I recently quit eating sugar. Again.
I’ve known for a long time that I’m better off when I don’t eat it, but hadn’t fully committed to it. I had been experimenting with different forms of sugar and only having it occasionally. One day I had crazy cravings and thought I was going to lose my mind, when I saw this book JUMP OUT AT ME in a bookstore. I walked right by it. Then I turned around and I bought it.
In my adult life I have quit (and un-quit) a lot of foods. Here are some of the diet guidelines I have given myself:
- No fat
- High fat (but unsaturated)
- No fried foods
- Vegan
- No meat
- Just eggs
- Just eggs and fish
- No red meat
- Only organic meat
- No meat with carbs (proper food combining)
- Just meat, no carbs
- Only complex carbs
- No wheat
- No eating after 8pm
- No sugar
- Splenda, aspartame okay
- Just maple syrup, honey
- Just stevia, rice malt syrup
- Just fruit, but in moderation
- Just whole fruit, no juice
- No sugar soda
- No diet soda
- Just seltzer with juice
- Just seltzer
- Just tea and water
- No coffee
- Just decaf
- Just hot water with lemon
- Shots of apple vinegar
- No cruciferous veggies or legumes (to reduce bloat)
- No dairy
- Just Greek yogurt
- Juice fast
- No oils
- Just olive oil
- Olive oil, coconut oil, some butter
- Use The Secret (I am so happy and grateful that I am my perfect weight)
- Eat whatever I want, but mindfully
Most of this time I have felt like I was going against conventional wisdom. I ate lots of fats when everyone insisted fats (especially saturated fat) made you fat. When Atkins and South Beach came along, I ate all the carbs I wanted. I worked out a lot and was fit and healthy. I tried South Beach at one time and didn’t lose one ounce. Now there’s Paleo and Whole 30. Many people are gluten-free and other’s are vegan. So many diets go to extremes. I’m not critical of them. I think the important thing is that we make healthy choices. We might not do it every day, but we try our best. And every day is a new day to try again. What people eat is personal and individual.
I was all about Sarah Wilson’s I Quit Sugar. I followed the week-by-week program. I tried many of the tasty recipes. I eat according to her philosophy for the most part—I eat more fruit and less meat.
Last summer I tried this extreme super-model diet: The Bonberi Bikini Plan. Once I started doing it, it seemed less and less extreme. I felt amazing. My skin glowed. I felt good in a bikini.
Does that help? Are you more confused now than ever? The bottom line is: experiment, be open minded, then listen to your body (not the media). If you fall, get back up. And for god’s sake DRINK WATER!
🙂
