Living without Sugar

I have read numerous articles about the damaging effects of sugar on the body and here is a great one written by a nutritionist. This one point: Sugar may be linked to cancer production and may effect cancer survival was the nail in the coffin for me. Please read the article because there are so many more important reasons to give up or at least cut down on the sweet stuff.

As promised in my last blog, here is an update on my progress:

I am happy to report I have been sugar free for 17 days and counting. No desserts of any kind; cookies, candy, ice cream, or even the usual 1/2 tsp of sugar in my morning Joe.

I have scooped ice cream for my kids without so much as licking the spoon, my co-workers have dangled Dove chocolates under my nose without incident, and last weekend  I sat at a child's birthday party where 2 moms devoured Allies doughnut cake right in front of me.  One of them actually snickered when I told her I had given up sugar.  She said to me, "But you have to live!"  It's funny how we associate a few seconds of pleasure with "Living".

I then started rattling off my list of reasons for quitting sweets.  I told her that I now treat myself like  a person with a severe food allergy or a recovering alcoholic who wouldn't dare to dabble in one drink.  I think this made her a little uncomfortable but I think she understood a lot better when I explained my health history and just how lousy sugar was making me feel. She then proceeded to inhale  her doughnut cake in all its glory. I sat there, completely happy for her, yet removed from it all.

I'm allergic. It will make me sick.. 

These are the mantras I hold close and use as weaponry when life gets too sweet.  And you know, it's really working. I have realized over the last 17 days that I can live without sweets and they do not control me any longer. I find myself having flashbacks of Funny Bones, brownie sundaes, chocolate chip cookies, and Twix bars. I can vividly remember the way they taste and then I tell myself, "That's a nice memory, but it has to be enough." And then I move on.

Sometimes a memory of something has to be enough if you want to keep on living.