This post is a little late to be a New
Year's Resolution, but I suppose that that is pretty much what it is. Both
Teresa and I have decided to wave goodbye to sugar. Goodbye to chocolate,
goodbye to sweets and goodbye to pretty much everything that we know and love.
Ha, I do like to be dramatic...
Anyway, we will chronicle our sugar
diaries regularly, so expect to see updates on all the highs, lows
and...well...I suppose the cheating days. Let's face it, we are bound to have
them. Our resolve isn't the greatest.
From being terrified of developing Diabetes,
to simply wanting to kick the habit (and achieve fresh, glowing skin!) here's
why we're so keen to quit our sugar rush...
Sam:
I am a sugar addict. Always have been,
always will be.
I remember walking home from school when
I was younger, a shiny 20p piece tucked neatly into my pocket. As I edged ever
closer to the sweet shop, my excitement would grow and grow and grow…
Then, with it finally in sight, I would
tear down the street as fast as my legs could take me. I would push the door
open, bell jangling, and drop my school books and bags to the floor.
My heart would swell with excitement as
I gazed in wonder at the jars of brightly coloured sweets. I would wander up
and down the aisles, wondering how best to spent my 20p. Would it be rhubarb
and custards? Or perhaps some cola cubes? Fizzy laces?
And so my sugar addiction began…
Now, though, it is time to say goodbye
to the sugar rush. Farewell chocolate, au revoir Haribo. I have finally
realized how bad you are for me…
After reading up on my healthy eating,
I’ve realized that not only can sugar cause you to gain weight and develop Diabetes (even
thought most sugary things are seemingly fat-free!), but it can also suppress
your immune system and impair your defenses against illness.
Worse still, sugar is prematurely
ageing…ARGH! And, really, who wants to voluntarily age their skin?
The problem is, sugar is in most things. I have even had to ditch my old beloved, Special K (it overdoses you with the
stuff), while most of the low-fat cereal bars and yoghurts are also laden with
sugar.
So, here I am, determined to finally
kick the habit and kick my sugar habit into oblivion, once and for
all (apart from on Saturdays, when I might allow myself the smallest of
binges…)
Teresa:
You know when you hear somebody say they
are addicted to chocolate, do you ever question how bad their addiction is?
Is it that they cannot get through one day without devouring a Twix or do
they actually have an addiction which is out of control?
There is a big difference - and I know
because I have got the t-shirt, the hat and the frickin' keyring!! I am a
chocolate addict.
Before Christmas, my addiction had
spiralled way out of control. I could not get through an evening without
a chocolate fix. My chocolate fix consisted of: two large slabs of
Galaxy for starters, followed by eating a large bag of Twirl bites, mint Aero
to refresh my palette and maybe some big, chunky chocolate and hazelnut cookies
to dip in a mug of tea to swill the whole lot down with. Shameful.
All my life I have been a chocoholic,
but there are episodes where I binge on the stuff like a woman possessed.
Gorging like Homer Simpson with a non-stop supply of doughnuts and Duff
beer. Revolting isn't it? I have spent many days where I do not eat anything
BUT chocolate. I think my binges are propelled by stress. Chocolate
is my comfort and when I am stressed, I need a fix - NOW!
Knowing
I have had my foot pressed hard on the accelerator to the world of Diabetes
type II, I knew things had to change, dramatically. For the last fifteen
years at least, I have abused my blood sugars and basically treated them
like a yoyo. If I carried on with my sugar highs and lows, not only was
my waistline going to increase but the yoyo string was going to snap and then I
would be a diagnosed Diabetic, the same as my Dad. Things had to change.
It was my New Year's resolution; 2012 was the year I was going to give up sugar. It has been bloody difficult and for the first few days I was incredibly irritable, lethargic and had THE mother of all headaches. I stuck with it though. After one week I lost 6lbs and felt a lot better. My insomnia has improved, I no longer feel tired or lazy and the IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) I have suffered from for over seven years has literally disappeared. For the first time ever I feel healthy. I know it is early days as we are only three weeks into January but my new wellbeing feels fantastic and I do not want it to end.
I will admit though I will not deny myself one of Samantha's gorgeous Oreo Brownies, recipe is here, as they are truly heavenly.
