Confession number 2: Remember I gave up booze in February? That was a rousing success, except that I didn't realize any benefit at all. Nevertheless, if I can get through the frigid month of hearts and cupids, you'd think I could get through March without sugar, right? Fuck, yeah!
The first couple of weeks it wasn't even that hard. No, really, it wasn't. I'd either eaten or thrown away all of the chocolate in the house. I had to stop eating my favorite health-food cereal because it has sugar in it, but I was fine. I ate scrambled eggs for breakfast and oatmeal with raisins instead of brown sugar. I didn't kill or even maim anybody. I was fine.
Except that once again I realized zero benefit from cutting sugar out of my diet. Zero. I didn't lose an ounce, and no, I didn't eat more of anything else to compensate. And I was getting more exercise walking the dog. The scale didn't budge. I didn't feel smarter or fitter or anything else. I just didn't eat sugar.
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| (photo credit: healthydirections.com) |
I caved. Like an under-cooked souffle, I flopped into my soft center. I ate a piece of pie. Then I ate a bite of cheesecake that another friend brought. I mean I had to be fair, right? Even though he'd already left? And then a bite of something chocolate. And then another half piece of concord grape pie, because the train had already left the tracks and was plowing across the field.
I hated myself, but damn it, that pie was delicious. And that was the end of my sugar fast.
Confession number 3: It wasn't really the pie that ended my sugar fast. My sugar fast ended several hours earlier when I made homemade dark chocolate pudding to fill tiny shortcake crusts, because that birthday happened to be on Pi Day. I burned the pudding, so I had to taste it and make sure it was still usable. Right? I mean, what would you have done? Thrown it out untasted? Used it anyway? I had to take a little taste.
I ate 5 tablespoons of pudding. I know because I ate it from the measuring spoon.
The first taste was almost disgusting it was so sweet. I thought, This is it! I don't really like sweet foods any more. And then I took another taste. I didn't even think about it. I didn't even register that outraged voice in my head shouting, No! No, you fucking idiot! We said we weren't going to do this! Put the fucking spoon down now and stop eating the fucking pudding!
Apparently that voice wasn't in control. It rarely is. Poor thing. It just whines and cajoles and threatens and cries every morning when I step on the scale. It's not driving the train though.
I might have been OK if I'd used all the pudding in the cute little pies, and if I hadn't given in to the concord grape pie. But I did eat the pie, and I did have about 3 cups of pudding left. So the next day Coraline and I ate some for lunch. And we finished it off for dinner.
And my sugar fast was over. I failed. I've eaten sugar every day since, including the frozen chocolate chips in the freezer I ate earlier today.
I had to wonder why I could get through a month without booze, but failed so early and hard with the sugar. Of course more foods contain sugar, but I don't eat a lot of prepared foods. I cook for myself, rarely eat bread or other foods with hidden sugar. My sugar consumption comes primarily from chocolate.
It should have been just as easy though, shouldn't it? Even if I didn't get a reward for it, I still should have been able to just not put it into my mouth. Easy peasy piece of pie.
Here's what I think is the difference. If I hadn't been able to get through 30 days without alcohol, I would have considered that a problem. Like, I have a Drinking Problem problem. That scares me. No, that terrifies me.
But sugar is food. Or so I tell myself. That one voice in my head, the angel-on-my-shoulder voice doesn't believe it, but the silent-but-deadly train-driving devil on my other shoulder is more persuasive. Sugar is food. And chocolate is supposed to be good for you. Lots of antioxidants and healthy shit like that.
And it's not like you can really compare alcohol and sugar. It's not illegal to eat chocolate and drive. You don't have to be 21 to eat chocolate. People feed it to babies. It's in formula, isn't it? You can buy it at the check-out counter of any store -- no license needed to sell it. It doesn't make you do stupid shit like ... oh, I don't know. Fall down stairs. Wreck the car. Tell your secrets to bartenders. Ruin relationships. Sleep with strangers. Sleep with bartenders.
(I've eaten enough of it I don't want to sleep with anybody now, but that's another confession I don't even want to examine here.)
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| (photo: 5healthytowns.org) |
Several people told me I was crazy to do it anyway. They said they ate sugar every day, so what's the big deal?
Yeah, what's the big deal anyway?
The big deal is that I couldn't do it. I failed. I couldn't go without sugar for 30 days. Or I haven't yet. I didn't even try in April my shame was so complete.
So, there you go. My confessions. My red-faced shame. My failure. All right here in public for all to see.
Maybe I'll try it again in May. Yeah, that's what I'll do. And I'll make up yesterday's post too. Eventually. Before May 1.
I'd say don't judge, but go ahead and do it. I could use the company.
How are your New Year's resolutions going anyway? Got any confessions to make? I didn't make any resolutions, except the February booze fast. Good thing, huh?
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