Visons of sugar plums danced in my head

I had a great week. It was Christmas and I enjoyed so many fun festivities. However, two nights in a row I dreamed that I had eaten some candy. I just popped them in my mouth, chewed and swallowed. Then seconds later I realized what I had done and my whole year and blog was in ruins. Did I forget I wasn't eating sugar any more? How could this happen? Then I woke up. I was so happy that I had not messed up my 1 year of anti-sugatarianism. The next night was the exact same dream. I wondered why I kept having this dream. Maybe with all of the extra Christmas sweets lying around, my subconscious mind was working overtime. On Christmas Eve, I kept catching myself having little thoughts of popping sugar-filled things into my mouth. My hand never reached out to grab one because I caught my thought process in time, but I was amazed at how automatic it is just to put things into your mouth. I really had to remind myself and it wasn't necessarily that I was tempted because I really wasn't. It was just an automatic thing.
This week I passed on a whole party table full of desserts and treats, eggnog and ice cream drinks, candied apple cider. We made gingerbread houses from scratch with lots of left over candies and frosting. Christmas Eve brought more cookies and fudge, caramels, candies and hot chocolate. Lots of plates were brought over full of wonderful things. The traditional Christmas pudding with nuts and cherries I passed on, will be there next year and the year after that. More cookies the day after and then more fudge making. Sunday night we played games with white fudge covered Oreos and don't forget the vanilla Pirouettes.

This week I said yes to Diet 7up. It really helped to have something crisp and pretty to drink. I also was generous to myself with the Martinellis. Our neighbors who are originally from Mexico, brought over homemade tamales. (they were Fantastic!) We went out to breakfast on Christmas Eve. We tried a new place in Monroe called the Hitchpost Cafe on Main street. I had a scramble (my favorite) filled with ham, sausage, bacon, cheese and all kinds of vegetables. It was awesome. For Christmas Eve, we had my favorite salad and Filet mignon and shrimp. Yum, yum, yum! Christmas day was ham, salad, and potatoes. I had fresh raspberries dipped in real whipped cream sweetened with 1 packet of equal. I did this for Thanksgiving and it has turned into my new favorite dessert. The rest of the days were filled with my favorite soups and leftovers. On Monday we went downtown to the Sheraton and saw some really fantastically made gingerbread houses, then to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. What a wonderful week.
I tried to walk my dog every day for 30 minutes this week of Christmas. That was the only exercise I got and at the end of the week my weigh-in was down 2.6 lbs for the week. What a great gift that was! My total after 9 weeks is 14.2lbs.
I have been feeling good and I am so optimistic because I have made it through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Now on to the New Year, my birthday, Valentines Day, and Easter. For me those are just as hard. I think Easter has the best candy ever. I think I'll still have to take it one day at a time but so far, so good.

My long black Darth Vador dress has left the building.

I gave my long black church dress away last week. This is the dress I wore when I was pregnant, or when I had just gained enough weight that nothing else fit. Before I started this no sugar quest, I was wearing it to every church function that I was to go. I hated that dress, but as a form of my own punishment, I was not to buy another dress, or wear another dress until my size dropped. So, the result of that was wearing that dress for probably a couple of months straight. A kind lady asked me if I was in mourning because she only saw me in black. I laughed and explained to her that I was punishing myself. I told her not to worry because I was on a better path and she could expect to see me wearing colors very soon. She has complimented me twice since she has seen me in different colors. I kissed that dress goodbye and have no regrets!

This week it has been interesting to see the layers unfold as I discover other bad habits that I have. I use to blame everything on my bad eating habits (sugar all the time). Now that I have good eating habits, I am seeing other areas I need to improve. The most blatant one is that I am not getting enough sleep. I find myself staying up way too late watching t.v. even when I still have to get up very early to help my kids get to school. There are no pick-me-uppers in the afternoon anymore (no soft drinks, or sugar jolts to keep me going). It is interesting to see myself in this very honest way. It's all about choices. I can go to bed earlier, or take a nap, or just be tired. But one thing I will not do is suffocate that feeling by drinking or eating something. HHmmmm.

