Addicted to Sugar – How Did You Get There?
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Are you addicted to sugar? Does the sugar devil have you craving sugar everyday of your life? Does it consume you daily in all your thoughts and actions? If yes, you are not alone. (and it doesn’t have to be that way) There are lots of us out there with the same sugar issues and we are all struggling overcome them. That is why I started this blog. To overcome it. Both you and I. I have the credentials, but I still need to do the work. Each and every day … not just once in awhile…or when I am “in the mood”.
Let’s take a look at how this sugar addiction happened. How did it get out of control? For me, it all started back in the 80′s when the food and weight loss industry was on a Fat Free kick. They told us that fat should be banned from our lives and we were eating too much of it. Too many Americans had high blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease and they determined it was caused by too much fat in our diets.
So in an effort to reduce those diseases, eliminating fat from the diet became the #1 focus of the food industry. In therory it was a good idea. Everyone came out with fat free products and marketed the daylights out of it the the American public. If it had Fat Free on the package, we bought it. I don’t know of anyone who didn’t.
But, when you take the fat out of the product, you better believe that they are going to Read More→
Day 7 Of My 7 Day Challenge Turned Out NotTo Be
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I guess you could say it is now time for a true confession because I did not make it through day 7 of the 7 day challenge. Boo hoo.I could sit here and make up all sorts of excuses, but that really won’t help or mean anything. It wasn’t anything dramatic or drastic, I just slipped up and then let it go further. If I wasn’t on the challenge, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But because I was in a challenge….it make me feel sad.
But I did make wonderful strides forward while doing this challenge. And that is what I am going to focus on. In fact, I felt so good while doing the challenge by eating that way, I am going to do it again!!! Because this time I will make it through the 7 days.
My approach is going to change somewhat. Instead of deciding my food and menu on a daily basis I am going to pre-plan for 3 days at a time. I think that may help to make it a little easier with my kitchen time and shopping time. Even though I may make adjustments as I go, it gives me a really good outline to work from and keeps me focused on the food plan.
Today I will create the menu plan and post it for you by tomorrow. I am starting on Friday, May 18th. I hope you join me. That will give you time to prepare and shop. And if you want to start sooner, like today, just go back in the former posts and redo from the first challenge. Pick out what you want to eat out of the 6 days worth of menu idea’s and recipes.
Sugar Addicts: I’m on My 6th Day Of 7 Day Challenge
By · CommentsI really hate to say to my fellow sugar addicts that this journey has been relativity easy cause I will probably jinx myself. But I haven’t been crawling the walls looking for sweets all the time like I have on other “diets”. Or maybe because I am not thinking of it as a diet and as a challenge instead. I am not weighing or measuring any foods and I just focus on foods I can have and don’t think about the rest. And I think that is why it has gone so well for me so far.
And each day it gets a little easier to look away from the sweets and carbs. I am a little worried about when I do go back to eating them. I wonder what will happen. I have heard that some people go a little crazy when they do and I hope I am not one of them. That is why I make sure to eat healthy grains each day.
What I ate today on my 6th day:
*Breakfast: TVP, Sugar Snap Peas and Red Peppers
* Lunch: Egg Salad
* Dinner: Gretchen Garden Pot
RECIPES:
BREAKFAST TRIO:
I used TVP, which stands for Textured Vegetarian Protein, and it looks somewhat like rice or bulgur and it doesn’t have much of a flavor on its own. But it is a great way to get protein! And a 1/4 cup has only 80 calories but 12 grams of protein. Great numbers.
Its easy to cook too. You just pour 7/8 cup boiling water over 1 cup TVP and cover, rest for 5 minutes and its done! I then paired it with some sugar snap peas and red peppers sauted in a little olive oil stove top. Add a little salt and pepper and tis breakfast.
Lunch:
I cooked up 3 hardboiled eggs, chopped in some vidalia onion, celery, and black olives with a little light mayo, Hellman’s of course. I had this with a side of carrot sticks. Very filling.
