sugar, it's a big thing

So, last week I talked about the little things that I could do to improve in the injury reduction department (i.e. boriiiiiing). I know. I have faithfully done my PT exercises and I feel like my foot is improving. I have long known that one of the reasons I run is to have an excuse to eat more (i.e. sugar!) I would like to think that I love running more, but sugar is easier and just as rewarding for me. One of my favorite holidays is Valentine's Day. I wish I could say that it is because of the love, but I would be fooling myself. I mean I just ordered over 10 lbs. of candy to "give to my family" (sorry I poisoned you family). Needless to say, I had a lot left over.  I kept thinking of how I could get rid of it, but I just couldn't bring myself to pawn it off on someone else so I did the brave thing and threw the rest of it in the garbage. Believe me, that first night I was tempted to dumpster dive. None of this is easy for me to admit.

I really haven't given my sugar intake much of a thought, other than when I occasionally track my eating through My Fitness Pal. I notice that I routinely go over my allotted sugar grams. I just figured that if I burn more calories than I eat then I'm okay, right? Well . . . I had a chiropractor appointment this week (my neck and shoulders have been bothering me, but that's another story). My chiropractor expressed concern that I was not making the progress that he thought I should even though I faithfully preform my PT exercises for that condition also. Then he asked an interesting question. "What is your sugar intake like?:" BOOM! That caught me completely off guard. I stammered and stuttered admitting that it could probably use some improvement. Paradigm shift. I began to wonder if maybe these annoying injuries might improve quicker if I make a concerted effort to watch my sugar intake. Okay, you are hearing from a sugarholic. Is this doable for me? Am I going to be a stinker to live with? How long will the suffering last before I break my addiction? I read an article about the benefits of cutting back on sugar. I was surprised or maybe I had been in denial about the reasons sugar reduction is a good thing. https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-cutting-back-on-sugar

So this past Thursday, February 18, 2016, I began my sugar reduction odyssey. My go-to treat after my midnight custodial shift, before bed, crossword nightcap is some sugar filled snack. I really look forward to it. I had a yogurt. It was Greek. It was low sugar. I was unsatisfied. But I made it and went to sleep without going over my sugar intake. Yea! Weekends are another challenge, especially Sundays when I am hanging around the house all day. So far I have made it through Saturday. We'll see how Sunday goes. I can report that it is getting slightly easier and I have to be really creative about what I think of as a snack. I have just always thought of snacks as something sweet. It is rewarding to see my sugar intake stay below the recommendation. Well, I have made this public so there is no turning back. I'll check in next week and let you know if I notice any improvements. Maybe I should have my husband report if I am a pill to live with.