I have to confess, the second of week of my South Beach diet was a total failure. In the beginning of the week I had sugar cravings that I was not able to resist. Mind you, I have read that sugar has similar addictive tendencies to cocaine (they are like in their biology), and once I gave into that craving I was gone like an addict and a sugar binge followed (it started with dried dates the first night, then a bag of Panda licorice next day and a half bar of Fazer chocolate at night, granola bar the third night). Once I emerged from the binge I got depressed, and you know how it goes.
After wallowing a couple of days in failure, self pity and disgust, I decided to just try to eat healthy, and stay away from most added sugars, i.e. I can still have fruit where the sugar is natural, and an occasional small treat if the situation calls for one. I will try to eat less carbs, but they won't be banned completely. If I allow myself to eat everything, maybe it won't become such a "forbidden fruit".
One thing that I will continue from South Beach is to try to keep to a schedule. I feel, especially as I get older, that it is more and more important to keep the blood sugar steady. Hopefully that way I won't set myself up for a binge, and can even train myself slowly to eat less sugar. I am not the most patient person in the world, so taking the long route is not ideal for me, but since the short cut definitely did not work, I'm willing to try this. I guess this is really how you're supposed to do it. Not a diet, but a lasting change.
I'm hoping that this is something that I can follow forever. It won't be easy though, because one thing that I noticed during my South Beach week is how sugar is EVERYWHERE, and I'm not just talking about the added sugar in everyday foods like breakfast cereal and tomato soup. I'm talking about how we are constantly bombarded with sweets. Whether it's the kids begging you to take them to the cupcake ATM, the cookies in the workplace lunchroom, or the cupcakes at your kid's basketball finals, the war is on. I will try to make it easier for myself by following this rule of thumb: if I can decline the cookie/cupcake/whatever without hurting the feelings of the offerer, I will always decline. If not, I will take the cookie/cupcake/whatever, and eat half of it.
Another challenge will be the evening sugar craves, and I don't know how to address those, other than with willpower... Does anyone have any good advice?
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| I took the kids to the cupcake ATM during my first week of SB. |
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| Look at the excitement at the promise of Sprinkles cupcakes! |
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| And I'm smiling too because my resolve is still strong here.. One week later I was not smiling anymore! |
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| Ha! Sugar has nothing on me! |
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| Ok, maybe I sneaked a bite.. but it was small enough not to count!! |
