Possibly the craziest new year’s resolution ever
Thursday, 12 January 2012 
22 Comments
This is my favourite cake – a sponge with crushed strawberries+sugar in the middle and lightly sweetened whipped cream and berries on top.
I usually make it for my birthday, and for anyone elses birthday as well if requested. If I could, I would actually make it for dinner every day, I totally have a sweet tooth and many times in the not so distant past I have skipped dinner to just eat cake.
Sugar doesn’t make me feel very well though, so last year I was sugar free for several months while I tried to figure out some health issues. Once they were figured out and the main symptoms gone, I went back to sugar… little by little it grew into a daily habit again.
This year, however, I have decided to be sugar free for the whole year… this time with no ifs, no buts, no “oh my GAWD, what is the point of living if I don’t get to eat cake!”
Why would I do this to myself? Well, because:
a) I have low blood sugar levels which means that if I eat sweet stuff, I get hypoglycaemic when walking/standing or running. Hypoglycaemic means dizziness and cold sweat = not nice, especially on a long run.
b) Sugar makes me bloated and burpy :|
c) As soon as I have a bite of something sweet, I want more and more and more and more and that I do not like – the feeling that food is controlling my thoughts. I much prefer to eat non-sweet stuff, to enjoy it and to feel healthy, happy and fulfilled after the meal without thinking “what’s for dessert” or “maybe I should have seconds”.
So I have decided that I have to be like a recovering alcoholic and not have a gram of refined sugar in my diet. Notice the clarification of ‘refined’ here – just so that you’ll know that I’m not a TOTAL loony – I eat fresh and dried fruit :)
A couple of days ago I actually had a little relapse – I made rice crispy treats with the boys and ended up licking the spoon that was covered in melted chocolate. Yum. Chocolate tastes good, I cannot argue with that. BUT – about 10 minutes later I noticed that I was eyeing the tin of Tim Tams and then all the left-over Christmas chocolates. I kept thinking “hmmm… what else sweet can I eat? what do we have? I’ll just have a little bit more. what’s the point of living otherwise?”
I had received proof again that my brain cannot do moderation when sugar is in question.
So I made myself a cup of liquorice tea and I haven’t touched anything sweet since.
(Interestingly dried fruit, which is quite sweet, does not make me want more or to hunt for chocolate or biscuits.)
I am sure that I will give in to chocolate more than once or twice in the next year, but I will get back up and be sugar free for as many days out of the next 354 days as I possibly can.
Is this possibly the craziest new year’s resolution ever or has anyone else made even more radical changes to their life?
I think it only sounds crazy to me because I know I couldn’t do it. Not for a whole year anyway. But the fact that like you, if I have a little bit I start looking around for more is probably an indicator that I should take a break from refined sugar.
I actually was wondering myself why do you do this. No I understand little better, but still not completely. Especially taking how much you run!!!! I am admiring you!
Do you mind to share the recipe? It looks soooo delicious and I have to bake very important 4-year-birthday cake very soon!
I’m assuming from your name that you’re Estonian so here’s a link to the very plain recipe that I use – http://www.toidutare.ee/retsept.php?id=5805&print=1
Thank you so much! It was big hit ;)!
Good to know :)
Have you tried cutting off white refined sugar first? For me refined white sugar is equal to poison, but I still use unrefined brown sugar. It should be especially easy in UK where unrefined sugar is quite cheap (considering the price in Estonia). I use it everywhere instead of white sugar :)
At home we do only have unrefined brown sugar, but unforuntately even baking with that has the same effect on my blood sugar levels and my cravings as white sugar…
I totally agree with Mann. White sugar is a poison, and a really addictive one. Unrefined sugar is much better. So maybe you don’t have to cut out ALL sweet stuff, just make sure, it is made using unrefined sugar? Or have you tried it and still felt not good?
