Sugar Update

I've been off sugar for 12 days. Well, 12 minus 2 days.  With the Cancer Society's Sugar Free September, friends and family can purchase a "Golden Ticket," so you can have a treat. I had two golden tickets last week, which was pretty "sweet." I got to enjoy a couple of oatmeal cookies and a salted caramel mocha from Starbucks.

So, how is it? I can honestly say, that I'm doing okay. I think I'm lucky that I don't put sugar in my tea or coffee and had already gotten rid of most sugary drinks like juice and pop from my diet. I've also never been one for artificial sweeteners and quit them a long time ago. I do have a major addiction to cupcakes, cookies, and any other baked good laced with sugar.

Am I noticing anything positive? Lots! Fewer headaches, more energy, better quality sleep, better outlook, less frustration, clearer head, and stress is much easier to manage.

I've learned three things so far:

1. Sugar is in everything. I am really shocked when I read labels! I now find myself randomly looking at labels to see if sugar is listed... and it usually is, in some form or another. Even more shocking is how high it appears in the ingredient list. It's kind of scary how much sugar you can eat when you don't even think you're eating sweet foods.

2. I snacked a lot. Without giving myself the option of anything sugary, I find myself asking myself if I'm really hungry. Most often, the answer is no. I've always been a mindless sugar-obsessed snacker, so this has been a pretty big revelation for me.

3. Quitting sugar has had a measurable affect my health. In 12 days, I've lost 5 pounds. This is pretty major for me, because it takes me a long time to lose weight. Never more than a pound a week, when I'm really trying.

4. My husband eats a LOT of sugar. This may be even more scary for me. I don't think he can quit it either. Something will have to change. For him, for me, and for our son. Any advice on how I can help that happen?

I have another 18 days to go, and I think I can do it. After that time, I may start integrating some sugar back into my diet, but I definitely don't want to go back to the way things were. I feel healthier, happier, rested, and don't want that changing!

September Challenge: Sugar Free!

I'm going sugar free! I'm not sure if I should end that with an exclamation point. I guess I have strong feelings about it. I'm scared! I think I have a genuine addiction to sugar. My sweet tooth doesn't quit. Seriously. You'll never hear me say, "Wow, that's too sweet to finish." When others are saying that, I'm usually licking the last few crumbs off my plate. Needless to say, I think this is a good challenge for me.

I had been thinking about trying to cut out a few things, like sweets, to help me get rid of some bad habits. Then, one day last week, I saw that the Canadian Cancer Society was hosting "Sugar Free September." I thought it was perfect timing, and provided me with some accountability. You sign up to take on the challenge of going sugar-free for 30 days to help raise funds for the Cancer Society. Sugar free means no cookies, candies, and sugar filled coffee. You see, our diets are filled with added sugar, which can lead to weight gain, which increases the risk of cancer.

So, how serious is this? Well, I don't have to avoid ALL sugar, just ADDED sugar. To do this, I have to read the ingredient lists. If it has sugar (glucose, sucrose, fructose, fake sugar) I can't have it. Healthy foods that contain sugar are fine. So, I can eat an apple, but I can't have an apple with caramel dip. The website helps you figure out what's in and out:

What's in?

• Water
• Tea and Coffee (no sugar added)
• Sugar-free breakfast foods
• homemade dressings
• Fresh fruit, nuts and seeds
• Plain or greek-style yogurt

What's out?

• Baked goods, desserts, candies, sweets
• Coffee or tea with sugar
• Sugary condiments and savory sauces
• Commercial, processed cereals
• Sugary drinks

I decided to do this for my health and to raise a little money for one of my favourite charities. Honestly, I would really like to overcome my addiction to sugar. I've been trying to cut back for about a week, to get myself prepared. I avoided the baked goods in the staff room, which was tough. I have also been eating more fruit.

At this point, I'm on day 3 of being sugar free, and I have to say, it's tough! I have learned that everything has added sugar in it - even mayonnaise! If I get nothing else out of this, I have learned to look a little closer at the labels on food.

It's been hard to eat modified versions of some of my go-to foods. I typically have oatmeal for breakfast a few times a week, and it's hard to not add a little maple syrup, like I normally do. I tried blueberries one day and natural peanut butter the next, but it just wasn't the same. I think, by the end of the month, if I could eat oatmeal with just a few blueberries or a spoonful of peanut butter added to it, and I like it, I will call it a win. That will be my test.

Now, I need to go online and find some sugar free snack ideas... so I don't go and get a piece of chocolate from the kitchen!

If you want to give me a little encouragement, you can sponsor my attempt to go sugar free in September! Or, better still, JOIN me!! Try going sugar free and let me know what you learn from the experience.

On the Road to Healthy Eating

I love cooking. LOVE IT. Well, for that matter, I love food. Cooking is the way that I get food, so that could be the reason why I love cooking.  I’m no Masterchef-quality home cook though. Today, I set the smoke detector off twice making eggs.  That’s right, eggs. I swear I didn’t burn anything, but I think it illustrates my cooking skills. (OR maybe it illustrates the fact that the smoke detector is out to embarrass me.)  I really wish I was a better cook. I’ve always loved playing around with recipes and seeing what I can make them into.  I like looking at my cupboard and seeing what I can make with what’s there. Sometimes they fail, but sometimes I get a winner.  I had a lot more time to experiment before my son was born.  Now, I find myself going back to the old reliable recipes.  Borrrring. Really boring. So boring that I now dread cooking. I dread making a grocery list. In fact, that’s what I should be doing now.  I decided to procrastinate and write instead. (So much for blogging helping to bring me focus...)

Part of my problem is that I want to eat healthier.  I’m also on maternity leave and am on a budget. On top of that, I’m really confused about what is healthy. I read a lot about healthy eating and find that the information often conflicts.  Real food, clean eating, paleo, low carb, gluten-free, low cal, low fat, vegan, vegetarian - there’s so much to look at.  One article has me thinking that all wheat is the enemy, and the next tells me that it’s just the modern stuff I have to worry about. Try to lower your calories, but don’t eat anything that is light, because it’s full of fat. Lower your fat intake, but don’t eat anything fat free, because it’s full of sugar. And by the way, sugar is the enemy.  You must get rid of it... well, maple syrup is okay, and agave, but nothing else.  Well, maybe honey... but DON’T even think about feeding that to your child.  See what I mean? I’m so confused. Trying to eat healthier has really added to my scatterbrained head!

So today, I started the search for a dietician.  Hubby and I are going to go and get information from an actual person who knows food. We want to know what is really good for us and our son and what’s just hype.  I want help with meal planning, so grocery shopping and cooking can become fun again.  (I used to love it!) I need easy and family friendly meals.  I really don’t want to have to cook three different meals each night. It also has to be budget-friendly, which I know is tricky.

I know there are other ways to do lose weight and get healthy, but I think this is the way to go for me.  I hope this is the way to go.  Dieticians know food, and I want to know food. I just want to be healthier than I am right now, but I really don’t know how to start.  Providing healthy food for my family is a pretty important mum skill in my mind, so I need to get this figured out now! I feel like this should be easier, but I guess that’s why there are so many of us out there who are struggling with our health!