I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with how I eat and the patterns and my thought surrounding food. Reading In Defense of Food helped with that and pushed me toward eating more (local) vegetables and cutting out a large majority of processed stuff. Saturday I bought zuchinni and kale at the farmer’s market and hope to eventually buy more great things at farmer’s markets. Once I settle somewhere I even want to grow some of my own things. In general I’m not quite worried about the whole foods that I eat.
But one thing has continued to be a struggle: sugar. I’ve been eating relatively clean and sugar free on weekdays for the past several weeks (Kepa and I have a no sugar on weekdays pact, hehe) so I don’t really crave sugar as much as I used to. If I want anything sweet after my meals it’s usually a craving for fruit. I’m pretty much amazed at how easy it has been to cut out sugar almost full time and focus on just eating high quality, well balance meals. So I haven’t wanted to eat sugar any other time but the weekend.
Even on weekends I think mostly I’ve just wanted to eat sweets because I can. I’ve done well by just choosing one thing and eating that, just to remind myself that everything is well and if I was sugar I can have it. This weekend I ended up eating a few things, the latest of which I bought yesterday: oatmeal raisin cookies.
These cookies have the potential to ruin today… because I already ate some for breakfast. I ate a few yesterday when I bought them and then decided I would try to freeze them and save them for next weekend. Well, I woke up with them on my mind and when I went into the kitchen they were all I could think about. So I ate some. I wasn’t really happy with the decision because it wasn’t a filling breakfast and it wasn’t really what I would have wanted to eat. I’ll probably be hungry again very soon, plus I have a ton of sugar running around in my system. Bad breakfast choice. It could have the potential to ruin my day, but it won’t.
I won’t let eating cookies for breakfast ruin my day because I’m going to use it as a lesson. I’m going to take the experience and realize I just can’t keep sugar around. Not even that I can’t… I really don’t want to. It somehow manages to get into my mind and I’ve got better things to think about than sugar. I am perfectly fine keeping sweets as something that I can eat out of the house or buy in individual portions and bring back to eat, but keeping a bunch of cookies or other sweets around just isn’t going to happen. Eventually I’ll probably need to work out that compulsive eating thing, but for now I’m just going to keep the stuff out of my house.
So now my new self imposed rules about sweets.
- Only on the weekends.
- Only things in individual portions.
- Only things I eat with other people (this one will be easier once Kepa is around!).
- Only bake for events (please invite me to parties? I LOVE to bake!).
I’ve come to these rules at the end of many learned lessons about how sugar affects my body. Quite frankly I’ve learned that I don’t like it and these personal sugar rules are just guidelines to help me along the way. I’m not saying anyone needs to do the same or should.
This whole weight loss thing is about consistently. It’s not about running marathons or starving yourself, it’s just about doing enough good things consistently that they make a difference in the long run. I’ve finally worked out that for me personally I’ve reached the point where refined sugar doesn’t have a place in my life consistently. It’s probably been the hardest lesson to learn, because I thought I loved sweet things so much. But I’m learning I love my health more.
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{ 40 comments }
Eating sweets is a hurdle for serveral of my girlfriends, I will have to refer them to this post. My biggest problem is portion control! Good Luck!
This is a good post. I eat WAY too much sugar. That’s something I really wish I could cut out of my diet and never look back. It’s such a hard thing to do though.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Weekend Report Card =-.
I’m actually finding that it’s not that hard to cut out. But of course you have to want to do it. If you don’t then of course it’s a hard thing to do. ;)
I stopped consistently eating sugar a number of months ago in order to get rid of candida and for me, it was the best thing I ever did for myself in regards to being able to really listen to my body. I have found, without all of that sugar, I am really much more in tune with my hunger signals and all of the late night snacking I used to do chalking it up to hunger was actually sugar cravings. Now, I have a little agave, fruit or dark chocolate from time to time without going into a tail spin. When I eat white sugar, it impacts my blood sugar so much and makes me feel phyiscally ill and I would have never been able to learn that without just giving it up 100%.
Learning is the key.
And don’t worry, you’ll be able to add sugar on a more regular basis in the future. It’s all about moderation and choices!
You’re doing good Mary. No cookies will ruin that ;)
.-= Marilou @ Mostly Healthy´s last blog ..Grey Monday =-.
Actually I really don’t want to add sugar in. I’m a fan of moderation and all, but I really just don’t think my body needs that crap at all. I’ll keep it to the weekends and see how that goes.
Your guidelines look a lot like mine, Mary. You’re right, you’ve got to find what you can do consistently and then do it…consistently. I can keep bags and bars of chocolate all over the place and enjoy them in small portions, but baked goods are another story completely. So I nibble on my chocolates and every week or so I make a run to a cupcake store or Holiday Ham for a brownie or a piece of red velvet cake. :)
.-= Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..Happy Trainaversary To Me! =-.
