I am going public with this goal to keep me on track. If you have known me since Olivia was born you might be familiar with my odd eating habits. The fact that I periodically eat virtually no refined sugar is likely no news to you. I lost 23lbs after Olivia was born because of that habit. Some of my friends thought I was crazy but I didn't care, I looked really good 18 mos after I had Olivia. My mom even told me that I was almost too skinny, I sure do miss those water aerobics and weight lifting classes at BYU. Ah those were the days.
The no eating sugar thing started when a co-worker told me if I didn't eat sugar I would lose the desire for it. I love a challenge. I tried it out and it was true. I got really good at it too. Chocolate chip cookies, cheesecake and all those yummy little treats lost their allure. Then I learned how to cook using honey, then splenda, then not splenda, then sucanat, stevia, brown rice syrup, powdered evaporated cane juice and so forth. I found ice cream that I like that doesn't have any refined sugar, I found dark chocolate chips without sugar--there isn't much more than this girl can ask for. I know what snacks I can buy and eat and when I am off sugar my body craves all the good stuff anyway. It has been a journey, one that started when I was pregnant with Olivia and one that continues to this day--6 yrs later.
At this point, I am pretty good at not cooking with sugar because I learned how to cook using whole, unrefined sweeteners that don't spike your blood sugar and give you the same side effects that white and brown sugar do. When I am "on' sugar I tend to be cranky, have mood swings, am generally irritable b/c my blood sugar goes up and down because I am on the insulin/sugar treadmill all day and crave sugary foods that aren't good for me. The other main reason for not eating the sugar is that when you eat "clean" it allows you to lose weight and tone up alot easier, particularly in your midsection. All in all you just feel good. So I am feeling like jumping on that sugar free wagon again. Of course, this is the worst time of the year to do that--in a way. However, I can always choose cheat days on special occasions (moderation in all things)--the good thing is that when you are not eating sugar and then you do, your body's response to the sugar limits portion size. At least it does for me, it just makes me sick to my stomach and get a headache after 3 bites. But since I can cook, I can make my own treats with the unrefined, whole food sweeteners when I really want something.
SO, I feel like shaking life up a bit and creating favorite old habits from yester...months to this new house. The more oldie but goodie routines and practices I do here, the more it feels like home. So tomorrow is Day 1 and since I really want to stick with it and not be lazy, I am blogging it. Nothing like confiding to the world that you aren't eating sugar for a while to keep you honest and moving forward. Feel free to mock me or wish me luck. ;)
8 comments:
Bravo for no refined sugars! I'll jump on that bandwagon with you, because I, too, have experienced the joy of it in the past. During my mission I lost 15 lbs. while my companions all kept gaining...all because I knocked refined sugar out of my diet. Over the past year I pretty much gave in to eating junk again. "Why?! How?!" you may all lament...well, maybe getting married changed what groceries I buy. At any rate, I am ready to change BACK again. Thanks for giving me the last little nudge I needed.
Good luck! I'm almost tempted to join you in your quest because I'm sick of being the only adult in my house that eats sugar. It's no fun to eat treats alone. I miss you Tisha. We'll have to get together sometime.
Hey good for you. I'm so tempted to join you since you mentioned that it helps tone the midsection. I'll be sending you an email shortly w/some ? for you.
If anyone can do this it is you!!
Good luck! I need to jump on the no-sugar bandwagon, too. I've done this before and agree that I end up feeling WAY better, but I have such a sweet tooth and its gotten totally out of hand lately. Guess that should be my wake-up call :)
Hey, can you email me some information about that? I have severe hypoglycemia and crave sugar, but would love to switch to something a little more body-friendly.
Oh, and lose some weight.
Oh Tisha, so timely for me...you are my inspiration.
Oh so true. Sugar is the all time body enemy. I love, love this time of year, but I can't wait to go back to eating healthy. I notice the change of behavior most evidently in Noel. She is so much less moody and cranky when we start off with a good, low sugar breakfast and have healthy snacks(this won't happen for a little while because my dear hubby went shopping for us while I was ill last week and bough sugar coated cerial galore... alas, so well meaning). Good luck and just think of how good you'll feel!
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