Recount of my week:
This week my weight stayed the exact same. So after 8 weeks, that's a loss of 11.8 lbs.
This week I said no to a LOT of things: Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, gourmet hot chocolate, dessert at the Claim Jumper, dessert at The Grange, cupcakes and cookies at a baby shower, a full table full of treats for our neighborhood nativity, eggnog with ice cream and 7up in it, hot apple cider with melted red hots, and a big spread of cookies at our Stake Christmas Devotional.
This week I said yes to: sugar free hot chocolate (when I first tasted this I spit it out in the sink thinking I was drinking a sugar-full cup. I had to check and had my kids taste it to verify it really was sugar free. They could definitely tell, but it wasn't obvious to me), tenderloin steak wrapped in bacon with mashed potatoes and carrots, and freshly squeezed orange juice which continues to be my all time favorite. I would also like to add that an apple a day really may keep the doctor away. It does wonders for me.

This week is Christmas and I am so excited for all of the fun activities. I am not feeling deprived and it doesn't feel hard to say no. I feel committed and am not craving things. I do indulge in the aroma of baked cookies etc but in the same whiff I pat myself on the stomach. That's my signal to myself that yes, the smell is enough! This week I dropped a size and I am now wearing a size 12 again. After Christmas, everything over size 12 will be gone. That is a gift I am giving myself. It feels good. I have felt very blessed and feel the warmth that the Christmas spirit brings.

I am starting a new movement called Anti-Sugatarian-ism

Would you like to join my movement? People with allergies and vegetarians and others get out of things they shouldn't eat, or don't want to eat, all the time (in a polite way), by just expressing their own medical title (allergic, diabetic) or ideological title (vegetarian, vegan). Sometimes don't we just need a title and that is excuse enough for whichever thing we don't want to participate in because we will become ill? Or because we just we don't want to? I actually think this is a pretty good idea. When sugar is offered to me I will say "No thank you, I'm an Anti-sugatarian". It seems to be the natural thing to do as well. Vegetarians cut meat out of their diet and gave themselves a name. I happen to think meat is good for the body (no offense to any vegetarians) and the thing that really needs to be taken out of the diet is the one thing that has no purpose or value. Sugar. Can I just take that out of the diet and give myself a name? Think of all the foods, vitamins and minerals that our body needs to survive and thrive. These include Protein, Dairy, Grains, Vegetable, Fruits, and Fats. Our body doesn't need sugar for ANYTHING. It's an excess.

Factoid: Not too long ago only the very rich people were able to eat any kind of sugar. And the people (slaves) who cleaned out their outhouses knew when they were partaking because their urine had a distinct foul smell because of the sugar. (Book: Sugar Blues) Doesn't that sound like a fun job?


My opinion is, if you are going to cut anything out of your diet, wouldn't you cut out the things that your body has no use for? You could save money by not buying things that are excess or of no real value. How much money do you spend on a drink every time you go out to eat?(No matter regular or Diet.) Water is free and actually does something for the body. Why would you buy a dessert when you are already stuffed to the max? Our bodies get nothing from it. They already have everything they need from the meal. Why would you spend an extra $10-15 per meal on drinks and dessert? Something that is of no value?
Cari's Tip:
Next time you go out for dessert order a yummy salad instead. It can be crunchy and fresh, simply delicious. Some of those are sweet enough anyways. At least you can get some fiber and vegetables, sometimes even fruit. Add an herbal tea with equal while friends are eating ice cream or pie. It will settle your stomach and add a little extra something your stomach is looking for. Notice how your waistline feels as you're leaving the restaurant and everyone else is complaining how stuffed they are. The walk to your car will be satisfying.

O.k., so calling all Anti-sugatarians. Who is with me?

Side notes: Lost another 1.4 for the week with no exercising other than walking my dog everyday. That's a total of 11.6 since October 26th. Today completes 7 weeks with 45 to go.

Turned down this week: Yummy (smelling) chocolate cake from Costco, ice cream with Scott, Christmas treats at the piano recital, gourmet hot chocolate at Ward Christmas party Saturday morning, and big box of yummy smelling fudge on Sunday.

What I said yes to this week: Crab, shrimp, salmon Louie, 8 huge shrimp on skewer, and crab stuffed mushrooms at the Crab Pot. Yum Yum!
Planters Select Nuts with Macademia, Almonds, and Cashews in sea salt. Yum!
Honey Sticks. (cinnamon is the best flavor)
AND lots of Christmas activities that were just as fun without eating sweets or gaining any weight. Now that's a great treat!
Have a good week everyone!

Feel the Fear and do it anyway.

