Being Sick - an update so far.

For the past month (yes month) we have all had various colds, throat infections and ear infections. I've been particularly sick the last few weeks and have had trouble shaking it off. Probably due to being pregnant.

Because of my pregnancy I am unable (and unwilling) to take most medication. I finally had to take panadol and a short course of antibiotics but up until then I was easing my symptoms with the usual cough lollies and hot honey and lemon tea. All of which contain sugar!

Vicks vapor drops, butter menthols, lemsip and even homemade honey and lemon tea all have sugar and that was really all I could take. Now that I am slowly getting better and am beginning to be interested in food again (I haven't been able to taste anything for 2 weeks), I am craving sweet foods.

Even when I can't taste anything I eat I was still searching for sweet things. Is this because my desire to eat sugar is purely in my mind? Perhaps. I have no scientific evidence to back this up. This is purely anecdotal evidence based on me. But, it does help me to understand my sugar addiction and my bodies response to it.

I am only having a couple of cough lollies a day now and over the next couple of days will probably no longer need them. After that I will have to go through the process of ridding my body of sugar (again). I don't feel so overwhelmed by this and I don't think it will be the same as the first time.

I think some of the reasons are because of the habits we had begun to put in place before becoming sick:

• There is no sugar/junk/processed food in the house.
• I am still in the right frame of mind to avoid sugar.
• We no longer eat take-away or fast food as a regular meal (less than once a fortnight now)
• I can comfortably say no to food in a social setting.

And I know it will only be a day or two before I no longer crave sugar. Also I must admit the craving is not as intense as before I quit sugar and it is quite easy to distract myself for the feeling to pass.

We are doing well.

Quitting Sugar - Day 22

Just a very quick post today.

We've been sugar free for 3 weeks now. There has been a little bit of sugar now and then. Miss Berry's birthday for example, but on a day to day basis there is no sugar in our diet now.

And the verdict so far - we feel great. Both Mr Berry and myself agree we feel more rested when we wake up in the morning so we're sleeping better. We feel lighter (for want of a better description). I would probably describe it as less bloated except that my belly is getting bigger every day now. We have clearer minds and neither of us are spending a huge amount of time thinking about food.

Food is tasting better now. Not only is fruit tasting a lot sweeter but other food is beginning to taste more complex (in a good way).

I still have to make sure I stop myself from picking up a chocolate bar at the check out. I think that will take a long time to break that habit, but I'm not feeling deprived when I don't have chocolate. I never thought I would feel that way - ever.

Quitting Sugar - Day 17

As I mentioned here, the past weekend was Miss Berry's birthday party and we did have some sugar. But on Sunday we removed the cake from the house and became sugar free again. I found myself searching for sugar on Sunday and Monday afternoons but the cravings weren't as intense as they were before we quit.

Today I've been back on track and didn't get any sugar cravings. I was expecting a really hard couple of days after having a bit of sugar but it's been quite manageable. The important thing was to keep remembering why we are doing this. I am so determined to stay sugar free that it is becoming easier to say no to sugar foods.

I've also noticed that I am not snacking as much now. I am eating enough at mealtimes to carry me through to the next meal. I do wake up hungry but that's hardly surprising and I think it's the way it should be. After all it's been around 12 hours since dinner. 

Links - Recipes

I've been cruising the internet looking for recipes and inspiration lately. And because I obviously have way too much time on my hands.

Here are some sites worth checking out:

Sarah Wilson
http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/
I've bought both her I Quit Sugar Program and the Cookbook and there are some great recipes I am trying out. In particular are some breakfast recipes here.

 

 

Holistic Kid
http://www.holistickid.com/
I've only had a brief look but there are some good recipes here. I am going to try out some of the snacks for the kids.

Nom Nom Paleo
http://nomnompaleo.com/
Once again, another paleo based site but heaps of yummy recipes to try out.

Michael Pollan
http://michaelpollan.com/
I love his 7 favourite food rules here.

Quitting Sugar - Week 2

Well this week has really flown. We've had some challenges this week but I think we've made it through really well. We planned ahead and whilst haven't avoided sugar completely we have minimised it as best we could.

