Let me start off by saying, this past week is an example of why I don’t make specific plans and goals for myself.
I started out thinking that I’d actually be able to give up sugar completely for the entire month of April. Even as I wrote the original post and the first check-in, I knew it wasn’t really a possibility, but it sounded nice. I figured I would throw it out there, just in case I managed to complete it.
The problem is that I’m surrounded by junk food and sugary snacks. There are granola bars in the basement, cookies in the cookie jar, and cake mix in the cupboard that’s begging me to make cupcakes. That’s not even the worst part, though, because I’m able to avoid those since they’re obvious. I’ve been falling prey to frozen waffles, processed peanut butter, and the occasional bowl of cereal. (I also had a completely “duh” moment when I reached for a very sugary green tea when we were out to lunch on Saturday; luckily I noticed after the fact and only drank about half of it.)
I’m not mad at myself for these things, but the perfectionist side of me feels disappointed. Considering all of the resources on eliminating sugar emphasize cutting it out 100%, I feel as though I’m not really reaching my goal and won’t notice any difference because of it. But, I’m starting to realize that I’m adapting to my situation – while I wish I was living on my own and had complete control of the groceries that come into the house, that’s not the case and I’m dealing with it accordingly.
In general, though, things are going pretty well. I make conscious decisions to avoid sugar and even other snack foods. How I feel has been inconsistent in terms of my stomach, although I do notice I’ve been a little bit cranky and lethargic. I’m still doing a lot eating because I’m bored, but I’m more aware of it and try to stop myself when I can.
Hopefully I’ll be able to find a stretch of days when I can avoid sugar completely, but that’s going to take careful planning to make sure that I eat full meals and am busy enough that I don’t eat out of boredom. Overall, though, considering my main goal was to cut back in any fashion, I’m labeling this a success so far.
