It’s been 27 days since my last taste of chocolate and sweet stuff. No jam, no cookies, no cakes or chocolates, no honey in my tea, no dried fruit or sugar laden sauces. I’ve abstained and I’m still here. Sane and eager to continue. Yes, there have been days where I’ve crave several Guylian Seashells or a Turkish Delight. Today I’ve been thinking how nice it would be to settle down to some apple and blueberry crumble and watch a good movie. But it’s only fifty days. It’s not forever. I’ve made it through twenty-seven, I can handle another twenty-three.
Three and a half weeks and I’m surprised at how conscious I’ve become of sugar. Sugar is in everything. It’s difficult to completely withdraw from it. The good thing with this challenge is full fat dairy is OK. I don’t think I could handle not eating milk or cheese. I love milk and cheese. So that has definitely made the experience much easier. The other day I was having a coffee with a friend. She ordered a biscuit and while I looked on as she ate it I realised that I was doing myself a favour by not succumbing to cravings. The coffee was satisfying enough (fortunately I’ve never been one to add sugar to my tea or coffee).
This challenge is showing me that I can live without chocolate, cakes and biscuits. I can say no when they’re offered to me. I can have it in my fridge or work drawer and not even think about it.
Do I want to keep this up permanently?
I have to admit I do enjoy binging on chocolate occasionally. Cheesecake, yep I’m happy to devour a hefty slice. Chocolate brownie, with cream and ice cream on the side. Pancakes, sure thing and don’t forget the jam or nutella spread all over. The good news is, I don’t need to eat these every day or even every week. I get more satisfaction from a piece of fruit or a new salad, or some salmon with salsa. After the challenge, I know I can enjoy them occasionally without feeling guilty.
What I do want to do is slowly change the way I cook. I’ve discovered black rice recently. Yummy. I can have that instead of the white. I love pasta. But instead of the white stuff I can choose brown or make my own gluten free varieties. It’s not necessary to give up the things you love, just to find ways to have these things in a healthier more nutritious way.
Feeling good everyday is more important than feeling good after having a piece of cake. That type of happiness doesn’t last. I want to prevent disease and illness. I want to have the energy to run, swim, and train till I’m well beyond my sixties. I want my mind to remain active for as long as I’m blessed to be here. What I put in my body is going to decide the quality of life I have.
I love a glass of wine. That’s fine as long as it’s not the entire bottle. Chocolate is good for the soul but not a block every day. It’s OK to celebrate with friends and have a slice of birthday cake but it’s not right to follow it up with a few beers and chocolate bars.
Moderation is the key. Sugar is the bad guy but if you control it rather than letting it control you, then from time to time having your cake and eating it too will be achievable.