This week I have been re-reading a book from my Sociology days at BYU. It is called "Feel the Fear and do it anyway" by Susan Jeffers Ph.D.. It has been very interesting and while I have been reading it to help me as I am starting a new project I know nothing about, which by the way has nothing to do with not eating sugar, I am finding the things she says in here apply to many things we deal with in our daily life, and not eating sugar is included in that. Here are 5 truths about Fear:
1. The fear will never go away as long as I continue to grow.
2. The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.
3. The only way to feel better about myself is to go out... and do it.
4. Not only am I going to experience fear whenever I'm on unfamiliar territory, so is everyone else.
5. Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness.
page 22

I love this paragraph also:
"It is reported that more than 90% of what we worry about never happens. That means that our negative worries have less than a 10% chance of being correct. If this is so, isn't being positive more realistic than being negative?" page 62
Good point, me thinks!

Lastly, I wanted to put up "The 7 ways to reclaim your power" instead of pain: This part I directly relate to myself as I am trying to reclaim my power over my diet.

1. Avoid casting blame on an external force for your bad feelings about life. Nothing outside yourself can control your thinking or your actions.
2. Avoid blaming yourself for not being in control. (This is not a contradiction to the 1st one. It is mostly saying don't be down on yourself all the time, constantly saying things such as "there I go messing up my life again", or "I'm hopeless", or "When will I ever learn?") Think positive thoughts.
3. Be aware of when and where you play the victim role. Learn the clues that tell you that you are not being responsible for what you are being, having, doing, or feeling.
4. Familiarize yourself with your biggest enemy-your Chatterbox. (That non-stop voice in your head that talks to you negatively all day)
5. Figure out the payoffs that keep you "stuck". Paradoxically, once you find them, you will probably be able to quickly become "unstuck".
6. Determine what you want in life and act on it. Stop waiting for someone to give it to you. You'll be waiting a long time.
7. Be aware of the many choices you have-in both actions and feelings--in any situation that comes your way. Choose the path that contributes to your growth and makes you feel at peace with yourself and others.
-page 58
Sorry if you're not into the psycho babble. Sometimes I like it, and this time I thought I would share. On to other things...

I had a great week. My brother visited and we did many things. I also passed up many treats, but I ate really good food too as we went out to eat three days in a row. Real food tastes so good when not tainted with sugar. I enjoyed a crab melt and salad down at Pike's market, crab stuffed trout in downtown Seattle, and ham stuffed chicken with a wonderful white sauce in the quaint little town we went to after we got off the ferry. Mmmmmmmm, simply delightful! But most of all I really enjoyed the time spent together and the things we saw and did, more than any treat I could ever buy or eat. That is what my whole journey is about. This weekend was awesome and I don't feel deprived one bit, but rather overjoyed with blessings in abundance. Have a good week everybody!

I didn't even lick my fingers.

Thanksgiving is over. I had an awesome weekend of family, games, puzzles, movies, and Christmas decorating. I made it through, fudge free, for 4 days straight. Instead of pie, I splurged and bought a little box of fresh raspberries. I whipped some real cream for the other pies and took a little that wasn't sweetened and added a pack of equal. Then I dipped my raspberries into that and you know what? It was heaven!
I cooked fudge, and baked three pies. Cherry, pumpkin, and coconut. The smell was delightful and yes it was enough. I love the aroma and also the loose feel of my waistline. (It's a good combination). I didn't even so much as lick my fingers.
This was a special Thanksgiving I will always remember. All of the kids helped with the menu and they were each assigned a different dish. We spent quality time together preparing the meal, playing games, doing puzzles, and watching movies. I splurged on Martinelli's (all natural, yea!) buttered popcorn, and 4 slices of pizza while watching the BYU vs. Utah game. I passed on many things but my gratitude far out weighed all of the things I couldn't have. Amazingly, I am down exactly 2 more pounds, for a total of 9.4 in 5 weeks. This Holiday was absolutely wonderful and I was not deprived of anything that really matters. Cheers!

1 month down 11 to go! Going strong!

Today I made it through the first four weeks. That is one month down and 11 to go. I am feeling good. I walked maybe 3 days at the most. I am still having a hard time getting into a regular routine. I am down 1.1 lbs for a total of 7.4!
This week I said no to peppermint sugar cookies, ice cream at the movies, scones from Tressa's bakery, a trio of desserts at Outback, and yummy looking German pastries.
I said yes to several yummy things this week including popcorn with butter, waffles made with molasses and sugar free syrup, shrimp, and tenderloin steak, with garlic mashed potatoes, steel cut oatmeal with walnuts, and my favorite, freshly squeezed orange juice. Is there anything better on this earth than freshly squeezed orange juice? I got so spoiled when I lived in Brazil. This is where I discovered this awesome treat. This is one of my favorite things for this time of year.
I am excited for Thanksgiving this week. I will indulge on Turkey, green beans, salad,stuffing and all the sugar free trimmings. I am passing on the pies, but I am looking forward to the time spent with my 4 girls as we are having a pie making class on Wednesday night. I will splurge and buy myself some fresh fruit for dessert. It should be a weekend full of family, games, laughing, getting the christmas tree and decorating the house, putting up the lights, BYU vs. Utah game, and spending wonderful time together making memories. I don't need anything more than that. Bring it on!!!!

