Sugar Free

10 days ago, I embarked on a challenge that was similar to a challenge I gave myself in college - No sugar. I was 22 and had reached my all time highest weight. Feeling sluggish and tired came along with working part time, going to school full time as well as being a part of campus life. I drank my sugar loaded coffee in the morning, took my 20 minute power nap after lunch, ate horribly, stayed up way too late and then came up with this great idea - Cut Out Sugar! Right! That was my problem. Not the inconsistent bed time, early mornings, stress, lack of free time, or no weekly exercise other than walking to & fro on campus.

I decided to take sugar out of my diet. Don't get me wrong, I was on the right train of thought, but this particular choice probably tops the "most uneducated decision I have ever made" list. I thought as I had been taught in my youth, calories in versus calories out. If I cut down on my calories, no matter what the food, I should lose pounds. Also, my misconception was, "If I am not putting a doughnut in my mouth, I am not eating sugar." Well, needless to say, there was no weight loss in the near future of that plan. I substituted. Out came the "sweets" and in came the carbs and fat. Out with the morning danish, in came bagels with peanut butter. Out came hot chocolate, in came orange juice. Very little fresh fruits & veggies made the cut but "sugar free" cookies were the norm. I didn't count calories but I thought I was sacrificing for the sake of my health. After 2 short weeks of craving and cheating and being grumpy, I quit.

Fast forward past more than a decade, 3 precious pregnancies and a lot more education on physical fitness and nutrition. This time around, my sugar-free adventure has been a blessing. The rules are simple - the American Heart Association recommends 24 g or less of added sugar per day. That includes corn syrup, table sugar, evap. cane juice (found in MANY organic yummies), etc. If the food label has sugar and there is no fruit in the ingredients list, it gets added to my daily. The one exception to is that on my long runs, I have been eating "goo" which is pure sugar. There is no way around it, our bodies need quick energy to sustain endurance. This is the easiest and quickest way to avoid injury or calling for an ambulance during training.

I have managed to stay on a daily caloric intake of 1800 or less as well. For someone of my height training for a half marathon, those calories are proving to be just right. I am not trying to lose weight, merely researching the state of my body, mind and spirit in the midst of sugar depravity. The first week was, as I always like to say, a cake walk. No biggie. I have been very honest with my exercise and food log. Eating when I am hungry, eating before a run. Not so great on NOT eating before bed. Today was a struggle for the first time. I SO wanted a chocolate chip cookie! I resisted, grabbed my 100% organic apples applesauce. It helped but wasn't the same. I am happy to say that I truly do feel like I have more energy. I haven't given up my morning coffee (with a tsp. of organic sugar and half&half) but I have given up my afternoon cup of Jo with a cookie. It's the little victories. Here's to more days like last week and fewer days of struggle like today.