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- Koha 6 handmade gifts
- Paint 3 canvas paintings
- Create a family photo album
- Unmould the ceilings, lol
- Complete one paper towards my Postgrad Dip
- Develop a genius savings plan
- Serve dinner before 7pm each night 6 days a week
- Have one TV free day each week
- Stay sugar free for the entire year!
- Go to the gym at the very least 4 times a week
- Have a clean and tidy kitchen before I retire for the evening 6 nights a week
- Consider a washing cycle to be 'wash-dry-fold-put away' ;) so every Sunday evening, there should be no washing pile
- Volunteer at the local maternity hospital to do bereavement photography :( Something I have felt I am meant to do.
- Welcom a new Flemish Giant into our house
- Create a display of photos on the wall
- Get jiggy wid it, lol, as often as I can
- Wear a fascinator at least once a month
- Own a matching set of bra and knickers
- Indulge in wearing a cocktail dress at least once a month
- Give a gift at Christmas time through charity
- Add one item every grocery shop for the food banks
- Hold 2 charity events, one for Aria, and one in Kyah's name
- Wear make up!
- Devise a 'Greedy List'
- Grow an Inga Bean Plant
- Complete my Knit Picks set
- Make the spare room inhabitable
- See a budget advisor
- A full year of drinking 2 litres of water a day, just like the doctor told us
- Limiting soft drinks... What does that mean really? I'll think on that, lol
- Have a children's story accepted by MOE for school reading ;)
- Knit a shalom
- Lose a steady and healthy amount of weight (my goal weight is 30kg away)
- Make something utterly involved and time consuming and that I love, and gift it to someone who won't appreciate it in the slightest.
Sorry Ansis! It keeps growing!
xxx Lou
- Mood:
amused
I have to get into my head and change the train of thought that processes sugary goodness as a reward - really, it's a punishment. I have made it much harder for myself. :( All I can do is read over my previous posts and get back on the wagon.
xxx Lou
- Mood:
disappointed
So I ate 4 Roses chocolates. Out of a whole box. The box just sat there while I felt my old twinges of *want* occurring. But you know what? I only had 4. Then I felt I had had (more than, lol) enough. Yeah, I rock, lol... (Sorry, this is very novel for me, I am an eat a box at a time type person.) Then I sent them to work with G and I never saw them again.
So one day used up, I have 2 to go.
In lovely news, I have lost 7 kilos. Woohoo! Though this week I have fluctuated between 81 and 84, today weighing in at 83. Which is really only 5.5kg lost. Poos.
I need to up the water and exercise, and drop the artificial sweetener that have weaseled back in (all from 1 can of delicious sugar free V!). Let me tell you a story.
I bought a bag of Double D's Sugar Free lollies. Thought I'd have some as a treat. They are made with Isomalt.
Well. I ate 5. The back of the pack says excess consumption may cause a laxative effect. I didn't quite realise but you need to team this remark with the serving size of one. Eat 2 and you're in the crap.
So they were yum. And I ate 5. And about an hour later, my tummy had swollen to twice the usual size (I looked pregnant) and I was genuinely concerned I might pop. Then came the pain.
OMG it was awful! I would match it up with labour pains. I felt very stupid - I knew I was just full of air, but it wasn't coming out. 
Hot bath, hot shower, lying in all different positions. 
Uncool. I'm all better now and never doing that again. Just wanted to warn you. Don't do it!
And, in super dooper rockin' news, I am currently home educating Izzy. Yay! Hope to try to convince husband by next year. :)
xxx Lou
- Mood:
artistic
Just thought I would whizzle in an update on the no sugar challenge. I have been doing well. There have been the odd things that slip in here and there accidently, but I have been more vigilant (read more aware before stuffing my face) and I think I am truly sugar free. The only exception is the natural sugars that occur in fruit, milk etc. I have chosen not to eat honey or other natural sweeteners, mostly because the sweetness itself acts as a trigger for me.
I am still pretty tired. I think the reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, I am nowhere near as active as I ought to be, and am working back up to. Secondly, my water consumption is not ideal. It is (with the exception of an occasional juice) the only fluid I drink, and I need to work on increasing this.
Aside from that - I feel liberated. I know that's kind of crazy, but I can go into a store and walk out with only what I need, bliss...
So I am mostly feeling good. I have lost a small amount of weight, which is a nice bonus as I really do need to slim down. Still have my jiggly tummy though, lol.
