Happy WIAW! Thanks to Jenn for hosting this weekly party!
I was debating whether or not I was even up to posting today-today’s eats definitely didn’t go as planned, but ultimately I decided that was part of life and a lesson learned.
I began my morning with a 45 minute spin class and a quick 1 mile run. I’m trying to run faster. Today I realized that I was running fast and not dying. My fitness level is where it needs to be for the pace to feel good, but I’m just not used to running fast, and I kind of freak out and think I’m dying when I actually feel great, I’m just moving everything faster. So different from long distance running!
On a similar note-my arches have really been hurting! They’ve been getting progressively worse in the past few days, and my left one especially hurt today. I think it’s mostly due to super tight achilles. I’ve been rolling out my feet, and they feel a lot better. But all I wanted to do tonight was stick my foot in a bucket of ice. However, I have no access to ice. Or a bucket. I really need to buy frozen peas! I don’t think my roommate would appreciate it if I used her frozen food as an ice pack on my foot…
Anyways-food!
I wasn’t actually planning on getting coffee today, and I probably didn’t really need it. However, I’ve been drinking it after workouts a lot, and I was craving it post-workout, so I went for it.
I have hard boiled eggs on my meal plan this week, so I went to the dining hall for some quick food and to grab the eggs. Let me just start out by saying I generally avoid the dining hall for breakfast because I have zero faith in my ability to pass up on the pancakes and amazing muffins.
I ultimately decided to have a small blueberry muffin-my plan is fairly strict to make allowances for the occasional treat. I didn’t see it backfiring quite so much…One muffin turned to 2. Still not so bad-they’re small, right?
Let me just preface this by saying-eating muffins is totally fine! I’m not saying it isn’t eating sugar is fine if it works for you-I just wanted to give an honest snapshot of my experience with sugar…and its addictive qualities.
Because for me, having sweet carbs in the morning means I crave them ALL DAY. Next thing I knew, a few hours later this happened:
I legit felt like I was dying in class after eating this. My heart was racing and I couldn’t focus. And I knew my blood sugar would crash soon after, leaving me craving more of the sweet stuff.
I did get some healthy food in there-it didn’t fare too well in my backpack though!
Between classes, I found myself again drawn to the sugar.
And then in my Bio section, there was candy. Ok, candy corn M&Ms really made me feel like I was dying! Plus I ate some candy with nuts and my face is going to hate me…it’s already not great!
Also, can we take a minute to appreciate my date obsession?
After class, I did manage to put some decent pre-Crossfit fuel in my body. I didn’t love how close it was to the start of Crossfit, but what can you do?
Persimmon from my roommate’s tree.
After Crossfit, I made a rare trip to the dining hall, again probably not the best decision in a sugar-charged state.
Salad, cabbage, chicken, yams.
But then more sweets happened. And back in my room, more sugary carbs (as sugary as I even have-which is not much). The ironic part is my roommate is doing a presentation on how sugar is addictive and should be considered a drug, and was practicing it all day, so I got to overheard how this will kill me.
This definitely wasn’t the best eating day for me (a lot of feeling like death), but I wanted to use this as an example to show how addictive sugar really can be. I know I personally am super sensitive to it-my heart races, I get really hot (yes, I’ve had a sugar induced fever before), my stomach hurts…it’s not fun. And yet, I still eat it. One point I overheard from my roommate’s presentation was a study where scientists shocked rats every time they ate something sweet…and despite the pain, they were back again and again to eat it. Did you know there’s a third of a cup of sugar in a Starbuck’s (large) caramel frappuccino? That’s insane! Sugar is everywhere and in everything-and for an addict like myself that makes things…interesting…I like to say I’ve avoiding sugar, but realistically that’s not happening. I know I would feel a lot better if I just quit, but as I’m sure a lot of you know, it’s not that easy. Getting through the initial week is the hardest.
And to be quite frank, I’m terrified of the holidays. Last year, I ate so much sugar that I was in such a sugar coma, and felt so awful that I could barely enjoy the festivities. There’s more to the holidays than just food! (Note-this is another reason I should really be able to PR my 5k-last year I ate a ton of junk before the race…yeah…) I really don’t want to miss out on all that!
