You've read my last couple of posts, I'm sure, & know that I struggle with sugar addiction. Hello... who in America doesn't? Okay, maybe there's three people that have no cravings mid-afternoon for a cookie or a hunk of chocolate. But I'm not one of them.
I've done fairly well keeping it to just one day a week. Last weekend was no exception. Friends came over for dinner & I tasked them with dessert. Holy cow! Did I know they would bring an ice cream cake and the slices would equal one-eighth of the cake itself?! Did I politely say, no thank you? No, I ate it anyway. Not sure if it was the dairy or the sugar, but I suffered long after that. I vowed not to have sugar EVER... until it was time for coffee with my handsome hubby. Yep, I had a chai tea. It settled fine and I went about my merry day.
The more I read, the more I learn. So after much reading, contemplation and prayer as to what my purpose in life is, I decided to enroll in NEI which stands for Nutritional Education Institute. Yep! I'm "going back to school." Okay, but it's not like school, school. It's on-line and self-paced. There is a TON of required reading and only three exams. Heck, who can't handle that, right? It can't be that hard... Until you start reading about the genetic makeup of phytochemicals and the effects micronutrients have on your body and how it can literally heal itself.
People have asked me what I'm going to do as a Certified Nutritional Education Trainer. Heck, I dunno. I just want to learn more about this style of eating, see how it can help me live to be 150, and hopefully I can educate friends and family and help them turn away from the SAD (standard American diet) and turn towards Eating for Health.
As Lent winds down, I have plans to keep my sugar intake to a minimum as I wrestle with cravings. I will continue to post my midlife mumblings (but not the grumblings) and keep you updated on my educational journey. Wish me luck. The box of reading materials & course outline arrive next week!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Shamrock Shake, not so lucky
Today being Sunday & a "little Easter," permission is granted to leave my Lenten promise behind for the day. So... I took it upon myself to overindulge in the sugar category. Apparently, my chai tea outing with my handsome hubby wasn't enough.
But we must go back to last week when I realized March is the month for Shamrock shakes at McDonalds and I questioned my giving up sugar as my sacrifice for 40 days. I planned for this day for nearly a week! I even suggested to my son that I stop by his dorm with a chilly treat for him & his girlfriend. They accepted the invitation. So after spending an hour in the office on Sunday (not normal), I drove past a number of McDonalds, dreaming of the minty goodness that would soon pass my lips. I stopped at the last Mickey D's closest to the campus and ordered three medium Shamrock Shakes and one chocolate for hubby waiting at home.
Boy, was a surprised when I watched the young guy behind the counter fill the cup with something of a color that seems inedible, topped with whipped cream from a can & a cherry the color of a Crayola crayon. Since when do they put toppings on a milkshake? After making my delivery to the two young 'uns who were waiting with great anticipation, I could hardly wait to rip the wrapper off the straw and take that first long slurp....
"What the heck is this?" she says. Sugar and green food coloring? I think that's about what it was. I even questioned what it really tasted like. I remembered Shamrock shakes being minty, refreshing and, yes, a tad sweet. But this was disgustingly sweet and a flavor indiscernible! Is it because sugar has become sort of not the center of my world and only the center of my thought processes? I was terribly disappointed, though I did not stop sucking the green goop up through the straw, and even skewered the cherry with the straw, being careful to bring it out through the large hole in the lid without knocking it off.
Was it all worth it in the end? No way. The gut ache that ensued, and still does six hours later, is not what I was looking forward to. One day I will learn.
There you have it, my final commitment to steer clear of a McDonald's shake. And for that chocolate shake that Hubby consumed, he admitted it wasn't so tasty either. I guess we will stick with our green smoothies as a sweet pick-me-up.
Or maybe next Sunday I'll give a peanut cluster a whirl!
But we must go back to last week when I realized March is the month for Shamrock shakes at McDonalds and I questioned my giving up sugar as my sacrifice for 40 days. I planned for this day for nearly a week! I even suggested to my son that I stop by his dorm with a chilly treat for him & his girlfriend. They accepted the invitation. So after spending an hour in the office on Sunday (not normal), I drove past a number of McDonalds, dreaming of the minty goodness that would soon pass my lips. I stopped at the last Mickey D's closest to the campus and ordered three medium Shamrock Shakes and one chocolate for hubby waiting at home.
