It was so fun to look back and read how I did the first week. I wrote about the challenges of not being able to rely on artificial sweeteners so I learned that fruit can make oatmeal sweeter. I wrote about being at a party, filled with goodies and deciding to focus on work instead of obsessing on cheesecake. I even wrote about the day I forgot about the challenge and ate a biscuit filled with jam. Yum. You can watch me tell you about the end of that particular challenge here.
I think I was concerned about not being too "religious" because having a dieting mindset was super toxic and I needed to stay away from it. I can see that I've been taking baby steps towards stay away from added sugar.
WW had a recent topic on added sugar. It was illuminating to see how there is added sugar in a lot of places. Before that topic, I volunteered to cook dinner to a family that is sugar-free. I was a little intimidated. I went to the store and searched for sugar in spaghetti sauce. It was very present indeed. Cooking spaghetti was out of the picture.
I decided instead to cook a Brazilian dish that is mostly veggies, chicken and you eat it with rice. I also bought them a salad.
Instead of being paralyzed by fear because "sugar is everywhere" and "added sugar is bad" I decided to rely on the fact that if I focus on what I can have, everything will take care of itself.
I never truly believed I could or needed to live without sugar so, for years, I've been having artificial sweeteners. Recently, they haven't been so good to me. I know. I did read the research. It is quite inconclusive so I knew it was time to quit that too.
I took baby steps and I was able to stay away from added sugars for quite some time. I ate dessert during Thanksgiving but I am ready to press pause on sugar again. Here are my baby steps:
• Read the research so my mind can make the decision, not just my emotions.
• Eat mostly God created foods.
• Drink plenty of water each day.
• Rest.
• Be patient with the process. It will take a while but my pallet will change.
• Decide what you want. Do you want to abstain for a season? Forever? Do you want self-control?
My goal is to gain self-control. Added sugar is not going to disappear from the world. I'm actually glad because the taste of real sugar is better than sugar substitute. My goal is to have self-control. That's why I am glad that I am slowly learning how to do that.
The foundation I built way back in 2011 is the one I still stand on. I am way better at going to events and not having to eat desserts. I improved in not forgetting about passing on added sugar. I know what to say when a plate of cookies is pushed in my face. I also know what to do when I'm the one baking the homemade peanut butter cookies my family enjoys so much (I bake in small batches, I freeze some for later use).
It is really important to know what you really want. What I want is health and self-control.
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