At the same time, I do want to enjoy some of the deliciousness that comes with the holidays.
I want to spend a little time talking about strategies for staying healthy and happy by avoiding indulging in too many sweets.
1. Build a solid sugar free base. Avoid sugar now. For me, here are a few things I’ll do:
-Find new places to study that don’t sell delicious pastries.
-Avoid carrying excess money around that can be used to buy said delicious pastries.
-Avoid the dining halls if I’m worried I’ll be tempted by sweets.
2. Don’t eat sugar early in the day. This is a big one for me-sugar affects me much worse if it’s earlier in the day and I have less food in my stomach. Stick to small after dinner treats-after eating a healthy meal of veggies and protein.
3. Stick to one treat a day. Odds are, lots of delicious opportunities will come up. This will help me not feel deprived and like I’m missing out, but still keeping things in hand.
4. Go “Paleo.” This was actually my roommate’s suggestion and I kind of love it. We were talking about how people express their love in the form of sugar, and a lot of times we feel obligated to eat sweets. She has a nice little gluten sensitivity that definitely limits the sweet options, so she suggested I just say I’m Paleo. I think people are less likely to question this than to say “I’m avoiding sugar.” I think the latter makes people a little uncomfortable. Plus, most people don’t know a ton about Paleo, so they won’t question me as I chow down on cheese.
Hope those help! Have a great holiday season everyone!
What is your approach to the holidays? Any tips?
I’m proud of you for being so honest & really opening up to your fears. Know that everyone has fears of their own. I think giving yourself an idea on how to help you will really be beneficial. I know for me personally, if i’m craving sugar I usually grab an apple with nut butter. Also during the holidays I will eat carbs first thing in the morning – think oats. That way I’m full for most of the morning and not picking at random bits.
Thanks for the tip! The holidays definitely can be a difficult time as far as healthy eating, but there is so much more to the time of year than just the food!
I’m the same way–whenever I have sugar in the morning, that’s what I tend to crave throughout the day and I end up eating a lot more sugar throughout. I’ve also heard about the rat study–it’s completely insane when you think about it. I’m trying to cut down on my sugar intake, too, but I know that if I completely cut it out, 1. I won’t be as happy because let’s be honest sugar makes the world go round and 2. I’ll end up binging…it’s a fine line to walk. 🙂
It definitely is-and there are definitely some things with sugar that I eat out for function-like chocolate milk post workout, or granola bars to pack.
I can definitely relate to a lot in this post. Lately, I eat 0g sugar before noon. Every day. It’s the only way for me to keep my blood sugar in check (it spikes after breakfast naturally) and to avoid cravings. I find it funny how you always talk about your blood sugar- I know exactly what you’re talking about since I test my blood sugar 6+ times a day! (; The blood sugar spikes and crashes are so much scarier and more terrible with diabetes. When I feel them I REALLY feel them. I’ve had much better control over the past 2 months then I have ever had- mostly because of monitoring everything I eat, following a plan, and eating (mostly) paleo. I eat paleo about 75% of the time. I just incorporate Ezekiel breads and greek yogurt and occasionally quinoa and cheese into the traditional “Paleo/whole 30” approach. When I’m older and buy all my own food, I would love to try going almost completely paleo, or at least doing a whole 30. I definitely suggest saying you’re eating Paleo!! Confession.. I’ve never said paleo out loud. I don’t know how to pronounce it… Haha (:
That would be so scary-I’m glad you’re finding a balance that works for you-I can’t even imagine how bad your spikes must be-I can definitely feel myself crash. I guess the reason I talk about blood sugar so much is a nutrition class I took last fall-it made me realize that blood sugar crashes and not gluten were causing foggiheadedness for me. And haha-Paleo= (pail-like fail) (e-like the letter e) (o-like the letter o)
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OMG!! You were seriously ATTACKED BY THE SUGAR MONSTER TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Gahhhh he kept on coming back!!! How crazy! I haven’t eaten sugar (other than the sugars naturally occurring in vegetables) for 12 years so I cannot even remember these types of cravings! Now……… I get crazy cravings like your sugar ones for SALMON! LOL!!!
Haha that’s crazy! I guess when I have eliminated sugar in the past I would get turkey burger cravings!