After reading Leslie's post on Wednesday, I'm thinking. I watched THIS.
I'm trying to imagine my life without sugar. Added sugars that is. Life without my mother's cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars, ice cream of any kind, mint oreos, brownies, cake, or any of it.
I won't minimize overcoming alcoholism by saying they are alike. They aren't. I believe Alcoholism is like fighting a demon. While my sugar problem is more like fighting with a tantruming child.
I've gone back and forth on whether or not it's even possible for
I still think that is the most mature and healthy way.
But now, I'm not sure if I can do it. Chickadee's second regression and me being reduced to maintenance in my weight loss goals. In my contemplation I have again wondered about 'forever'.
Tell me what you all think. Do you believe it is possible to abstain from added sugars forever?
for me it would all depend on the motivation and for SOME MOTIVATORS the answer is yes.
ReplyDeleteI LOOOVE PASTA and BAGELS.
they give me a head to toe red angry itchy rash and bloat and cause me to become lethargic and depressed.
I love them.
I think it has been 16 years since Ive had either.
Yep. I was about to say the exact same thing as Miz. I am allergic to red wine. I LOVE red wine. Love everything about it. And being a foodie, I think the perfect Red with some of that pasta that makes Miz itch, and a nice arrabiata can make for a pretty orgasmic meal. However, I will probably never drink the red again.
ReplyDeletewhy don't you challenge yourself to abstain from the reasons your abusing sugar..and enjoy sugar when you want for other healthier reasons?
ReplyDeleteIt's something that I am challenging myself to do.
I am sooo hoping you will summarize that long video for us:)
ReplyDeleteOn South Beach, you cut out refined sugars. I have found that the longer I go without eating sweet stuff, the less I want it or think about it.
For me, I hope to get to a place, long-term, where I eat well most of the time but can have an occasional indulgence if I really want it, then get right back on track. I'm not there yet:( But maybe abstaining totally would actually be easier.
My husband was a sugar freak until he was diagnosed with diabetes. He went from daily Mt.Dew/sweet tea/sugary snacks to NADA. Nothing. Stopped cold turkey. Of course, he had a VERY strong motivator. My point is, after a while of staying away from the sugars, finding other ways to satisfy his sweet tooth urges, and getting his diabetes under control (he's diet controlled, no meds!) - that now, if he does eat something with a lot of sugar, it doesn't even taste that great, and it makes him feel *yuck*. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteI think it's definitely possible. So far, I'm a little over 2 months in. A slip up here and there, but my control is much better without it. It's really not that hard. In the beginning, YES. But, after a while, it just doesn't seem worth it b/c I know the frenzy and loss of control with ALL FOOD it will send me into.
ReplyDeleteIn a few words, NO, I cannot imagine never having added sugar again.
ReplyDeleteWhile "if you eat this you will die/have an allergic reaction/be sick" is a great motivator to give up any food, I believe you are faced with something else.
From personal experience, one of the many "diets" I tried was South Beach where in the first two weeks you don't even get sugar from fruit or yogurt. I can honestly tell you, I never stopped wanting it. I have managed to learn to moderate it in my life - added sugars are a special treat. Even when we go out to eat, I don't order off the dessert menu unless it's the chef's personal homemade creation and it's something I LOVE.
Stopping thinking of it as forbidden has helped me, a lot. I just keep telling myself I can have it if I really want it. Before I reach for it (or order it) I stop, breathe and ask myself, "Do you REALLY love this and want it."
That may not be your answer but it has worked for me.
I have found the less added sugar foods I have the less I want them.
ReplyDeleteI read one time that we crave the foods we eat. I think that is true.
My brain takes me back to the last things I had that brought me pleasure and satisfaction. If it was fruit and yogurt then that is what I want again.
I do have the once in a while sugar added, white flour dessert but only after a balanced meal in a controlled serving size. It keeps me from binging.
I have found that I am not the person who can have little amounts of added sugar every day. It sets me up for craving more.
I've posted that video and mailed it around several times...it's so worth watching!!
ReplyDeleteThat said, I don't think the problem is, like Helen wrote, about having some sugar once in a while. The problem is sugar sugar everywhere and in everything, especially beverages.
I feel like a broken record because I've been saying this a lot lately, but something has changed for me. I am not sure if it's emotional/mental or if it's a chemical/physical change (or maybe it's both), but I just don't want that much sugar any more...and I can't have too much either, without a not-so-nice reaction. I can have a little though...which is the way it's supposed to be, right? Moderation...
But that's not how it used to be...it used to be that I couldn't get enough. I'd eat bags of Smarties, bags of Goldfish crackers...and more. And I'd get stuffed and fat, but I wouldn't get sick.
I don't think we're meant to "never" have sugar, but we're also not meant to binge on it. So how did I get to this place? How did my body change? I'm still trying to figure it out...
Reduce? yes. Get happy and comfortable with the reduction (which is where I'm at)? Definitely! Abstain? Hell naw!
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling with this currently as well. I just don't know. The moment I think "Oh - sure! I could go without sugar the rest of my life" I think about birthday's and weddings. And wow - could I really go without?
ReplyDeleteThat being said I have gone cold turkey on caffeine - about 6 years ago - never looked back. But I didn't blog then so I have NO CLUE how I did it.
I wish sugar were like alcohol for me, I've never had a drink and I don't plan on ever having one. I wish my parents had never given me sugar and that I thought I was allergic to it or something...but I am a grown up who makes her own decisions.
I'm struggling and the logical part of my brain tells me I need to go without it. Forever. The Oreo part of my brain disagrees.
Yeah. Anything is possible. But you've got to believe it first ...
ReplyDeleteI'm a savory chick myself so sweet was never an issue. Until recently. It snuck up on me. Bugger.
It's possible if that's what you want. It's possible for sure, but I wouldn't want that. I've reached the point where I keep added sugar out of my diet except for the weekends. Then I just eat a few things that are sugary. (Well, the last few weeks of vacation life haven't followed this pattern but in general it's how I roll.) So I'm definitely in the reduce camp, but not the abstain.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for that great link. What a lecture! I felt like I was back in nursing school.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a member of Overeaters Anonymous my sponsor said I could have sugar as long as it was not one of the first 5 ingrediants in a prepared item. I also did an exchange type food plan (4-5 starches, 2-3 proteins, 3 dairy, 2 fats, and 5-6 veges & fruits). I lost about 115 lbs and kept it off for 3 years. When I started eating sugar again, even in moderation, I really WAS like an alcoholic in the way I started overeating again. And regaining. Thus, everything the UCSF doctor said rang true for me! I've got my sugar under control again, and have lost 55 lbs since January.