No Sugar?

CAROLINE,

how are you doing with no sugar? i've been trying to do it, but i fail every day and then start over. so far today, i've made it but the day is only halfway through. there was a neighborhood egg hunt yesterday and i was going to be good, but of course there was a really good cake there that i just couldn't pass up and ended up eating my own piece, and then finishing both boys' pieces for them. -sigh-

i'm trying to incorporate 5 small meals into my day instead of just breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because i do get really snacky after a couple hours of not eating. i think that's going to help me, if i can stay committed to it.

the boys have tons of candy from the egg hunt and i haven't eaten a single piece! so that's a start. i just know i'm really addicted so it'll take time. aside from the video you posted, one of my friends posted an article on facebook about how sugar can age you.

i'm realizing that i need to make a big change in my eating habits. i think, if i really can give up sugar, i'll look younger, feel younger, have more energy (won't feel like taking a nap halfway through the day), and be more fit. doesn't that sound great?

Food for thought...

One of my "ultra- health conscious" friends sent me this 60 minutes video about sugar (Is sugar toxic?) and I thought it was worth passing along.
After watching it, I got to thinking about how I felt a while back when I gave up eating added sugar (cookies, cake, candy, ice-cream...all the "no no" foods we know are bad for us). I remember how horrible I felt eating that first cookie after my 6 week "sugar fast"...I felt sick to my stomach, gross, and an hour or so later I felt tired and kind of "blah". I can tell that on days that I make poor choices and eat sugar...that feeling comes back.
After watching this video, it confirmed to me again how horrible sugar is for us. I mean, we've always known that-right? we know that a diet with too much sugar can lead to diabetes, obesity and heart disease...though most dr's have always linked eating too much sugar with excessive weight gain which THEN causes the heart disease. The research in this video directly links the sugar TO heart disease and says it has a direct effect on the causes of heart disease and even accelerates cancer. It goes as far as to call it poison for our bodies and groups it with alcohol and tobacco. WOW. extreme?...maybe a little, but not too far fetched according to these studies. Am I going to cut sugar out of my diet permanently and forever? probably not. BUT, I am publicly announcing on this bloggity blog (to help me be more accountable) that I am going to ,once again, go with out sugar for 6 weeks, just as a reminder to myself that it IS an addiction, one that I am capable of breaking and to help me feel better and less tired. A sort of lent sacrifice- if you will (I know that we are not Catholic, but I love the idea behind lent and us sacrificing something to remind us of what was sacrificed for us) After that, I'm just hoping to adopt better habits and not indulge in treats too often, or maybe not at all. Wish me luck this upcoming, candy-laden, sugar-fest, Easter weekend:)