Weighing In On Sugar

I've gotten so many responses to my post on sugar...here, by e-mail, on Facebook, and on Twitter. I'm glad to know that I am not alone in my addiction, but also sorry that we are all going through this. At least now we can support each other through it.

I did weigh myself this morning, and I am up one pound. As much as I hated seeing the number go up on the scale, I was relieved that it wasn't more than a pound. I'm sure that exercise helped my cause. That's one thing I can't stress enough: even if you slip up with the food, make sure you still do your workouts. Don't let one bad decision lead to another, because that can lead to a downward spiral that will make you want to give up. Get back to the positive and get back on track as soon as possible.

Hearing your stories about dealing with the sugar monster reminded me of something else I used to do. When I was in my twenties and at my first full time job, I used to cross the street to the convenience store and buy all sorts of sweets. It was common for me to purchase various snack cakes, candy, donuts, and other sweets daily for lunch. I'm sure the girls who worked there saw the irony in my buying a couple of fitness magazines along with the goodies. I would get back to the office and eat everything I just bought while reading about how to get in shape.

Thankfully, I realized at one point that my clothes were getting tighter and I was having major energy crashes daily after experiencing the sugar high. I started bringing in healthy food to heat up in the microwave or stopped for salads or Subway if I didn't bring something from home. I allowed myself to go across the street twice a week for ONE sweet...not a bagful. The extra pounds came off and I felt better.

Several times along my life's journey I've gotten back into that sugar habit. I'm more determined than ever to kick those bad habits to the curb, and hopefully down the sewer where they belong. It's just like being addicted to anything else in life...you have to stay vigilant every single day to avoid relapse, and if you fall off the healthy eating wagon you just have to get back on and ask God for the strength to overcome your problem. Remind yourself how awful your body feels after eating the wrong foods in order to stop yourself from giving in to them.

Also think about how good you feel after you eat nutritious foods and get regular exercise. Drinking several glasses of water every day helps as well. Success is all about picking yourself up whenever you fall and moving forward. We all fail at times, what matters is how we deal with that failure and learn from it!