Yeah. After a few weeks I realize it’s pretty easy for me to just do sweets on the weekend. But keeping them around? Not so much the best idea for me right now. Maybe one day. ;)
Which cupcake store do you go to? Please say Muddy’s! I love them!
You read my mind! This week I decided to tackle sugar, and oddly enough, on day two a friend brought me oatmeal raisin cookies. First I put them away and said I would eat one each day (had three of them), but then I just said forget it and at them all! I think in my mind that was my way of getting rid of them (makes no sense lol).
It’s nice to read someone else’s struggles with sugar, it’s a difficult one to manage, but in the end IS manageable. Good luck to us all!
.-= Lisa @ 14 Months to 50´s last blog ..No Salt, No Sugar =-.
The “eat to get rid of it” thing is really common among people that have food issues. So don’t feel alone in that. Good luck in your own struggles. I agree that it is manageable, we just have to figure out what that looks like for each of us. ;)
I can SO identify with this! I’ve been sugar free since June 4 and it doesn’t feel hard at all, anymore. And I have similar guidelines for myself about a lot of things! For example, I choose to indulge only when I’m with other people. I did a lot of alone eating in my pre-health days, and I think doing it in “secret” gave that kind of eating power over me!
.-= SeattleRunnerGirl´s last blog ..HCG & Running =-.
I really like the idea of only eating sweets and things like that with other people. I actually like the idea of always eating with other people but that’s not entirely possible, so I think making stuff that you would over eat when alone gives the power back to you.
I am basically following the same guidelines. I also make an effort to not eat any packaged food that has more than 5-7 grams of sugar per serving. You’d be surprised at some of the foods that have more than 5-7 grams! That said, if it’s supposed to be sweet, like a really good piece of chocolate or a homemade treat I am not as strict in terms of grams…but I limit those items. One of my biggest problems used to be all the wine I was drinking…basically liquid sugar! Once I cut waaaaay back on that, I found it much easier to control my overall food intake.
Totally! When I decided to go sugar free during the week I knew that I wouldn’t be able to be completely sugar free, so my limit is 5 g per servings….. it’s so hard to find. I finally found a few cereals with 2 g per serving and bread with none, but it took some effort. Pretty much anything you don’t make from scratch probably contains a ton of sugar in it. Realizing that kind of was a huge thing for me.
I love that you are getting excited about veggies, I wish I could grown them at my townhouse but there just isn’t anywhere. :( Let me know how you like kale, I can’t seem to make it taste good. I don’t agree with cutting out sugar but your weight loss journey will take you exactly where it’s supposed to. :)
Good thing I don’t care what you or anyone else agrees with. Sugar doesn’t work well with my body so I’m cutting it out for the most part. That’s how it goes.
I like kale… it’s good as baked kale chips, kale soup, and mixed in smoothies.
Kale soup sounds good, I will try that thanks.
I really like what you wrote about not letting one bad not-so-great decision (having a cookie or two for breakfast) ruin your day. I think that we miss lessons like this all the time.
Thank you for making me think!
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Characteristics of a Mindful Eater =-.
With my love of cookies & especially oatmeal raisin, you could have sent those to me!
:-)
You have to do what is right for you May so do what feels right. I have my cookie treat on the weekend.. actually one each day, enjoy it & savor it & be done. I have to go out to buy it which makes it easier. I do have my healthy animal cracker type cookies during the week but they have a pretty decent make up & I count them out & stop there…
Keep up the greta work Mary… you are finding your way!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Five Ws of Weight Loss; Happy Bday Jennifer! =-.
HI Mary,
Just thought I would pop in and comment, don’t think I have commented before. Despite visiting semi regularly. thanks for this post. I too am in the process of turning, perhaps ‘not the wisest choices’ into lessons. Previously, something like bickies (I am an Aussie!) for breaky would have triggered that ‘all or nothing’- well, the day is stuffed as far as good eating goes so may as well just hook in’ attitude. Now I am trying to hold my self up on that slippery slide and not slide straight down it. It’s uncomfortable thought, because it’s different, not by habit. But, better in the long run. Thanks for your blog and sharing your journey- much inspiring!
Hi Tanya! Thanks for the comment!
It’s different and perhaps uncomfortable to think about what you are doing and turn things into lessons, but it really is worth it in the end. I try to never let one bad choice in a day turn the whole day into a bad one. Each opportunity is a new chance to make a good choice.
I do the same– if it’s some sweet thing I can’t leave alone, like homemade cookies or cobbler, I ask my husband to hide it until the weekend. Eating sugar definitely messes with my satiety signals. I think diet soda does too. I wish I could give it up altogether but the thought of never-never makes me sad. I do keep dark chocolate in generous quantities but that’s easier to ignore after a nice portion. I think there is a brain-wiring, insulin-response piece to it that greatly contributes to overweight and overeating for certain people. I’m certainly one of them.
Every person’s journey looks different and it also changes from time to time. I think you are smart to try new things and look carefully at what resonates with you. Great job Mary!
.-= Diane Fit to the Finish´s last blog ..Is There Really Bad Food? =-.
