SugarGram

I stumbled over this infographic today in my travels and I think it is awesome.  I frequently talk about my personal struggle with sugar and I know that it's hard to kick a sugar addiction.  I tell people all the time when I'm coaching them that if you can just make it though the first two weeks it will get easier.  After the first month your cravings will have subsided significantly, and if you can make it six weeks it's a downhill slide.

SugarGram infographic by visually.

Years ago when the awesome boyfriend and I were first dating and still living in North Carolina we spent a period of a couple months not taking care of our bodies.  We were eating out a lot and always ordering dessert.  We were making cookies and other sweets at home, and doing a lot of relaxing.  We were also drinking sugary alcohol like hard cider and whiskey sours.  This was great fun, but we both put on about 20 pounds.  When my butt literally busted though a pair of jeans one evening we decided to get back on our diet.

We had trained ourselves to require a dessert after every meal and that can be hard to overcome.  Cravings were really bad for me, especially in the evening before bed.  One night I started sobbing and flung myself on the bed wailing, "I can't doooooo this!" It was not my most shining moment, and it sounds completely absurd to me now, but that's reality for a lot of people.

It's so much easier if you have a buddy.  The awesome boyfriend made me get in the car and we drove to the grocery store.  We combed the aisles and were able to pull together a meager collection of sugar free sweets including Chocolate Syrup, carb controlled ice cream, and sugar free instant pudding.  We made the instant pudding with heavy cream (it's delicious by the way) and I survived the night.  Over time that concoction evolved into the Power Pudding that I eat post work out to this day.

It's okay to still like sweets.  I eat a square of dark chocolate after dinner about five nights a week.  I love my Vodka Citrus Spritzers and my Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies.  The trick is to find some balance and some moderation that won't throw your body's blood sugar all out of whack.  If you can't limit yourself to one square of the chocolate bar, better not to have it in the house.

If you'd like to discuss this further or want me to be your sugar buddy feel free to email me at lifelovelowcarb@gmail.com.  You can also live chat with me (for free!) at http://wizpert.com/kellydassow.