This weekend didn't go quite as planned, but that happens. I made needed adjustments and made it through in fine form. It was a really good weekend in a lot of ways. I feel strong.
I've written extensively about the difference abstinence from sugar has made in my life. I'm serious when I say it is the single most important nutritional decision I've ever made. It's been a life changer. Turning off the "binge switch," receiving a peace and calm like I've never known, is very real. Before I gave it an honest attempt, I listened to people share their amazing experience, I read blogs and articles all describing the benefits. I didn't fully appreciate any of it until I experienced it first hand.
My sugar abstinence is just a few days shy of a year old. My commitment only gets stronger each day. I was eating lunch recently with a loved one who ordered a dessert and then told me how horrible they felt eating it in front of me, because "I know you can't have any." I assured them it was perfectly okay and their dessert wasn't bothering me in the least.
The truth is, If I wanted it, and I didn't mind sacrificing everything important to me, I could have it. I've worked too hard turning my relapse and regain around to give it all back, again. And it's that kind of importance level that will help keep me in successful recovery.
I don't want it. And it's not about will power. I've written this before--and it's very true: Will power is only used when you're resisting something you desperately want. If you don't want it--with zero desire, will power isn't employed. I don't eat broccoli, ever. I tried it one time. It isn't will power that keeps me away from broccoli. I don't like it and I don't want it--that's what keeps me away.
When I see sugar, I see poison. It doesn't take will power for me to resist ingesting poison. All it takes is knowing that it's poison to me. It isn't poison to everyone, mind you, but for me, yes...it is, very much.
I wouldn't dare trade what I've found for all the Snickers Bars on the planet. You could eat the most decadent dessert in the world, right in front of my face and it wouldn't bother me in the least. People bring donuts and cinnamon rolls to work occasionally--doesn't phase me. Girl Scout Cookies--FREE Girl Scout Cookies lived in our kitchen at work for the longest time before somebody finished them off or threw them away, I don't know which--but I do know I faced them each and every day as I prepared my breakfast and lunch in that kitchen and not once did I have a twinge of struggle toward them. Each day I abstain, my commitment grows stronger.
I'm always delighted when I run across someone else experiencing the same life changing effects of sugar abstinence. Recently, a friend posted a link to the blog www.300poundsdown.com on my Facebook wall. It was a link to this post:
http://www.300poundsdown.com/2015/04/the-power-is-returning.html
I enjoyed reading every single word of her post. The enthusiasm--the sheer excitement she expresses because of her experience, was a most wonderful read. Her experience with abstinence from sugar mirrors mine down to the letter. I immediately asked for her permission to share it here and add her blog to my blog roll along the left hand side of the page. Holly got back with me today and gave an enthusiastic yes! I hope you'll read her post. It's beautifully written.
I did more weather coverage at the radio station today. Just when I thought I might need to employ a Plan B for exercise, the storms moved on, replaced with a cool calm--and just enough time for me to get into the YMCA for a workout before their 6pm closing time.
My dinner tonight (see tweet below) was the second time I've made the dish and it's immediately one of my favorites!
My Tweets Today:
A cool, rainy day with dark roast and sugar free hazelnut creamer. 2 cups, this & a refill soon. 60 cal. pic.twitter.com/6dM16Rcbll
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 19, 2015
Beef & cheese omelet. 3 whts/1 whl, 1 slice of swiss, provolone, mozz, 2oz 96% lean beef. Cantaloupe (204g). 440 cal. pic.twitter.com/cL9sliUnqe
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 19, 2015
2 cups water with lunch. #wateraccountability pic.twitter.com/AgeGVJQbZm
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 19, 2015
Guac w/123g avocado & 15g light sr crm, salt-pepper, on lettuce. 28g tortilla chips, strawberries (220g). 432 cal. pic.twitter.com/BZ2EKC7D6Q
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 19, 2015
Workout time. 2 cup bottle refill. #watertracking pic.twitter.com/Kx2M3WAbEw
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 19, 2015
Feels good! 30 min, level 17. Post workout refill--2 cups. #watertracking #endorphinsflowing pic.twitter.com/AqL5StrARb
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 19, 2015
2 cups with dinner. #wateraccountability pic.twitter.com/XSrWx8J5xK
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 20, 2015
1.5 srv g-free penne pasta, 2 srv low cal alfredo, 1 srv peas & carrots, 3oz chicken brst. Grilled asparagus. 599 cal pic.twitter.com/acof42yGVh
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 20, 2015
After dinner cup of dark roast w/sugar free hazelnut creamer. 30 cal. pic.twitter.com/WBXAnRKMAX
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 20, 2015
And one more cup. Same cup, refill. ;) sf hazelnut. 30 cal.
