Why (and How) I Gave Up Sugar, For Good
Okay, I know… this doesn’t sound very festive and holiday-ish. No sugar? What about Christmas cookies? Why not just have one, or a little bite? This is what I’ve discovered: sugar is a very addictive drug. Some people can handle it in moderation and some can’t. It’s like alcohol- if you’re an alcoholic, you can’t have “just a little” glass of wine. I’m a recovering sugar-holic. Growing up, I had a huge sweet tooth. Our neighborhood was near a small business district with several stores that sold candy. My best friend and I had all sorts of ways of scrounging up loose coins. and we bought so much candy that one time the owner of the store called my parents because he was concerned about me. I managed to finagle my way out of that one, and we bought our candy at a different store from then on. In college, things got worse. Left in charge of my own meals, I ate things like Frosted Flakes for dinner. I drank soda every day, made huge batches of cookies for myself, and basically ate whatever I wanted. Of course I ate “normal” foods too, but sugar made up a huge part of my diet. By the time I was in my 30s, I was having some serious digestive issues. I finally became concerned about my health, and made the effort, several times, to clean up my diet. I tried to cut down on sugar but I just couldn’t do it. I remember getting the advice to satisfy my sweet tooth with dried fruit, and feeling that there was no such thing as “satisfying” my sweet tooth. The more sugar I ate, the more I wanted. Every day I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. Then about six years ago I read Rikki Heller’s book, Living Candida Free. She explains that if you have an uncontrollable craving for sugar, you probably have a candida overgrowth. And if you have a candida overgrowth, it’s probably damaging the lining of your intestines. In her book she lays out a protocol to eliminate sugar and heal your gut, and I decided to do it. The diet is very, very strict for the first few months. No sugar OF ANY KIND, including fruit. You also eliminate all sorts of other things that can irritate your gut (coffee, tea, gluten) and anything that could possibly be contaminated with mold (like peanut butter.) People compare going off sugar to quitting heroin. I can’t speak for the heroin experience, but here’s what those first few days of no sugar felt like- it was one long hot flash. I literally couldn’t stop sweating. It was intense, but after the fourth or fifth day it ended, and I had renewed motivation to keep going. I knew if I cheated on the diet I would just have to start again from the beginning, and I didn’t want to go through those first few days again- I knew I had made it through the hardest part. It took many months, but eventually my digestive system returned to normal. I was able to add most things back to my diet (my beloved earl grey tea! Peanut butter! Fruit… in moderation.) But I still don’t eat sugar, and I don’t miss it. I have alternative sweeteners that I use, like stevia, monkfruit, and erythritol (that one in moderation- it can be hard to digest if you eat too much of it.) I make my own version of treats. They taste like a healthier (and sometimes, slightly strange) version of the things I used to eat, and that’s fine. Sometimes you just want the experience of sitting down with a nice cup of tea and a cookie- even a “healthy” cookie will do the trick in those moments. In a couple days I’ll bake the real thing for my friends and family… sugary and delicious Christmas cookies. Neither of my kids inherited my sugar addiction, so they’ll eat some cookies and stop when they’ve had enough. I’ll enjoy baking them, but won’t be tempted in the slightest. I know what a cookie tastes like… I don’t need to go back to eating something that made me so sick. If you’re able to enjoy sugar in moderation, then I hope you indulge this holiday season and appreciate it to the fullest. If you think you have a problem with sugar and need any help, please let me know. I can tell you more about what I eat, and what my sugar detox was like. It was hard, but totally worth it. Do you have any foods that you feel like you’re addicted to? Do you eat much sugar? Or avoid it?
