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Sugar... Oh honey honey.
Oct. 10th, 2017 12:07 pmAmidst the rest of my personal improvement on the docket these days, one of the things I decided to include was killing off deliberate sugar. Which is to say no more candy, no more sugar in coffee or other beverages... No more sweets as such with processed sugar. I haven't been quite so unyielding as to have cut out all forms of sugar included in foods (and knowing that G does, and to be surprised by how many foods have added sugar that you might not think about...), but generally anything that is eaten for deliberate sweetness. That 86's most desserts and lots of other things. As a function of working this out, I've also nixed artificial sweeteners. The point was not to replace sugar but to see if I could break my reliance on sweetness. I have a friend that is adamant that sugar is not addictive, but pulling away from it seems to create similar withdrawals. I appreciate it probably isn't physiological, but it is most certainly psychological.
I discovered in this process, that by in large, I don't like coffee nearly as much as I once thought. I had a suspicion that once I killed sugar in it, and worked to figure out being ok with drinking it without it, that this might happen. Coffee has always been a sweet treat for me. Starbucks therefore is basically a candy store for me. Pulling the sugar has completely turned my love of coffee upside down. I still am learning to appreciate true coffee love that extends to learning how the beans taste and finding the subtle notes lent to the processing and to the regional beans. But it isn't a thing where I crave lots of it anymore. Even for the caffeine, I just don't drink very much anymore. I'm kinda lucky to make it to the bottom of my 16oz cup by lunch. Tea has also been this way, and I'm also taking time to learn more about how I feel about unadulterated tea drinking. :-)
So what is the point of dealing with all this? Mostly to free myself from what was a definite habit that was not only affecting my dental health, but the nature of always feeling like I need something nearby and being really grumpy if I let it lapse. I'm working on coupling it with better eating habits and better eating in general. And it feels good to make the choice to say no rather than feel like I'm giving in to a monkey on my back.
In the month or so that I've been doing it, my taste sense has been so affected that I really dislike the things I once loved. I loved sweet tea, and I got some as comfort when I was sick in Texas, and what I did drink of it I had to dilute with water, and I ended up tossing most of it. I also recently picked up a Ellenos yogurt. The pumpkin one. I mean.. seriously. Pumpkin greek yogurt. Awesome stuff. But.. I couldn't eat more than about a teaspoon, and at that, only in small nibbles before it was too much. My compromise on the yogurt was to bring in some plain yogurt, and dilute the sweet stuff.
It really kinda feels strange. From the time I was a kid, I had a huge sweet tooth. And I think it wouldn't take much to go back if I really wanted. Halloween is a fun time where all of my favorites are prominently placed in my face at every store I go. "Fun"... But I've been very happy with my self control, and the fact that making the change has had tangible results.
Gluten may be next on the list. Less for gluten's own sake, and more that in this day and age, avoiding gluten is one of the easiest ways to cut processed carbs out of your diet. One day, the GF world may catch up, but for the time being, it is super easy.
And on top of all that, I think it is time to get back to the gym. Between feeling my age and knowing that I have some health issues to resolve where moving makes it easier, I have a lot going for me if I can do it. I think cardio and stretching are the big plans. Then we'll see what comes next.
I discovered in this process, that by in large, I don't like coffee nearly as much as I once thought. I had a suspicion that once I killed sugar in it, and worked to figure out being ok with drinking it without it, that this might happen. Coffee has always been a sweet treat for me. Starbucks therefore is basically a candy store for me. Pulling the sugar has completely turned my love of coffee upside down. I still am learning to appreciate true coffee love that extends to learning how the beans taste and finding the subtle notes lent to the processing and to the regional beans. But it isn't a thing where I crave lots of it anymore. Even for the caffeine, I just don't drink very much anymore. I'm kinda lucky to make it to the bottom of my 16oz cup by lunch. Tea has also been this way, and I'm also taking time to learn more about how I feel about unadulterated tea drinking. :-)
So what is the point of dealing with all this? Mostly to free myself from what was a definite habit that was not only affecting my dental health, but the nature of always feeling like I need something nearby and being really grumpy if I let it lapse. I'm working on coupling it with better eating habits and better eating in general. And it feels good to make the choice to say no rather than feel like I'm giving in to a monkey on my back.
In the month or so that I've been doing it, my taste sense has been so affected that I really dislike the things I once loved. I loved sweet tea, and I got some as comfort when I was sick in Texas, and what I did drink of it I had to dilute with water, and I ended up tossing most of it. I also recently picked up a Ellenos yogurt. The pumpkin one. I mean.. seriously. Pumpkin greek yogurt. Awesome stuff. But.. I couldn't eat more than about a teaspoon, and at that, only in small nibbles before it was too much. My compromise on the yogurt was to bring in some plain yogurt, and dilute the sweet stuff.
It really kinda feels strange. From the time I was a kid, I had a huge sweet tooth. And I think it wouldn't take much to go back if I really wanted. Halloween is a fun time where all of my favorites are prominently placed in my face at every store I go. "Fun"... But I've been very happy with my self control, and the fact that making the change has had tangible results.
Gluten may be next on the list. Less for gluten's own sake, and more that in this day and age, avoiding gluten is one of the easiest ways to cut processed carbs out of your diet. One day, the GF world may catch up, but for the time being, it is super easy.
And on top of all that, I think it is time to get back to the gym. Between feeling my age and knowing that I have some health issues to resolve where moving makes it easier, I have a lot going for me if I can do it. I think cardio and stretching are the big plans. Then we'll see what comes next.