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 20, 2015
I'm super particular in selecting pears. I want juicy-ripe...this one is perfect! Anjou pear. #lastfoodofday 100 cal. pic.twitter.com/mNMc2vbzGs
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) April 20, 2015
Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
Wonderful post, Sean. More people need to understand the peace and power that comes from learning to live without their particular addictive substance, whatever it might be. :)
ReplyDeleteWell said, Gwen! Peace and Power are such amazing things. It give you your life back!
DeleteI've been reading Holly's blog for a long time, she is great. I'm guessing quite a lot of people who struggle with their weight have an issue with sugar.
ReplyDeleteHolly is fantastic, totally agree! Natalie, they really do, it seems. Not everyone is affected in an addictive kind of way--but for those like me, it's perfectly clear. And the personal certainty in this didn't come about until I tried it. After a couple of weeks, I was convinced.
DeleteI love Hollys blog I have only recently found it
ReplyDeleteBetween her blog and yours I am trying to summons up the courage to give up sugar
TR, I had all kinds of issues with the concept, prior to giving it an honest go. Then--the clarity, the peace--the urges to binge, gone--all of it made it very clear, this was "my substance."
DeleteIt isn't the be all-end all, we both know this trek is made up of many different elements--but this one component is a very powerful one and for me, it's made handling all of the other components much easier.
I wish you strength and courage! If your experience is anything like Holly's or mine, after about 10 days you'll know--and it'll be exciting and refreshing, not daunting and dreadful.
Thanks Sean
DeleteI will try and be strong and give it up ... I know it is what holds me back
May 1, I will be sugar free for a year, and I agree...it is one of the best decisions I have ever made. It opened the door to so many other possibilities. I was close to 400 at my top, and lost down and stayed at 230 for several years. Then I started to gain again and in July, 2014, I was up to 263. At the same time, I was diagnosed with MS and knew there were some things that I could not change, but there was something I COULD do, and I needed to do it. I had already given up sugar in May, and I believe I was finally able to begin a healthy eating plan in July because the cravings had already lessened. I am in Onederland now and want to lose about 30 more to get to my goal. If I had not given up sugar, I don't think this would have been doable for me because the cravings were so strong. So I get it, Sean. The benefits of not having to continually feed or try to resist the sugar addiction far outweigh any sugar-laden food out there. Thanks for your posts each day. They've helped me a lot this last year. Shirley from TN
ReplyDeleteDo you also avoid artificial sweeteners? Do you think they can be a trigger for overeating?
DeleteMegan- TX
Oh Shirley, I'm so happy for you!! This has been a big year for you, too!!! Congrats!! Isn't it an amazing feeling?
Delete"The benefits of not having to continually feed or try to resist the sugar addiction far outweigh any sugar-laden food out there." Oh my--yes, yes, yes!
You're so welcome, Shirley. I sincerely appreciate all of your support--not just in the last year, but over the last several. You're so awesome.
Megan, Artificial sweeteners have been known to trigger similar reactions to ingesting sugar. I believe the only A.S. I get these days, is in my sugar free hazelnut coffee creamer. It doesn't seem to affect me--and that's good, because I love my coffee made that way!
DeleteWhen I want a sweetener, I go for the organic stevia--it's natural, from the stevia leaf. Some Stevia products have been processed to the point of all kinds of chemical makeups-- finding a good organic, with pure stevia leaf extract, is good. I rarely do stevia these days. I can't remember the last time, actually.
In answer to your question--yes, artificial sweeteners can act as a trigger! If my friend Jon reads this comment thread, I hope he'll reply and share his experience. He's been able to pinpoint exactly how a.s. affect him--and it's pretty much identical to sugar, for him.
Megan, For me avoiding artificial sweeteners(AS) is more important than added sugar regarding over-consumption of food. I noticed I can tolerate up to 20 grams of added sugar without effecting my taste buds and natural cravings. However I do notice the tiniest amount of any artificial sweetener including stevia will effect my taste buds enough where I crave less water and vegetables. For over 30 years I attempted to loose weight by replacing added and natural sugars with artificial ones that added no calories. Having been artificial sugar free since Jan of 2013 and no added sugar since December of 2013 I noticed distinct health benefits not related to hunger issues no longer consuming the AS's while still consuming lots of added sugar. Having lost 50 pounds initially from cutting out the AS's due to less hunger issues. Then weight loss became very easy and ended all hunger issues and binge eating when I cut out the added sugar in Dec of 2013. It was then I realized, very clearly, the past 30 years of failed weight loss attempts. When cutting out all the added sugar while increasing the AS's via diet soda, crystal light, sugar free jello, sugar free yogurt, etc. All these AS's in a diet absence of real added sugar caused me to crave sugar even more, be constantly more hungry and caused unavoidable food eating binges. Artificial sweeteners caused water to taste bland, making it difficult to drinking any plain water without being flavored. Just as important, it cased all vegetables taste very bland, causing cravings for junk food instead of real food.