I am picking that it is going to be a full year before I can trust myself to make responsible choices about sugar, if ever.
xxx Lou
- Mood: chipper
...Refined sugar, by some, is called a drug, because in the refining process everything of food value has been removed except the carbohydrates-pure calories, without vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, enzymes or any of the other elements that make up food. Many nutrition experts say that white sugar is extremely harmful, possibly as harmful as a drug, especially in the quantities consumed by the present-day American. ...Dr. David Reuben, author of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Nutrition says, “…white refined sugar-is not a food. It is a pure chemical extracted from plant sources, purer in fact than cocaine, which it resembles in many ways. Its true name is sucrose and its chemical formula is C12H22O11. It has 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, 11 oxygen atoms, and absolutely nothing else to offer.” ...The chemical formula for cocaine is C17H21NO4. Sugar’s formula again is C12H22O11. For all practical purposes, the difference is that sugar is missing the “N”, or nitrogen atom. ...Refining means to make “pure” by a process of extraction or separation. Sugars are refined by taking a natural food, which contains a high percentage of sugar, and then removing all elements of that food until only the sugar remains. ...While sugar is commonly made from sugar cane or sugar beets. Through heating and mechanical and chemical processing, all vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, enzymes and indeed every nutrient is removed until only the sugar remains. Sugar cane and sugar beets are first harvested and then chopped into small pieces, squeezing out the juice, which is then mixed with water. This liquid is then heated, and lime is added. After the crystals condense, they are bleached snow-white usually by the use of pork or cattle bones. ...During the refining process, 64 food elements are destroyed. All the potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, phosphate, and sulfate are removed. The A, D, and B, vitamins are destroyed. It is no wonder when we consider all the products we consume daily which are loaded with sugar! The average healthy digestive system can digest and eliminate from two to four teaspoons of sugar daily, usually without noticeable problems, (that is if damage is not already present).
From: http://www.macrobiotics.co.uk/sugar.htm
Moisture is boiled away, and the remaining fluid is pumped into vacuum pans to concentrate the juice. By this time, the liquid is starting to crystallize, and is ready to be placed into a centrifuge machine where any remaining residues (like molasses) are spun away. The crystals are then dissolved by heating to the boiling point and passed through charcoal filters.
Amino acids, vital enzymes, unsaturated fats, and all fiber are gone. To a lesser or greater degree, all refined sweeteners such as corn syrup, maple syrup, etc., undergo similar destructive processes. Molasses is the chemical and deranged nutrients that is a byproduct of sugar manufacture. ...Sugar manufacturers are aggressive in defending their product and have a strong political lobby which allows them to continue selling a deadly food item that by all reason should not be allowed in the American diet.
...If you have any doubts as to the detriments of sugar (sucrose), try leaving it out of your diet for several weeks and see if it makes a difference! You may also notice you have acquired an addiction and experience some withdrawal symptoms.
...Studies show that “sugar” is just as habit-forming as any narcotic; and its use, misuse, and abuse is our nation’s number one disaster.
One 12 oz. Cola contains 11 teaspoons of sugar, and that’s aside from the caffeine. It’s the sugar that gives you quick energy, but only for a brief time due to the rise of the blood sugar level. But the body quickly releases a rush of insulin, which rapidly lowers the blood sugar and causes a significant drop in energy and endurance.
Ok, enough from me for the moment, lol...
xxx Lou
- Mood:
embarrassed
This is going to be a bug fat post about the evils of sugar. The nice person in me say to skip it if you love you chocolate too much, but the realist in me says that that is exactly the kind of person that needs to read this.
I am fat. I am not massively obese, but I am, and have always been, overweight. This has been exacerbated by pregnancy. My mother was overweight. (Now underweight, that's another story ;) ) I am mediumly active, not athletically so. My father is also overweight, but in a typically male way - all tummy and chicken legs.
Sugar is for sale in the dairy up the road. It's very cheap, and you can do oh so much with it. Last I checked, there was no heroin available there, perhaps it is hidden behind the shield where they keep that evil nasty tobacco... I have absolutely, undoubtedly and undeniably got a sugar addiction. With complete certainty. Perhaps, with alcoholism in the family, it may be a genetic inclination. Perhaps not. Perhaps, with a history of addictive behaviours myself, including drug and alcohol abuse, it may be a personality trait. Perhaps not. For me, at this point in time, it is of no consequence why I crave and indulge in sugar. All that is of current importance is that I stop.
The history and current events surrounding sugar production are another massive story, featuring injustice, slavery, deceit, and hierarchy, which I am not going to delve into today but might in future. Of course, all I know is from other's research, I've never visited a sugar cane field, lol.
