Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Week Two, mid-week: Katie

Yesterday I found a website for moms, a well-grounded life, that I like. One thing she writes about is sugar addiction. I read something from her that was new news to me:

Seeking Balance :: Refined sugar is devoid of any nutrients. Our body needs nutrients to complete the digestion process. In order for sugar to be processed, it must actually grab vitamins and minerals from your body’s stores to complete its digestion.
So sugar robs us of nutrients every time we eat it. This leaves us with an unsatisfied feeling and a need to replace the drained nutrient reserve. We become hungry and crave more food. 

For my second week, I am doing fine. I've walked with weights one day and done yoga one morning. I haven't had any alcohol so far this week and I've had no sugar or gluten. My coffee consumption is back to its sky-high levels though. Small steps. 

The children and I are going out of town coming up. These are times where I falter. I've got to prepare for the car travel and the dining out of home experiences. 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Week One: Katie

I read a good article this morning on the evils of refined flours. Many of the symptoms resulting from eating refined flour are the same as those for eating refined sugar. The article also hints at possible reasons why so many people now have issues with gluten.

I have a theory, and that is that really everyone in our country should drastically limit or eliminate gluten from their diet. I think the increase in processed foods, genetically modified grains, over-processing of grains, and other modern day conveniences have made gluten a poison. I have another theory, and that is that I like to have lots of theories.

One quote from the article: “It is so much easier to overconsume any food where the work of chewing or digesting or separating fiber from starch has been done for us,” says functional nutritionist Julie Starkel, MS, MBA, RD.

So my first week of this self-directed journey went well but contained two missteps. I went out to eat with a friend on Wednesday to a deli that makes splendid pimento cheese. I love pimento cheese. So I caved and got the sandwich. Grilled pimento cheese. Delicious. Then, yesterday I couldn't let go of the notion of eating chocolate. So, after several hours, I caved and fixed me a big bowl of popcorn with chocolate chips in it. It was yummy and just the snack I needed. I maybe because I paired the chocolate with popcorn it didn't trigger more sugar cravings like often happens. Onward into week two....

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Here I go again...

So, I've been doing fairly well with the no sugar. Not near perfect though. I had a birthday party slip. Then this evil man at the grocery store was giving samples of "Sin in a Tin." I caved and tried. Then I caved and bought. Then I caved at ate the whole damn thing in about 24 hours.

I read a sentence in a blog a few days ago that continues to reverberate in my head : "It is more peaceful for me without the struggle." She is talking about the struggle of how much sugar to eat. She does better without any. The same is true for me. I know I still have struggles ahead. I probably always will. But I do find a peace when I am not eating any sugar, a peace that I don't have when I am riding the roller coaster of sugar highs and lows, the lack of control and guilt that goes along with sugar binging.


So today, I am back on the wagon, which is a not the right metaphor. I am continuing the journey. I am continuing to learn. I am going to continue to be kind to myself. One way to be kind is not to struggle.