I’ve quit sugar — again. I’ve kept a diary this time, and below are a few excerpts. The struggle to avoid sugar isn’t quite as hard as it was the first time, but now I have a new foe: cholesterol, which crept in because I substituted cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese and yogurt for sugar. I used to avoid dairy completely when my allergic children were at home, but now that they’re grown up and living on their own, my husband and I have been enjoying eating dairy products again. All that must end, ordered Ms. MD (size six at most). I must “reduce” as they say in the U.K. because my cholesterol is too high.
I also have to eat more protein, say multiple blogs I’ve read about us “mature” gals. As we age, we lose muscle, and that’s in part why our metabolism sinks, allowing pounds to lard on even though we haven’t changed our eating habits! It’s unfair!. I eat a superbly healthy diet! Except for the cheese, and even that is healthy! I’ve been swimming a lot, stretching, lifting weights, but it’s not enough. I have to purge my diet of not only sugar, but of most fat, which means cheese and dairy products, sadly.
Below are the excerpts from my sugar-free diary, followed by a simple recipe for chicken with black beans and cherry tomatoes. If you have a slow cooker, make it in that. I don’t, so I made it in a Le Creuset 7-quart Dutch oven I got for a steal at Marshalls about 10 years ago. (If you don’t have a Le Creuset Dutch oven, you should get one, as it’s the best cooking implement I’ve ever owned and fully worth the (discounted) price!).
Day 1
I went to the pool. I ate regular food, some stuffed dates, which are sweet, and I made myself a stevia-sweetened smoothie, which is loaded with sugar, none of it refined, since it’s only made from pulverized fruit. The day went OK. I looked at a Kind Bar, but decided I didn’t really want to eat it. My “rule” during my last sugar-free year was that I allowed myself to eat one Kind Bar every day. I’m not sure I like that rule any more, and besides, I’m kinda sick of Kind Bars.
Day 2
I went to the pool. Maybe I can swap my sugar addiction for a pool addiction. I’ve been going to the pool for about two months. Once a week at first, but then more often, and now I try to go every day I possibly can. Today, I got into a fight with my husband. I was incredibly cranky. Miserable, unhappy, for no apparent reason. Until… Yeah, that’s right. I’d quit sugar. I apologized to my husband, explained what was going on. I went upstairs to lie down on my bed and write in my sugar-addiction diary.
Day 3
I had a difficult day today. I got through it, but it was hard. Had a nice lunch at a Thai restaurant, then went to Trader Joe’s. I was really tempted by all the delicious-looking cookies and other treats. But I bought fruit and salad fixings and chips. And I got one of those bars made of dates and egg whites, but no refined sugar. It tasted OK, but not great. The chips are not the healthiest choice, but as sugar is out, they seemed OK for now. I felt cranky and less bloated today. I miss eating sugar, but I don’t miss the headaches. Didn’t make it to the pool today.
Day 4
It’s already started as a terrible day. I had a banana and cereal for breakfast. Then I got some cheese and crackers, then a no-sugar date-nut bar, and I still felt hungry for sugar. I need to start setting up new rules I can keep. The first rule is that whenever Trader Joe’s has those little chocolate mousse cakes for sale, I can buy and eat them, as many as I’d like. But what then? Will I succumb further and, as I did two months ago, give up my sugar-free life to eat whatever sweet, sugary treats I want? What about that Trader Joe’s coffee ice cream I love so much? I wish I had a 12-step meeting of sugar addicts to attend each week. Yesterday, I ordered a non-alcoholic basil lemonade at a restaurant. It tasted somewhat sweet, and I drank the whole thing, not thinking about the sugar content of the drink. I probably drank my daily-limit of 18 grams of refined sugar in that glass of lemonade. I didn’t make it to the pool today.
Day 9
I went to the pool three nights in a row. Tonight, I skipped the pool and went out to dinner with my husband. When I go to the pool I don’t think about eating sugar as much. I don’t crave a big bowl of ice cream or a thick, gooey slice of chocolate mousse cake. I’m usually so tired after swimming that I only want to drink some water and go to bed. Last night, after swimming, I went to the supermarket and found some protein bars that have only 2 grams of refined sugar per bar without artificial sweeteners, so I bought and ate two of them. They were not terrible. Sugar has a calming effect on me, and without it, I’m snappish and miserable.
Day 10
I dreamt last night I’d eaten a whole bunch of sugary foods – cupcakes, cookies, chocolates. I woke up relieved, but still feeling sad. I went to Trader Joe’s today, which still has those luscious chocolate mousse cakes for sale. “Do I want to buy and eat those?” Of course, I told myself, but not right now. While I was in Trader Joe’s looking at those fiendishly fabulous mousse cakes, I cemented my new rule: I’ll let myself eat as many of those seductive moussey cakes as I want, whenever I want, no limits, no stopping, nothing holding me back except…for my desire NOT to eat them. Hmm. That’s a new sensation. Skipping the sweets, but not as a deprivation. Here’s another new rule: sugar that seeps in is OK. It’s health and longevity I’m after, not perfection. I’m going to the pool.
Day 23
It’s gotten easier. I still crave those scrumptious sweet desserts, but the pain of passing them up is not as acute. One reason: My decision to let myself fall off the wagon whenever I want, no self deprecation allowed. Also, at this time of year, there are lots of fresh fruits to eat: cherries, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon. I’ve been making myself fruit smoothies, which are very sweet (even sweeter when I add stevia drops to them). Eating all those fresh fruits seems to quell my refined sugar-cravings. As long as I don’t exceed 18 grams of refined sugar per day, I’m doing OK. I try to eat as close to zero grams of added sugar per day, and sometimes I do. Swimming helps too because it makes me feel better, and when I feel better, I don’t crave sweet comfort foods. Moving through water is comforting. The water feels like it’s hugging my body. And I don’t even like swimming, but I do like how it makes me feel.
Day 51
My “rules” for my sugar-free existence are a little waffly, yet working. I went away for the weekend to a lovely town filled with restaurants, and I ate myself silly. I came back and got some blood tests that revealed I have high cholesterol. That was upsetting. I ate a lot of sugar during my “sugar vacation,” and I loved it. I ate a peanut butter mousse cake that was divine and some dairy free mint chocolate chip ice cream that was fabulous. I ate two gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cupcakes studded with fresh fruit that were among the finest cakes I’ve ever eaten in my entire life! Fluffy, light, yet heavy on flavor. It made me almost delirious with delight to eat such delectable deserts! Now I’m back home and dealing with the fallout. I need to lose weight, my doctor told me. I have to cut out organic cheddar cheese and rice crackers, the only (sort of) crummy food I eat!! Lots more kale is in my future. To celebrate Day 51 of my dietary alterations, I put together a rather good chicken dinner. I made it in my Le Creuset pot (recipe below). I haven’t been cooking much since I started grad school, and it felt good to put a meal together.
Dutch Oven Chicken Thighs with Black Beans and Cherry Tomatoes
Black beans, green onions, fresh garlic and cherry tomatoes create a delicious blend of flavors when cooked for hours with chicken thighs in a Dutch oven.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs, organic preferably
- 2 12-ounce cans organic black beans, drained
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small bunch green onions, green and white parts sliced into 1/4” circles
- 12 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
Stir together all ingredients in a heavy cast iron Dutch oven with a lid
Cover and place over very low heat
Cook for 3-4 hours, stirring every hour or so
Ladle into bowls
Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving
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