.

     There are a few things I've found that work as coping mechanisms to stay away from sugar. I still crave a bubbly flavored drink now and then. So I mix seltzer water with a half glass of fruit juice. Once I'd been off sugar a few days I didn't need intense sweetness, so this fit the bill. (Seriously, your taste buds adjust.) Drinking only water, occasionally "spiced up" with a slice of lime or lemon, wasn't cutting it for me. I'm not a big milk drinker either. An expensive seltzer/fruit juice drink at the Co-op gave me this idea. Why pay $1 a can when I can mix the two myself? 

     The other coping tool is gum. Yes, if you want to get technical it has sugar or a sugar substitute, but significantly less than even a piece of fruit. So when I felt the need to chew on some chocolate, I chose gum instead. 

     Even being off sugar for this short amount of time has illuminated some of my addictive behaviors. Or you can call them bad habits. I eat sugar to feel comfort. A better technique is to actually deal with what is bothering me by talking about it, writing, or cuddling with DH. I eat sugar or drink a soda to self-medicate instead of taking my headache meds. Guess which works better? Needing sleep is a frequent cause of my headaches, so taking a nap works too. 

    I also eat sugar when I'm too lazy to eat real food. This week has awakened my taste buds - I realize that real food tastes better than something that only tastes sweet. A piece of fruit is sweet and in addition has a range of other flavors. I had a few strawberries this week that seriously trumped any Hershey's kiss. And I can eat a whole bunch of those, never feeling a bit guilty, but actually feeling good about eating something great.

     These few days sugar-free are showing me the patterns in my life surrounding food that aren't healthy. Who knows what I'd find out if I went off TV for a week, or (heaven forbid) took a break from the computer. 

     The end of this little experiment is tomorrow after my doctor appointment. I have a party to attend and there's no way I'm sitting out the goodies! The thing I've missed the most is chocolate. I've got a hankerin' for a slice of peanut butter chocolate cake that my friend JoAnna makes. Maybe I'll buy a bag of Reeses cups to eat on the way to the party. My daughter asks if I'll gain the 4 lbs right back. Maybe ;)

Comments

[Allan]

1.

Nice going, most processed foods have a lot of added sugar any way, It helps us want more of their product. Now since you mentioned it the biggest improvement I made to my life (well other than the gospel) was cutting out TV and quite frankly I didnt realize how much I used it to take up time until I quit and it was harder than I thought at first. but it was a great decision for me.

[Amanda D]

2.

I'm so inspired by this. I really should give it a go and try it for a couple weeks. And, if it wasn't sugar it could be anything - soda, computer, tv, etc.

[jendoop]

3.

Thanks for the support Allan and Amanda.

Allan, Our lives are always better when we turn off the TV. Moderation is hard for us humans, its just too easy to slip into too much. Like sugar, or the internet, or french fries, or...!

Amanda, Doing something like this is about getting out of our comfort zone, and feeling free. I have felt a sense of empowerment doing this. It is hard, but I've done it! I'd love for you to have that feeling too, when you're ready :)

It is amazing to think how much sugar we eat when the human body doesn't need it, at all! I do hope to hold onto my re-trained taste buds and use sugar more wisely after this is over.

[The Sweet Escape]

4.

I WAS going to go for the chocolate frosting and graham crackers until I read your post! ;) Thanks girl. You totally rock....I hope you know that.