Dinner:
My Gretchen’s Garden Pot is essentially my homemade veggie soup where I use everything but the kitchen sink. This time I started with a soup starter from an Amish store. (You can buy soup starters at any grocery store.) I added 8 cups of water, 1 quart of tomatoes, 1 cup chopped celery, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 cup chopped onion, and once that was all cooked together, I added in 1/2 cup of barley.
I simmered this on the stove for over an hour with 3 bay leaves and some coarse black pepper. ( you could heat it up here with some hot peppers)
I really enjoyed this dish and it is really really filling. I usually use to have cheese and crackers with a soup meal so it seemed funny not to have it with it. I didn’t feel deprived but I felt like something was missing. Since I have some left over, I think I will have some sort of a meat stick with it. Many times people do put ground hamburg in their soups but I don’t care for it, even though I like hamburgs. Personal choice.
Sugar Addicts: I Am On Day 5 Of My 7 Day Challenge
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To my fellow sugar addicts following me on my 7 day challenge: things have been going pretty good so far. I thought that I handled getting unexpected company well by eating just the nuts for dinner and drinking diet pepsi, caffeine free with it. I did also have some pepperoni circles, about 15-20 of them. I was’t feeling deprived being with the wine and beer drinkers. It felt ok. Until I got up the next morning and weighed myself. Ut – oh ….I gained a 1/2 pound. That is NOT what I wanted or expected. And quite frankly, it made me mad. I thought I did ok. I guess my body did not agree with me.
So I have a choice here. I can either get ticked off and quit and say its not working or I can learn from the day and think of an alternative I could do the next time a situation comes up. I am going to pick the second choice. Since it will pay off for me in the long run. This may be a 7 day challenge, but I am learning life lessons about my body. Besides, its not like I can trade my body in for a new model at Macy’s. lol I have to learn to work with what I’ve got.
Here is my food plan for day 5: Read More→
Sugar Addicts: I’m Now On Day 4 Of My Challenge
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To my fellow sugar addicts: I am now on day 4 of my 7 day challenge from hubby and all is going well. I have lose 3 pounds so far and am relatively happy with how things are going. This is a work in progress.
Here are some tips I have learned so far:
As I said yesterday, I find that there are certain times of the day that are harder than others. For me, that is the late afternoon. I start looking for stuff: sweet or not. I think this is more of a habit than anything else. It is not hunger. I am definitely getting and eating enough food. It’s like that itch that doesn’t want to go away. With that said – I do find that it doesn’t last. In about 4 – 15 minutes the urge is gone. That is a good thing – and its a good thing to know.
Now to find a way to help myself get over the “hump” as they say. I only need something for 4 -15 minutes. For day 4 I decided that I would take a walk outside when that happens. It helps me to clear my head, get fresh air, breathe deeply, get my endorphins working for me, plus since I live in a rural setting I do not have any food cues to tempt me more. It helps me get back to a balanced state of mind.
I do not eat at this time. I felt that it would tend to make me feel as if I was depriving myself of a sweet rather than a positive intention. When I get back from the walk, I enjoy a nice cup of herbal tea. If I am still thinking about food, then it is more than an urge. It could very well be real hunger. If I am still thinking I may want a “treat” I have found a wonderful nutrition bar called nugoslim. They are really terrific. I thank them for keeping me from wandering off with the sugar devil during this challenge. They work because they have high protein and low sugar – and that combination is a MUST!
There are different ways to use these nutrition bars. You can use them as a meal replacement or as a snack. Since they are all under 200 calories, they qualify for both categories. What I love about nugoslim bars is that they do not use artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols that can give you bloating, gas or cramps. They use a natural dietary fiber, Chicory root and then dip in real dark chocolate that only gives you 2 grams of sugar. I found the best price on them at Netrition.com where they have smart bars and dark bars too. All good ingredients as above.
Now you know my secret to sticking with it! I definitely think I can make it the 7 days with these secret weapons. I won’t be telling my husband about them thought. A girl has to have some secrets!
