Yes, it's true, I have not lost any more weight since I quit eating sugar. And I can just hear some, if not all, of your thoughts right now: So why stop? In fact my husband and I had that same conversation while we were on holidays in January. At the time I wasn't sure why I didn't want to just "treat" myself but I didn't. Then I remembered why.
I am a sugar addict. And I don't need a scientific study to tell me sugar is addictive or not addictive. I know the definition of addiction: "a strong and harmful need to regularly have something" and I lived it for about 30 years.
So. let's see.
1 Tolerance - I don't remember, who remembers their first taste of sugar? First birthday? All I do know is my Mom is a sugar addict and she still to this day puts sugar on her cucumbers and tomatoes.
2. Obsession - Confession time. I grew up in a general store, the old fashioned ones with the house and store as one. I recall at 12-13 years old sneaking down stairs in the middle of the night and going into the store to get a 12 pack of butter tarts. Since that was too hard on my conscience I took up baking. My Mom was thrilled. To this day I cannot bake without getting very anxious.
3. Increase intake - Once I started baking there was no limit. My parents only allowed my brother and I to have one .25 treat a week from the store but we were allowed to eat as much "food" as we wanted. This is also when my eating disorder of binging and starving started. It would last for about 12 years until I got pregnant and I went into Mother-mode.
4. Loss of control - Even though I was out of control while living at home it was when I went away to school at 18 that I really sunk into the addiction. I had my own apartment and would often hole up for an entire weekend eating only candy and cans of Betty Crocker icing. I would eat until I was literally throwing up. And let's not forget all the times I would throw something out and then dig it back out of the garbage. Fortunately it was only our of my own garbage.
5. Abuse despite harm - I knew I had a problem, At 16 I told my Mom and doctor and showed them an article about eating disorders. The doctor told me it was nothing and my Mom was relieved. Still at 20 years old I had read enough to know I was harming my body but was powerless to stop.
7. Withdrawal symptoms - If any of you has ever tried to stop sugar you know how hard it is. One time I could not get off of the couch for 3 days as the headaches, shakes, nausea, aches and pains were so bad. But to be fair, that was after coming off of a 3 or 4 month stint of a steady diet of mostly candy.
I don't know if you can relate to any part of my experience but here is what I know for sure. This past year I have conducted my own experiment: I feel great and in control when I don't eat sugar and like crap and out of control when I do. Pretty simple.
So, where am with my addiction today? I continue to say I'm an addict because I still have mini relapses that remind me. I try to cut out all sugar but admit to occasionally having a bite or two of my husbands ice cream cone. Since 76% of packaged food has added sugar it's really hard to avoid it altogether but I try.
I would be remiss if I didn't post the known harmful effects of sugar on our bodies. These are in addition to, of course, the mental roller coaster ride caused by daily sugar consumption while trying to lose weight. You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?
Now if all of the above don't make you take a pause and re-think sugar, let's go back to the role sugar plays in your life. Do experience any or all of the signs of addiction? Are you saying yes but still believe you can "handle it"? Are you able to abstain from sugar for a day or two, maybe a week but then hit it hard like it's the last time you'll ever have it because it's leaving the planet? Are you sick and tired of your weight loss being hijacked by little white crystals? Maybe it's time to make a change. I promise you life without sugar is still worth living!
Oh, and the reason I did not lose more weight
when I cut out the sugar....they're called chips.
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