Kicking the habit

The Sweet stuff

So, friends, do you remember when I said that I wouldn’t write about weight any more? When I said that it was anti-feminist to focus on it? I flirted with the body positivity movement and tried to embrace my shape. I still think that this is a good way of thinking; being accepting and kindly disposed towards your body has to be healthier than hating it - right? And this piece isn’t about weight*, not exactly, but about trying to cut sugar from my diet.

* I mean, it’s always there; that blushing, blustering elephant in the room; trying to hide in the corner, teetering on a footstool. No point in trying to deny it, really. Come into the light, elephant, show yourself!

Yeah, so it’s a little bit about weight, cutting out sugar, but it’s also about teeth and hair too. Because I have this bizarre expectation, which has no scientific basis, that eliminating sugar will make my hair shinier.
And the elephant - the weight thing; it’s not just about appearance or even health, it’s also about the thing of your clothes not fitting any more. It has a pragmatic aspect to it - I can’t afford to buy a load of new clothes.

Emotional Eating

There was a time when I would think - you’ve had a hard day - you deserve this! Before shovelling in some chocolate, and being aware of this attitude doesn’t stop you doing it (I’ve found). We are programmed to seek out food that is sweet and fatty - a survival instinct from our hunter-gatherer days and our instincts haven’t quite caught up with our sedentary lifestyles, where food is available at every corner.
I’d say that my diet is generally healthy -  I'm a fan of vegetables and all things wholemeal but this is scuppered by high biscuit/chocolate/cake consumption. So, when I say I’m going to cut out sugar, I’m not talking about eschewing fruit, milk or naturally occurring sugars. I’m not going to scan sandwich labels or bread wrappers for hidden sugar either, but at this stage, I’m just going to cut out biscuits, chocolate and cake (yikes). I’ll avoid honey too, because, although honey had good, antiseptic properties, the more sweet stuff you eat, the more you crave, so I’m going to try and go cold turkey.**
** Artificial sweeteners are the work of the devil!

I’ve Googled ‘ways to deal with sugar cravings’ and received all sorts of advice about zinc, cinnamon, protein, nuts and water. I suspect that I will eat a little more fruit than I did before. The danger time is the evening, after dinner, after the kids have gone to bed. That habitual, cognitive association of chocolate with ‘a treat’ - my reward for dealing with whatever that day has thrown at me (like a monkey flinging its poo). More deeply ingrained, for me, than any of the adult crutches - like alcohol. The instant lift. How to recreate it without nudging yourself towards type 2 diabetes? Or eroding the coastal defences in your mouth. Will ginger tea cut it?

 I’m hoping that going public with this will help me adhere to it.
Yes, I often try things and find they haven’t had the life-changing, ground breaking effect on my life that I envisioned, in a massive flight of fancy, but, if I can stick to this, my teeth will thank me. Also, I’ll be setting a better example to the kids, instead of hypocritically lecturing them about the evils of fizzy drinks (when I’d happily snarf down half an Easter Egg - one of theirs no less!! Bad, bad mother!). I can tell them, with irritating sanctimony, that they don’t need sugar and neither do I….

This picture perfectly encapsulates my over-inflated expectations