Day Twenty-Nine/Day Thirty.

So this is it: The End. It's sort of anti-climactic since I have no real cravings left. I doubt I'll be binge-eating dessert tomorrow or anything. Actually, with as good as my health has been lately I might never look back. Strike that, I might indulge in the occasional craving, but it has to be worth it. For instance, the second I get a dinner buddy, I'm all about a turkey burger/chocolate milkshake combo at some point, but at the same time I doubt I'll be indulging in the office cookie stash just for the heck of it. I'll allow myself to eat the lean pockets in my freezer, but I'll definitely be keeping mental notes on how my body feels afterwards. Really it's all about balance. And listening to my body. But I'm rather impressed with myself for making it thru this month not only alive, but healthier.

And now I have a question for you, my handful of readers: any questions?
I'll start writing my WUNT article sometime this week and it would be nice to be able to anticipate any information that a reader might want to hear about. Obviously, the basics will be covered, but is there anything nagging at your thoughts about my experience that you feel I should also share? Let me know.

Day Twenty-Eight.

Thanks to a fellow foodie, I've made a delicious discovery: Avocado. I've had it before in dips and on pizzas, but I've never braved a fresh purchase of my own. Quite frankly, I wasn't even sure how to prepare it [and had to ask]. Today, I've had it twice. The first was on an egg sandwich with turkey bacon and red bell pepper. A-mazing. Though I'm still not sure I have my avocado slicing down right because it kind of turned to mush. However, this lead me to an interesting idea: I've been using organic Dijon dressing on sandwiches in an attempt to replace my beloved Miracle Whip [the lemonaise was used exactly once, I can't take the idea of ingesting almost all egg yolk when it doesn't even taste that good], but with the avocado mush it lead to an interesting taste and texture. So this evening I had another egg sandwich [don't judge, I get on daily, sometimes weekly food kicks and eat the same thing three times a day, that's my prerogative] topped with spinach and an avocado/Dijon mixture as my spread. Surprisingly very yum! [Still not Miracle Whip, but it's getting tastier.]

Day Twenty-Seven.

So tonight my parents took me out to Chili's for dinner. I really considered ordering a black bean burger, but had to veto that idea when I realized that I always order it with a chocolate shake, it just wouldn't taste right without it.

It will be interesting to see what I will allow myself to eat after this whole thing is over with. While I have no desire to go back to my daily sugar habit, I will be relieved to be able to stop reading the label of every food item I pick up. [Ok, let's face it, I'll probably still be reading labels, but sometimes I'll care about the sugar content and sometimes the food on the front will just look too delicious.] I honestly do LOVE the way I feel now that I'm not poisoning my body with sugar. I've never felt healthier for this time of year. Usually by now I'm reaching for the Dayquill like the rest of the world, but this month there's not so much as a sniffle [disregarding the first week of flu-like withdrawal, that is].

Frankly, I'm not even tempted by the five boxes of cookies that now live in the corner of my office. I'd rather feel on top of my game all week long than have two seconds of sugar on my tongue.

Day Twenty-Five/Day Twenty-Six.

So I made an amazing food discovery tonight. Morning Star's Vegetarian buffalo chicken. I only gave up chicken a few months ago and the one item I can't shake the craving for it buffalo chicken. These little things not only fit the bill, but taste amazing. Seriously, I could serve them to hard core meat eaters and they wouldn't notice the difference. It was only after devouring a plate full for dinner that I thought to look at the box. The ingredients list, which is very long [I said they were vegetarian, not necessarily healthy], had sugar buried in the middle. Oh well, you live, you learn.

And speaking of items with unexpected sweetness, the one item I CANNOT WAIT to get back to in four days is...Miracle Whip. I'm loving the benefits of a nearly sugarless existence and will probably continue most of them even after the 30 days are up, but I will never again abandon my Miracle Whip. I've always been a hard core fan [Mayo ain't got nothing on the Whip], but after depriving myself for three weeks, the bottle calls to me every time I open the fridge. Will power I have, but it can only go so far.

