On Monday, it will 50 days since I have not had processed sugar. I have lost 22 lbs and feel better. It is easier, but not totally easy. Just when I think I have this down, I get antsy. I do too much fruit. I worry that I will go back to sugar and have to start all over again!
I have to work on my fruit intake. I wrote to my two sugar free experts, David Vanadia http://www.vanadia.com/stopbeingsweet/about/ and Karly Randolph Pitman http://www.firstourselves.com/ about my current fruit situation. They both said to chill. I am not going hog wild on processed sugars. I am simply trying to find my new balance. They said that I am in a new stage of managing my carbs. David suggested that I start baking natural sugar free food. I found a great website for that uses agave nectar in place of sugar.
Agave Nectar: A natural liquid sweetener extracted (without chemicals) from the Agave plant. Comprised largely of fructose, agave nectar does not spike your blood sugar levels and is absorbed gradually by your system. Its delicious taste and reduced calories/carbohydrates make it an ideal sweetener for individuals concerned with limiting sugar intake.
I made some oatmeal cookies with agave and my daughter loved them. I did not like them at all. Once you have great oatmeal cookies, you can't go back!I will keep at it! Agave is excellent, though. I can put a touch in my iced tea and that help me through a sweet need moment. I will experiment with different recipes until I get many that will help me not feel deprived.
As far as my September goals, I have not exercised yet, I have not cut back on fruit yet, not in bed by 11:15, but I am still on course. I will think about putting exercise in soon. I am still really tired from not enough sleep and the start of a new school year. I know, if I exercise, I won't be as tired. I will get there. Who are your resources that help you though this journey?
5 comments:
I have tried baking sugar free and just haven't been too happy with the outcome. Now I bake less than before and watch the fat in my baking. I used some or all applesauce in place of oil. I try to use some whole wheat in place of white. Strict low carbing is really tough. I did it for the first month or so and though I did lose faster, I am enjoying more variation in my diet and still losing. I think you should choose a plan that you can live with for the rest of your life.
Thanks for stopping by my blog ;)
Agave is really good! I just have to watch or i'd be pouring it over everything including eggs ;)
Hi Joy, I didn't get to comment on your sugar/fruit entry but I sure thought about it all weekend. As you know, I never went completely sugar-free. But as time goes on, I have eliminated more and more of it from my diet. But fruit?? Don't take my fruit away from me!! I noticed that the 'fruit' you were talking about in your article is 'processed' fruit. Do you eat just plain old really good fruit? There just can't be anything bad about something whole and natural and low-calorie to boot! And substituting fruit for sugar? So what? YOu substituted something healthy for junk food.
You said "I worry that I will go back to sugar and have to start all over again! ." I know that feeling you are having. But it is a feeling. Really, you just start out the next meal, or the next morning or whatever. There will be a time when you 'fall off the wagon.' But as time goes on, it gets easier to just let it go and go on with your new way of eating. Remember, this is for life. And even though we treat our eating problems as addictions (and BELIEVE ME, I do see the similarities) it is not the same as being addicted to drugs or alcohol or cigarettes. The physical pull is not quite as strong.
You are doing great. Don't get down on yourself about the exercise or sleep. These are all BIG changes you are working on. I am just still so impressed with the eating changes you have made.
You are doing great Joy keep it up. I fall all the time but I pick myself back up and keep going. We are all here for you.
Mara
http://24stepstogo.blogspot.com/
Hi Joy! First of all, glad to see your posts, and congrats on the weight loss! :-)
Like Debby, I read but didn't comment on the sugar/fruit entry and I, too, thought about it all weekend.
While I did go sugar-free for awhile to break myself of the habit (pretty much all refined foods-free for a month), I can't claim to have a completely clean diet, but I am careful to monitor what I eat carb-wise and check my blood glucose if I'm concerned that something will spike it, so that I can learn what does/doesn't have that effect.
I have learned that people with diabetes have varying reactions to different starches; for example, some can have sugar but potatoes make their blood glucose go through the roof. Regarding agave syrup, (which does rank relatively low on the glycemic index), some rave, others claim that it raises their blood glucose.
Like the sugar-busting folks, I wouldn't worry about the fruit as much, but I have found that some fruits are worse for my blood sugar levels than others. Many people with blood sugar issues are advised to favor fruits that have a lower glycemic index value. These tend to be berries and fruits that grow in cool climates (apples, for example) vs. tropical fruits (pineapple, for example).
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