I keep reading reviews of “In Defense of Food” and I might have to Kindle it. I was having some mysterious stomach problems last year that lead me to a wide array of specialists who could find nothing wrong with me other than my diet. It amazed me how much better I felt and how much clearer my skin was without sugar. But with one cookie or piece of chocolate, I was sucked right back into the trap….just like the current research is suggesting!
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62R23O20100328
.-= Megan´s last blog ..well hello there, June! =-.
Megan, definitely get In Defense of Food! One of the things I learned from it is how relatively recent refined sugar consumption is. People in the mid-1800s didn’t have it. Your grandma or great grandma had it, but not nearly in the quantities we take for granted now. So…it feels like you’re doing something out of the norm to give up sugar, but really modern society is out of the norm.
.-= Alan´s last blog ..Week 21 Recap: Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal! =-.
I agree Megan… get In Defense of Food and read it! It’s really good. And Alan is right… refined sugar consumption is very recent and not something our bodies are entirely used to yet. Which is why I am trying to get rid of it as much as possible.
Thanks for sharing that link Megan. good reading material. You are right, one small thing can easily suck you back in… as cookies in the house did to me!
Oooo, I liked what you said about eating it with others around (I liked all of what you said, but that popped out at me). That is something I need to start practicing. I’m such a closet/car/pantry/where-ever-they-aren’t eater. Needs to change.
.-= Gina Fit by 41 Maybe 42´s last blog ..Back to Basics Challenge #1 – Hydrate, Mini List =-.
Like many of you, I have a sweet tooth. Well to be honest I have a mouth full of sweet teeth. Something that really helps to alleviate my cravings is those individual drink mixes. You can find them in your juice aisle at the supermarket. They’re sugar-free and when you mix them in with a bottle of water they are very, very good. It kills my sweet cravings instantly and the water helps you feel full. So it’s like killing two birds with one stone!
I’ve found that the more natural foods (fruit and vegetables) I eat, the less I crave sugar. I’ve reached the same conclusion as you – it’s not about running marathons or starving yourself. We’re getting there!
.-= Hanlie´s last blog ..More about Maggie =-.
I’ve found the same thing Hanlie. If I’m eating well i don’t really want sugar as much (at all).
I know I say this too often but it REALLY IS all about finding what works for you and kindasorta ignoring others :)
if no sugar in the domicile EVER PERIOD is what it takes—then do it!
Carla
.-= Miz´s last blog ..It’s VEGAS, Baby! (video) =-.
Sugar has been a problem with me for as far back as I can remember, although I never really experienced being over-weight until I was in my 30s and went from hard labour jobs to teaching computer literacy. Then I put on 60 pounds rather quickly which really gave my heart and arteries a problem, so much so that in 2004 I had a heart attack that nearly took me and which left me with major heart damage.
I did finally manage to stop putting sugar on everything.
It was a great feeling the first time I had breakfast with no sugar, not even in my coffee.
We do try to consume as little sugar as we can and we eat a lot more fresh veggies now. I even started my first garden last year.,
We have a farmers market here and have planned to go there for so long, just never got there yet. Maybe now that I said that we can get there this weekend.
.-= James Mann´s last blog ..How To Lose Fat Through Dancing =-.
This is so great! See how you’re slowly but surely fazing out things from your personal life. This was my first step to eating healthy. I just let myself go crazy at parties and stuff and now that doesn’t even appeal and I want to be moderate there too.
.-= Diana @ frontyardfoodie´s last blog ..Heartburn Oh My! =-.
great blog, i think cutting down the fatty food & increasing physical activity levels helps a lot to reduce weight.
Sugar is so hard because in the US we add it to everything. I tried to buy dried fruit for a snack since I’m super sensitive to sugar and it almost all was sweeted. HELLO dried fruit is already sweet because the water has been removed.
But I like your rules. They allow you to enjoy but not over do it.
One interesting thing I discovered about sugar waa that its only one molecule off from alcohol and one chemical (it is missing nitrogen) off from cocaine. No wonder its so addictive and harmful.
.-= barry´s last blog ..Free Report – Discover The Power Of Green Tea =-.
What a solid plan. I never thought I struggled with sweets, but since I’ve been limiting my junk food (i.e. fast food, chips, etc..) sweets have come in more and more. Not nearly an issue, but something to watch, you know? I like you plan–especially with limiting sugars in foods, too!
.-= beej´s last blog ..Birthday Weekend (Vibram Style) =-.
Yeah, after reading some good books like In Defense of Food I realized even cutting out sweets I would still be consuming a lot of sugar if I kept eating normal store bought processed food. They shove sugar and corn syrup into everything!!
Great ideas Mary. I have heard of many people that save the sugary items as a treat on the weekends and it seems to work well. How flipping excited are you that it is almost July 3rd? Seriously! I get giddy for you just thinking about it ;)
I AM SO EXCITED. Seriously. I can’t wait to get out of Oregon and head to Cali!
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