Boy, was a surprised when I watched the young guy behind the counter fill the cup with something of a color that seems inedible, topped with whipped cream from a can & a cherry the color of a Crayola crayon. Since when do they put toppings on a milkshake? After making my delivery to the two young 'uns who were waiting with great anticipation, I could hardly wait to rip the wrapper off the straw and take that first long slurp....
"What the heck is this?" she says. Sugar and green food coloring? I think that's about what it was. I even questioned what it really tasted like. I remembered Shamrock shakes being minty, refreshing and, yes, a tad sweet. But this was disgustingly sweet and a flavor indiscernible! Is it because sugar has become sort of not the center of my world and only the center of my thought processes? I was terribly disappointed, though I did not stop sucking the green goop up through the straw, and even skewered the cherry with the straw, being careful to bring it out through the large hole in the lid without knocking it off.
Was it all worth it in the end? No way. The gut ache that ensued, and still does six hours later, is not what I was looking forward to. One day I will learn.
There you have it, my final commitment to steer clear of a McDonald's shake. And for that chocolate shake that Hubby consumed, he admitted it wasn't so tasty either. I guess we will stick with our green smoothies as a sweet pick-me-up.
Or maybe next Sunday I'll give a peanut cluster a whirl!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Addiction Reflection
This whole idea of giving up sugar should have really been more deeply contemplated. What was I thinking? I did it during Lent so I wouldn't cheat, as I feel cheating on God is much more heinous than cheating on myself. I have kept true to my word, but definitely look forward to Sundays so I can indulge.
When I started this 40 days of wandering in the desert, I didn't realize how hard it was going to be. I have definitely discovered something about myself... I am definitely an addict. Sugar (and maybe food as a whole) has a firm grasp on me. Eating sweet peas or a pear after a meal isn't enough. How about a brownie, a cookie, or something similar? My daily chai tea lattes are gone. I've had one since February 22 and I have to say it wasn't really that good. So I thought it was just as simple as "Nope, doesn't taste good" and I would be over it. Not so easy. I long for Easter morning when I will rush to the closest coffee shop & splurge for a sugar-laden cup of goodness. I will accompany that chai latte with a big slice of a Butter Braid pastry. Ahhh... I can taste it now!
Why do the Girl Scouts sell their cookies at this time of year? Don't they know what we Catholics go through? The temptation of those sweet girls holding those boxes of delectable, tasty rounds of love sometimes are hard to pass up. I know someone who bought some and stuck them in the freezer for "after." Someone else donated them to Operation Cookie Drop. Another just gave cash to the girls in green.
I now have a greater appreciation for those who are truly addicted to harmful substances. Do you think there's a 12-step group meeting at the local Eagles Aerie for sugar addiction? If not, maybe I'll start one. Sugar is a harmful substance. There's many studies out there about how it affects our aging process, our weight, and the all-around way we feel. It's not, though, as harmful as cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine and perhaps that's why there's not a group meeting on Tuesdays called SA.
I plan to continue only imbibing on Sundays after we celebrate Easter. I just hope I can do it.
When I started this 40 days of wandering in the desert, I didn't realize how hard it was going to be. I have definitely discovered something about myself... I am definitely an addict. Sugar (and maybe food as a whole) has a firm grasp on me. Eating sweet peas or a pear after a meal isn't enough. How about a brownie, a cookie, or something similar? My daily chai tea lattes are gone. I've had one since February 22 and I have to say it wasn't really that good. So I thought it was just as simple as "Nope, doesn't taste good" and I would be over it. Not so easy. I long for Easter morning when I will rush to the closest coffee shop & splurge for a sugar-laden cup of goodness. I will accompany that chai latte with a big slice of a Butter Braid pastry. Ahhh... I can taste it now!
Why do the Girl Scouts sell their cookies at this time of year? Don't they know what we Catholics go through? The temptation of those sweet girls holding those boxes of delectable, tasty rounds of love sometimes are hard to pass up. I know someone who bought some and stuck them in the freezer for "after." Someone else donated them to Operation Cookie Drop. Another just gave cash to the girls in green.
I now have a greater appreciation for those who are truly addicted to harmful substances. Do you think there's a 12-step group meeting at the local Eagles Aerie for sugar addiction? If not, maybe I'll start one. Sugar is a harmful substance. There's many studies out there about how it affects our aging process, our weight, and the all-around way we feel. It's not, though, as harmful as cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine and perhaps that's why there's not a group meeting on Tuesdays called SA.
I plan to continue only imbibing on Sundays after we celebrate Easter. I just hope I can do it.
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