I Hear Angels Sing

Today I gave in. To caffeine, that is. I gave up caffeine around the same time I gave up sugar just to see what it would be like to be off both such stimulants. It has actually been tough--I am amazed how much "oomph" one cup of coffee gave me. The effects of that cup lasted all day, every day that I drank it. Today, I was practically falling asleep playing ping pong! Besides that, I have been feeling like I waste a part of every day napping. So today, half-way through my ping pong game, I drank a cup. Not only did I immediately hear angels sing, but I came back from losing a game to winning two ping pong games out of three.
Not only does coffee dramatically stimulate me, especially during the mid-day hump, but the taste is divine. My first sip made me realize that if I can drink coffee, I won't ever need sugar. I'm not sure about the connection there, but that is what I thought at the moment. The tough part will be to find an alternative to dairy creamer that does not have sugar. A few weeks ago before I quit coffee, I was putting in unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Not as thick as a creamer, but the best alternative I have found.
On a side note, as I was grocery shopping the other day, I picked up a box of chocolate soy milk that said in big red letters, "No Sugar Added". I was stoked and dropped it in my basket. Later, at home, I looked at the ingredients and in place of sugar was Splenda. No thanks. It was extremely sneaky how they squeezed it in the ingredients list. It seems like I have to be so vigilante about every little thing I buy! It's exhausting. Well, only 11 months and two weeks left of my New Year's resolution.

"Skinny Bitch"

SKINNY BITCH

Tonight I went to a book signing and met Rory Freedman who wrote "http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780762424931", and "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch"--a great recipe book. She is a great speaker and there was a good-sized crowd of people there for the signing. She answered a question that I have had and that a lot of people have asked me when I show them the book Skinny Bitch: "Why would they call their book that?" Rory answered that question tonight. They gave it that title because it was a cheap and easy marketing tool to grab people's attention--and it's working. They have already sold over 850,000 books and it has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 28 weeks. I love the chapter called "Sugar is the Devil". It is enlightening, political, and inspirational. The chapter talks about the refining process of the sugar cane, health dangers caused by sugar, and healthy substitutes for cooking with sugar. They also go into detail about the dangers of artificial sweeteners and Splenda. My favorite part of the chapter, however, is the politics behind sugar. It is unbelievable, yet it makes sense when you think about it. You will have to pick up a copy of Skinny Bitch and see for yourself. But be forewarned, if you are easily offended by four-letter words, this is not the book for you. Rory addressed this at the book signing, also. She grew up in New Jersey in a household that used that language so that is how she wrote the book--she didn't edit herself as she wrote. I waded through the language and the book is worth it. It's a fun read and so interesting, you'll read it in a day or two!

10 Side Effects of NOT Eating Sugar

1. I feel superior.
2. I am saving money. Junk food adds up.
3. I have lost some weight.
4. Discussing my sugar-free diet with people has inspired others to go without sugar, and in turn that re-inspires me to continue to go without sugar.
5. Willpower! I have more willpower in other areas of my life, now: exercising, cleaning house regularly, being patient in traffic, etc.
6. I am inspired to eat healthier in general--more whole foods, less packaged.
7. I am trying new foods, new ingredients, new recipes.
8. My energy level is awesome!
9. I don't have white sugar cravings! In other words, I don't need a Snickers bar or a donut to feed my sweet tooth. If my sweet tooth acts up, a little honey in my tea actually satisfies. Unbelievable!
10. My husband is proud of me.

