TRUTH OR MYTH...YOU BE THE JUDGE

 

Sometimes I think trying to make the right choices concerning my health is going to end up killing me. You would think trying to remove sugar from my diet would be an easy thing, but I'm finding it more challenging than I first thought.
 
Oh, I can take care of the obvious. I don't have candy or sugary drinks in the house. You won't find jams or jellies or powdered donuts in my pantry. Those are the easy things to turn my back on. I've always been more of a salty eater than a sweet one so removing them from my diet was easy peasy.

It's those hidden sugars I'm having trouble with. So I turned to the Internet for answers. And ended up more confused than ever.

I stumbled across an article talking about ten sugar myths. The more I read, the more I thought the article was full of baloney. Either I'm misunderstanding the entire angle Mr. Lyons is trying to convey in his rant about sugar not being all that bad for our health or he really is just writing hogwash in an attempt to gain a bit of publicity for himself. 

Either way, I've fed into it by even posting the link to his article here, but I'm really curious to see what people think about his thoughts on sugar and diet. You be the judge.

Am I wrong?? My search for answers continues...

ONE BREATH AT A TIME...

Stepping off on a new adventure to a healthier me requires the world to not attempt to come crashing down around my ears. I've always been a multitasker and have no problem working on a number of different things at once. But add negative stress from someone I love becoming ill and my best laid plans will quickly go to hell in a hand basket.

This past weekend were two of the worst days I've had in a long time. That's my sweetie and my constant companion of fourteen years in the picture above. He has seen me at my best as well as my worst. He has been my guardian, my companion, and the gatekeeper of my greatest secrets for many years. But now I worry  for him.

About six months ago he developed a small cyst just behind his left ear. Over the months it continued to grow until I was really concerned. Sunday I was sitting in my chair when he came up to be petted. I reached down to pat his head and drew back a hand covered in blood. The cyst had burst and now my sweetie was drenched in blood.

I fought panic as I tried to clean him up. This is my baby. I raised him from a 5 month old kitten and I didn't know if he was going to be alright. After cleaning him up as best I could without trying to bathe him, I walked into my study to discover a large path of blood smeared across two walls and one rocking chair like someone had been bludgeoned to death in that room.

I felt sick to my stomach and spent the next two days wondering if my furry companion was going to leave me. I'm a stress eater so I also worried if I was going to allowed this type of worry affect what I put in my mouth.

Fortunately, things seem to have turned out okay with my companion. Every day he seems to return more and more to his former sassy self. And as he settles back into his normal routine, I can feel my own stress levels lowering to the point I too almost feel normal again.

I count myself lucky this time. I didn't turn to food when I worried the most. Maybe this new mindset will actually work. All I need to do is remember to take life one breath at a time...

DERAILING MY SUGAR FIX...

So, in my last post I said I think I might have a way to derail my sugar fix. I have other medical issues to consider and they all impact my eating habits. Remember those little steps I said I needed to take?

Little step number one:

Identify the problem. The problem is that I probably have consumed enough sugar over the years to sludge up my bloodstream to just short of concrete. THAT'S a terrifying thought. But I believe it's never too late to turn around and head in a healthier direction.

Little step number two:

Start searching for information that will help me reach that goal of breaking that sugar cycle. The first article I stumbled across is one from Dr. Mark Hyman's blog.

I started reading and thought to myself...this guy makes sense to me. He might just be talking smack, but it's smack I like. Here is a link to the article I read:

http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/03/06/top-10-big-ideas-detox-sugar/

He also wrote a book called the 10 Day Detox Diet.

I can buy this book and fully commit to taking charge of my life. But I'm scared. When it comes to losing weight I've dealt with so many medical issues which complicate the weight loss that I'm also afraid to even hope this will help me.

Little step number three:

Decide on a course of action.

Oh, should I take this little step? Will it be what I'm looking for??

What would YOU do?



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316230022/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A21UNXQ0T4N38

I NEVER REALIZED I WAS ADDICTED...

Did you know that sugar is FOUR TIMES more addictive to our brains than COCAINE?

I read that statistic in a doctor's report the other day and I think that's just insane!

When I was younger I never thought to myself, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a drug addict." But now I am an adult and I am pumping into my body a "drug" more dangerous for me than an illegal substance killing thousands of people every year. And I do it with a smile on my face.