Oh, and yesterday's banana nut muffins turned out surprisingly delicious. I had to substitute agave nectar for the brown rice syrup [I found rice VINEGAR in my search, but not syrup, weird.], but I looked up substitutions online and got them pretty well settled. BTW, agave nectar is not only a natural sweetener that doesn't spike your blood sugar like refined sugar does, but it's also nearly twice as sweet. Most substitutions only call for half as much in baking and cooking. Check out the info I found here.

Oh, and have I mentioned how fighting strong my immune system has become? Everyone around me is getting sick but I'm on top of my game [physically anyway, mentally, I'd rather stay in bed than work tomorrow, but that's a whole other story].

Day Twenty-Four.

I noticed something today. Though it has been well over six months since my last teeth cleaning, my teeth have recently been absent of that mid-day 'sweater' feeling that sometimes happens. [Be grossed out if you like, but you know what I'm talking about.] Now they feel clean and fresh all day long. A benefit of avoiding the sweet stuff perhaps?

Tomorrow plans have been made to attempt baking the sugar-free banana nut muffins. My baking partner and I are equal parts talented and disastrous in the kitchen so really it could go either way. I'll keep you posted on the [hopefully] delicious results.

Until then.

Day Twenty-Three

hmm...this is almost over. I'm really not sure I want it to be. I kind of like the challenge.

What shall I do next? A detox diet? Juice fast? Give up turkey? [Ok, so I already tried that last one and while the future vegan in me wants to make it work, the turkey bacon addict just isn't ready.]

Regardless, I like these little projects and feel the need to continue.

Day Twenty/Day Twenty-One/Day Twenty-Two

Have I mentioned how much I love food? This is normal, but since cutting out the dessert I love food even more. AND cutting out the dessert has allowed me to eat much more food. Not in a counting calories sort of way, but in that now that I'm not filling up on sweets I'm hungry more often and therefore eat more often [deprivation is not in my vocabulary when it comes to good healthy food]. And since I could talk about food all day long, here's a list of some recent favorites:

Breakfast
organic blueberry and almond oatmeal
mixed with organic vanilla yogurt

Lunch
Vegetarian chili
organic PBJ's [yep, still a daily meal choice]

Dinner
Amy's Kitchen cheese-less vegetable pizza [which is sweetened with organic agave nectar making it both sweet and nutritious]

I'm also still addicted to Green and Black's 85% dark. I ran out yesterday and attempted the 70% again...still makes my tongue tingle and frankly, doesn't seem to have as much flavor.

And speaking of dessert, Thanksgiving was better and worse than I expected. Surprisingly, the pumpkin pie didn't tempt me as much as I thought. However, I forgot my family also makes persimmon pudding. I love persimmon pudding and Thanksgiving is pretty much the only time of year that it's made available to me so that was a hard one to say no to. But I was lucky enough to have sugar-free apple butter at my disposal thanks to my mother's recent trip to Appleworks so that + biscuits = my dessert substitute for the day.

And now I'm off to re-heat more veggie pizza for a mid-morning snack. :)

Day Eighteen/Day Nineteen.

10:30am-

Yes, I'm a bad blogger. But really there's not a lot to blog about daily now that the bulk of the initial withdrawal is over. Some days I even forget that I'm not eating sugar. So really, it's all about breaking the habit and forming new ones.

I'm sure I will have updates later today though. A few hours of watching everyone else eat my favorite pumkin pie will definitely be a challenge.

Day Seventeen.

Headaches. Fatigue. Grumpiness.

I can't decide if these are returning symptoms of withdrawal or results of lots of class stress and sleep deprivation this week. I'm guessing the later. Needless to say, I'm not on top of my game this week. I'll update progress more as soon as I catch up on some sleep and can be sure that's not interfering with the effects I'm experiencing.

One thing's for sure. I definitely crave more crappy food when I'm stressed. Only now that sugar's out of the question I've switched to simple carbohydrates and alcohol which end up making me feel equally as crappy. [No I'm not an alcoholic, it's only an occasional beer or glass of wine with dinner, but beer converts into sugar in your body and has similar not-good effects, thus the overall crappiness.]

Only one more day before I can sleep in. Good too since I'll need all the energy I can muster to resist pumpkin pie.

Day Sixteen.

3:47pm-

Today's office temptation: Pumpkin fudge. Placed right next to the water cooler and postage machine where I travel at least ten times a day. Cruel and unusual punishment.

Day Fifteen.