Holiday Wish List
As always, December is speeding by way too fast. I still have cookies to make… gifts to purchase… and lots of wrapping to do. The #1 item on my own wish list is a new left foot. I’m only partially kidding- today my doctor did the scans which will be used to make my orthotics. I’ll be seeing him in a month for another shockwave treatment, and the orthotics should be ready by then. It’s going to cost $450 and, naturally, insurance doesn’t cover it. So I really shouldn’t be asking for any additional gifts, but… I did take the liberty of making a little list. Why not? Here are a few things I have my eye on: Anyone who read my blog in November knows that I do NOT need any more mugs. But I love this mug I saw on The Time For Change. I’ve been searching Harry Potter mugs and can’t find any as good as this one. But I’m trying! A lot of them have the names of the houses on them, which is a bit of a sore spot with me. Years ago I took a quiz and was sorted into… Hufflepuff. SERIOUSLY? I mean, give me Ravenclaw! Or Gryffindor, of course. But Hufflepuff??? Hrumph. There will be no Hufflepuff mugs in my kitchen. Let’s move along. Last year I got a foot massager for Christmas, and this is what it looks like now: Okay, I used it a lot. But still! It would have been nice if it lasted at least a year before falling apart. I have my eye on a new one though: In addition to the foot massager, it has an air compression calf massage function. There are probably better massagers out there, but this one is reasonably priced. I just can’t spend a lot of money on another massager- I’ve spent so much money on this foot already. On the other hand, do I want another econo-massager that will fall apart in nine months? Hmmm…… Okay, next one. As you may know, I’ve been loving my Denis Morton yoga classes on the Peloton app. But I’m also intrigued by this: Julie Piatt is Rich Roll’s wife, so I know of her through his podcast. When I first heard her talk, I thought it was going to be a bunch of “spiritual” BS. But then I realized what she’s saying is genuinely profound. Every time she’s a guest on the podcast, she’s fascinating. It’s not that I want to leave my Peloton classes with Denis… I just want to try this as well. iFit is only a little more expensive than Peloton, but they seem to offer a free trial month. Maybe it will be a gift to myself in January. Here’s one more thing I’m looking at: A friend of mine just recommended this book. She said it explains, in a very clear way, the importance of sleeping, eating, and exercise, but more importantly WHEN these activities should take place. After reading it, she completely transformed her health and her life. Granted, she had been on an insane schedule where she was sleeping from 4 am- 11 am (I know- who can do that???) So she seriously needed an intervention. But the information sounds helpful to everyone. I know my sleep schedule needs some serious tweaking. That’s my list! The truth is, I just love presents. I can always get the book out of the library, continue to use my old foot massager, and get a free trial month of iFit. My family can surprise me with whatever they want (as long as it’s not a Hufflepuff mug) and I’ll be happy. Do you have a wish list this month? Have you ever tried iFit? Anyone read The Circadian Code?
Weekly Rundown- The 100 Year Week
Does anyone else feel like this week was REALLY long??? I can’t even believe last weekend was still November. November? That was ages ago! I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah as always. Let’s see if I can remember way back to last Monday to start this rundown. Monday Since this was November 29th, I was almost at the end of my month-long yoga challenge. I did a 45 minute power yoga class with-who else- Denis Morton on the Peloton app. This day went south pretty fast. As I shared in my last post, after work I stopped at the grocery store, where my car battery bit the dust. I had to wait for roadside assistance to come get it started and didn’t get home until 8 pm. Arg. Tuesday. Okay, here’s the thing. I had no functional car. I had to get a jumpstart to get it to the dealer for repairs. I had no idea how long the repairs would take, or if it would even be fixed that day. I had to get my daughter to school, and after school I had to get her to the high school for a rehearsal, and at night I had to get to her jazz band concert. My first thought on waking up was, “I have to do yoga.” It was the last day of November. I knew the day would be unpredictable, and I could just picture saying “Yes, I completed my daily yoga challenge for November. Well actually, I did yoga for twenty-nine days in a row- the last day I had a car problem.” No, no, no- I wasn’t going to let that happen. I started the day with a 20 minute power yoga class, which was all I had time for. November yoga challenge… done. It turned out that my car was fixed by the afternoon, and in between getting my daughter to her rehearsal and returning to hear the concert, I had time for a quick 3 mile run, yay! Wednesday Although I was happy to have completed my month of yoga, that 20 minute class wasn’t really how I wanted to end it. So on this day – December 1st- I did what I thought of as the official end to the challenge, a 60 minute flow class. It was so nice to spend an hour with Denis- thank you for a great month, Denis! Thursday A 3 mile run first thing in the morning! My foot is… hanging in there. Sometimes I think it’s better, sometimes not. I had to miss my shockwave treatment on Tuesday because of the car fiasco, but I’ll be going next Tuesday. I’m going to discuss orthotics with the doctor. The first time I saw him, he thought I would benefit from orthotics but wanted to get my foot feeling better first. Well, I don’t see the point in waiting. I’m hoping we can get moving on that soon. Thursday night was my daughter’s band concert (Tuesday night was a combined jazz band concert with the high school jazz band- this was the regular Symphonic Band holiday concert.) It was SO FUN! Obviously a middle school band doesn’t sound like the New York Philharmonic, but it’s touching how hard they try. My son also went through the band program, and now that he’s in