Did you also know when the food companies try to reduce the fat content in their food to make it more appealing to the public perception, they will add SUGAR as their main substitute for fat? And that once the sugar enters your bloodstream it causes your whole system to become inflamed to a point that, over time, it will cause your body to destroy itself?

All from a little bit of sweetener added to my daily cup of tea.

I promised myself I would take baby steps this time. I promised myself I would be honest with myself and so I must look myself in the mirror and announce to the world what my heart knew all along...

I'M ADDICTED TO SUGAR!

There. I feel better now. Now I just need to figure out a way to break my habit and I think I might have found a way...

THE FITNESS FIGHT

 

Last night I hit my first hurdle on my road to a healthier me. I know my downfall is chocolate so when a friend of mine gave me two packets of snack size Hershey milk chocolate bars I should have politely declined. Of course I didn't. 

When I got them back to my house I should have maybe put them in the freezer to portion them out later or hidden them in the far corner of the pantry...the ol' out of sight, out of mind trick. But I didn't.

I waited until after I made myself a healthy stir-fry vegetable dinner and then had chocolate for dessert. Too much of it in fact. I realized after the third little snack bar that it was WAY TOO SOON to think I had any level of control over my sugar addiction yet so I did the only thing I COULD do. I threw the rest of them away.

I grew up with the knowledge of two things concerning food...one, there was never enough of the tasty stuff around but plenty of "food" to eat I wouldn't have fed my dog, and two, my mother would have literally beat me with a belt if I didn't consume everything she put in front of me at mealtime. For me to throw away even harmful junk food was a herculean task and one I could be proud of.

I came across a wonderful website to help me with my challenge to become a healthier me and the best thing about it? It's FREE!! You can visit their website by going to www.myfitnesspal.com. It has a website, an iPhone app and even a YouTube tutorial. Check it out...

THE FIRST FIVE

 

I found this flag somewhere on the internet. It actually belongs to the people of the Gambier Islands but I think I will borrow it for now. I know nothing about the Gambier people but if this island is like most places, there was struggle in the beginning to grow the culture which lives there now. Two steps forward, one step back sort of pace as the roots of one civilization dug in and began to grow.

I like the look of this flag...five little stars to represent the start of something bigger. Just like the first five pounds I've now lost since beginning this journey to a healthier me. No, it's not been easy. For me, food is tied to my emotions and it's been a roller coaster week where that is concerned. My boss came down with the flu and I ended up running the entire school by myself for the week. It's not that I thought myself incapable of handling it. I felt bad my best friend was so ill and I'm really happy now he's on the mend. It's just I am responsible for soooo many things in my life (even if it's of my own choosing) and being fully responsible for the school, even for only a week, put more emotional stress on me than I would have liked. 

The old ME would have come home every night and dove into chocolate...or maybe chips. I typically use food to put a damper on my stress induced emotions but, at least for this past week, I didn't. I had already cleaned out my cupboards so when I got home, the only indulgent food in the pantry was the peanut butter and sugar free strawberry jam I eat for breakfast. Not exactly the stuff of binging fantasies so I drank a mug of hot green tea with Splenda instead and watched some TV til the urge to eat ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING passed.

It's a baby step for me...this purging my system of the craving for sugar. I watched a documentary recently on sugar addition in America and it said our brains react in the same way to the "high" from sugar as it does from the "high" of cocaine or heroin. That's kinda scary when I KNOW those drugs will kill you so just what is SUGAR doing to me???

So wave on little five-star flag. Wave on for the first five pounds I've said goodbye to on the road to a healthier me and may many, many more stars be added to my little flag in the days to come!

ARE YOU A "HUNGRY GIRL" GIRL?

No, I don't mean this kind of hungry...where you grab a plate and see how much it can hold before spillover. For being overweight, I'm really not a person who spends every waking moment thinking about food. Just ask my sister...when we are running around on Saturday doing our errands, I can literally go all day long without even thinking about eating. So that's not my problem.

I have my list of favorites like anyone else. Here are the four "C" foods I will indulge in even if I'm not particularly hungry

1. Chicken

2. Chinese

3. Cheese

4. Chocolate

CHICKEN

Chicken I eat every day...sometimes three times a day. It's surprising I haven't started clucking a long time ago. I use to also eat a lot of carrots (another "C" food) until my skin literally started to turn orange and my doctor told me to step away from the carrots!