Miss Berry turned 5 this week so you can only imagine the amount of sugar usually involved in a 5 year old's birthday. Normally we go a bit over board for Birthdays and have three cakes (one for the actual birthday, one for the family party and one for the friends party) as well as all the lollies, food, soft drink and juices that go with Birthdays.

This year we scaled it right back - although admittedly not for the sugar reason. But it certainly helped minimise our exposure to sugar.

Here is a quick run down of the sugar I ate over the past couple of days:

• The Birthday Dinner (McDonalds - her choice, not ours)
• McChicken (0.75 tsp)
• Fries (0 tsp)
• Water (0 tsp obviously)
• Apple Pie (1.75 tsp)
• The Birthday Party
• Birthday Cake
• A couple of lollies

I looked up the sugar amounts in McDonalds from The Sweet Poison Quit Plan before we left for dinner. For the record, the apple pie really put me over the edge. I felt so very sick that night. Really uncomfortable in the stomach with a really heavy feeling. Could have been the sugar or just the McDonalds in general. Not sure but either way we won't be rushing back for a while.

I don't even want to think of the amount of sugar in the lollies or the cake (I made the cake, there was a lot of sugar). But I could only manage the smallest piece of cake as it was too sweet.

All in all I'm ok with what I've eaten over the past couple of days. It was a Birthday Party after all and my other meals were our usual sugar free fare. Miss Berry has had a fair bit of sugar and I think we will have a few rough days next week as she gets it out of her system again. On a positive note she tried a fruit roll up for the first time and took a couple of bites then threw it out. I think we might be getting through to her taste buds.

Quitting Sugar - Day 10

This week is Miss Berry's 5th birthday and it will be my biggest challenge this week.

We are having a small party for her on Saturday which will obviously require a cake. She also takes some little cupcakes to preschool so they can celebrate her birthday.

Usually we would also have a cake for dessert on the night of her birthday as well as a family party (as in with the extended family). Yes, that's a lot of cake and a lot of party food. This year we've decided to keep the cakes for the party and preschool and we're not going to have a family party. Our extended family will be dropping in here and there to wish her Happy Birthday over the week.

I am not sure whether I will have a piece of her cake on Saturday. At the moment I don't feel like eating cake. I really don't want to have to start all over again and am worried a but of refined sugar will do that to me. I'll think about it over the next couple of days and make a firm decision before Saturday. I can keep myself really busy during the party so I'm not standing there watching everyone else eat cake. That will help.

Quitting Sugar - Day 8 & 9

Days 8 & 9 (otherwise known as the weekend).

I'm not going to post over the weekends. Purely because we spend a lot of time as a family on the weekend and I don't want to eat into that precious time. So here is a run down of the main sugar event during our second weekend sugar free.

I found a packet of M&Ms in the cupboard Saturday afternoon. I'd forgotten about them and they fell out when I pulled out another Tupperware container. I didn't throw them out but put them back in the cupboard and went about my afternoon.

I didn't feel any desire to eat them when I found them but as the afternoon wore on I began thinking about them more and more. It was like it was my little secret and I began obsessing about them. I felt like I was turning into a monster that needed to sniff out sugar to survive. They were in the cupboard taunting me.

After the kids went to bed we sat down on the lounge and this is usually the time we would indulge in sugar. I ended up blurting out my secret to Mr Berry almost as soon as we sat down. It was like I couldn't contain it any longer and had to unburden myself. As soon as I told him it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Mr Berry put them in the big bin outside (he was going to put them in the kitchen bin but I am sorry to say I felt I could have taken them out of there and eaten them anyway).

Once they were in the bin I forgot about them and no longer felt I needed sugar. I think it was the fact they were in the house and we were no longer eating sugar that made them so tempting. They were the forbidden fruit.

I think this just goes to show that whilst my cravings for sugar are diminishing, it will be a long time before I can have chocolate or confectionery in the house without wanting to eat it. I am definitely not ready to have my will power tested. (Actually, I have no will power at all. I think I've just proven that.)

But Sunday night came around and we are still sugar free and feeling great. Not only are we starting to feel less sluggish and tired but I think we both feel a real sense of achievement for continuing this journey.