I’m going to let you in on a little secret that I haven’t told Pamela yet—guess the cat’s out of the bag, now, though. When Pamela told me to restrict sweets to once week, I wasn’t too happy. It came up because she saw Snickers Peanut Butter Squared on my food journal. She told me, “You need to keep sweets to once a week.” I didn’t say much more than, “Oh, really? Okay.” But I really got to thinking.
That one Snickers marks a huge improvement over my Old Habits. I used to eat whatever candy we had on hand several times a day. Mid-morning snack? Sure! Dessert after lunch? Why not! Mid-afternoon hunger? Why not have some Milka chocolate, just a couple squares. Late night snack? Mmm, Snickers.
Now that I’ve decided I’m tired of wishing I felt sexy instead of blobby, it’s much easier to avoid all those Old Habits, like the candy one. It’s even better, actually, because I have Pamela helping me and guiding me. But candy only once a week?! That’s asking too much.
This week, I’ve been arguing with myself. A lot.
Me: Do I really need to cut my sugar intake that much?
Myself: Well, I want to get fit, don’t I?
and I: But I’ve already cut back so much, and I haven’t really noticed it yet.
Me: Besides, if I eliminate all sweets but one a week, I’ll probably start having cravings and just crash and burn in this whole “lifestyle change” thing.
Myself: Oh, I’m stronger than that! I mean, look at how good I’m doing with Dr. Pepper. I hardly miss it now.
and I: But, but… I’ve already reduced how much I eat sweets by a lot! Come on! Let me have this one thing.
And on and on–you know how it goes, I’m sure.
I’m really trying to convince myself as I write this post. Pamela is the expert here. And let’s be honest, I know she is right about this. I know that if I am really serious about hitting 170 by next June, sugar has got to go. I’ve seen it happen for myself, because my friend Elizabeth went on a diabetic diet when her dad was diagnosed with it. See, she figured she was at risk if she didn’t get her weight under control. And relatively quickly, she lost a lot of weight by eliminating sugar from her diet. (She was exercising at the same time, of course.) What more do I need? I’ve got it from a pro, and I’ve seen it work in a close friend’s life.
What’s your hang-up? What sound advice are you pushing back against? This rebellion is just going to delay the day when you are actually happy with your body, so let’s agree to drop it today! I’ll quit sugar—what are you quitting? Put it in the comments.
“If you change nothing, nothing will change.”
“I am not on a diet. I am changing the way I live: the way I think about food and the way I think about exercise.” (from a podcast that Pamela recommended, Fat 2 Fit Radio)
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