DeleteWhile avoiding AS was my constant road block to weight loss, the importance of no added sugar for me is equally important to me as it is for Sean. I believe AS just like added or natural sugars effect everyone differently. Being completely free of all sweetness makes everything else taste better and honestly have not enjoyed food any better than I have these past 16 months. Once realizing AS were the constant roadblock, why no added sugar did not work in the past. I knew with in weeks of Dec 2013 I was going to loose all 300 plus pounds and keep it off. Having lost 200 of that since then, that belief has been reinforced and AS are truly the difference of a normal weight and 300 pounds overweight in my case.
Jon, thank you for sharing this! You have a powerful experience to share!
DeleteMay 3 will mark my 4th year abstaining from sugar, Sean. My life is so different. 40 years of binge eating gone. Keep up the great work
ReplyDeleteThe abstaining message is an old one , more needs to be said about it in public, so Kudos!
Karen, congratulations!! Wow!! It is an old one--and one I resisted for so long. Oh, i thought I had all the great reasons why I needed to embrace moderation for all things... To discover this--this reality, has been one giant blessing.
DeleteThank you for the kudos!
Love being sugarfree!!! We're sweet enough without it! Yay!!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Nicole! Yay is right!
DeleteNot sugar free here.. but commend you for being so committed to what works for you!
ReplyDeleteI love Holly's blog! Her honesty is to be admired. Many people would hide the fact that they gain 100 lbs back.. She is to be commended, also!
congrats on your coming up year!
Rosie. :)
Rosie, thank you! Not everyone needs to or should go sugar free. For me, it became so clear, I just couldn't deny it any longer.
DeleteHolly is fantastic!
Thank you for the Congrats!
Dear Sean, You have been such a good influence on me, I eat fresh foods rather than processed but I still have more weight to lose. I have have been reading your blog for a year. Finally I am ready to really REACH my goal weight. I would need to lose 50 pounds to reach my healthy weight. I sure hope I can lose 15 pounds in the next month to get a good confidence start. Please put a little prayer in for me!! I need to lower my blood pressure and this weight loss may prevent me from needing a medication that I really dislike taking. STAY STRONG <3 Megan - TX
ReplyDeleteMegan, thank you for your wonderful support. I'm honored that my experiences and sharing them here has influenced you in a positive way.
DeleteYou have a wonderful motivation and purpose. Embrace the elements you need to move forward and start looking forward to where you're headed!
I will stay strong! You too, Megan!
I so get it, when I don't eat sugar I'm totally fine. But for instance today had a piece of birthday cake at work and the rest of the day has been dreaming of eating more sugar. A constant battle in my brain.
ReplyDeleteRobin, the effect is profound. It's strange, before--I never really put those pieces together. I had lost 275 pounds while occasionally eating sugar and never once did I stop long enough to put two and two together...The struggle was there--the white knuckling it...Lucky for me, back then--I leaned heavily on my accountability measures, namely this blog, to keep me from going off the deep end too badly, or too often.
DeleteIt took my relapse and regain period to really show me how it worked. It was clear and devastating... Going sugar free--after a very short time, confirmed everything I needed to know about whether stopping it could help me start turning things around...it has made a monumental positive impact on everything.
I love these sugar free post's Sean. As you know I also see sugar as poison. Having been in absence of sweetness 4 months longer I can confirm & verify everything you mention is very similar regarding my own transformation. The good news is I can tell you at 16 months, the resistance to sugar is even stronger that at 12 months. I absolutely enjoy the smell and aroma of deserts, don't mind at all people eating them right in front of me. Not having the tiniest bit of craving, being able to easily avoid any temptation whatsoever, in my mind very gross tasting if I ever consumed it again. Avoiding sugar is no sacrifice or deprivation & is essential the cornerstone to the no sugar transformation.
ReplyDeleteAlso good luck on weigh in day! I am down another 4.2 pounds this 3 weeks. Less than a pound away from the 200 pound loss mark.
Congrats, Jon! Excellent weigh in! "The No Sugar Transformation." I think you just named your first book. :)
Delete