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way!

3 weeks down and only 49 to go. This last week I spent 5-6 days flat in bed. I wasn't tested for H1N1 flu, but most likely had it and it was awful. At times I rotated Aceteminophen and Ibuprophen every two hours and night times with NyQuil. Some days and nights were filled with Daytime Theraflu and then Nighttime Theraflu. Day 3 I got a prescription for cough syrup that had codeine in it. All of these medicines helped somewhat, some better than others. I haven't paid attention to the ingredients before so you can imagine my shock when finding out that most of these have sugar or high fructose corn syrup in them. I tried to buy sugar free cough drops,and there is such a thing as sugar free Theraflu which implies the regular kind has sugar in it. We had both here at home so I ended up taking whatever we had at the time. But it is the NyQuil that has the corn syrup. And I am not sure what is in the cough syrup with codeine, but I would be willing to guess it has corn syrup and for sure some kind of sugar. If you think for a second I would refuse these products because they have sugar in them, you are nuts and have not had this blasted flu yet. The flu hurt like heck and I took anything that would help me feel even remotely better. I put it in the category of condiments. My first post said I would not be able to catch everything and some things like Ketchup are going to have sugar in there. I am counting my NyQuil, and codeine as my ketchup.
I am feeling better and hoping to exercise this week. I have said that for the last two weeks and still have not been on a regular schedule. My weight has stayed the exact same as when I lost 6 pounds after the first week. Looking forward to Thanksgiving and lots of vegetables. What's everyone else doing? How is it going for you all?

The smell is enough. (Could that really be true?)

I made cinnamon rolls for the gal that I visit teach on Sunday. I got in the car and the smell was intoxicating. I took a big whiff and enjoyed the aroma. I could imagine what it would taste like. I then imagined what my gut would feel like after I snarfed one down. It most likely tasted awesome. My pants would suddenly get tighter, my head would start to spin and I would have a headache. Regardless of that, then I pictured myself having another one because the one minute of pleasure would be worth it, I would think. Pants would get tighter, and I would help myself to one more. Then feeling very sluggish, tired and mentally cloudy, I would probably have one more. This is the cycle for me. At the end of the whole scene in my head, I went back to paying attention to how I felt NOT eating the cinnamon roll and I felt good. My jeans are loose and I feel good. I decided it is better to feel good and slender then the alternative I just dreamed up. The smell was enough and it was heaven.
I came across a talk on KBYU that was from a Women's Conference a few years ago by Linda Flanagan. She says,
"As our weaknesses are made known unto us, they are like rocks. Ready to be polished, and as we turn them over to God, He will help us change them into Ruby's and Diamonds. Then we will see our weaknesses as treasures and thank Him."

I am not sure how this is possible, but I have faith and a desire to change. I am wondering if a year is long enough.

Yesterday marks two weeks. Only 50 to go. The second week has been hard but not as hard as the first week. I have a couple of projects I am working on that are keeping me rather busy. And, they are hard enough that it scares me pretty good. Enough so that my mind has been much more worried about other things than what I can or mostly can't eat. So my advice here is to stay very busy. It's been great that I can work on these projects with a clear head, and my energy level has been raised. That brings me a lot of satisfaction with what I am doing.

Thump

Did you hear that? It was me falling off the wagon. I am back on sugar and now need to start over again. I wont give up but I also am going to go a little less extreme in the hopes I wont rebound as much. I am working on just being more careful for now and sliding into more.

This is fun. Not.

Happy Post Halloween to me!

Yea! I lost 6.3 pounds in my first week of no sugar. That is amazing. I didn't even exercise. I feel great and I am so excited to get that first miserable week and Halloween out of the way. On to better things.
This week I am going to add in 1/2 hour of walking hopefully every day.
I am feeling committed and it is so much easier to get out of bed in the morning when I have done what I'm supposed to do and can have a positive, hopeful mindset. The alternative is not good. Don't want to go there again.
I love the Fall and can't wait to enjoy the crisp air, falling leaves, and vibrant colors, as I walk every day. There is no time to be ungrateful.

