It's been two weeks since I gave up sugar.
And since many of you have asked me about my decision to
go sugar-free, I thought I would give you an update.
In two weeks I have had only a minute amount of sugar.
The only sweetener I have had is Stevia in my coffee,
and a 1/2 of a Diet Coke to see how it tasted.
(very sweet).
Yes me...the mother who stashes the Halloween candy in the
cupboard above the fridge and lies to my children that I
threw it away.
Me, who has been busted more times than I want to say, standing at the open refrigerator with the whipped cream can tipped upside
down in my mouth.
Me, whose kids always knew there would be Sour Patch kids in
the center console of the car.
How am I doing?
Besides the fact that my husband and children
are rather annoyed at me and make it a point to
remind me EVERY DAY that THEY haven't given up sugar,
I am good.
I won't sugar coat it (ha!)
The first few days were hell.
Sugar is a poison and is highly addictive, and I was a dime-bag junkie, as was evidenced by the my frantically searching the kitchen for four nights
looking for ANYTHING to satisfy my need for the sweet stuff.
I was cranky with a capital C.
There was sugar everywhere I wasn't eating it.
I even had a couple of days where I felt sick and run down. I am certain now I was coming off my sugar high.
Trust me...myself and I had many conversations
in my head. Debating whether it was REALLY necessary to do this.
Now! At Christmas! Was I a sadist?
Yet, somehow, me, of oh so little willpower,
hung in there.
Today I am not even craving it.
Sure, the sweet memory of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
still tests me, but it passes.
Amen!!
Now, I have always been a girl who believes wholeheartedly
in the law of moderation.
But after all of the reading I have done, I am learning
what damage all of the sugar we consume as a nation, is doing.
Sugar, as I said, is a poison. Too much and you'd go into
a diabetic coma and die. The body has to produce
insulin to balance out the sugar in our blood.
Sugar is an inflammatory.
Inflammation, researchers are learning, is the leading cause of
diseases such as heart disease, auto immune disorders, hypertension, and cancer.
Cancer tumors feed on sugar to grow.
Gross!
Am I advocating that you all go out and cold-turkey the sugar
tomorrow?
No.
I can't even convince my family!
These are things that people have to come to realize on their own...even my kids.
I could try to shove my sugar free cookies down their throats,
and make them snack on only fruits and veggies,
but they would rebel.
I remember as a kid we had friends whose parents only had health food in the house, and they would come to ours
(not a junk food house by any means, but we had good, sugar-filled snacks and cereals)
and they would go crazy on the stuff.
I am not naive enough to think my kids would buy in just because
their mother says its bad!
Let's be real!!
I am, however, trying to be more aware of what all of us put into our bodies on a daily basis.
I am certain I would have gone back to my ever-lovin' sugar ways by now if
I didn't feel so much better..so much clearer.
Stomach bloating (sorry) is gone, and my skin,
all ready looking fab because of my R and F skin products, is even clearer and brighter!
I have to say, even I, am a little shocked!
Plus, cutting down on inflammatory foods keeps my auto-immune disease in check.
The other, really tremendous thing I have noticed...food tastes better. I used to have a little coffee with my
Vanilla Caramel Coffeemate
(OMG...have you LOOKED at the ingredients in that stuff? Ish!)
Now, I put a smidge of Stevia and a little half and half
and I LOVE the bold taste of the coffee...a true first.
So maybe consider this...
as a New Year's Resolution...not now!
Surely I would be the most
hated woman in Ames suggesting you quit sugar 10 days before Christmas!
Cut back on the sugar and see how you feel...way back.
Replace it with Stevia (a plant derivative 3 times as sweet as sugar) or small
amounts of Agave Nectar. Stay away from the Equal
(that stuff will kill you!) and even the Splenda (not enough testing for my liking yet).
Will I go back to eating sugar again?
Realistically...probably a little here and there.
Again...I do believe almost everything in moderation is
not bad...but I consider myself a recovering sugar addict,
and I know that one M&M can easily lead to 40.
I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime'I am combing Pinterest
for sugar-free baked goods of all kinds.
Oh yes! One good thing! Wine...because the sugar has turned into alcohol...is okay...in moderation, of course! :)
Sweet!
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