Round 2: Day Ten.

Did you know there's sugar in LEMON PEPPER SEASONING? I have a nagging suspicion that I made this discovery last year, but I'd forgotten 'til tonight. Who knew that even your spice rack involves sweetener? It's quite disappointing since I've created a habit of eating baby peas seasoned with lemon pepper seasoning. It gives a nice little citrus-y kick to my veggies and makes it easier get my greens. However, now I'm wondering if the appeal doesn't have something to do with sugar addiction. So tonight I had to settle for plain pepper.

In sweeter news, I'm addicted to browsing the recipes in My Year Without Sugar. It's so handy to have found a site where the work has been done for me. I'm thinking of trying the sugar-free sugar cookies soon since they're really the only sweet treat on the list that I have all the ingredients for already. Had I not eaten my last banana this morning, I could have tried the peanut butter pudding, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Round 2: Day Nine.

Tonight, I don't feel so well. Possibly it's the half a bag of potato chips I just mindlessly consumed while watching television. They're sweetened organically [BBQ flavor requires a bit of sweetness], but still not the healthiest choice. Not to mention the fact that last night ended with a bit too much wine. Ok, WAY too much wine. And cheap, low quality wine at that. Without going into regurgitation details, let's just say I paid for my alcoholic indulgence when I got home. So I guess I even started the day on the wrong foot. I did however, get in my daily workout which has been absent while the parents were in town. But honestly, I'm quite ready to start taking this experiments seriously in hopes of a health improvement.

It's funny how just having a project like this to focus on makes things seem to come together in life more. I'm a firm believer in a daily purpose and this blog gives me that. No matter how pointless the job seems or how frustrating the homework, I always have this goal to work towards and that does amazing things for a girl's self image. But it really is time to take this seriously, no more cheating.

It helps that I found some inspiration today in the form of another sugar free blogger. Ironically enough, she started her sugar avoidance just around the time that my first month was ending last year. But at a year long, her goal was much more ambitious. Like me, she reached the end of her goal and felt so good that she didn't want to go back. However, while I slipped back into old habits in a matter of months, she's continued for another eight still going strong and gathering more information than I could ever dream.

Check out this inspiring project at http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/my-year-without

Just make sure you still come back to visit me some time as well.

Round 2: Day Eight.

In theory, day eight began my completely sugar free existence. My dessert free buffer week has ended; I now become a slave to reading labels. However, day eight was also the last day of the parental visit and a free breakfast at the Golden Nugget meant partaking of both ketchup and syrup, both of which I'm sure included not only sugar, but corn syrup as well. But, everything in moderation.

Speaking of ingredients lists, the recent Trader Joe's shopping spree left me with a variety of sweet treats which involve brown rice syrup. I've heard of this ingredient before since I spent hours looking for the ingredient during last year's experiment, but I've never fully researched it's differences and benefits. So here goes:

According to Bodyandfitness.com, brown rice syrup "is made by adding a small amount of sprouted rice or barley to cooked brown rice. The rice is then strained and cooked, becoming a golden syrup with a butterscotch flavor. It is about half as sweet as sugar, and, as with barley malt syrup, complex carbohydrates inhibit dramatic shifts in blood sugar levels."

So in other words, like agave nectar, brown rice syrup helps to avoid the blood sugar spike that causes so many of sugar's problems. That's enough for me to enjoy my organic granola bars with their brown rice syrup sweetness.

Round 2: Day Seven.

Today was exhausting. After a late night up with the parents the night before, we awoke earlier than my day-off minded body would have liked and I began breakfast. That's right, even in my sugar-free existence, I cook for my sleepover guests. Vegetarian biscuits and gravy. [Don't knock it til you've tried it, even my meat and potatoes father said it was delicious.]

It's a good thing we started off the day with a filling breakfast because we were in for some walking. It was time to take the 'rents on a museum tour way downtown. So after a bus ride, a train ride and a little walking in the wrong direction, we finally made it to the Field Museum. My dad's a big history and nature buff so this trip was mainly for him. I can get into parts of it, but pretty much if there's not pretty clothing or painted art, I'll eventually tune out any history lesson. For anyone who's never been, I would also like to point out that the Chicago Field Museum is like walking in a labyrinth of dark rooms with very little lighting. I think my body thought there would be no way out and started to shut down because by the time we decided to leave for a late lunch I was Tired.

Lunch did a bit to revive me, but I overindulged in ordering fish and chips [see what I mean by less than healthy eating habits? at least it wasn't a potato chip sandwich]. This was followed by a marathon grocery session at Trader Joe's where we purchased a treasure chest of organically sweetened goodies. Then last stop was a wholesome sushi dinner.