Headaches and What was I thinking?

I woke up this am starting my headaches and pondering - what was I thinking! I am in my most busy time of year for work and I don't need this. But, I continue mostly becuase I made a commitment to myself, to Cari and to this blog. And that is good.

I am shocked at all the things with extra added sugar! It's CRAZY! I was at the store last night (avoiding the Halloween aisle) and trying to find a quick dinner - most pasta sauce is totally out. I often make my own but for a fast fix, I will miss the Prego.

It reading pasta sauce label over the top on this challenge? Maybe. But for now I want to make educated choices.

Oh and I just ordered an agave nectar cookbook- exciting!

Pass the Ibuprophen please!

HEADACHES!!!
I woke up with one that has stayed with me all day. It has been hard to see at times. I give full credit to my sugar detox. To cope with this, I took some ibuprophen and have tried to eat a combo of fat, protein, carb every 2-3 hours. It has relieved the pain slightly. I am predicting another 2 days of this maybe more.

My new enemies today: (These either have sugar, corn syrup or both)
Prego Spaghetti sauce, my favorite brand of roasted almonds, pretzels, saltines, and Campbell's tomato soup.

My new Friends today: (These Don't have sugar, or corn syrup and they taste good)
Triscuts (love them, always have), Homemade Ranch dressing, sliced Almonds toasted in the oven (yummy and crunchy when they're warm), Cascade Fresh yogurt, spiced apple cider herbal tea. (Other flavors they want me to try- pumpkin spice, eggnogg'n, ginger snappish- these will be fun for the holidays.)

1 day down

Yea! We made it through one day. My headaches started early, but I felt pretty good. I, like Amy, spent time reminding myself of no sugar several times yesterday.
I feel much better waking up on a morning after a day of no sugar. Waking up on a day after sugar splurging is awful, so I am glad I don't have to deal with that anymore.
It feels good to be heading in a positive direction.

Day 1

Ok, Day 1 is almost over and it was ok. Mostly just catching myself and stopping habits like having something sweet after lunch (and dinner.) Ended up using Extra Sugar Free Gum which helped.

Anyone have good ideas for no-sugar treats?

355 days left..............sigh.

90 minutes and a piece of pie

So we start tomorrow and I am laughing at myself that it is 10:25 at night and I am considering having a piece of the berry pie I served with dinner tonight. This may be WHY I need to go off sugar :-)

I am excited about tomorrow and a bit fearful. I worry I won't be able to pull this off. I hope this blog will keep me inline. Between the blog, Cari and the others who are doing this I know I have a better chance.

Go us. I think.

How did this all get started?

I thought I would write a little bit about how this all got started. I have a friend who has two boys. She told them she would pay them each $100 if they wouldn't eat any candy or store bought treats for 1 year. They both did it and received the $100.00. Last week I took my two older girls to the toy store to buy birthday presents for another daughter. While we were there, my oldest daughter saw a motor scooter she would really like to have. The problem is it was $300.00. The whole drive home was a conversation about how she was going get that motor scooter. By the time we had returned home, she had remembered that her friend got $100.00 for not eating candy for a year. I told her I would pay her the same if she would like to do that. It got her really excited and that was all she talked about for two days. While contemplating this I thought about doing it too. I initially thought it was a good way to support my daughter, but thinking on, I knew I needed more help than she did. The idea started growing in my mind. It's funny how I thought it was such a great idea but at the same time, mourning all of the treats I wouldn't be able to eat. :) Why is this such a sad thing for us sugar addicts?
My next step was to put the idea out there on facebook to see if anyone was with me. Amy replied first asking if I wanted a partner, and here we are.
Several of you have responded that you would like to be included, so welcome. Can't wait for our first day tomorrow. Looks like we have about 2 hours and 55 minutes left. True confession...I am having one more piece of cheesecake before bed. Pathetic I know.

Sugar, I will miss thee

Half of me can't believe I am doing this. Half of me can't wait. I know that sugar plays with your blood sugar, hunger levels and overall health. But, it is delicious. And chocolate- dont get me started.

So I am going to undertake this experiment and see how it helps me head toward greater balance. At minimum I hope to end cravings for sweets, increase energy (versus the short term energy of sugar) and lose a few pounds. I also hope I will sleep better, become fabulously rich and a supermodel. Ok, maybe not those last two.

