Tag Archives: sugar

Healthy Living: Day 11

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I survived the sugar withdrawal, though there were times I wasn’t sure I would.  I had a few days without energy and two where I suffered from actual depression, but I got through it.  I discovered that my brain works better when it’s not on sugar.  On my second day without sugar, I set about trying to learn something for work.  I couldn’t wrap my brain around it, so I gave up for the day.  It wasn’t urgent, so it could wait a little while.  Four days later, I tried again and I was able to do it! 

I also discovered how difficult it is to give up sugar in all forms (including sugar substitutes).  It’s in EVERYTHING!  Here is a partial list of “healthy foods” where I didn’t expect to find added sweeteners:

  •  Bread
  • Peanut butter
  • Cheerios
  • Ketchup
  • Tomato sauce
  • Plain yogurt
  • Canned oranges
  • Baked beans
  • Salad dressing
  • Coffee creamers
  • Granola bars
  • Juice drinks
  • Apple sauce
  • Anything labeled ‘Lite”

As a result, we had to consume a lot of homemade foods.  It sounds simple, giving up sugar, but there were a lot of foods I didn’t expect to have to give up or find alternatives for!

I have followed my exercise plan so far, except for one Thursday where it got dark out before I had a chance to go for a walk.  I thought about going anyway, but we live on rural back roads.  There is no shoulder and sometimes there isn’t much room for two cars to pass each other going opposite ways.  In addition, people love to speed on these types of roads.  My husband convinced me that it isn’t safe, so I didn’t go.  I asked for a reflective vest for Yule, so hopefully I will be able walk at night if it happens in the future.  Because my body is not used to regular exercise (previously I was lucky if I worked out twice a week), by the middle of this week, I was physically exhausted. I fell asleep early when I got home.  I woke up with sore muscles and sore joints. I was looking forward to Sunday so my body would have a break from the exercise!

Yesterday was my first cheat day.  I have decided to have a cheat day every other Saturday.  It worked out well because it coincided with Thanksgiving at my mother’s house.  We are in the United States and decided to celebrate it early since they’re flying out west to spend the real Thanksgiving with my sister.  Anyway, I took full advantage of my cheat day.  I had hot chocolate and applesauce for breakfast.  I had wine with dinner.  I ate two pieces of pie for dessert.  And my stomach hurt SO BADLY!  It wasn’t because it was full either.  My stomach just wasn’t happy with the foods I put in it.  I wish I knew which ones bothered it so much. 

Today is my fast day.  I am trying to fast (not eat) until dinner.  In the research I have done, I noticed that people who mixed up their diet now and then had greater results.  That’s why I incorporated a cheat day and a fast day.  I honestly expected my fast day to be more difficult than it is.  I suppose after the stomach discomfort I had yesterday, it actually feels okay to not eat!

I’m proud of myself and being able to stick with this eating and exercise plan so far.  I know I’m only on day 11, but I’ve managed to stick with this longer than 95% of the plans I’ve done over the past few years!

Starting weight: 239.0lbs
Current weight: 237.6lbs


Healthy Living: Day 1

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Since some Pagans treat Samhain like a new year, I decided to do the same this year.  I was going to get healthy again and I was going to start by cutting all added sugars and sugar substitutes out of my diet.  I eventually had hoped to transition into either Paleo or Keto.  I know a lot of people that Keto worked for, but as a Pagan, I appreciate the idea behind Paleo better.  I hadn’t quite decided which to follow.  As it was, avoiding added sugars was going to be tough enough.

I had a breakfast of eggs scrambled in butter and topped with some cheddar cheese.  When I got to work, there was a large bowl full of leftover Halloween candy in the break room.  I was proud of myself that every time I went in there, I did not take one.  I didn’t even take one when I was sitting in there to eat lunch!  Then I had a moment when I was just ravenous and I found an old ring pop in my work bag.  I thought about it and then put it back.  I was really proud of myself for how I was doing.

For lunch I had packed a few slices of grilled chicken breast, some spaghetti squash with homemade tomato sauce and parmesan cheese, and some black olives. I was mostly distracted with work for the second half of the day.

After I went to my doctor’s appointment and found out about my bad cholesterol (you can read about it here). I  got home to discover that my husband had cooked a particularly unhealthy meal tonight.  It was broccoli sauteed in butter, baked french fries, and hot dogs.  I checked the label for hot dogs and saw that it contained sorbitol, a sugar alcohol.  I haven’t yet done the research to decide if I wanted to count that as sugar, so I didn’t.  My husband offered me some bread to use as a bun.  I looked at the package of “100% Whole Wheat Bread” and saw that the third ingredient was sugar.  Also, no ketchup for my fries.  Because sugar (well, high fructose corn syrup).  At the end of the meal, my belly was full and I felt unsatisfied.  But if nothing else, the trip to the doctor’s office had strengthened my resolve to eat healthy.

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