It's winter. I'm overloaded with homework. And all I want is to give in to comfort food. But I won't. My experience this weekend after dining out is enough to make me stick to this. I need to feel my best right now and while gorging on candy would make me feel awesome right this second, the long run effects are simply not worth it. I am, however, indulging in a few more squares of organic chocolate and lots of hot tea.

After Saturday's crumminess that followed the onion ring fiasco, my sister and I toyed with the idea of doing a cleanse. There's a natural cleanse using a drink made with lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water that's supposed to clean the toxins from your body. The only kicker is that you're supposed to drink nothing but this mixture for ten days, no food. We decided to do it for about 12 hours. Perhaps when this experiment is over I'll give it a real go, but until then, I didn't want to add another variable into this month.

I'm getting increasingly frustrated with my co-worker's concern over my weight. Frankly, I'm not sure that I've even lost any during this experiment, especially since my intake of other foods has increased. But even if I have, I'm appalled that people would prefer that the weight be kept on by unhealthy means. If it's sugar that's keeping me in a certain weight bracket, would you prefer I keep ingesting the unhealthy to stay there? That doesn't make sense, but sadly, that's how minds work these days: It's not about health, it's about appearances. [And, it should be noted that most of the women 'concerned' are woman attempting to lose weight themselves who are perhaps just a bit jealous of my will power.] Personally, I would prefer to feel healthy and invigorated at any weight than sluggish and exhausted at another. Don't make me feel guilty for refusing to fill my body with crap.

And now, back to tea and homework.

Day Thirteen/Day Fourteen

So there was a lack of updates yesterday due to a trip up to visit my sister and her husband. However, this actually resulted in an interesting development for this experiment.

Last night involved an evening out with a bit of drinking [I stuck with beer to avoid any sugary fruit drinks], but I still woke up feeling refreshed this morning. That is, until we went out for lunch. Now, understandably, I cannot possibly check the ingredients list on things prepared at a restaurant, but it was a free meal that I was not about to refuse. We started with an onion ring tower, complete with sides of ranch, honey mustard, and chipolte dipping sauce. Now frankly, I know all of those sauces included some form of sugar, but I indulged...and lived to regret it. I've felt like crap all afternoon. From right after lunch til currently typing this, I've felt sluggish, had a headache, and just generally felt like the beginnings of the flu and I'm sure it's a result of the sugar.

This article actually describes this effect pretty precisely: http://www.westonaprice.org/transition/sugars.html

And now you must excuse me while I retreat back under a blanket and continue to feel like I'm dying.

Day Twelve.

So the more I read about the effects of sugar the more thankful I become that I'm not eating it. It's a sort of reversed informed decision that I benefit from often. I stopped eating red meat at the age of 11 and only after that did I find out about the higher cancer rates [not to mention cases of Ecoli] in meat eaters than in vegetarians. It's kind of the same feeling as watching the election day coverage knowing that you already voted early, you're intrigued at what's happening with everyone else, but glad you already got that hassle out of your life.

Anyway, today during a relatively slow workday I was browsing for more sugar information. I found that sugar not only adds absolutely nothing to your body in vitamins or minerals, but it also sucks nutrients FROM your body. That's right. Empty calories with no benefits are feeding on the few vitamins you did ingest at dinner while you eat that sugary dessert. Kind of sounds like a parasite, right?

Another benefit that I'm seeing in my own experience, but have been scared to mention is the effect sugar [or the lack of sugar] has on your skin. There are actually several studies, most notably by dermatologists Perricone and Brandt, that reveal the way that sugar breaks down the collagen in the skin and causes inflammation. Both doctors put forward diet plans that are supposed to reduce the inflammation of the skin that causes aging and acne, giving up refined sugar is a large part of these plans. When you think about it logically it really makes sense. Everything you put into your body effects the way your organs function, right? Well, what's the body's largest organ? [If you're not thinking 'the skin' go back to high school health class.] My skin has never felt so resilient. Example, last night I had two glasses of wine before crashing in bed [yes, I'm a lightweight]. Now normally, this would show on my face in the very least as tired and puffy the next day, but today, I looked refreshed and invigorated [even if I didn't feel so]. Also, my normally temperamental skin has been less so in just about every way. If this continues for the next few weeks I may never eat sugar again [yes, vanity is the best motivation.]

