so long, sugar
1 Corinthians 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me-- but I will not be mastered by anything."
beginning August 1st, for the entire month of August, i am beginning a 31-day challenge of no sugar. impossible, you may say, and you may be correct, but i'm sure gonna try. what's the point, you may ask? well, a few reasons.
one, our country has been led astray with sugar-coated deception. we have bought the lie that 'healthy' foods have no fat, but lots of preservatives and sugar (fake or real). with the rise of high fructose corn syrup has come a rise in obesity and diabetes, among other things. personally, i am trained to crave sugar constantly and am displeased with anything that doesn't make my sweet teeth happy, all 28 of them. (btw, i had to count my teeth before typing that last sentence. i didn't know exactly how many i had.).
two, i love a challenge. i crave it almost as much as i do the sugar. let me re-phrase that. not any challenge, but fun health challenges like physical activity and food challenges, such as this one. i want to prove to myself that i can live without sugar for a mere 31 days.
three, i want to be healthy. God made our bodies to eat, exercise, and enjoy His creation. typically i decide how much sugar i'm going to eat based on my mood, my current body image, or how much exercise i got that day. all really bad reasons. instead, i should use self-control, moderation, and Godly wisdom to make decisions. i am not anti-sugar. absolutely not. food is meant to be enjoyed. however, i have gone overboard and i'm coming back.
four, i want to crave less sugar. i want a piece of fruit to be enough sugar to satisfy my desire. i believe we can train ourselves to like certain things so here it goes!
feel free to join! feel free to ask me how it's going! i need the accountability.
what does this no-sugar august month mean for me? i'm glad you asked. aside from the obvious desserts (cakes, cookies, ice cream, chocolate), i am also cutting out added sugar. fruit is allowed, as is milk. yes, these have sugar but they aren't 'added' sugars so i consider them necessary and healthy (in moderation). for me, diet sodas are allowed. artificial sweeteners are controversial since they cause us to crave sweets in general, but for me i really enjoy my diet drinks and for the sake of this challenge, as long as it is in moderation, i am going to enjoy these as my "sweetness".
RECAP:
allowed:
fruit
milk
natural yogurt
natural peanut butter
diet sodas (in moderation, i.e. <1/day)
bread
not allowed:
sugar or sugar-substituted dressings, syrups, jellies, or sauces
desserts!
candy
other than diet sodas, no artificial sweeteners (aspartame or sucralose)
let's get started!
beginning August 1st, for the entire month of August, i am beginning a 31-day challenge of no sugar. impossible, you may say, and you may be correct, but i'm sure gonna try. what's the point, you may ask? well, a few reasons.
one, our country has been led astray with sugar-coated deception. we have bought the lie that 'healthy' foods have no fat, but lots of preservatives and sugar (fake or real). with the rise of high fructose corn syrup has come a rise in obesity and diabetes, among other things. personally, i am trained to crave sugar constantly and am displeased with anything that doesn't make my sweet teeth happy, all 28 of them. (btw, i had to count my teeth before typing that last sentence. i didn't know exactly how many i had.).
two, i love a challenge. i crave it almost as much as i do the sugar. let me re-phrase that. not any challenge, but fun health challenges like physical activity and food challenges, such as this one. i want to prove to myself that i can live without sugar for a mere 31 days.
three, i want to be healthy. God made our bodies to eat, exercise, and enjoy His creation. typically i decide how much sugar i'm going to eat based on my mood, my current body image, or how much exercise i got that day. all really bad reasons. instead, i should use self-control, moderation, and Godly wisdom to make decisions. i am not anti-sugar. absolutely not. food is meant to be enjoyed. however, i have gone overboard and i'm coming back.
four, i want to crave less sugar. i want a piece of fruit to be enough sugar to satisfy my desire. i believe we can train ourselves to like certain things so here it goes!
feel free to join! feel free to ask me how it's going! i need the accountability.
what does this no-sugar august month mean for me? i'm glad you asked. aside from the obvious desserts (cakes, cookies, ice cream, chocolate), i am also cutting out added sugar. fruit is allowed, as is milk. yes, these have sugar but they aren't 'added' sugars so i consider them necessary and healthy (in moderation). for me, diet sodas are allowed. artificial sweeteners are controversial since they cause us to crave sweets in general, but for me i really enjoy my diet drinks and for the sake of this challenge, as long as it is in moderation, i am going to enjoy these as my "sweetness".
RECAP:
allowed:
fruit
milk
natural yogurt
natural peanut butter
diet sodas (in moderation, i.e. <1/day)
bread
not allowed:
sugar or sugar-substituted dressings, syrups, jellies, or sauces
desserts!
candy
other than diet sodas, no artificial sweeteners (aspartame or sucralose)
let's get started!
I dunno... I think you might be cheating with the diet sodas ;) I'm definitely with you though! I think this is a fabulous challenge, and Lord knows I don't need any extra sugar now that I'm about to pop! I already feel kinda guilty with the amount of fruit we've been eating, let alone the quick-bake brownies. :)
ReplyDeleteGosh, I'd LOVE to join you but I'm not a quitter. :0)
ReplyDeletePerspective is everything!
My addiction isn't sugar, it's all things spicy. I put hot sauce on every dog gone thing. I love hot peppers, hot sauce, salsa, etc.