Here is my food for the day:
*Breakfast: Big Veggie Omelet With Brown Rice with Fresh Strawberries
* Lunch: Cauliflower and Lentil Patties
* Afternoon snack: nugoslim bar
* Dinner: 1/2 a can of delux mixed nuts ( I got company at 5 o’clock and served nuts since I could eat them..and wound up eating enough to make it my meal)
RECIPES
Veggie Omelet With Brown Rice and Sweet Potatoes
6 eggs
32 oz. bag of mixed frozen veggies
1 cup cooked brown rice
I scrambled the 6 eggs together and then added the bag of frozen veggies and rice and placed into stove top pan treated with olive oil spray from my misto.
Once the omelet was ready to eat I sprayed it on top with the Misto again. This gave it great flavor without adding a huge amount of calories in fat. Plus, olive oil is good for the heart.
Cauliflower and Lentil Patties
Cook 1/2 a had of cauliflower until it is really soft and mushy so you will be aboe to smash it up.
Cook 4 oz. of lentils stove top until soft and you can easliy smash them up.
Cook 1/2 a vidalia onion until soft and translucent – I did mine in the microwave for 3 mintues.
Then combine all 3 ingredients and sprinkle with vegi base powder to give it a little boost of flavor.
You can add salt and pepper to taste at this point.
I then fried it stove top in some oil until crispy. It was pretty good. Not fabulous, but pretty good. I paired it with
a 4 oz. lean hamburg and pretended I was having a burger and home fries at the diner. lo lol
Hello my fellow sugar addicts! If you read the past 2 blog post you will find that I am doing a series on what I am eating and doing on my 7 day challenge that my wonderful hubby presented to me. I am please to tell you that so far, so good. I have lost 1 pound each day, now a total of 3. I am very happy with that. In my dieting history the most I have ever lost in on week was 2.75 pounds. I tend to be a very slow loser. I attribute that to my quitting smoking at the age of 38. My metabolism has never been the same since.
But I have to work with the body I have today. As well as you do with yours. Using exercise to pound off the excess fat is no longer a good option for me. My knees and feet will not tolerate it any longer. I am really thrilled that this food challenge is working for me. A pound a day so far. And I am not hungry and starving all the time.
What I have learned is Read More→
Sugar Addicts: Follow Me On My 1 Week Challenge
By · CommentsMy fellow sugar addicts: If you have been following me or my blog then you know I am doing a 1 week challenge presented by my husband to do:
No
Sugar
Dairy
Caffeine
Alcohol
Bread
Well, it has presented interesting challenges, that is for sure. But I am losing and am NOT HUNGRY. Which is a good thing.
As promised, I am sharing here what I have been eating.
This is my 2nd day:
Breakfast: fish cakes ( home made) with spelt berries and Pomegranate Infused vinegar.
Lunch: I made a lentil and broccoli salad…and it turned out delicious. I was very happy with it. ( Recipes below)
Afternoon snack: 2 apples – 1 hour apart. I did have a decaf coffee with Silk Almond Milk. I keep telling myself that it is not cheating
cause its not really “dairy milk”. But since I don’t have any “official” rules..I guess I can write my own. lol
Dinner: Ground Pork with Stewed Tomatoes and Quinoa. I tend to like one pot dishes so I throw everything in together. This turned out very good. If you have ever had stuffed cabbage – it tastes like that filling…without the cabbage of course.
Did have a tablespoon of peanut butter after dinner for a “dessert”. I want’ hungry and didn’t need it for physical hunger..more of a habit, I think.
RECIPES:
Lentil and Broccoli Salad
1 pound yellow lentils
1 bunch broccoli spears
1 large Vidalia onion
1/3 cup lemon oil
1/3 cup cranberry pear vinagrette
pepper
I cooked up the lentils until semi-soft to soft, rinsed and drained. I did the broccoli in the microwave since I think it comes with a better color and texture.
I chopped up the vidalia into small pieces and then mixed with the lentils and broccoli.
Then mix your lemon oil, vinagrette and pepper and our over above mixture. You can serve it warm like that or chill and then eat. Either way, its good.
**Note: If you do not have a purchased lemon oil, you can make your own by taking 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup lemon juice and blend well together. Will work fine.
