Kicking the Sugar Habit

I used to be a girl who was very good at dieting.  I was even better at gaining it all back.  I can't count how many times I've lost and gain the same 30 pounds.  When I was dieting, I was very good and keeping a food log and making sure I stayed in my calorie count for the day.  To me, a calorie was a calorie whether it came from lettuce or a chocolate bar.  I used to love things like instant flavoured oatmeal (with lots of sugar).  I then switched to buying plain instant oatmeal, but I still had to use a no calorie sweetener (which most of the ones out there are so bad for you for so many reasons). 

I have stopped being a slave to counting calories.  Instead, I have focused on putting whole, nutritious, nutrient dense food into my body until I am full.  I have also tried to kick the sugar habit. 

Some people have said that sugar is as addicting as cocaine.  I would believe this to be true.  Sugar is hidden in so many packaged and processed foods to make you eat more and buy more.  There is sugar hidden in practically everything if you take the time to look.  I decided that I was going to try and avoid all sugar where possible. 

For my instant oatmeal, I couldn't go sugar free instantly.  I started buying the flavoured oatmeal that had 50% of the sugar.  Then I started getting plain oatmeal and adding a little honey and cinnamon.

This morning I was out of ingredients to make my usual green smoothie for breakfast, so I decided to stop at Starbucks on the way to work.  I wasn't sure if they would have anything I could have for breakfast, but I was pleasantly surprised to find they had steel cut oatmeal with different options for toppings including maple brown sugar and a mixture of nuts and seeds.  Along with my large soy latte (my new favorite treat), I ordered the oatmeal without the sugar, just the nuts and seeds.  A little sprinkle of cinnamon and it was really good!

As I was eating the oatmeal I realized something ... I was eating oatmeal with absolutely no sugar, and I liked how it tasted!  I didn't think that was something that would ever be possible!

I had officially kicked the sugar addiction.