I remember when I was little I loved that cup of hot chocolate in the morning or on a cold winter night. Aromatic, flavorful, sugary and sweet with that deep, rich chocolate flavor you could die for. Surely my sweet tooth was satisfied at least for a while. I’m never surprised again when my diet is full of sugary carbs, my waistline bulges a bit. My blood sugar is rising and I am no longer burning fat at the cellular level as I normally would. I am now accumulating fat around my belly, just like all the people who eat too much, make the wrong food choices, and rarely exercise. Your food choices, including your daily calorie intake, and your exercise make a big difference in determining your body size.
How many people do you know who are addicted or highly attracted to carbohydrates? You can include me in this group because the more bad carbs (refined and with added sugar) the more I want. Afterwards, I feel lethargic and uninspired to do almost anything. When I limit my sugars, I am much more balanced. Not to mention, I can lose weight significantly when I balance my blood sugar. I just finished reading an article in which author Ryan Andrews stopped eating desserts and “extra sugar” for a whole year. That’s quite surprising considering how readily carbohydrates are available to us. I’m not sure I want to give up dessert for a whole year, but I respect the fact that someone can resist desserts and added sugar for a whole year. Fruits and veggies are great, but would you really like to spend an entire year being that disciplined or moderate? Ryan Andrews accomplished something very few will attempt.
Andrews, who wrote: the article: Sugar Daddy: A Year Without Desserts He says that after the first month he wasn’t even short of desserts. So Ryan stayed on his way for 11 more months and turned down desserts for parties, birthdays, and special occasions too. Ryan also left with some powerful lessons in saying “no” to desserts. The obvious lesson is that desserts are addictive. I could have made a wild guess about this nugget, but some of the other interesting ideas include:
1) We don’t eat sugar “in moderation.” Our society receives mainly “processed garbage”. Most are in the form of refined flour / sugar. Ryan says that “almost 90% of the carbohydrate-dense foods we eat are highly processed.” We don’t just eat garbage; We are generally full of junk due to our high intake of refined and sugar-based carbohydrates.
2) “It’s hard to get fat on whole foods, especially vegetables.” In fact, after going a couple of months without desserts, Ryan inadvertently lost weight. Andrews says he wasn’t that hungry, so you, too, will be surprised how your appetite changes if you put down desserts for a while. Sugar is known to stimulate and stimulate the appetite; I think we can all recognize that in our lives. When we open the floodgates to sugar, we usually yearn and want more, right?
3) Ryan Andrews also noticed that some foods became too sweet for him. His taste buds “recalibrated” and Ryan didn’t want sweet food that much. I realize this myself when I restrain sweet things. Foods with “added sugar” tasted like sweets, but her friends who still ate desserts couldn’t tell the difference. Foods with “added sugar” tasted perfectly normal to his friends who ate sugar. Ryan’s point is that if you eat sugar all the time, that’s what you’ll get used to. On the contrary, if you eat fruits and vegetables all the time (for a month without desserts and “added sugar” like Ryan did) that is what you will want.
Mr. Andrews’s article is here if you’d like to read more: Sugar Daddy: Year Without Desserts
Of course, there are always exceptions for some of us. Some people simply have no desire to eat sweets, but the vast majority of the population loves to indulge in a decadent way. If you are taking the time to read this article, I imagine that sweets and sugars could or could be addictions for you. I know carbohydrates are my preferred fuel, but I must admit that I am much more satisfied with protein-based meals. Eliminate those hunger pangs and I feel like I have sustained energy. I think it is important to recognize our “weak links” and apply strategies that improve our current situation. So this begs the question “Are simple and refined carbohydrates controlling your diet?”
Each of us can make improvements in our lives and we hope that you are practicing a lifestyle that is constantly evolving and improving. Sugar cravings and addictions coupled with excessive calorie intake is the reason many Americans are overweight and fat. Most of us didn’t learn to eat properly from childhood, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn and apply new strategies as we grow older. There is a lot of good information at your fingertips, but you should give up the milk chocolate. It’s processed anyway, so it’s no surprise that it tastes so good. Sugar and chemicals are a potent combination, so don’t let the synergy of the two control your life in ways that harm your health and well-being.