Ground Pork With Stewed Tomatoes and Quinoa
1 pound lean ground pork
1 quart stewed tomatoes
1/2 quinoa
pepper
1 large onion
Cook pork stove top with chopped onion, salt and pepper to taste. ( My sausage was pre-seasoned hot…so I didn’t add much of anything else)
Add tomatoes and then quinoa and simmer on stove top until the quinoa is cooked. ( You can tell when it turns a clear color and looks like an “0″ ring.) This dish should have a semi loose texture. If your quinoa soaks up too much tomatoes and its too thick..you can add 1/4 cup of water at a time. Or if you like a thicker texture, just cook longer. Taste is good either way.
I already have a bean soup on the stove today for one of tomorrow’s meals. So check back for the recipe and I’ll let you know how it turned out.
Sugar addicts – If you want to lose excess fat – do it the healthy way so you don’t lose healthy and lean muscle tissues. This is very important if you want the weight to stay off. And we already learned why not to crash diet earlier. So lets move forward and follow me this week to see what I am doing and how.
My hubby came home telling me about a way to lose 5 pounds in 1 week and all you had to do was eliminate these 5 things from your diet:
*sugar
*dairy
*caffeine
*bread
*alcohol
Duh!!!! No kidding. What is left to eat??? And he said, ” oh…you probably couldn’t do it.” Well..never tell me I can’t do something because then I have to go out and o it to prove you wrong. I guess I am just wired that way. So I am doing this and creating recipes and making decisions based on that little info of eliminating those 5 things. And I thought maybe you would like to come along. I will post each day what I am eating and doing. So you are invited to participate.
My first day: Read More→
Sugar Addicts: Beware of the Crash Diets
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Most people, including sugar addicts, think that trimming down the calories alone can shed off their unwanted excess. Probably because we have heard for years: calories in = calories out. So they think if they eat less than the body needs, it will lose quicker. Nothing is farther from the truth. Another reason people think low low calorie intake is the way to lose weight is cause of all the advertising about low-calorie food products and beverages. Think 1980’s and the no-fat revolution.
What people don’t know is that this could be dangerous because when they decrease their calorie intake way to below the required levels, the body begins to digest the fats. That sounds good but it doesn’t actually.
What really happens: Read More→
Were you one of the 108 million Americans overweight or obese in 1999? Did you know that obesity continues to be a serious problem and is predicted to reach epidemic levels by the year 2020? Those statistics are might scary, aren’t they! Sugar addicts know that when they eat too much sugar – they gain weight. They know that. Yet they have such a hard time staying away from it.
As we learned in my last post: the ” 3 Hour Diet” has a great catchy title making you believe that you can lose your weight with 3 hours a day..or at least that is what I thought when I first read the title. But once you got into it you realized Jorge Cruise was teaching you how to eat so that your body will burn fat efficiently. There is even a companion cookbook: the 3 Hour Diet Cookbook so you do not even have to create your own recipes if you choose to follow this plan.
The quick weight loss methods which have spread like fire these days do not provide lasting results. More often than not, dieting methods which involve dietary drinks, foods and supplement or pills do not work. If they do, the results are just temporary.
It is better for sugar addicts Read More→
3 Hour Diet – Another Hype?
By · Comments3 Hour Diet
When it comes to the world of dieting you will find that there are many diet, weight loss, and fitness plans on the market. It takes years for some to become a contender and others remain a best-kept secret of sorts. One such ‘best kept’ secret would be the 3 Hour Diet that was designed by Jorge Cruise. I am sure that there are many reading along and chuckling under your breath that there is no way one can lose weight by eating every three hours however the science behind the theory is fairly common and Jorge Cruise is a mainstay in the fitness industry.
The long and short of this diet operates with the knowledge that if you do not feed your body accurately and regularly your body will go into what is called ‘starvation mode’. In this mode your body holds onto the fat rather than burning it up and consuming it for use. This means that your body is burning muscle rather than fat to take the energy it needs in order to function.
With the 3 Hour Diet you will not feel hungry all the time, in fact, there are many who claim they are constantly setting alarms and reminding themselves to eat. You will also learn the proper foods to eat in order to achieve the best possible results. The key is in learning which foods are right for you when dieting with this plan. You can purchase the book The 3-Hour Diet by Jorge Cruise and you can sign up online for more information about the weight plan itself and how to incorporate it into your busy routine.
I do recommend Read More→
