Video Blog: No Sugar Challenge Update #1

Well, let's just say I learned quite a bit about myself during this self-video shoot.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />1. I rarely smile<i> (I'm chalking this up to nerves - I get told I'm smiley all the time!).</i></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">2. Charles is annoying! </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />3. I might have edited this out, but I do a lot of playing with my hair.  Didn't realize I was so girly - ugh.<br /><br />4. Charles is so annoying.<br /><br />5. I have a hard time with eye contact - and this is definitely true in real life!</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">6. Did I mention how annoying Charles is? </blockquote> So, without further adieu... my first ever video blog (please, don't all applaud at once):<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/f78O_elt7Rw" width="420"></iframe><br /><br />You'll find this out the video, but you are looking at the proud owner of these pink gold bracelets from Tarjay!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZmgBelwQvNEVBCalTYnc5JvtHkHjtyxveWBEVISQ8IIZiguYM0W1PxVKl83xXc-oTMJI0Svwgn5bpLg2Yr3-lsEYf0vU89UkmWKLej-f-kukQUTC4jR_ykIuMqqYlL5qFJlOM3eJqQo/s1600/target+bracelets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZmgBelwQvNEVBCalTYnc5JvtHkHjtyxveWBEVISQ8IIZiguYM0W1PxVKl83xXc-oTMJI0Svwgn5bpLg2Yr3-lsEYf0vU89UkmWKLej-f-kukQUTC4jR_ykIuMqqYlL5qFJlOM3eJqQo/s400/target+bracelets.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Now, because I cannot say this enough - thanks for watching and reading!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">{Please don't leave me now that you've 'seen' me.} haha</span></div><br /><br />

No Sugar Challenge VIDEO Video Blog: No Sugar Challenge Update #1

Well, let's just say I learned quite a bit about myself during this self-video shoot. 1. I rarely smile (I'm chalking this up to ne...

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All I Want is Chocolate!

Our first 4th of July as a married couple was spent in the back of a GMC Acadia with a scant view of the fireworks through the trees.  Sadly, the town got a thunderstorm right before the fireworks began.  I would have loved to see the kids' reaction to the fireworks had we been able to sit outside with the view we were originally going to have. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lJ2dOS3JgUX-rUIL-QLelmV-CKy53E49J0nPEo0NwFlbrVryPVmZlAM083sy-lG55prTQdd_hbIyQ4Ngha8O1g3oPHhHTILxENlbDhTdWuEV0uphoxxGJyv-fzzi7cRVoCrRMXEml9U/s1600/sugar-addiction-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lJ2dOS3JgUX-rUIL-QLelmV-CKy53E49J0nPEo0NwFlbrVryPVmZlAM083sy-lG55prTQdd_hbIyQ4Ngha8O1g3oPHhHTILxENlbDhTdWuEV0uphoxxGJyv-fzzi7cRVoCrRMXEml9U/s200/sugar-addiction-cartoon.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>What a better way to cap off a very hot day and a night of fireworks with icecream, right?  Well, everyone else was enjoying the icecream but I just tried to focus on something else, like catching up on my Google Reader.  It was tough.  <br /><br />I'm trying to be cognizant of how I'm feeling or what I'm doing when I crave a sweet.  I think it's important to understand what makes me suddenly want to eat them.  So far, it's rather obvious that when there is so much downtime, then I really want a sweet.  Couple that with any amount of boredom or minor stress and the craving is amplified.   <br /><br />While I'm only focusing on your typical, easily identifiable sweets, I'm sure many of us would be surprised to find discover where else sugar is hiding in non-typical "sweets".  I read in a <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/how-sugar-harms-you?cm_mmc=Dish_Newsletter-_-876966-_-04112012-_-Grid3" target="_blank">Women's Health article</a> that even a McDonald's Sesame seed bun contains sugar.  How necessary is that really?  I'm not ready to be <i>that </i>strict with the elimination of sugar from my diet, but it's something to consider and be mindful of when selecting certain foods.  Should you venture to that article, be sure to check out that fun quiz at the bottom of page one - the questions/answers are interesting!  For example, between a Yoo-hoo and an Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Juice - which do you think has the least amount of sugar?  It's the Yoohoo!  Granted, it's not by much, but I was still surprised yet again of the marketing schemes surrounding juices.... it's all about that health halo.<br /><br /><b style="color: #351c75;">Have you ever quit eating sweets?  What was the biggest difference you felt/saw as a result?</b>

No Sugar Challenge All I Want is Chocolate!

Our first 4th of July as a married couple was spent in the back of a GMC Acadia with a scant view of the fireworks through the trees.  Sadly...

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Two Days Without Sugar

I'm so grateful  to Missy for writing the post she did.  This 'no sugar' thing is really shaking things up from what I'm used to and I love it!<br /><br />Monday went really well.  I had no real cravings and I was able to make it through the day with no problem.<br /><br />Yesterday, however, was a different story.  We drove from Virginia to Pennsylvania for 4th of July and I found myself multiple times wanting a sweet on the long drive.  I'm sure I only wanted one because of boredom/minor stress of the drive. <br /><br />As the day wore on, I wanted sweets more and more.  It's funny how often my mind wondered to having a sweet.  As a result, I've been eating a lot of berries.  Right now, the sweetness of the berries isn't quite satisfying the yearning for chocolate, but I suspect it will eventually.<br /><br />I have to confess, I did have a slight mess up this morning at breakfast.  I'm at my sister's and my brother-in-law made pancakes.  So, I did consume some pancake syrup this morning.   My original thought was if I made pancakes on my own, I would make a fruit compote or something like that to put over them.  Still, it's not a huge deal.  I was mindful of it and put only as much on it as I needed. <br /><br />Here's to making it through the 4th of July without any sweets...... ohhhhh the s'mores I want soooo badly!