Once home [finally], a Netflix viewing awaited us. I feared I would not have the stamina to stay awake for a whole two hours of television and contemplated allowing myself an organic sugar rush to make it thru. But even faced with my own glorious loophole, I resisted. After all, I know it's cheating and I wanted at least one completely cheat-free day to end the first week of this project.

So I fell asleep during the movie [I'll re-watch that part tomorrow] and had a banana to make it thru the evening's homework [potassium rush, anyone?]. But now it's either chocolate or sleep, and, for once, I'm choosing sleep.

Sweet dreams filled with sugar await me.

Round 2: Day Six.

The interesting thing about starting a project like this is that, suddenly and inexplicably, you find yourself bombarded with free sweets. First, there was the free cheesecake on day three. Since then there's been offers of more cheesecake [we do employee samplings], chocolate chips* at work [when you'll pretty much eat anything to get thru the shift], and just today, free Starbursts* handouts from a inexplicably generous co-worker.

Now, as I've stated, my willpower is pretty good when it comes to saving my own wallet from sugar spending during this month, in fact it's part of the incentive for this project, but I'm not one to turn down a free treat. Junk food is expensive in Chicago so I cringe at the thought of passing up anything free.

With that being said, I should mention that the parental units are visiting for the next few days. Free meal outings and long touristy trips around the city may weaken my defenses, we shall see.

*For the record, while I safely avoided my second cheesecake encounter, I did partake in the chocolate chips and Starburst [I know, I'm so fired], but they're a small ripple in what used to be a wave pool of indulgences so cut me some slack.

Round 2: Day Five.

Day five was and interesting transition in a lack of self-control. While I maintained my dessert-less existence, I indulged in just about every other area.

Confession time: I love potato chip sandwiches. If you stop reading at that sentence, I understand. I think it sounds weird too. At one point I would have even thought it sounded gross. But being a broke vegetarian with an addiction to Miracle Whip will make a girl creative with her sandwich choices. I actually got the idea from an twitter friend who mentioned having them at a vegetarian BBQ. So one day I tried it: BBQ Potato Chips covered in Miracle Whip and smashed between two pieces of wheat bread. And now I have nights that not only does this meal sound appealing...I crave it. Obviously, this is perhaps one of the least nutritious meals a girl could have. I've been trying to wean myself away from them, but with no dessert to quell my cravings, I let myself indulge in my bizarre and unhealthy sandwich of choice.

And it's something of a farewell indulgence since next week I'll say bye bye to my beloved [high fructose corn syrup laden] Miracle Whip.

Round 2: Day Four.

Day four was not exactly laden with healthy foods. After day three's slip up, the dessert cravings did return and I scrambled to my kitchen to find something to satisfy my sweet tooth without cheating. I settled for organic strawberry yogurt, and eventually an organic PB&J.

In case you haven't noticed, my salvation for this project is organic sugar. In round one, I deemed it allowable without reason and I continue to allow it in round two. However, deep down I know it's still cheating.

Unfortunately, in today's society EVERYTHING is sweetened. Unless you have the time and money to slave over a home cooked meal, there's really little you can do to cut out sweeteners entirely. The only way I've found to avoid refined sugar and corn syrup [sugar's evil twin] is to shop organic. But even us health nuts like things sweet. We did, after all, grow up in America where the largest fast food chain puts sugar in even their meat. So most organic foods are sweetened with 'organic raw sugar' or 'evaporated cane juice' which are basically two apples from the same tree. Occasionally you'll get lucky [and pay more] when a company sweetens with agave nectar.

Agave nectar is heaven sent for a health conscious sweet tooth. Not only is it almost twice as sweet as sugar, it also has no effects on the blood's glucose levels, making it safe for diabetics, and avoiding the sugar crash for the rest of us. But, as I said, this is a rare find in the grocery section [try Amy's Kitchen if you're interested though] so I have to make an argument for the organics.

A little creative web searching tells me that organic sugar IS a healthier alternative. Because it is un-refined, it still maintains some nutritional value and is 50% less processed than regular white sugar. It is also metabolized in the body slower than the processed alternative [aka less spike in blood sugar levels].

For me, that's enough to ease the guilt.

Round 2: Day Three.

Confession: Only three days in and I've already had a slip.
Well, not so much a slip as a conscious decision to break the rules.

Here's the scenario: Today, a friend came in to visit me at the restaurant where I wait tables. Said friend had just spent her evening in town on my couch free of charge so as a sort of payment, she left me part of everything she ordered: appetizer, main course...and dessert. To be fair, the dessert was more than half gone, there only remained a few large bites on her plate. However, as I rushed back to box up my portion of deliciousness, I remembered this blog.

But this was FREE CHEESECAKE! [And rather pricey cheesecake at that.] While I'm not one to break my own rules, I'm also not one to waste good food. I'm a poor city girl and free cheesecake is free cheesecake, no matter how you slice it [pun intended]. So I ate it. And with the rush of sugar into my bloodstream, I instantly felt that comfort that only chocolate or a glass of good wine can give you.

