Hi guys- well yesterday was mediocre. Nothing crazy like a big serving of sugar but looking back over the day I had chips (got over hungry - why does that make me desperate for chips?) a small piece of chocolate and too much take out (sushi and noodles, not horrible but definitely not healthy). Any one of those would have been ok I think but all together it didn’t feel good. I was super stressed and dealing with a kid health issue (minor, they are ok) in the evening and I know that was part of it but my life just is stressful so I’ve got to find better ways to deal. Up early and going to work out. Cross your fingers for me I don’t wake the kids up….

Alexandra

New to this thread. In March, I cut all added sugar and most sources that have sugar as an ingredient, such as desserts. Also eliminated caffeine. That first week was tough, especially the third day. Lots of aches, brain fog especially on the third day. I’ve been feeling great since then.

Thanks for this thread. Nice to see how everyone here is working through this, too.

I’m proud of you, Alexandra! Great job getting a workout in and keeping your sugar low.

Yesterday was mid for me. I could not resist a brownie and a couple of pieces of candy at the office but overall ate healthy meals. Also got over 14,000 steps and a good strength training workout at the gym. going to try to do better today on sugar intake. I don’t understand why I eat it when it really doesn’t taste that good.

Have a great day, you two!

Great job Kate and Anna! I got up early to exercise and it actually worked out- I am terrified of waking my kids up when I get up way before them to exercise so this was a victory and I felt great all day. I had a super busy work day too but ate reasonably well. I guess I don’t worry about cheese too much- definitely had a sprinkle on my home made chicken taco but it definitely is caloric. I felt healthy today although I am terrible at guessing my calorie intake. Very little sugar, so that’s a win. Maybe 9 grams total between some cereal and bits in bread etc. I’ll take it.

Alexandra

Anonymous wrote:The most important thing is to hammer on the idea that sugar is toxic, a low level drug abuse. It’s not heroin but it is a low level version of the same idea. Very temporary pleasure for long term pain.


Don’t try to cut back on sugar. Learn to hate sugar. Learn to hate companies that put sugar in food because it cheaper than good flavor. You goal is not to to keep sugar under 25g. Your goal is to look at an ingredient list and feel revulsion when you see sugar, same as if it said antifreeze or rat poison (also sweet on tongue). Mediditate on how gross you feel after eating sugar, before you brush the filth off your teeth and your poor intestines pump that sewage out your exhaust pipe.

This is the kind of attitude that leads to orthorexia. I’ve successfully cut out sugar and I do find it distressing that it’s so pervasive, but it isn’t poison.

The most important thing is to hammer on the idea that sugar is toxic, a low level drug abuse. It’s not heroin but it is a low level version of the same idea. Very temporary pleasure for long term pain.


Don’t try to cut back on sugar. Learn to hate sugar. Learn to hate companies that put sugar in food because it cheaper than good flavor. You goal is not to to keep sugar under 25g. Your goal is to look at an ingredient list and feel revulsion when you see sugar, same as if it said antifreeze or rat poison (also sweet on tongue). Mediditate on how gross you feel after eating sugar, before you brush the filth off your teeth and your poor intestines pump that sewage out your exhaust pipe.

Kudos to you both! Great work. I completely understand about cheese. We just don’t buy it anymore except for shredded mozzarella when we make pizza. As for protein, other options include hard boiled eggs, hummus, nuts, and milk. I’ve tried keeping chicken around but it doesn’t seem to get eaten enough to make it worth it. I do love me a tray of roasted veggies though.

Had unsweetened yogurt with fruit and a low sugar breakfast bar in my hotel room this morning. Going to stay on track even on the road. Had a nice work out in the hotel gym.

Kate

New person here—you can call me Anna. Still zero added sugar, and I haven’t really missed it much. But I did roast up a bunch of potatoes for the family dinner last night and I really went to town. I love roasted veggies but potatoes in particular are like crack for me. I’ve also started eating cheese again, which is my Waterloo. I think I need to give it up almost entirely. The problem is a crave protein when I’m hungry and I don’t often have healthier forms just sitting around. I should just marinate and grill a whole bunch of chicken breasts at the start of every week!

Anonymous wrote:Yesterday I had some birthday cake. More than I meant to but ok whatever. Then when the kids went to bed I ate old Easter candy. Whhhhhhyyyy did I do that? I definitely didn’t eat enough protein yesterday but still I’m so annoyed at myself. Threw away the candy I didn’t think the kids would miss. Trying to do better today and eating tons of protein and produce. Hopefully I can stay strong….

