My No Sugar Challenge

That's right, I said no sugar.  Am I crazy?  probably, but for reasons other than my no sugar challenge.

Let me clarify what I mean by no sugar.

I'm cutting out all processed, artificial, and added sugars.  Yes, added sugars... which are in just about EVERYTHING.

I'm not expecting to be 100% perfect at cutting out added sugars right away, seeing as I'm starting this challenge 2 days after I move into our house; but over time, I'd like to be better about cooking almost everything we eat.

We will be using 100% pure maple syrup, honey, agave, and stevia to sweeten things.

Why am I going so extreme you ask? 

Well, for starters, I want to see if I can.  I'm a total sugar addict.  I have been my whole life.  I've really really struggled to have a healthy body image and a healthy relationship with food for as long as I can remember.  I finally feel like I'm getting to the point where I have a healthy body image, I truly love my body, and I really want to take care of my body.  Bodies are pretty awesome and when you give them the right stuff, they can do almost anything. 

 Second, I've tried this whole "moderation" thing...  Let's just be honest, I suck at it.  I make excuses to eat what I want.  I'll eat just a little bit of this, then a few hours later I'll eat just a little bit of that, next thing I know, I've consumed far more junk than can be considered a "healthy" amount, and it's only fueled my desire for more.  I'm not cutting sugar out forever, I'm going to go a month without processed and added sugars, then we'll re-evaluate.  Maybe someday I'll get to the point where I truly can eat just a little bit of sugar and feel satisfied.

Third, I feel like crap.  Before my back surgery I had gotten down some really good eating habits.  Since then, I feel like it's been one thing after another.  My food depended on what other people served to me for a while, then Maggee died and I didn't care what I ate, then we went on vacation, then bought a house, etc.,  I found reasons to push nutrition to the side and focus on other things... and boy have I been feeling it lately.

Fourth, I want to establish good, healthy habits for my future family.  One day I'll be responsible for little people.  I'll be responsible for how they learn to treat their bodies.  I want them to love themselves.  I don't want them to struggle with learning to be healthy.  In order to do that, I need to establish good, healthy habits of my own.  After all, kids learn by example.

Fifth, I don't want to be chubby anymore.  I want to make sure I don't end up with back problems for the rest of my life.  I don't want to end up with heart problems or diabetes.  I want to fit into my smaller clothes and I want to not worry about the angle at which my picture is being taken.

I'm a little nervous going into this challenge that I'm not going to be able to go without any sugar.  I was telling Steve that I'm nervous I'm going to fail.  That got me thinking.  Can I really consider it a "fail" if I almost completely cut out sugars, but one day I'm weak and I have a cookie?  No!  After all, my goal is to establish healthy habits.  I'm human.  Perfection is not realistic.  I'm going to have days where being healthy is harder than others, but I'm going to do my absolute best.  I just want to break my bad habits.  I want to truly become a healthier person.  I'm done relying on caffeine and sugar to get me through my days.

I'm going to succeed this time because I truly want to.  I really don't want to eat junk anymore.  I may cave here and there, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm not going to fail.  I'm going to establish healthy habits and prepare myself to raise a happy and healthy family.

If anyone wants to do this with me, please do!  The more the merrier! 

For a good resource on how to cut out sugar, click here.  

You should also read "A Year of No Sugar."  I'm not going as extreme as the family in that book did, but I found it very informational.

For wholesome and easy recipes, follow @eating_whole and @marcicooks on Instagram; you won't be sorry.

If you yourself have helpful tips or yummy recipes, help a sister out and leave them in the comments below!

P.S.  I'll be starting this challenge on May 5th, but really, you can join in anytime.

Frustrated

*Foreword: this is an emotional, frustrated ranting post. I try to keep my posts positive, but I'm not making promises for this one. You've been warned*

Can I just be real for a minute?

My body frustrates me, a lot.  I often feel discouraged.

For the last year or so, I've been so focused on trying to eat healthy, and since my back surgery, I've been focused on trying to eat healthy and get adequate amounts of exercise.  My weeknights have revolved around preparing creative healthy meals and working out.  It's practically consumed almost all my free time and energy.  Dare I say it?  It's more exhausting than school was with an injured back.

I track all my food, yes, I still have an occasional treat because let's be real, no one can go completely without treats.  I've tried really hard to make the treats healthier.  I've worked with a lady at work (she's our Health Promotions coordinator) she's been weighing me weekly and taking measurements.  She's so kind and patient with me.  I've been working with her for 2 months now...  and I've lost a total of about 2 pounds.  Is it this hard for other people?  I don't feel like it should be this hard.  Am I missing something?

I know I could be more diligent, there's ALWAYS room for improvement, but seriously, I've been doing pilates, yoga, swimming, spinning, and walking.  My feet hurt nearly every day from spending so much time in the kitchen making healthy meals.

My body seems to love fat, it just doesn't want to let it go, it never has  Granted, I've had really unhealthy habits in the past that have most definitely messed with my metabolism.  But should it be this impossible to get your metabolism to work properly?

Sigh,  I'm just tired, and I've gained 2 pounds in the last week.  It's hard to stay excited and motivated when you don't see the results you want.  I just need to revisit the drawing board, change up my game plan.

Don't worry, I'll never throw my goals out the window and stop working towards them, I still want to take care of my body. I know I'll get there with consistent hard work.

 I'm just tired, and frustrated, and discouraged, and I needed to ramble and vent.

So thanks for listening to my big fat complaining post.

Now to end with a little bit of positive, my flexibility is coming back to me.  And that makes me happy.