Rule #5- I WANT CANDY!!!!

RULE 5

“Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients” (Ok, now this is personal)

The rule goes on to state “ labels list ingredients by weight, and any product that has more sugar than other ingredients, is too much sugar.” Fortunately, he then mentions the exception to this rule, which is rule #60, regarding special occasion foods. So, don’t panic like I did. (I will get into this in a minute)

Continuing on, the rule elaborates, “complicating matters is the fact that, thanks to food science, there are now some 40 types of sugar used in processed food (THAT Google search revealed an amazing laundry list- check it out, if you haven’t already).

MP then repeats “sugar is sugar, and organic sugar is sugar too”, implying that just because it is organic doesn’t make it more healthy if it has a lot of sugar. (Rats!)

To me, this rule really has two parts. Part 1- In savory or everyday foods, regardless of what form of sugar it is, there shouldn’t be so much that it is listed in the top 3 (this on top of avoiding HFCS!!). You should have seen the shock on our face when Lee and I read the ingredients on the “whole grain”, supposedly “healthy” cereal that we love, and read sugar listed third! I “get” this part of the rule, and considering my overall concern about my sugar intake, it is mandatory for me to change some of these foods out, or to limit them, BIG time. As much as it is out of the comfort zone to give them up, there are options, and they are reasonable ones, too (price-wise, and choice-wise). So let’s move on to...

Part 2- the “big Magilla”, and what MP is really addressing with this rule- Avoiding sweets and deserts...my main weakness that I struggle with on a daily basis.

A part of me wants to just bury my head in the sand at this point, because I crave sugar over everything else. I admit right here and now that this is a HUGE contributor to my being overweight. A bigger part of me (like the parts that wont fit into my skinny jeans) wants this sugar addiction to stop, so I have to “bite the bullet.” I don’t know why, but I am so weak to the powers of sweets, and the biggest contender, chocolate. I HAVE to win this struggle and get it under control, or the health issues that come along with eating too much sugar are going to win instead. I also know first hand, from WW, that if you can just chill out on sugar, it takes about 2 weeks to get past craving it). I know, I know... this is “easier said than done”, but I also know first hand that having will-power and self control feels REALLY good. I also experienced the WW mantra of “nothing tastes as good as losing weight feels!” So I have to get thoughts of chocolate (in ANY form) OUT of my head and replace it with thoughts of how good I felt every time that scale went down 6 years ago (...um, and then consequently has soared back up, once I stopped paying attention- I call this my “falling in love weight”, not to blame Lee!!).

So, now don’t you love the timing in this sugar rule with Easter Candy Season? Well, this brings me to the good news. I am going to quote a bit of rule #60 here, because MP is not unrealistic or cruel, and he comes across as someone who knows very well that dessert and sweets ARE a part of life...just one that should be limited. Rule #60 is titled “Treat treats as treats.” For now (because I will blog about this rule in more detail, down the line again), I will just quote two sentences from it:

1. “There is nothing wrong with special occasion foods, as long as everyday is not a special occasion.” The danger of calling foods “special occasion” foods, for me, is that it is very easy to find reasons to celebrate and slip into the habit of calling something a “special occasion” when it is really just a way to justify eating something more often than I should (as in, “I paid some bills today, I think some cake is in order”...or “Hey, Lee, it’s the 27 month anniversary of when I got my new car. Let’s have ice cream!!”). I happen to be lucky to have a large family and a lot of friends, so there are enough birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays ( true special occasions) to go around, and in fact , sometimes too many to really justify eating cake at every one (not complaining, here, about my bounty of good people in my life, don’t get me wrong). I hope that just by by writing this, I have “checked” myself on that subject.

2. “Another way [to not deprive yourself] is to limit your consumption of such foods to weekends or social occasions. Some people follow the so-called ‘S-policy’: no snacks no seconds, no sweets-except on days that begin with the letter S.” I think this policy is a good start for me and something I can live with: NO desert during the week, and only on the weekend-unless a special occasion happens on a weekday, so then that leaves one remaining night for the week. And whatever I indulge in is going to be WORTH the calories (ie, homemade or some killer ice cream) and I have promised myself that it will be a small portion. That is IT. For me, this is a MAJOR change, but it just has to be. The good thing is that I also happen to love fruit and dried fruit. We also have the luxury out here in So. Cal of having fresh oranges and other fruit in our yard, as well as Lee’s Mom’s yard. So, if I need a little something sweet during the week, I am going for fruit or a few dates or dried cherries, etc... (dried fruit is expensive, so that will keep the portions down). I also have some good dark chocolate on hand, to fall back on, in case I really feel the need. Dark chocolate is so rich anyway, and I have to say, I have been re-training myself to savor just a few squares at a time, every few days. A few pieces are supposed to have good health benefits (the key word here, of course, is a FEW). Also, I cannot eat it later in the day, or it keeps me up at night (yep, that little amount of caffeine, believe it or not), so that alone limits me!

I know I am not alone in this sweet-tooth-boat, and even if you are not in that same boat, I hope you can understand how challenging this is. Sugar is big business and sugary stuff is not only everywhere, it is in your face where ever you go. Cupcake stores, donut shops, bakery displays and cases (usually in a premium spot in any store or restaurant) and giant candy displays in EVERY store, in addition to the entire isles of candy... just to name a few evil-doers. How about that waiter who literally shoves a dessert menu, or even worse, a sample tray, in your face at the end of a meal? How about the entire truck full of candy and cookies and donuts on a movie set that you can just walk into and grab whatever you want, whenever you want (talk about being like “a kid in a candy shop!!”)?

On that note, I will end with the relieving fact that Easter is on a Sunday, AND a special occasion, so I am vowing to patiently wait for my ration of Cadbury, rather than buying it the minute Easter season starts and continually eating it leading up until Easter like I usually do! And then the @#%!$# “candy” holidays are over for a while... RIGHT?? Don’t think for one second that this Cadbury addict is not avoiding the stores that carry Cadbury like they are the plague (I don’t know why those mini-eggs have to exist, or the caramel filled ones either- they haunt me).

I will be posting more about sugar and updating about my progress. In the meantime, I am especially looking forward to ideas, input and comments on this one- “bring it on!”