Day Eleven.

1:30pm-

Have solved the problem of craving something sweet to end a meal: Tea. Yes, I'd fit right in with the Brits as I brew a pot of hot herbal to end every meal with.

And the added warmth in winter is a nice bonus.

8:40pm-

I'm in love...with a grocery store. I drove up to Trader Joe's tonight after work to buy organic peanut butter and left with $40 in delicious food [but ironically forgot the peanut butter]. The store is known for it's healthy food choices so I was in vegetarian heaven.

Among my purchases were many ready-made items [I'm too lazy to cook for just myself] like pasta with eggplant and zucchini, brown rice with mushrooms, spicy buttered veggies, and organic wine [which I'm currently a glass and a half into]. In addition to the health food, they also have shelves labeled with artistically designed prices [each one different from the next] and a section of beauty care that I've only read about in the 'green' issues of my magazines.

The best part though was the sense of community among the shoppers. We were all there because we are health-conscious, socially-minded, recyclers and we just 'get' each other. One stranger recommended the organic lotion I stood reading the label of [and later bought], the cashier talked dark beer with me, and overall I just felt among 'my people.'

Yes, I'm a green freak and I like it. But at least I'm not alone.

Day Ten.

So the universe must be conspiring against me.

Today, for the third time since starting this experiment, there were treats at work.

My first Monday off sugar a co-worker made an entire week's worth of what everyone referred to as 'the best cookies ever' and brought a bag into work.

Yesterday, another co-worker brought in the fruit salsa and cinnamon/sugar chips.

Today, there was birthday cake.

Now normally at my office, birthday cake means DQ ice cream cake...ice cream cake I can resist. I know I'm a bit of a freak for this, but I'm not such a big fan of DQ's cakes. I'd much rather have good old-fashioned birthday cake with real cake and real icing. Call me sentimental, but that's what I like. Today, they bought real cake. A sugary, vanilla/chocolate confection that was made to torture my will power. It sat less than ten feet away from me all afternoon.

But the thing is, now that I'm starting so see so many benefits from this experiment, it's not just a matter of 'should I' when it comes to the temptation of sweets, it's 'do I really even want to?' I have a feeling that even once this experiment is over I'll splurge only for the really worthy desserts...like dark chocolate. But cheap Walmart cake? I think I'll pass.

Day Nine.

I went grocery shopping today...again. Since I promised I'd cut out all items that were hiding high fructose corn syrup this week, I had to buy some new condiments. My purchases included organic Heinz ketchup and lemonaise. Yes, that's right, mayonnaise made with lemons. It's actually probably LESS healthy overall than my usual Light Miracle Whip [eggs are on the ingredient's list twice, once as 'whole eggs' and again as 'egg yolks.' Hmmm...aren't those in the whole eggs? didn't you already cover that?], but it is still free of fructose and sugar so it's now in my fridge.

I'm over-indulging on the Green & Black tonight [85% of course]. I read the other day that chocolate, since it is made from the cocoa berry, is actually a fruit [logical, but I'm never thought of it that way]. So now I'm craving cocoa berries. Seriously, I feel like I can actually taste the 'berry' flavor in my chocolate so it's tricking me into thinking it's fruit and therefore ok.

Today at the office a co-worker brought in fruit salsa with cinnamon sugar chips for dipping. The smell alone was killing me. I craved cinnamon all day, which is ironic because the cinnamon I could have had, but mix it with sugar and it's off limits. So I came home for lunch and had organic PBJ's for a touch of sweetness to get me thru the day.

Overall, not much else to update. Well, there are a few possible developments, but I want to give them another week to make sure they're effects of the experiment and not a fluke in timing. Until then, at least the headaches and cold symptoms have nearly subsided.

Day Eight.

5pm-

Irony: I have a bottle full of sugar in my shower. I won't ingest it, but I'll use it as a scrub.

Today's been pretty uneventful. I don't dare venture outside the realm of this experiment after last night's numbed tongue.

Organic peanut butter is becoming my favorite snack. Right off the spoon even.

I do feel more energetic. However, this could also be because I slept in til 9:30 this morning [yes, this is sleeping in]. But overall, a feeling of well being is being experienced.

