Sugar-free: Day 14

I'm sure you're all dying for an update on this crazy decision I made two weeks ago, today.

Well, I've made it this far. I'm not going to say it's been extremely hard, I'm also not going to say that I have been incredibly strict about it. It's actually gone quite well. I found that by cutting out sugar, I realized how much sugar I was actually already not eating. I didn't need to go through my pantry and throw everything away. I also did not need to readjust my monthly menu. That was a nice realization.

I do still allow myself to eat white flour sometimes. I also have had a couple of bites of cake with a new frosting recipe I tried. Because I cut out the sugar, though, I'm finding that I am not binge-eating when it comes to junk food. It's just not an option. That has been really good for me. I still have my vices - I've tried and eaten an abundance of baked goodies without sugar, and I still love snacking. Now I'm just forced to snack a little healthier. If I could just snack a little less...but one thing at a time, right? I know I shouldn't be hard on myself.

It's been fun trying a few new recipes. I mainly just substitute honey or brown rice syrup for the sugar in my regular recipes. For the most part, they have been pretty delicious, in my opinion. Tonight, I made oatmeal cookies with brown rice syrup and Bryce was really excited to try the dough (in our house, eating the cookie dough has always been the best part). As I handed him a spoonful, I said, "You might not like it." I went back into the kitchen, and moments later I hear Bryce say, "Um, yeah, that's actually pretty gross." Nice. The finished cookies got an "okay" from him. I guess we have a little way (or maybe a lifetime) to go before Bryce ever considers a sugar-free lifestyle.

All in all, this has been a good thing. I've committed to no sugar indefinitely. I don't know how long I'll go, but right now I'll just go a day at a time. Maybe once I feel like I have a better grasp on controlling my sugar intake, I'll be less stringent, but then the cycle may begin again. My sister and I had an interesting conversation about food the other night. We both have issues with food. It's sort of a major focus of our days and rather than eating to live, it feels like we sometimes live to eat. She was saying that maybe instead of giving up different foods, I should evaluate my relationship with food and try to adjust that.

There's some food for thought...(clever, right?)