Since 2 weeks ago, when I stopped intake of refined sugars, I have narrowed my diet down to veges and fruits, meats, cereals, and nuts. I also do drink some cow milk. Every food I have just listed is available (and sometimes difficult to avoid) with added sugar. Even meat. I would dare to bet that most of the foods not on my list contain added sugar and I will tell you why. I have only excluded foods with added sugars.
"No added sugar" is so difficult to find in processed foods. This has led me to two conclusions, neither of which is particularly ground breaking but I now understand in whole.
A) Processed food is bad for you.
B) Sugar is recognised as an addictive force.
Savory foods with no need for sweetening contain sugar. I used to have a fetish (wrong word :P ) for these delightful skinless frankfurters - even talk of snout and trotters (which as a past vegan horrified and disgusted me entirely) could not put me off. What an amazing surprise, they have added sugar and you know what? I don't want them any more.
Is it possible that the entire food industry is conspiring to keep us addicted to their wares?
Why the hell not... What an incredibly cheap method of maintaining demand.
I have noticed changes in myself.
- I lost 2 kilos last week.
- My dandruff has vanished. My hair is shiny.
- I am drinking lots of water - without resistance, lol.
- My skin is better.
- I eat when I am hungry. I haven't felt proper hunger for years before this.
- I haven't had the sugar lows since the withdrawl period.
- My thoughts are clearer (in my head anyway...)
- I don't even want sweetened goods, or artificially sweetened goods.
Manufacturers sometimes split their sugar sources, meaning sugar is listed towards the end of the ingredients list, even though it might be the most predominant ingredient. Here are some other names:
1. Brown sugar
2. Corn syrup
3. Demerara Sugar
4. Dextrose
5. Free Flowing Brown Sugars
6. Fructose
7. Galactose
8. Glucose
9. High Fructose Corn Syrup
10. Honey
11. Invert Sugar
12. Lactose
13. Malt
14. Maltodextrin
15. Maltose
16. Maple syrup
17. Molasses
18. Muscovado or Barbados Sugar
19. Panocha
20. Powdered or confectioner's sugar
21. Rice Syrup
22. Sucrose
23. Sugar (granulated)
24. Treacle
25. Turbinado sugar
26. Concentrated Fruit Juice
And there are more.
This is a very interesting ( and quick ) read on sugar.
How is it that a substance that can do all this can be not only readily available to everyone, but advertised directly to children?
Here is a list of ways sugar can affect your health:
|
Source: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxificati
It is soooo wrong...
xxx Lou
- Mood:
aggravated
Have two things to confess regarding being sugar free. I have made an exception - alcohol, lol... I hardly ever drink, so I reckon that's ok. And I ate some bread without even thinking to check, but sure enough, it had sugar in it. Vogels doesn't though, so I can have that instead. Very sadly craving dried fruit - particularly pineapple and mango - of course these are dried with shitloads of sugar, which is probably why I want them. I settled for a pitiful amount of prunes instead. Yes, I can eat my prunes wile spinning wool to the audio tape of Wuthering Heights. I really am 90!
xxx Lou
- Mood:
drained
So I am feeling like a giant sack of poo. I can't believe I am feeling this grotty! Squish has been sleeping really well, as have I, I have been going town about half an hour after her, and she has been sleeping from 7.30 - 6 then back down again with a brief settle. So I should be better than ever.
Instead I am having evil headaches, sudden and violent nausea (no chucking touch wood, lol) and I'm so so tired. :( Sucky sucky!
Surely it will be over soon though. It's day 6 (or 7? I forget). I am however feeling less bloated - I feel skinnier, even if I have gained weight according to the scales and my clothes still fit the same, lol... I guess I feel like a skinnier person, and that can only be good.
Lekky came over on the weekend and sewed. She made a wicked mesh hoodie, a very cool panelled skirt in red and black and a Kaftan - jury's still out on that one, during it's construction it was a toss up between a Popal outfit or a KKK uniform. Finished, it's real cute and I hope she wears it.
Consequently, she is popping over on Thursday to make a Jesus costume for Halloween.
I need to make something for the girls... Any suggestions?
xxx Lou
- Mood:
dorky
http://anaisamy.vox.com/library/post/sug
xxx Lou
- Mood:
shocked
I am on day 5 now with no added sugar now, only 360 to go, lol.
I am feeling ok today, just a bit vacant, but can I really blame that on sugar? Hehehe.
I had a nasty and sudden headache last night, and went to bed early.
Is it weird that my way of coping is to feed everyone else up on sugar?
Feeling a bit glum and flat.
xxx Lou
- Mood:
blah