My Love Affair With Donuts

Yesterday, we drove to Hood River for fun. When we got there, we needed a bathroom and I spotted a McDonald's. I never eat there, but I always use their bathrooms--they are so clean--and you can usually sneak in a side door and back out again without being noticed. While we were there, on a whim, Jeff and I decided to ask about their french fries. Were they sugar-free? I was convinced that they were. We asked and the answer we got was that they had no ingredient information on their products. I will have to find out somewhere else. The only reason I care is that sometimes after I use their restroom on a long road trip, I feel a little obligated to buy something--but I haven't eaten their food in over two decades! I also saw "Supersize Me", which confirmed how disgusting their "nutrition" is. It might go without saying, but we walked away from McDonald's yesterday, empty-handed. However, we didn't walk away from Safeway empty-handed. At the donut section I couldn't help myself. I opened the donut case glass doors and stuck my head inside and breathed in over and over again. I am fully aware of how unsanitary this is. But I stayed there and breathed in all the frosting and fried grease that I could until I was saturated with it. I could hear Jeff chuckling behind me so I finally pulled my head out of the donut case. Funny thing is, I was totally satisfied. All I needed was to smell those donuts, not eat them.

Date Sugar: Highly Recommended

What a weekend! Saturday night we had a party to go to and I was challenged to bring a home-made dessert. I looked at all sorts of recipes and perused various cookbooks at Barnes & Noble. I did not find a single recipe that made my mouth water. So I decided to make an old favorite of mine and substitute date sugar for white refined sugar. I found out also, that date sugar is dried dates ground up into the consistency of white sugar. I already had date sugar on hand--I just had not ventured to use it yet. I made gingersnaps and they were fantastic. They seemed to be popular at the party, too, and no one could tell that I had switched a key ingredient. Now I know that I can indulge in my favorite cookie.

Tornados, Monopoly and Cute Jeans

Besides the weather here (we had a tornado touch down!), it's been a pretty good week. No major sugar cravings. I even bought ice cream and chocolate for Jeff. No problem. I have stayed up later every night this week than I have in a long time. Maybe it's because I'm not as tired or maybe it's the games of Monopoly we have been playing every evening. Our last game we had placed a $170 bet. Jeff won. Which is good because I've been dreaming all week of the shopping I could do with that money. One early evening this week we happened to be walking through Nordstrom and I spotted the cutest pair of jeans, ever. Even though they were $200, I tried them on just for fun. Luckily, they weren't as cute once I had them on, but I did realize that I may have gone down a size. Jeff noticed, too. I wish I could say it is due to all the exercising I'm doing--but I'm doing none right now. I'm glued to my cave waiting for the sun to come out. It has been weeks since we have had a sunny day. Anyway, I have a feeling that giving up sugar might have something to do with going down a size. Not only that, but since I have given up sugar and have observed my own will power to do so, I have noticed that I am making other healthy food choices as well. I don't know how long this will last, but I am determined to ride this wave for as long as possible.

Pizza-You Won't Believe It!

I made it through the weekend and am stronger because of it. I came face to face with an incredible challenge. It wasn't ice cream or cake or chocolate...Jeff ordered pizza! I wasn't interested at first because I had made a cream of mushroom rice casserole that I couldn't wait to taste. But as soon as we walked into Domino's to pick up the pizza, I couldn't help but breathe in every last drop of that sweet, sweet smell of pizza dough, sauce, cheese and grease. It smelled so good I decided that one piece would be perfect. Just to make sure that I was in the clear, I asked the cashier if he would check the ingredients for sugar in the sauce. He was surprised but went back and checked anyway. He still looked surprised when he returned. "I looked at the nutritional facts and there is actually sugar in the pizza sauce...I thought they just used a lot of salt," was all he said. So we walked away with Jeff's pizza and I was okay with not having any, until we got home. As soon as he opened the lid the delicious smells chased me around the kitchen while I tried to focus on my casserole. I stood still for some time looking at the pizza and thinking about the year ahead of me. Was it even possible to go without sugar? At some point, I would surely eat something with sugar and not find out until later. What about going out to eat? It wouldn't be possible to check ingredients for every little thing. I took another look at the pizza. What was my point in giving up sugar? Was it really that meaningful to me? It must be impossible. Then all of a sudden, I felt renewed and inspired to continue my quest for a sugar-free year. I will expose all of the least-likely foods to have added sugar. Because it makes me mad! You don't need sugar to make pizza!