Then, about ten minutes later, the sore throat that had finally disappeared after a week of threatening laryngitis suddenly returned. And just a few minutes after that came the stomach ache. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was the quick pace in which I shoveled food into my face before returning to work, but most likely it was the 66 grams of sugar I'd just inhaled. [ok, so I didn't have a full serving size, but you get the idea.] And the worst part is that, while delicious, I wasn't even craving the cheesecake to begin with.

Lesson learned, back to the program.

Round 2: Day Two.

One of the best things about doing this project is finding new foods to fall in love with. Like last year, the dessert lock down makes me hungrier for real food. I don't know if this is just my body's calorie intake making up for the missing empty sugars or if it's because, without the ending of dessert, I just don't know when to stop eating the meal. Regardless of the reason, food becomes very important to me. And in the absence of a sweet ending, the taste of my meal is paramount. It has to be delicious enough to make up for the loss of chocolate.

Last night I found a delicious food combination: Pesto Pizza and White Zin. While both would have been good on their own, this is one pairing that just fit so perfectly together they could start cravings, like veggie burgers and milk shakes. While I'm aware that there are probably plenty of sugars in wine, as I said there must be some allowances. I'm by no means an alcoholic, but I am in my twenties and I do work in the service industry where dealing with a**holes all day requires a nightcap to wind down most evenings. [Be nice to your servers, you could prevent a drinking problem.] I prefer sweet wine to dry which implies more sugars by name alone, but I'm not sure if the sugars are added or if they are naturally occurring in the fruits within [which is allowed for this project]. So let's investigate, shall we?

According the results of a quick google search [under the oh-so specific search words of 'sugar' and 'wine'], the sugar is naturally occurring. More specifically:

'Sugar chemistry helps to explain its role in wine. One of these is fermentation, where yeasts metabolize sugars for energy, yielding alcohol as a major byproduct. In dry wine, yeasts consume almost all of the sugar from the grapes. In sweet wine, the yeasts are killed before all the sugar is used, leaving residual sugars.' [Source: CalWineries]

So perhaps my White Zin comes guilt-free after all.

Round 2: Day One.

It's not quite a year later, but I'm back for round two of Sugar Detox. This time is slightly different: the rules are looser, there's no article ending [that I know of], and I'm not exactly starting out in perfect health.

Some updates on the life of Candy Girl:

1. I now live in the Windy City, otherwise known as Chicago. Since moving here a little over two months ago, my daily habits have become less than healthy. With higher rent and a greater tax percentage, I've pretty much been living on Peanut Butter and Potato Chips [not together, but some days I wouldn't be surprised to try it]. There are the occasional evenings out for a good, healthy meal [sushi being my favorite], but when left to fend for myself, I'll pretty much reach for anything to stop the hunger.

2. I have a new addiction [much more shameful than my previous dark chocolate binges]: McDonald's strawberry shakes. With a whopping 63 grams of sugar in a small [I usually get a medium], I have one of these treats at least once a week. It's not entirely my fault really, the evil arches are literally steps outside my backdoor and much cheaper than a trip to the corner market where a pint of healthier yogurt can cost me almost $5.

3. Probably no surprise after reading 1 & 2, I'm not feeling so hot lately. Since moving, my energy level has plummeted and my sleeping cycle has gone haywire. 2am bedtimes and afternoon naps are a constant in my life, not to mention the fact that sleeping in often cuts into my daily workout time. Even now, as I write this, my brain is a bit sluggish and my eyelids a bit heavy.

Basically, it all has to stop.

So today is day one off sugar. As I said, the rules are a bit more flexible for this round. Refined sugar dessert is still a definite NO NO, but with a smaller budget the strict label reading may have to have a few loopholes. Like last time, organic is ok, but agave sweetened is better [avoiding the glucose crash is key, after all]. Alcohol has to have an in somewhere, but I'll opt for wine instead of sugary cocktails. Oh, and of course, Green and Black Dark Chocolate will be back, but not until after week one's initial withdrawals subside [otherwise I'll be eating it by the bar rather than the piece].

Ok, I think that sort of sums it up [again, my mind is not in top form, hopefully the writing will improve with my health and wellness].

Quick summaries on day one:

1. Incredibly dehydrated. However, it should be noted that this is not unusual nowadays, lack of sleep and lots of walking will do that to you sometimes.

2. Sleepy. Again though, not unusual [clearly this is not a controlled experiment like the last time].

3. No real sugar cravings, but perhaps that's due to an impending cold. [I don't crave sugar when I'm sick, instead I crave orange juice and soup.]

Perhaps tomorrow we'll see improvement...