It's kind of weird how indignant I'm becoming about my situation though. Today I was at the book store browsing in the cooking section and was rather insulted that they didn't carry dessert books focusing on organic and healthy alternatives. A week ago I could have cared less.

Apparently I've got organics on the brain. In an assignment for my online design class I had to create a company to design ads, logos, and websites for in the following weeks. I chose to create an organic bakery: Sweet Nothings.

And speaking of organic baked goods, I did find a recipe from health-nut Gwyneth Paltrow for sugar-free banana nut muffins that I cannot wait to attempt. I'll let you know how it goes.

Day Seven.

Around 3:30pm-

So at breakfast this morning [ok, more like brunch really late this afternoon], I tried one of my organic frozen meals from the brand Amy's Kitchen. Now while I love this brand's pizzas, even I was a little afraid of my most recent purchase: Tofu Scrambled. Despite many years hovering on the edge of vegetarianism, I've never actually tried tofu. Frankly, I've been scared of being disappointed by this vegan staple and running back to carnivorism [ok, so I wouldn't go that far, but I wanted to like it and had a pretty strong feeling that I wouldn't]. This meal left me pleasantly surprised. While I'm doubtful that it will end up on my cravings list, the combination of tofu, spinach, mushrooms, tomato, and hash browns was not bad at all. Another surprising development: the few dots of ketchup I allowed myself to go on my hash browns was...almost too sweet. Yep, that's right, I'm becoming more sensitive to the artificial sweeteners. Perhaps this will be the last day of high fructose corn syrup after all. Is there a bottle of Organic Ketchup in my future? Maybe. [Note: a quick google search reveals that Heinz actually does make organic ketchup, I might have to check this out.]

Meanwhile, I'm making a valiant attempt to break the habit of needing something sweet after every meal. Now that I've found some safety items like Green and Black's chocolate bars, it's tempting to revert back to the old routine, but even raw sugar isn't as good as real food. Usually I allow myself a piece of the chocolate bar after ONE meal a day. Other occasions I try to use fruit as the pacifier. Oh, and you know that tip for dieters that says your should brush your teeth after a meal to avoid craving dessert? Yeah, doesn't work. At least not for me. Actually, as a long-time mint/chocolate fan, the minty fresh toothpaste sometimes makes me crave chocolate even more.

Now perhaps it's just because it's a lazy Saturday, but I'm experiencing less and less of the side effects. Today there is no dull headache and the flemy feeling in my throat has nearly subsided. At this rate, by week three this experiment will be a piece of cake. [Cake made with raw sugar and natural sweeteners, that is...hmmm...maybe I should start baking...]

8pm-

So I just conducted an experiment. The last time I purchased Green and Black Chocolate bars, I got two, the 70% and the 85%. This week, I've been sticking with the 85% because the raw cane sugar is listed second to last on the ingredients list [only 5g]. Tonight, I tried the 70% with it's raw cane sugar listed second on the list [12g]. And now...I think my taste buds are going numb. Yes, it's a better, organic sugar choice, but it's still sugar, and in it's higher quantities, it's causing a reaction. Weird. And oddly, I like the 85%'s taste better anyway...the 70%'s kind of...tangy.

8:17pm-

Dang it! Now my throat's getting froggy again. I'm starting to see even more reason to continue this experiment...these reactions are not pleasant...or normal.

Day Six.

Interesting tidbit: My 'cold' may actually still be signs of sugar withdrawal.

In most of the articles I'm reading regarding symptoms of withdrawal [in cases of sugar and in other addictions such as coffee and cigarettes], there is usually noted reactions such as runny nose [the body tries to dispel toxins thru liquid form], fatigue, fever, and throat discomfort. While I haven't been running a temperature to my knowledge, I have been experiencing the other three [particularly the throat discomfort, it feels like an entire family of frogs has set up camp in my esophagus]. The difference between this feeling and an actual cold is that usually, by now, the annoyances would be full blown, box-of-tissues, loss-of-voice sickness, but they are not. They simply have remained dull, annoying reminders that I'm not feeling on top of my game. But, as they say, it must get worse before it gets better. I'm hoping another few days, tops.

