[CHANGES] Sugar

[Sandra Ahten]

Friends,
Sugar -- to have or not to have? Not a question that I really want to 
consider, but one that visits me regularly. I considered it this week as my 
friend Carol informed me about her decision to forego sweet treats through 
the end of the year. This was quickly followed by a Changes subscriber 
telling me about her decision to do the same through Christmas.

What's the harm in a bit of sugar? The nuisance for me comes in the debate 
that it causes in my mind.  There are people who have adjusted their diet 
and report being completely happy with one fudge bar, a serving of jello, or 
a cup of cocoa at the end of the day. They report having felt satisfied at 
Thanksgiving when they treated themselves to a sliver of pumpkin pie. I am 
not one of those people.

Occasionally I have been. I think I sometimes was when I was dieting to lose 
three years ago. I accepted eating in my point range, and I just did it. But 
I also started smoking at that time. I am no longer a smoker and as I look 
over my food diary for the last three weeks I see that I am consuming 
serious sugar calories.

At an editorial meeting last week we had a small potluck.  There was a 
healthy veggie pasta dish, seeded sourdough bread, and cookies -- big, 
homemade, wildly delicious cookies. Did I eat more pasta than I'd planned? 
No. More bread? No. More cookies? Well, I ate one. But then I became 
preoccupied about having a second. The debate began: should I, shouldn't I? 
I decided not to -- but then had another one anyway. And a third as I headed 
out the door. I tried consoling myself with the fact that for many people, 
eating three cookies would be no big deal. Well, for me it was a big deal. 
They were big cookies. It was unplanned. I spent energy fighting the desire 
and then doing it anyway. It is a pattern that I see day after day.

Am I concerned about the health detriments of eating too much sugar? A 
little. Am I concerned that I'll put on weight again? Somewhat. But mostly 
I'm concerned with the preoccupation that eating sugar brings me. When I eat 
sugar, I want more sugar. And then the debate is on: To have or not to have? 
Sometimes no sugar wins, sometimes it doesn't -- but regardless, I feel like 
I lose for having to host the heated debate.

When I started thinking about the possibility of giving up sugar for the 
next month, I had two thoughts. The first was "anything but that!" As in 
"Please God, I'll do anything else. I'll diet. I'll stay count calories. 
I'll go back to strict vegetarianism. I'll do anything -- but that."

Having had first-hand experience with many addictions, I quickly identified 
this as the thinking of an addict. There are any number of things in my past 
that I've tried to bargain with my Higher Power about, including alcohol, 
cigarettes, and must-have-a-relationship. But to my astonishment, surrender 
to life without these crutches was improved -- often beyond my wildest 
dreams. Could it be that sugar is in the same category for me?

My second thought was the realization that my life would be so much less 
complicated between now and Christmas if I would do this. I would not have 
to decide and decide and decide when and what to have. I wouldn't have to 
figure out how many of the chocolate truffles I could have each day -- and 
then how to stop eating them when I'd had that many. I would not have to 
scheme where to hide them from myself. I would not have to debate whether I 
wanted them instead of the cookies or cheesecake or fudge. I would not have 
to decide whether to have them first thing in the morning or try to hold out 
until after lunch. You get the picture.

Is this the answer for me? For this week it is. For this month it is. Will I 
have to be continually planning, strategizing, calculating how not to be an 
overeater for the rest of my life? I don't know. It is vital for me to be 
conscious of my eating. It is imperative that I accept who I am today. Today 
that is a person who is struggling to be conscious of my eating, to find a 
way not to overeat, and to not obsess about food.

I feel good about my strategy. I intend to keep writing down all of the food 
that I eat in a day and adding up the points  -- but not actually dictating 
a point range that I must eat in. I intend to not have food with obvious 
sugar in it.

Might this also be a right strategy for you? The answers are within you. 
Perhaps your goal could be to eliminate sugar except on weekends.  Perhaps 
it could be simply to observe how many points you spend each day on sugar, 
and how you feel when you do or don't have sugar. Perhaps sugar isn't your 
issue at all, but there is another food that, if you dealt with it head-on, 
would bring peace of mind. Should you give up bread with dinner? Alcohol? 
Should you commit to journaling consistently, or to a specific routine 
regarding activity/exercise?

The important thing to remember when you are trying to change your any 
habits, including your diet, is that it is important to have a specific 
strategy. With specific planning you can observe your behavior, decide what 
is working and what isn't and then make adjustments.

Decide your plan for the week. Write it down. Include a schedule for when 
you will check in with yourself and evaluate the results. Accept your 
situation. Accept your limitations and work with them.
Sandra
-----------
update: December 7 was the last day I had sugar. It is going extremely well. 
(In a way, better than I wanted it to. I want sugar not to be the problem!) 
I'll give you an update if I see you in a meeting this week.  If you are 
thinking about coming - this is a perfect time to come to WW and help find a 
strategy to get you through the rest of the season. It doesn't have to be 
abstinence from sugar - but I can make a plan that will work for you.


Sandra’s current schedule:
WW meetings: Wed 9:30am, Noon, 5:15pm, Fri 7:30am, 10am, Noon
Art Classes –  Now reserving: Creative Drawing and Drawing on the Right Side 
of the Brain - (Monday's staring Jan 5, 7-9pm)

© 2002 by Sandra Ahten
Although I am an employee of Weight Watchers, this message has no 
affiliation with Weight Watchers International. I am solely responsible for 
the content. "Points" are a calculation of fiber, calories, and fat. It is a 
trademark of Weight Watchers International.






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