So, it only took that goofy blonde woman in Mary Poppins (yeah, the one named Mary Poppins) singing about “a spoon full of sugar” to reinforce my need for sugar. I don’t know how little I was when I heard that song, but I do remember that whenever I thought of it I ‘d run over to the jellybean dish and grab a handful. And, oh my – it sure did make me feel good.
Zillions of years later the love affair continues, but I’ve learned a lot since my childhood. Mainly that sugar wreaks havoc on your body and mind, especially if you are a premenopausal or fully blown menopausal woman. When I’m on one of my sugar benders, I’m bloated, bitchy and certainly craving more, I’ve mentioned before that I love pop and that’s usually where it starts and then I head over the edge with pounds of chocolate, unbaked cookie dough and if desperate – licking up a handful of sugar. Yes, a handful. “A spoonful of sugar” was for babies, lightweights, wimps!
But, about a year ago I discovered that avoiding sugar wasn’t a matter of willpower. And, it seriously miffed me off. All of these years there was a simple way to control the sugar consumption that required a little effort (although a little pain). The solution? STOP EATING IT! For real.
So, how does it work.? Well, if you choose food with little to no sugar for a few days – the need to have sugar will magically go away. The cool part is that you can basically eat loads of the non-sugar foods. For 40 some years of my life, I just thought I was destined to gobble sugar. That I couldn’t control it. Wrong. I also found this works for all “white starchy” foods – potatoes, bread, cake, rice.
This discovery came to me by accident. It was a “side affect” of that plant-based diet I was describing in my last diary post. I was still getting some sugar naturally through fruits, but fruit wasn’t causing me to want to then go out and drink a Big Gulp Pepsi.
So, why am I telling you about this? Because I consider myself to a fairly intelligent human being and it took me four decades to figure out that my sugar issues was not a matter of will power. Remember that I’m no doctor. This is just my experience and success story. And, it’s been a great discovery for me since most studies show that sugar and hormones don’t mix.
Check out Heidi’s thoughts about sugar.
I am proud that I have not “licked up” a handful of sugar for over a year. Now, I also can’t say that I’ve been perfect. Sometimes a swig of soda or a little Dove chocolate just sounds wonderful. But, I’ve learned that if you keep your sugar intake in check – those little “cheats” don’t matter.
Send me a comment if you’ve even tried eliminating sugar and have noticed changes in your mood, weight or general feeling of wellbeing.
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