I promise total honesty in my blogs. If I cheat, I will admit it.

For me, this is primarily about white sugar, corn syrup and other heavily processed sugars. I may try out Agave sweetner for a few things. Fruit is also ok in my book.

Overall I know I will learn alot and look forward to hearing about other's experiences. To my kind husband- I apologize in advance for any crabbiness I may exhibit this first week. :-)

I love sugar. I hate sugar. I love sugar. I hate sugar. I love sugar. I hate sugar.
I will end on the part that says I hate sugar.
Hi, I'm Cari. I am in a constant love/ hate relationship with sugar. Starting October 26, 2009 I am going to change that. I am going off sugar for a year. I have many goals but my main goal is that I can change both physically and mentally. In a year's time I would love to not have an appetite for sugar anymore. I would love for the sugar cravings to be gone. I would love to eat healthy food and not worry about when I can get my next treat. There are so many other things I believe will happen in this period of time, and I am so looking forward to all of the benefits, BUT my number one goal is to change. Instead of looking for my next sugar "fix", I want to be able to say, "no, thank you" to anything offered to me and really mean it. After a years time, I want to be able to have a piece of birthday cake or even just a few bites, to know what it tastes like, and then be done. I want to be engaged in so many other interesting and enlightening things that I don't have time for treats. I want to really taste and enjoy good food without being stuffed with sugary desserts at the end of the meal. I want to change.
At the end of 12 months, I am going to pay for classes from a Dietitian that can help me to reincorporate sugar into my life. This may last anywhere from 3-6 months. I can't see myself off sugar for my whole life. I am trying to change so I can have it sparingly in times of celebration. This is the part that I will need the most help. The backlash at the end of 12 months could be devastating for me.
Everyone's way of going off sugar may be different. I will not eat (almost) anything that has sugar, corn syrup, or high fructose anything in it. Whenever possible, I will read the labels and avoid anything that has these 3 things in it. There are some things that don't appear to have sugar in them, such as pretzels, and wheat thins, but if you read the label carefully they have corn syrup in them. These things I will avoid. Some things are unlikely to not have sugar in them such as bread and cereals. Since these items are essential in my diet for energy, I can pick and choose the best option. When choosing these items, I will not go over 3 grams of sugar per item. Even so, the less grams the better, and if it is sweetened with molasses or honey I consider that a bonus and a better choice. I am sure I will not catch every sugar in every thing, such as sugar in condiments, (ketchup), but I will do my best to find out. For me, artificial sweeteners will be ok. Usually I don't eat that much of them, so I don't see that as being a big deal. This is in such things as yogurt or sugar free pudding, or diet pop. I may drink diet pop at first as I am detoxing but my goal here is to say goodbye to pop forever. My pocketbook will thank me also. Most likely we will blog later on how bad diet pop is. So much for that now. One last thing I WILL eat is things sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice and brown rice syrup. These are found in things like Cliff bars, some granola bars, and Kashi cereal, etc.. I have read a whole book on the different types of sugars and the effect they have on your body. These sweeteners and others such as honey, maple syrup, and molasses are better because they have a slower effect on the blood sugar. They don't give me a sugar high or headaches. These I can and will eat in moderation as I know that within my body and brain, sugar triggers more sugar. More of that later as well. That pretty much sums up how I will police my diet for this coming year.
As I finish up, I thought I would write a quick summary of me. I turned 40 this year. Me and my husband have been happily married for 15 years. We have 5 children ages from 4-13. That keeps us very busy. My oldest daughter is going to start the "no sugar for a year" this Monday also. She calls it NSFAY. Kids, right? It will be interesting for me to see how she does and the difficulties that come with being 11 and trying to eat healthy. We are a pretty active family and I can see many benefits of me (the mom) staying away from the sugar. And, if you stay tuned, you will for sure read about those benefits and all of the struggles as well.
The Co-Administrator of this blog is Amy. Take it away Amy. I am signing out for now.

Welcome to "No sugar allowed!"

"It is quite possible to improve your disposition, increase your efficiency, and change your personality for the better. The way to do it is to avoid cane and beet sugar in all forms and guises."
-John Tintera, an Endocrinologist
A quote from the book "Sugar Blues" -William Duffy

This blog is dedicated to those who want "to improve your disposition, increase your efficiency, and change your personality for the better."

For one year we will refrain from sugar, and then we will blog about it. We will find support by sharing our experiences. Our starting date is October 26, 2009. Our ending date is October 26, 2010.
Can't wait to start. Join us in the journey!