college I’m well aware of the fact that these concerts are numbered. Someday I’ll be missing the concerts with out-of-tune playing, clarinet squeaks, and wrong notes. So precious. Friday Thursday was the first day in over a month that I didn’t do yoga, and I missed it! I started this morning with a 20 minute glutes focus flow. It was a short, but great class. The short class was all I had time for, because I also had to put together a batch of cinnamon rolls for my son’s birthday. Both my kids have December birthdays. I planned it that way, because there’s not enough going on in December to begin with. JUST KIDDING. I absolutely did not plan that. After my son was born, I spent the next six years saying that I wanted another baby, just not in the month of December. And then I gave birth to my daughter in… December. Whatever. Anyway, my kids always get cinnamon rolls on their birthdays. This is the first year my son won’t be home on his birthday, so I sent them to him. Now I’m hoping the USPS doesn’t screw up (again) and they get there in time. After work I did another short 3 mile run. I’ve been enjoying these late afternoon runs. When I run in the morning there’s so much prep work- loosen up my foot, activate my glutes, etc. etc. It seems like a lot for such a short run. But in the afternoon everything already feels loose and ready to go. Saturday O.M.G. BAYLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a game. The Bears upset Oklahoma State to win the Big 12 Championship 21-16. It was a thrilling finish (I almost had a heart attack) where, in the final seconds of the game, Oklahoma missed scoring what would have been the winning touchdown by inches. I actually felt bad for the Oklahoma players and fans… what a heartbreaking way to lose. But luckily I’m a Baylor fan! After all that excitement, I took a nap, ha ha. What can I say… it was a long week. When I woke up, I did a 30 minute yoga class, a quad focus flow. I’m really liking these focus flow classes! Sunday Did my usual 5 mile “long” run. Our weather is so beautiful this time of year, and I love the fact that I got in four runs this week. But I’m a little unhappy with the fact that my running is taking such a backseat to everything else in my life right now. Once again, I’m looking forward to a nice talk with the podiatrist on Tuesday. For the rest of today, I have to get our outdoor
Festive Coffee Date!
It’s finally December! I can listen to holiday music and wear Christmas clothing without people glaring and telling me it’s too early! I love how even ordinary things feel festive and exciting this time of year. Things like, oh, I don’t know… having your car break down. Yes, that happened… read on for details. Thanks to Coco and Deborah for hosting the monthly coffee date! If we were having coffee together, I would tell you about Monday. I stopped at the grocery store after work, and when I came back out my car wouldn’t start. AAAARRRRRRG! These things only happen when my husband is entirely unavailable. Any other day he would have been able to come right over, but this day he was working until 10 pm. As I sat there waiting for roadside assistance to arrive, I thought about a recent blog post by Elisabeth, where she told the story of how they had a water leak, into the closet where she was hiding the wrapped Christmas gifts. Instead of going berserk, she started to make a list of things she was grateful for (running water, the privilege of having a stack of gifts in the first place, the fact that most of the presents were undamaged) and got up at 4:30 am the next day to re-wrap the presents. Let’s ignore the astounding fact that she already had her gifts wrapped. I like wrapping as much as the next person, but not twice. I figured if she could be grateful in that situation, so could I. I started making my own list: I was stranded in a parking lot, not the side of the highway. It was the parking lot of a grocery store where I could use the bathroom (phew.) It wasn’t too hot or too cold. Roadside assistance was on their way (although they took their sweet time, ahem.) And I saw a nice sunset… After a quick jumpstart, I was able to get home. Early Tuesday morning I got another jumpstart and drove straight to the dealer to get the car fixed… well, almost straight. I stopped at Starbucks on the way to get my favorite tea, heh heh. Yes, I left my car running in the parking lot while I got my drink. My car could have been stolen, but I had my priorities straight! To my delight, the waiting room at the dealer was decorated for Christmas, and Christmas music was playing. I had a nice table all to myself, and I spent the morning sipping tea from my festive holiday cup while reading and commenting on blog posts. And then my car was fixed! You never fully appreciate these things until they suddenly don’t work- now every time I get in my car I’m so thrilled that it starts. The icing on the cake was the car dealership is right near a Trader Joes! Obviously a shopping trip was in order. Does anyone else do this? I do my shopping at Trader Joe’s and grab the Fearless Flyer on the way out. When I get home I read the Fearless Flyer and discover all sorts of amazing things I didn’t get. Well, the worst thing about the car issue was that I had to reschedule my podiatrist appointment. So I’ll be going next Tuesday for my shockwave treatment and it happens to be right near another Trader Joe’s. More shopping! Meanwhile, I’ve been following along Sally’s Cookie Palooza! Every December she posts ten new cookie recipes in a row. So far every cookie this year looks amazing, and easily vegan-izable. Her “Seriously Soft Molasses Cookies” are on our cookie plate every year… I suggested to Coco that we have a long-distance cookie bake-a-thon this month. We can pick a weekend and make our cookies, then share the pictures. I probably won’t bake this weekend because I seem to be the only one in my neighborhood who hasn’t put up outdoor lights yet. I know what I’ll be doing Sunday! Maybe next weekend can be our bake-a-thon. Well, that’s it for this coffee date. I hope you’re all enjoying your own holiday beverage! Are you enjoying the holiday season so far? Do you want to join the cookie bake-a-thon?