CHINESE

Chinese is VERY tempting to me so for right now I have to just avoid it like the plague. Remember the whole control thing I talked about in my last post? Yeah, this is where I have none if you drop me down in the middle of a Chinese restaurant so I just don't go there right now...maybe I'll be back one day.

CHEESE

I like every type of cheese from fat free cream cheese to those little triangles of Laughing Cow spreadable cheese to Monterey Jack and Sharp Cheddar hard blocks of cheese. From grilled cheese sandwiches to shredded on my salad to pieces dunked into spinach dip, I love cheese!

CHOCOLATE

Chocolate is dangerous for me. It's not like I'm allergic to it. My son was, however, until he was a teenager so guess who was left to eat the chocolate holiday candy that came his way? The reason why chocolate is bad for me is because it is my number one "go to" food when I'm upset or stressed. I'm an emotional eater and I allow myself to indulge in chocolate whenever I have challenges in my life that make me uncomfortable. My goal in 2015 is to slowly find other ways to replace the chocolate in my life...

One of the websites I've come across to help me claw my way back to a healthier me is Lisa Lillian's HUNGRY GIRL website. You can find it at www.hungry-girl.com. This fabulous website has it all. You can sign up for a free daily email with healthy tips and tricks. There is a Facebook page, a Twitter page, a recipe archive, The Hungry Girl Diet book as well as other Hungry Girl books, a Pinterest account, and even the Hungry Girl TV show!

This is one of your one stop shop websites and if I can't find things to help me on my journey, I seriously need to consider getting my eyesight checked!

Maybe you're already a Hungry Girl or maybe you are still struggling like me to figure out how to regain control of your life. It's okay...we're in this together and 2015 is gonna be a great year for us Hungry Girls...;~)

Hopefully you'll be seeing a lot less of ME real soon!

Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!



THE DIE IS CAST...

It seems EVERYONE is trying to lose weight these days. You go through the holidays where everyone in the house seems to have amnesia when it comes to healthy eating. Then January 1st rolls around and everyone jumps on the bandwagon to lose some extra pounds while trying to eat healthier.

I've decided to journal my journey back to a healthier place. But this blog isn't going to be all about pounds and inches lost, although I would love to be able to announce my shrinking shadow from time to time. No, this blog will be more about the emotional and psychological side to my journey. I KNOW I'm not the only one in the room that is feeling their stretchy pants aren't as stretchy as they used to be so hopefully there will be readers out there who will stop by to say hello and see they aren't alone in their goals.

Let's start out by getting the embarrassing part of out the way. This is a little secret I keep only to myself...and now potentially with millions of other people around the blogosphere.

319.

Yep, that's the number I saw when I gingerly stepped on the scale this morning. My GOD, how it hurts to have to admit that, but this is my journey and if I can't be honest with my myself, then what's the point?

I could say I have 17 different medical issue which is affecting those numbers and it would be the truth. I could also say I've been fighting multiple eating disorders since I was 17 and THAT would be the truth as well. But neither one of those statements is the REAL reason I am overweight. As my best friend always tells me, THOSE are just EXCUSES and the walls I hide behind instead of facing the truth.

The TRUTH as to why that number on the scales is so high is because somewhere along my life I lost control. I lost control of my food portions. I lost control of my will power to say no to food temptations. I lost control of being able to look in the mirror and actually liking what I see.

And the really sad part to the TRUTH is that I exercise control in almost every other aspect of my life. My day job consists of being a 4th Degree Black Belt Certified Taekwondo Instructor 10-12 hours each day. Then I go home and work on my other career which is a Children's Book Author where I'm on my computer until around midnight or one a.m. And if you don't think juggling two careers takes a lot of self-control, try it some time!

So this is why I chose 2015 to be the year of clawing my way back to a healthy life. Even if I only take baby steps...by this time next year I will have made so many small changes in my life that it will all add up to one incredibly healthier ME and who can argue with that?

Want to take the journey with me? Starting in February, my regular posting days will be Tuesdays and Thursdays here...maybe more often if I'm not working on my author blog at www.donnalmartin.com. I plan to write about what's in my head on this journey on Tuesdays and maybe post helpful hints, recipes, motivational quotes, etc on Thursdays.

Hope I didn't bore you with this first post and hopefully you'll be seeing a lot less of ME real soon!

Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!