Observation: I've been eating much more than is normal for me. It makes me wonder if perhaps most of my calorie intake before this experiment was actually just empty sugar. Now instead of finishing half a sandwich and then consuming three brownies, I have a sandwich, some pasta, some chips [or whatever, you get the idea]; I'm actually eating side dishes, a concept foreign to me before this project [unless partaking in a rare evening out where no cooking is involved, of course]. I'm also trying to make sure that the food I'm consuming is relatively healthy. Granted, during the week, I'm lazy and usually don't eat anything that didn't just come out of a toaster or microwave, but at least I'm buying organic TV dinners and throwing a few veggies in with my mac and cheese.

What am I eating? Good stuff actually. I've had a few people express concern that cutting out sugar, mammal products, and chicken might not leave me with much else to live on, but that's quite untrue. First of all, the fact that I was probably living mostly on sugar before should probably be more of a concern. Second, depriving myself of dessert actually means I'm spending more money on real food. This week some noteworthy meals have included vegetarian chili, broccoli cheddar soup, turkey lunch meat sandwiches, and just today: a yummy mushroom lover's 'burger' covered with salsa and a side of pickle. [Ok, and I'll admit I also added a tiny splattering of ketchup and miracle whip to that last one despite the high fructose corn syrup on the label, but as I said before, this week allows for a few, non-dessert exceptions.]

Meanwhile, I do feel a change in my body. Not necessarily in size [again, not a goal], but in capabilities. I feel like things are functioning better, like my system isn't quite as bogged down by unnatural substances and is therefore freed up to work the way it should...
but then you must excuse me while I blow my nose and clear another amphibian from my throat...
so I guess the jury's still out.

Day Five.

So I'm getting a cold. Which sucks worse when you can't curl up on the couch with whatever comfort food you desire. Oh well, nothing hot tea and lots of naps can't handle I suppose.

Observation: The hardest part about this project isn't the physical withdrawal symptoms, but rather the psychological habits I have to break. I have a mental twitch every time I finish a meal. And it's not necessarily a twitch of craving something sweet, it's a twitch of not finishing a routine that I've become very accustomed to: meal then dessert. I think once I get past that part, it should be pretty easy sailing.

Symptoms: still tired. still thirsty. still experiencing dull headaches.
Now all coupled with the runny nose, fuzzy brain feeling of an oncoming cold.
fabulous.

Day Four.

New favorite snacks:

1. Terra's Sweet Potato Chips [yes, potato chips made from sweet potatoes. The ingredients list is gloriously short: sweet potatoes, sunflower oil...that's it. No mysterious chemicals there.]

2. Green and Black Organic Dark Chocolate bars covered in organic peanut butter [all made with raw sugar...Project Approved! :)]

Seriously, in less than 24 hours I finished an entire bag of these chips and an entire bar of this chocolate. But before you write this experiment off as too easy now, I will admit to still craving my gloriously sweet raspberry Giradelli, but the organic stuff is still a nice pacifier.

Oh, and since I forgot to mention it in my last entry, yesterday morning felt like waking up out of a coma. I couldn't move at all for about 15 minutes after my alarm went off, forget about opening my lead weighted eyes. Since I normally don't face such a problem I can only assume this is a symptom of withdrawal. It actually would have been pretty great if I'd had all day to stay in bed, but on a workday, it sucked. I dragged a** all day long. Oh, and did I mention I also looked like Death? My cheeks were sallow, my eyes were dry, and my nose was runny [though I'm thinking that last part is more a sign of an oncoming cold than this project].

Today, however, was MUCH better. I dare say I was almost chipper. So perhaps I'm getting thru the worst part.

Oh, and because I still can't seem to drink enough water I'm thinking I'll be seeing some positive effects of proper hydration soon as well...whatever those may be.

Now excuse me while I go guzzle another gallon for my trip across the Sahara.

Day Three.

Around 1:20pm-

Great. Just when you think you're being safe, you get a stomach full of formaldehyde.


