So, I "gave up" sugar for "Lent". Meaning, I'd read a lot of interviews about the sugar epidemic with
Robert Lustig, MD, and I wanted to see if it was even possible to avoid added sugar.
Of course it's
possible. Am I the one to do it? Am I up to the challenges and pitfalls and mis-steps? Of course, I can mis-step with the best of them.
Since it was Fat Tuesday at the time, I created a Lent experiment. Avoid sugar until Easter. This includes finding foods without sugar or at least with sugar third or lower on the list of ingredients. So, read ingredients.
The first discovery was that my delicious morning granola was no longer acceptable. I fed most of it to Richard. (More proof of what a great wife I am, by the way. Give the sugary cereal to your diabetic husband. Brilliant.)
I just THIS EVENING realized (by reading the bag) that the plain, salty mini-pretzels I was scarfing yesterday do not meet the requirement. Lame, Snyder's. Just plain lame.
In order to prevent myself from going bonkers, I did build some cheating in my experiment. I can have a nice sweet, cookie or drink on any holiday that is printed on a calendar, Richard's upcoming birthday, and the first day of my period. It worked out to about once a week (President's Day, Valentine's Day, my really short menstrual cycle, ad nauseum) it was allowed. It does cause one to choose a little more carefully when there's only one opportunity for a treat every 7 days, although I already can't remember what I did on Sunday that burned up a cheat day....
But overall, it's kind of depressing even though I'm doing pretty well. I can't seem to kick the Greek yogurt. So handy. I bought plain ones with the intention of adding fresh fruit or jam, but it's not really fresh fruit season, and I need a second container for jam, which therefore removes the convenience. So, yeah, I'm cheating there, too. Chobani is at least real sugar, not some crazy corn syrup.
The candy at work can be kind of a struggle. The ironic part is that I'm the one that brings the candy to the co-workers. It started as a painfully obvious behavioral rat-training style reward to encourage them to perform tricks for me (you know, wash their hands, clean the medical equipment, complete the online training modules). Now they just sort of demand it when they're having a "bad day" or whatever, and I would join right in and have some with them. I at least moved the candy container out of the drawer right next to my chair to the wall cupboard across the room. Much more deliberation must take place before I reveal an inane Dove fortune in a moment of stress. And some of them know about my project, so there's social pressure not to indulge. It's working, though!
In other ways, it's not really that much of a struggle. We get lazy. We get fat. If you pay a little attention, all the information is right there. But I think it's depressing because it's so prevalent, and I don't think many people understand how much sugar is in EVERYTHING. (See the mini-pretzels on top of the fridge.)
Of course, as an American female, the real badge of success will be how much weight I can lose in 6 weeks. I'm not really sure there's going to be a miracle here. I'll be happy to gain some knowledge and awareness.
So, what's your sweet secret? And who wants cookies on Sunday?
