Not so sweet

Hi, my name is Willow and I'm a sugarholic.

I know, I know...it could be worse.  I could be addicted to crack.  Or, I could still be addicted to cigarettes.  But, the fact of the matter is that I eat a LOT of sugar...without even realizing it.  I don't drink soda and I don't even use any sweetner in my coffee (milk only for me).  So, I'm not consuming a lot of sugar those ways.  My issue is the need to randomly consume candy throughout the day.  Where I work, many of the offices have candy dishes, and I can't seem to visit one without helping myself to a little sweet snack.  When I finish eating lunch, I make a point to eat a little something sweet.  In the evening, I find myself consuming handfuls of chocolate chips. 

I used to think that my sugar consumption was pretty low, but when I stopped to think about it the other day, I realized that I'm actually eating a lot of sugar throughout the day.  Since I'm eating small servings of candy throughout the day, I don't think of it as really eating candy (does that even make sense?  Oh, the things we tell ourselves to justify our behaviors).  It's not like sitting down to a big piece of chocolate cake or eating a bunch of cookies (things I rarely do), but it's just as bad.  I'm putting a lot of refined sugar into my system, which I don't need.

So, in an attempt to get myself back on track, I'm going to cut refined sugar out of my life for the time being.  I really can't exercise moderation with it (the same problem I had with cigarettes).  I need to stay away from it for a while.  What does this mean?  It means no more handfuls of chocolate chips.  It means no more minature candy bars at work.  It means no more sneaking starburst from Amelia's candy stash.  It means satisfying my cravings with fresh fruit, natural sweetners (in limited amounts), unsweetened dried fruit, and homemade natural sweet treats like knock-off larabars.

Even though I'll miss my sweet friend, I know it's for the best.  Will I eat sugar again someday?  Absolutely!  After all, I believe strongly in the 80/20 rule when it comes to food choices.  However, I won't do so until I feel like I have a handle on my addiction.  This weekend I'm going to stock my cabinets and fridge with the foods listed above and starting Monday, I'll be (refined) sugar-free!