Now this is HUGE! I am a sugarholic--I live for the hot cookies right out of the oven. And I don't just enjoy one, or two, or three....I will seriously eat half a dozen homemade cookies in a sitting, and then maybe a few before bed time. It's a problem--not because having the occasional cookie, or piece of cake is so bad. It won't wreck my life, or really impact my overall health. But my problem is WAY past having the occasional cookie. I was at a point where after each meal I was looking for a sugar fix. I was munching on candy for my afternoon snack, and THEN after dinner when it became "real" dessert time, my husband and I would talk about what sounded good (ice cream sundaes, doughnuts, chocolate cake, no-bake cookies) and then we'd gorge ourselves on our decision once we bought/made it. I would eat that dessert until I was physically sick, and I had a pretty high tolerance, so you know I was eating a LOT. I would go to bed feeling icky and telling myself I wouldn't do that again, and then the next day I'd repeat my same addictive pattern.
So far, it hadn't really affected me health wise--or so I thought--I was exercising, I was able to maintain my weight, all my vitals, and blood work were good. But it WAS affecting me....I was dependent on my sugar to make me happy. It was my high, and without it I felt bad. Funny thing is, I would feel bad WITH it too....I would feel sluggish and depressed. It was a bad cycle, one that I realized I didn't want to pass on to my baby girl. I've been told a good amount of parenting is by example, and I just knew that if I wanted my child to grow up with better habits, she was gonna have to learn them from watching me. Well, this was pretty big motivation for me. So, it was time for a change----ENTER my Lifetime Health Goal #1 (at least for this blog haha): To Break my Sugar Addiction.
Now, I know there's a whole lot of hullabaloo out there about sugar, it's destructive qualities, and how to take it out of your life. But I want to clarify that I'm not really talking about sugar as in ALL ADDED SUGARS, because there is a lot, and I agree it is a problem (if you want to watch an interesting documentary that actually goes along with a LOT of what I learned in my undergraduate, watch "Fed Up" on Netflix. Now like any large scale documentary there are some ulterior motives, and some exaggerations, and things that are just simply wrong in my opinion, but for me to recommend a documentary means that it's pretty darn good).
Anyway, I'm not one to make her own ketchup in order to take out the 3 grams of added sugar (big kudos to those driven men and women out there who do), but for me, the cost-benefit ratio is too high. I'm not looking to take out ALL added sugar (although I am becoming more aware of where it is and how to avoid it). My main purpose, and the purpose of this blog, is to find habits for myself that are LASTING. Habits that I know I can keep up for the long haul...not just for a few months. To me, removing all added sugars is just not plausible right now, but to limit them, and to avoid GORGING on completely nutrient-absent cakes and cookies and candies, that IS possible and the benefit from doing so is ENORMOUS for me.
So...here's my plan to break my sugar addiction. (It's a work in progress....so I'll be adding to it as I go)
Step 1: Break up with Desserts
- For 4 weeks take a break from candies, sweets, desserts, etc. COMPLETELY. No exceptions!
- Purpose: to train my body that I don't need something sweet everyday.
- Find healthy nutrient-dense snacks to fill the void and replace bad habits with good.
Step 2: Slowly reintroduce desserts as TREATS
- Treat Defined: an event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure
- Moderation is key here. Example: I am given some cookies from a friend, eat one and share the others.
- DON'T FEEL GUILTY FOR WASTING A TREAT!
- This step takes the most will-power!
Step 3: Find Survival Techniques for Step 2 During Unusual Events
- How to survive the holidays, or vacations without reverting back to the cookie-monster Nora.
- This involves planning, planning, and more PLANNING. I'm taking one from Scar: BE PREPARED!! (Lion King Lovers Unite!)
- I will blog what I find to be helpful as I go.
Okay, so that's as far as I've gotten. I'm finishing up step 1 in just a few days! Wish me luck with step 2!
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