it doesn’t sound crazy at all! i’m additcted to sweets, especially chocolate too! TOTALLY addicted! my teeth itch and buuuuuurrrrrrn when I have ZERO chocolate or chocolate covered cookies or chocolate chip ice cream or chocolate covered almonds or whatever-chocolate lying around my house! so usually i just don’t buy any of that, because of what you said – i’ll take ONE bite and then end up munching the whole 200 gr or 500 gr thing all by myself… :S and then feel awful both physically and mentally. so maybe I should join you, but I already know that I won’t be able to be choc free totally, but I’d like to have 6 sugarless day out of 7 in a week :)
in cooking and tea sweetening etc I use Agave syrup instead of any sugar and I’m happy witht that. I’m not a big fan of cookies and ice cream, but yeah, chocolate is my thing, my love and weakness :)
I think it’s a good plan to give yourself a day or two a week where you know you can indulge chocolate. I might have to go that route if I really can’t keep it up for 7 days a week.
We have a dear hockey friend who supplies my team with lemon Sports Beans between back-to-back matches. They do the trick to stave off dizziness, and sometimes we even win the second game. To avoid low sugar when we have evening training I eat a huge lunch since I know I won’t be able to eat until about 9pm. I’m sure two smaller meals would be better in theory, but one big one works for me.
No resolutions here this year.
My trouble is that if I haven’t been eating well, I get dizzy right in the beginning of my run. It then takes me a good 5km of struggling through that before I feel normal again and can start enjoying my run.
I don’t think you’re crazy at all! I gave up chocolate over a year ago and haven’t looked back. I’ve been sugar free for the last month, but am about to start the 12wbt program which will include a little bit of sugar. I think it’s important to know your body and what it can handle and not. And I’ve also realised that a lot of eating we do is for reasons so unrelated to being hungry, and I’m mindful of this too. Sorry for the long boring reply!! :)
I definitely plan on being more aware of my body and how certain foods make me feel. I’m sure my blood sugar levels can handle a bit of sugar so I just have to find out what kind of sweet stuff (jam, for example) I can have without it making me want to eat a whole baked cheesecake afterwards :D
I’ve been making changes in my diet too. Eating more of low GI foods for the same reason, to keep my blood sugar levels less up and down and cravings for sweet stuff minimum. I won’t stop myself when I feel like having some sweets though. It’s just I’ve noticed that if I won’t wait with the next meal until I’m totally hungry & out of control, I’ll end up eating things that keep me in a state of not wanting to have any refined sugar products such as chocolate. It feels great to look at chocolate and not feeling any temptation to eat it :)
eeeeekkkkkkkkk goodluck
Well I admire your determination! Good luck with it… (but that cake looks really fantastic)!! x
It’s all about finding what works for your body. If you feel better without sugar – well then, work your diet however you see fit. You’re not crazy, you’re smart! I have acid-reflux, myself, and the darndest things trigger it. Ketchup and orange juice (not together, eew!) but not fresh oranges or tomato. Most caffeine, but all coffee, whether straight or decaf. And so on. Maybe one of the “perks” of getting older is being able to pinpoint the things that disagree with us?
interesting stuff – I know that eating citrus (in almost every form) will make me feel awful, so I don’t. As for the whole sugar thing – I admire you completely – will you keep us posted about how you get on?
I’ll definitely keep writing about this sugar-free life :)
Mrs B. Saw your post in the ‘Blog of the month’ linky so was interested to read what crazy stuff you were up to. I started reading it thinking, there’s no way I could give up sugar but then but then it dawned on me that it was like reading about my eating habits. The cold sweats (i’ve had those when running and all the hairs on my arms stick up even though I’m hot), dizziness the frantic sugar frenzy once I’ve started and can not stop. Oh crikey.
Your post has definitely given me ‘food for thought’. Literally.
Michelle
Hopefully you’re ‘inspired’ now to try sugar free living for a while :) I am not a 100% sugar free – I have had some honey this week as I have a cold and want it in my tea, and I eat dried fruit – prunes are the best for when I want something sweet. I haven’t yet started missing chocolate and baked goodies. The freedom from crazy cravings is great and I’m happily keeping away from all the stuff that I KNOW will trigger the cravings again.