[Credit to Nicole for that title, which is my new mantra.]
Let’s talk about the fact that in about four days, I’m doing
a five-day sugar detox.
Yes. You read that right.
A five-day sugar
detox.
Me. The girl who eats a bag of marshmallow circus peanuts
nightly and, most likely, other candy and cookies on top of that. The girl who
goes shopping and comes home with something sugary every single time. The girl
who would live off of vanilla cake batter and frosting if it was nutritionally
sound.
I signed up for Nicole’s Sugar Detox program after Vegas for
a few reasons. I had been thinking it over before Vegas, but when a bunch of
BiSCuits joined the program, I took it as a sign and threw my myself into it. And
guess what? It’s the fucking best thing ever.
There have been several times when, as I was reading the
different materials, tears welled up in my eyes because finally. Finally somebody understood that it’s an addiction, that
it’s not easy to give up, but also, that it’s accomplishable.
My brother and my parents have said a hundred times, “just
stop eating sugar, it’s as simple as that.” Why I listen to them, I don’t know.
My parents refuse to work on their own unhealthy habits and my brother is some
magical unicorn who’s been able to make dietary changes with the snap of his
fingers. (Seriously. He had little trouble going to vegetarian to gluten-free
to a two-week diet of flounder and rice for an allergy test.)
It was always so disheartening because it isn’t that easy for me. If it were, I would’ve
stopped already, no? They convinced me I was lazy and lacked willpower. They
dismissed arguments that sugar is addicting or that I need to connect with the mental/emotional
ties to sugar before starting to let it go. My brother basically scoffed at the
idea that I was participating in a sugar detox that wasn’t just “Step One: Stop
eating sugar.”
Even having someone telling me it’s okay, and it’s common,
and it’s normal, made me feel ten thousand times better. Dismissing someone and
blaming them for things that are not 100% in their control isn’t going to motivate them.
Trust me, I’ve experienced it far too often with my family and nine times out
of ten, it defeats me and nothing gets accomplished.
The program has also made me more confident to challenge my dependence on sugar because I am armed with information and coping mechanisms, along with a bunch of really specific guidelines (which I love, because I’m a rule-follower). I’m actually looking forward to five days of absolutely no sugar – I feel like I’m up for the challenge, despite having a stressful time at work and missing a weekend with Erik to do it properly.
The program has also made me more confident to challenge my dependence on sugar because I am armed with information and coping mechanisms, along with a bunch of really specific guidelines (which I love, because I’m a rule-follower). I’m actually looking forward to five days of absolutely no sugar – I feel like I’m up for the challenge, despite having a stressful time at work and missing a weekend with Erik to do it properly.
The truth is, I've realized I'm strong enough to get through life without pacifying every problem with sugar. It's time to flex my muscles and show sugar who's boss.