Alexandra

I did really well today I think. Thank goodness! Nothing sweet aside from a bowl of moderately sweetened cereals. I’m setting my alarm for an early workout so I better get to bed…

Yesterday I had some birthday cake. More than I meant to but ok whatever. Then when the kids went to bed I ate old Easter candy. Whhhhhhyyyy did I do that? I definitely didn’t eat enough protein yesterday but still I’m so annoyed at myself. Threw away the candy I didn’t think the kids would miss. Trying to do better today and eating tons of protein and produce. Hopefully I can stay strong….

Alexandra

I started a new eating regime end of February cutting nearly all ultra processed food from my diet. I’ve been sleeping better and feeling better than I have in YEARS. I’ve read volumes about nutritional biology over the last couple decades but wow nothing makes you connect better than a real purge of poison from your diet and the opportunity to feel the effects firsthand. The inflammatory pain I’ve suffered for years wasn’t just normal middle aged pain - it was my diet. The inability to drop weight despite rigorous adherence to calorie deficit - it was because what kind of calories you eat matters more than how many. In recent weeks as I’ve been eating a nutrient dense diet with each meal a balance of carbs protein and healthy fats my appetite has naturally decreased- my body is no longer constantly signaling hunger in the absence of nutrition. I ate a lot of crap and felt fine as a younger person, but clearly with age the body cannot tolerate the standard American diet so well. I feel good about aging for the first time in years y’all. I’m excited for the future! Can’t wait to wow my GP at my annual in December.

By the way I’m eating foods that are largely compliant with Mediterranean/blue zone diet. Every day I consume tea, usually green sometimes oolong or black. I daily consume some walnuts, garlic, very high quality evoo, eggs, raw unfiltered honey. I eat a lot of spinach and sun dried tomatoes, brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes and whole wheat pasta and fish and shrimp and chicken. Only consume beef/pork a couple of times a month. I’m eating delicious food but it’s definitely very different from the diet I was raised on and have eaten most of my adult life. I’m working toward more and more veggies and less and less meat, it’s just a process for me because while I am a very good cook, I don’t have a lot of experience with healthful and tasty preparations of vegetables- how sad is that?- so I’m slowly working my way through veggie cookbooks I’ve collected and building a repertoire of yummy healthy food. I try to always have some good food made and ready in my fridge so I am not tempted to grab something crappy out of haste and hunger. A few times over the last two months I have made a Dunkin run and immediately felt the yucky effects in my body of that food product as well as the tastelessness of it - once your brain and palate have recovered from regular consumption of UPFs, the stuff is quite distasteful. I feel like I’ve really had a lightbulb moment and my life is changing radically for the better.

Now I just feel sad realizing that so many Americans are likely sick from what they are eating and will struggle to realize it in all the confusing and morally judgmental messages from diet industry and medical professionals alike.

Oatmeal with blueberries and milk at breakfast
Almonds for snack
Green salad with salmon for lunch and a few pop chips.

Heading to grocery store out of town for:
Fruit
Frozen dinner
Milk
Yogurt
Low sugar cereal
Kind bars

Decent day yesterday. No treats but I did have a bowl of sugary cereal after dinner. Probably still under 25 g overall. Did not snack. Total of 1850 calories. Today I go on travel. I will stay on track. I feel so much better when I do!

Have a wonderful day, all!!

Kate

Being around treats makes everything harder. I got off track largely because of Easter and my birthday. There is very little junk in the house right now and I’m planning a dinner for my family. I cook on Sundays. I’m a small person so 1300 cal is not unusual for me. I would say a typical day is more like 1800 cal. I tend to self moderate relatively well but I just get trapped by sugar. Today is my housework day and I’m about to go to the grocery store to buy some things for dinner. Things to get easier when your kids are older. Somethings are harder but I do feel like I have more ability to focus on myself. Getting sugar out of the house is critical for me. I still get weak when I go to the grocery store so I’m going to make a list and stick to it. No extra candy bar or a pint of ice cream.
Take care of yourself today and enjoy your family.

Kate

That’s remarkable Kate. I doubt I’ve ever eaten 1300 calories in a day- I get so lightheaded if I cut calories too much. I need to do something though- the scale really isn’t going down despite eating “better”. I did have a great workout yesterday and I tend to eat better and more consciously when I am exercising. Just need to figure out how to make that happen more often. Will stay strong today even though I know there’s going to be a lot of treats around today…

Alexandra