6:42pm-

So I feel that I need to take some time to explain what inspired this whole experiment. Like a vast number of life choices I've made [both good and bad], it all started because of a book. Skinny Bitch to be specific. For anyone who's heard anything about this book, you probably think that it is yet another fad diet book. That's what I thought and why I originally had no interest in it whatsoever. However, I eventually learned [thru the osmosis of pop culture] that it is actually a vegan lifestyle book written with frank and humorous honesty. Being an [almost] vegetarian [I eat turkey products and fish], I was intrigued. It was purchased and read all in less than one weekend.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who's even remotely curious about the things we put in our mouths on a daily basis. It not only covers the meat and dairy industries darkest secrets, but devotes an entire chapter to sugar. Granted, it makes sense that a diet book would frown upon consuming large quantities of sugar, but Skinny Bitch isn't as focused on the caloric aspect of such items, but rather the chemical aspects. Refined sugar is raw sugar cane that has been stripped of all the good stuff [vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.] and filtered [thru filters usually made from charred animal bones, btw] before it's put in just about everything Americans put in their mouths. Now, this in itself doesn't sound too bad [aside from the senselessness of purposely making an empty-calorie ingredient] but then take into account that sugar has been linked to hypoglycemia, yeast overgrowth, weakened immune systems, ADD, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, and mental disorders, then you might pay more attention. Other studies have pointed out that many of today's common diseases [most cancers for instance] were practically non-existent one hundred years ago, before our foods were pumped full of the sweet stuff.

Now here's the scarier part: alternative sweeteners are even worse. I won't cover every detail, but did you know that aspartame, the sweetener found in diet drinks, turns into formaldehyde when it mixes in with your digestive chemicals? Yep, as in the stuff they use to disinfect dead bodies. Upon reading that, I shrugged a sigh of relief that I don't drink any soda [a decision made after a year of WAY too many cavities], but then realized to my horror at lunch today that the yogurt that I'd deemed 'ok for emergencies' this week is sweetened with none other than aspartame [hence the topmost comment in this blog entry]. So now I'm a label reading fiend.

Now that you know the secrets of the sugar industry [or at least a few], I can better explain my guidelines for this experiment. As I've said, this has never been about weight. First, I have several people in my life that would scold me repeatedly if I lost any weight. And second, I could never stay motivated for something like this if it were only for reasons of vanity. [It's not that I'm all that noble, it's simply that I would rather have a chocolate fix than a thin waistline any day.] My motivation must come from someplace more interesting. Morally, I feel like the industry has become a bit greedy, sneaking sweeteners into EVERYTHING [we're talking even bread and potatoe chips]. Physically, I'm motivated by my general health. Granted, I'm hoping there will be some positive side effects that occur along with this experiment, but really I just want to become a bit more aware of what goes into my body.

All that being said, I've found a GLORIOUS LOOPHOLE! By reading labels and doing my research, it is possible to find sweet products that are not chemically enhanced [or filtered thru animal bones]. This is what I did this evening.

Can I take a moment and mention how much I LOVE Target? I do. It's an obsession really. I love them for their effort to supply me with healthy and environmentally-friendly options at a reasonable price. [Yes, Walmart shoppers would argue that the price is not that reasonable, but I'm willing to pay a few pennies more for health. Not to mention that I've never been hit on by a toothless trucker at Target while said event has happened TWICE at Walmart.] Anyway, I highly recommend that you take your next grocery run to Target. But here's the kicker: don't just run in and buy the brand you usually buy...browse a bit. It's fascinating the health food store quality products you'll find on the shelf next to your Cocoa Pebbles and Peter Pan peanut butter. For instance, tonight I purchased peanut butter, jelly, DARK CHOCOLATE, and Mac and Cheese, all organic, and none containing any refined sugars of artificial sweeteners. Yes, the bill was a bit higher than usual, but totally worth the fresh fruit I'll have for breakfast tomorrow and the sugarless PBJ sandwiches for lunch.

So perhaps you can have it all, even without the chemicals.

Day Two.

So I'm cranky.

REALLY CRANKY.

Let's start from yesterday:

I really was ok until I ate the first meal of the day [which, being that it was Sunday and I'm lazy, was about 3pm]. That's when the cravings started.

As I've said, it's not unusual for me to eat dessert after every meal and I wasn't over-exaggerating. Actually, I'm beginning to realize that 90% of the time, dessert is really the only reason I eat the meal to begin with. Eating dinner becomes the steps in the race to a finish line called chocolate. But now, I finish...with no finish [there's a cruder saying I could use here, but my mother reads this, I'm sure you're all with me though: 'it's like.....with no....']. So yesterday, I polished off my bowl of chili to find that the end of the meal was in fact the end of the meal. No sweet ending? My taste buds were distraught.

