Thursday, July 21, 2011

Conquering a Sugar Addiction


I have ALWAYS had a sweet tooth. You know the obsession that kids have with candy and how they want it all the time, and would eat it all the time, if they could? That was me. As a grown-up.

And no, ladies, I am not big on chocolate. I'll eat it, it's fine. But. I. Love. CANDY. (And Cookies.)

You know that kind of person who buys the marshmallow Peeps as soon as they hit the shelves, and then keep them stocked in their cupboards until that particular holiday is over? (Did you know they have Peeps for pretty much every holiday but Labor Day now? It's true!)



That was me.


Until now.

See, this thing called "getting older" has been happening to me. (dang!) I feel out of balance, my teeth are not doing well, and I'm having issues with my thyroid. (Whee... I told you I was getting old.)

It is not pretty, let me tell you!

I've been justifying my sweets-munching habit, because I started drinking green smoothies, exercising, eating more veggies, drinking kefir, and trying to be more conscious of the portion size on my plate.

So I figured I didn't need to give up my beloved sweets.

And then, yesterday morning I woke up knowing that I had to do more to take care of the body the Lord has given me. I realized that I have been an unwise steward, and it's coming back to bite me in my ever-expanding-you-know-what...

So, I decided that just for yesterday I would go 24 hours without ANY sugar. None. Zip. Na-da.

And I did it! I was so proud! But I figured that was a good test of my self-control, and that I would be free and clear to dive into the ice cream today.

THEN, I posted about my successful 24 hours on Facebook and voiced my uncertainty about going off sugar completely.

WOW! I had a huge response! My friends gave me so much support, encouragement, and even recipes, I started to think more seriously about quitting.

Honey: my new best friend!

I've decided to take it one day at a time, which feels less daunting to me at this stage in the game. After going today without ANY sugar, I feel much more balanced, my teeth are not bothering me, and I have more energy. My mind isn't as foggy.

Who knew?!

I think I CAN do this!

One day at a time.

*For more help in conquering my sugar addiction, I have found a great article that I highly recommend to others who might be battling their craving for sweets: Slay the Sugar Monster in Four Doable Steps

6 comments:

  1. Rachel, that is SO funny!! I just read that article a couple of days ago as well. I began drinking green smoothies since Sunday. Anyway, good luck, I right there with you!!
    Shelly

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  2. That is such a worthy goal and can be difficult but if you have the first couple of days done, it just gets easier. I'll be rooting for you and maybe I'll join!

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  3. Thanks for sharing that article. I've been wanting to do this for my family but wasn't sure where to start. Now I know.

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  4. Good for you! I went on a crusade to stop Dr. Pepper, which is pretty much my daily sugar intake. I cut back at first and now I'm quitting completely. Good luck!

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  5. I went on a diet (low carb high protein) and haven't had sugar now for about 4 weeks. My birthday was last Sunday so I had a small piece of cake (Boston Creme my favorite! custard and chocolate) and it totally made me sick. I had a stomach ache, nausea, and a headache. I think it will be hard to go back to my previous ways of sugar all the time.

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  6. It was so interesting to find a link to this blog post on Latter-day Homeschooling when I just spent hours and hours last night researching some different symptoms I've been experiencing that led to a heightened awareness of my severe sugar addiction which led to this website about Candida and Candidiasis:

    **WARNING: The homepage features a bikini-clad, reclining lady. Beware of opening with little kids hanging around your elbows. That said, the content is well worth the precaution. I just wish there was a way to remove the ad.**

    http://www.thecandidadiet.com/

    I have no idea if this is something which relates to you at all, but since it seems to be a BINGO! for this sugar-lover, maybe it'll help someone else out there.

    Thanks for sharing this post!!

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