Goals will be set.
Gyms will be joined.
"I'll do _____ for a whole year!"
It's the resolution solution.
Normally, I forgo resolutions and don't change anything.
This year, however, with the help and prompting of a dear friend...
Ugh...
I'm going say it...
I'm going to make it official...
I'm going to go a year without...
SUGAR.
I'm not sure you understand the weight and gravity of that statement so let me repeat it:
I'm going to go a YEAR without SUGAR.
And now my brain is asleep.
No cookies.
No ice cream.
No chocolate.
I can see most of you reading this saying, "Why?!?"
Well, I don't know...
I'm crazy.
Okay, no, I actually have my reasons.
Some foods are a crutch for me. At the end of a long day, I'll rest on the couch with my secret stash of chocolates and unwind. It's a terrible way to unwind. I should just do some twisting yoga poses or...here's a crazy thought...go to bed, but instead I stay up too late and enjoy my chocolates.
Or cookies.
Or whatever treats I have made that week.
We don't usually buy processed treats. I make them. And I enjoy making them.
Cupcakes.
Cookies.
Cinnamon rolls.
Vanilla cake with a caramel drizzle (or drenching).
Yuuum.
*eats celery and pouts*
So, for this whole year, I will push my discipline to the limits.
I will test my strengths.
I will forego the delicious sweetness that saps away my energy and strength.
And it does too. It takes my energy and slams it into a concrete floor. When you have three little kids, ages 3 & under, that is not cool. A mama needs her motivation and energy to get through the day.
Every goal needs a Game Plan.
This is my game plan:
Substitute, substitute, sustitute.
Instead of eating chocolate chips to unwind at the end of the day, (oh, yes, I do), I will first actually try to unwind. A few twisting yoga poses and a glass of water. If I still want to snack on something, I'll eat celery or apples with peanut butter. Lots of good fats and vegetables will hopefully keep the cravings at bay!
Fruit
I am still going to eat fruit. Fruit has a lot of health benefits and I plan to keep them in my diet. Natural fruit sugars are okay as long as I am also eating the fruit. My goal is to stay away from sweetening things with natural fruit sugars and limit my intake to the whole fruit. I have to be specific with the guidelines or I will cut corners. I'm a terrible cheater...
Limited Natural Sweeteners
Maple syrup season is right around the corner. We'll have sap boiling, syrup finishing, and jars of sweet, delicious goodness just laying around the house tempting my every last thread of will power.
So...
I've decided that once a week I can use maple syrup or raw, local honey to make a sweet treat.
There are rules to this though. It has to be a type of protein or energy bar that doesn't use processed flours. What do I mean?
Nuts, dates, honey, flax seed, and oats in a food processor makes a really wonderful energy bar.
Hopefully this will satisfy any craving for sugar that I have without overdoing it.
Watch out for Hidden Sugars
Sugar is in e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.
Breads, salad dressings, dried fruits, pasta sauce, dips, etc.
Ketchup.
Ugh, I love ketchup.
I have to be very careful to make most of my dressings and sauces. Making my own will help me watch my unintentional sugar intake.
Have a buddy
It wasn't actually my idea to cut out sugar for a whole year. I'm just not that crazy. Leave it to a good friend of mine to go there. Deep down into crazytown. But, she made her point about sugar being a deterrant from getting back to a pre-pregnancy weight. Since we have babies 3 days apart...I felt like she was speaking right to me. (She literally was, but you know what I mean)
So I'm going to do it.
I'm going to eliminate sugars from my diet.
Sayonara, sweet delicacies.
Adios, cheesecake, cookies, chocolate bars....
Pies, cobblers, ice cream, frosting, cake....
Wait!!!
I take it back!!
Oooookay....
No.
I'm good now.
HERE WE GO!
Wishing everyone out there Sugar(less) peace and...of course...Hair Peace!