So, I continued eating.

Two bowls of chili and half a bag of wheat thin chips later and I still wasn't satisfied. So I had a yogurt. Now, I still haven't decided the exact rules of this experiment, but for now 'giving up sugar' entails those items that are traditionally considered 'sugary.' Chocolate, brownies, cookies, candies, basically anything your grandmother used to warn you was going to rot your teeth. Yogurt is a gray area. Perhaps by week two it will be eliminated due to high fructose corn syrup located second on it's ingredients list, but for this week it will be used in absolute emergencies.

By bedtime, I was worse. As in two-cups-of-coffee jitters and a one-track mind focused solely on chocolate worse. I might have even dreamed in chocolate, but cannot remember since I only ended up with about 4 hours of sleep [I'm normally a 7-8 kind of girl]. So this morning, I was tired, cranky, and...for some reason...really thirsty.

That brings me to the second 'symptom' I seem to be experiencing: cotton mouth.
I guess it's possible that I'm noticing something that would have already been there, but today has consisted of more trips to the water cooler than usual combined with a 'flemmy' feeling in my throat that just can't be cleared [so attractive, I know].

Other noted sensations include dry eyes, dry skin [but it is winter], slight headache, and sweating [yes, sweating. Not hard-core heroine addict sweating, but still, sweating at the sight of a cookie is not normal behavior.]

And did I mention I'm REALLY FREAKIN' CRANKY!

If I can just get thru week one, right? It's got to get easier after that...

Day One.

And so it begins...

I woke up this morning and stashed away my candy collection. Yes, collection. Now hidden away in various cabinets and drawers is a vast array of sugary substances ranging from a box of Cocoa Pebbles to a giant bag of Halloween candy. My daily diet consists of at least one serving of dark chocolate [preferably Giradelli's Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares] and an additional dessert [usually a large portion of a medium-sized bag of M&M's that I always keep in supply].

I blame my mother. She gave me my first taste of chocolate at an age that most parents are trying to get their children to eat mashed peas. Growing up, family meals consisted of putting sugar in just about everything: tuna salad, deviled eggs, pasta, ketchup...EVERYTHING. Apparently, the American diet did not consist of enough teeth rotting, chemically altered substances already, my mother needed more. [Note: the last item on the list, ketchup, already contains the sweeter-than-sugar ingredient corn syrup, as does the miracle whip and sweet relish included in my mother's signature tuna salad. Sweet enough for you?]

Needless to say, sugar is a daily part of my life. I've been known to eat dessert after every meal and bake entire batches of brownies for myself only to polish them off in less than 48 hours. Thankfully, due to good genetics and a high metabolism, this sugar obsession has never translated into a weight problem, quite the opposite. At 5'2" and around 100lbs, I sometimes think the overindulgence in sweets is an effort to prove to those around me that I don't in fact starve myself. Through out the years I've heard many comments of 'where do you put it all?' and 'that will catch up to you later,' but I'd much rather have that than quiet whispers wondering about my physical well being.

Ironically, I really am a pretty healthy eater [aside from the sugar addiction]. A semi-vegetarian since the age of 11, I recently cut chicken out of my diet as well. While these diet changes were for moral and ethical reasons, it does bring me pride to read that it also could reduce my risk for cancer and/or heart disease. I am constantly fascinated with the effects certain foods have on our bodies. A few years ago after reading that the hormones in milk can sometimes lead to acne, I stopped guzzling it by the gallon and the breakouts lessened.

Sugar, however, will be a whole new battlefield.

According to a Princeton study of lab rats, sugar actually is slightly addictive and, just like any drug, can cause withdrawal symptoms. Effects of halting sugar intake after a pattern of binging include shaking and changes in brain chemistry. A friend's boyfriend who stopped consuming sugar momentarily also experienced headaches and a general lack of well being. Generally, withdrawal symptoms should only last a month tops...exactly how long I've given myself for this experiment.

So far, nothing...just a slight twitch to bust out the Halloween bag and binge on Twix bars, but that'll pass, right?