No Sugar Challenge Two Days Without Sugar

I'm so grateful  to Missy for writing the post she did.  This 'no sugar' thing is really shaking things up from what I'm use...

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Sugary Foods I'm Leaving Behind for July

I need to give myself some guidelines around what constitutes "sugar" for July's challenge.<br /><br />Hilary, for the month of July, you are not to consume any of the following:<br /><br /><ul><li>Starbucks tea lattes (chai and Earl Grey)</li><li>granola bars (Kashi cherry vanilla, Fiber One, Special K, etc)</li><li>chocolate or anything containing chocolate </li><li>icecream</li><li>chocolate milk</li><li>pancake syrup</li><li>smoothies made with sugary add-ins</li><li>baked goods (cupcakes, brownies, cake, donuts, cookies, pies)</li><li>candy and candy bars </li><li>pudding/Jell-o </li><li>sugary cereal </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODKjxmwl1ezXNEpkucgNrXH-9gqibsBixSyS8A9tRxq2-czAHyL7o4_FMlsywb2IBsSnbw2MKosw2K7Ik6NvelIOQ0ZSQusyXtAH-o249eHMT26OyQHAddu7_OPokxxx_uqhb6ZnFeOU/s1600/cake.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODKjxmwl1ezXNEpkucgNrXH-9gqibsBixSyS8A9tRxq2-czAHyL7o4_FMlsywb2IBsSnbw2MKosw2K7Ik6NvelIOQ0ZSQusyXtAH-o249eHMT26OyQHAddu7_OPokxxx_uqhb6ZnFeOU/s320/cake.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />When I find myself tempted, I need to do one of the following to distract myself from the cravings:<br /><br /><ul><li>call a friend</li><li>read a book</li><li>eat some fruit</li><li>drink some water</li><li>play with the cats</li><li>when at work, get up and talk with a coworker or take a short walk</li><li><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-do-you-want-to-lose-weight.html" target="_blank">remind yourself why you want to lose weight </a></li></ul><br /><b style="color: #351c75;">Have I left off any sweets that you can think of?  How do you distract yourself from cravings (of any kind really)? </b>

No Sugar Challenge Sugary Foods I'm Leaving Behind for July

I need to give myself some guidelines around what constitutes "sugar" for July's challenge. Hilary, for the month of July, you...

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Cutting Back on Sugar for July

If one of Weight Watchers' requirements was to eat 5-7 (or 20) servings of sweets per day, I'd be killing it at this program!  Very sadly, we all know that immense amounts of sugar doesn't really do a body good.  <i><span style="color: #999999;">I cannot stress the word 'sadly' enough in that statement.</span></i><br /><br />I've been constantly trying to find areas of improvement (there are many!) in my weight loss journey, especially since I've been stagnant for months.  After reading <a href="http://movingthescale.blogspot.com/2012/06/sugar-its-addiction.html" target="_blank">Missy's post</a> about cutting out sugar for the month of July, I decided to follow suit.  She's right, sugar is an addiction.  Sugar is my drug.  Sugar is my alcohol.  Sugar is my cigarette (that's for you Joel!). <br /><br />Essentially, this is all about trying to find what works for me.  Right now, the phrase "everything in moderation" isn't really working.  In fact, I don't even know what moderation means anymore.  That can be both a challenge and benefit to following Weight Watchers.  Essentially, WW allows you to eat whatever you want.  That's great if you're a picky eater like me.  However, sometimes that flexibility is exactly what shoots me in the foot.  Right now, I almost <i>need </i>to be put on a strict, detox diet to remind myself of the types of foods that truly are beneficial to my body.  If I had the PointsPlus for the day, given the choice between my favorite meal from McDonald's and a more well-balanced lower PointsPlus home-cooked meal, I'm honestly going to choose McDonald's every single time.  This isn't okay with me. <br /><br /><div style="color: #999999; text-align: center;"><i>I'm doing a lot of "writing to think" here.. so just bare with me.</i></div><br />I've always tried to view this journey as a lifestyle change, and not a temporary diet.  To me, when I hear the word "diet", I automatically think of a person who is eating from a list of specific foods for a short period of time.  With WW, and with a "lifestyle change", I have currently been of the mindset of not changing my poor eating habits, but simply downsizing them.  I know from past diets I've been on, I don't do well with strict food lists.  I know this is because when I would ask myself, "Can you do this diet long term?" the answer would always be "No way! I feel deprived!"  The "good" thing about WW is that you can still have your cake and it eat too.  I don't <i>have </i>to cut out any "bad" foods - i.e. fast food, sweets, junk food, etc - because I know I can manage to fit those foods into my life using WW.   I do this by ordering smaller portions (like a kid's meal) or even ordering the regular size portion, but just counting it. <br /><br />Still, I cannot help but wonder, if I truly cut out those "bad" foods, even if for a short period of time to detox, then perhaps that would be the jump start I need.  Right now, in this moment, I'm essentially not doing anything different than I was when I started this journey, except eating a little bit less.  Yes, that's good.  It helped me lose 30 lbs.  But it's not enough.  <br /><br />So for now, I'm going to cut out sugar for the month of July and see where that takes me.  Eventually, I'll reintroduce it back into my life in smaller portions, but for now, it needs to go entirely.    <br /><br /><b style="color: #351c75;">For those WW readers, did you cut out any food groups/restaurants/etc when you started your journey? Or did you just do what I've done - cut back the portion size?</b><br /><br />**special thanks to Missy for the inspiration behind this post and this challenge :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

No Sugar Challenge Cutting Back on Sugar for July

If one of Weight Watchers' requirements was to eat 5-7 (or 20) servings of sweets per day, I'd be killing it at this program!  Very ...

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