Clever title, eh? Joking aside, I am a sugarholic...and it was not until recently that I realized how much of an addiction it truly is.
Going through all the articles and videos regarding the diet/lifestyle change that we are doing, one, constant, issue that is brought up is the amount of sugar we all consume on a daily basis. I have heard it in the past but just shrugged it off and used the excuse that "I have a sweet tooth, I can't help it!". But I can help it. Is it easy? No way! And it sure doesn't help that I work in a bakery surrounded by cookies and cake each day. All you need is will power right?
I actually started typing this blog entry about about a week ago, when I decided I was going to have the will power and motivation to cut out the unneeded sugar I was consuming so much of! And I would love to tell you how it has been over a week since I have had any cookies, or cake, or chocolate...but I would be lying. Again, I truly feel this is an addiction! I made it 8 days without; I stopped using artificially flavored coffee creamer, stopped eating little goodies at work, and had nothing in the house to indulge in for 8 days! I was pretty proud of myself, and within those 8 days, I was able to look at the cookies and cakes at work and mentally tell myself, "you don't need that" or "is it worth it?". I also kept some fruit or nuts out, while working, so if it was a hunger urge to eat something sweet, I had a healthy alternative. Sounds perfect right? Well, today, 8 days into my sugar-sobriety, I relapsed. And it wasn't just a bite of a cookie to satisfy the temptation, I binged, big time! I wont go into detail because, frankly, it is embarrassing! But I definitely made up for those 8 days!
When I originally researched how to cut sugar, as successfully as possible, out of my diet I came across some articles through Sutter Health. The one I was going to add to my entry was this one: "13 ways to beat your sugar cravings". I found this article helpful! But as I was browsing this website I came across another article that I didn't really relate anything to until now. The article is about emotional eating. Of course it has been mentioned to me that, perhaps, I go to food, and unhealthy food, when I am having a bad day. I always followed that thought with, "who doesn't?". But there are people who do not need a pint of ice cream to make their bad day better. And today, in the middle of stuffing my face, I realized that, not only am I addicted to sugar but, I am also an emotional eater!! Wow! How many issues can one girl have? (haha).
Without dragging this blog entry on and on, I will sum it up with saying, I feel I am one step closer to handling these issues since I now see that they are issues. I believe that is the first step, right? Admitting you have a problem? Unfortunately, I can't end this with a fairy tale ending of stopping the sugar addiction and/or knowing how to control my emotional eating. My only advice would be to truly listen to that voice that tells you, "you don't need that". Because you don't!
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