Breaking Up With Sugar, Part 2

Last week, I told you how I broke up with sugar right after the holidays. It wasn't one of those nasty breakups with tears and shouting. This was more of a "It's me, not you" break up. It was time.

So here I am, ten weeks later, and feeling a little better about the decision every day.

I have to be up front with you. I have yet to lose any weight in this process. Would I like to lose weight? Heck, yeah! But what I have lost is the belly bloat that was so uncomfortable at the end of the day.

I am trying to be gentle with myself in this process. As women, especially women of a certain age, we can be so hard on ourselves when it comes to our changing bodies. I have to put it in perspective all the time. Yes, I would like my jeans to be loose again. But honestly, my "I feel fat" weight is someone else's "I dream of being that size" weight. So instead of that number on the scale, I am eating healthy, delicious foods and exercising every day and filling my mind with good thoughts.

So I thought I'd share a few things that have helped me on this journey.

I am trying to eat three meals a day and cut down on snacking. I find that if I start snacking, I have a hard time stopping. And if I'm that hungry, I should just eat a meal. I'm trying to time them when it makes sense for me and I am actually hungry. Breakfast at 10, lunch at 2, light dinner at 6.

I am also conscious of pairing fiber with protein, especially if I need a snack. Thomas Light Multi Grain English Muffins with a smear of Almond Butter is a real treat, and a good example of protein and fiber. Or maybe apple slices and a tablespoon of almond butter to dip it in.

If I really need a decadent treat, I will eat a square of really dark chocolate. It has very little sugar.

Here's another treat. Low fat cottage cheese with very ripe berries. I like to mash the berries a bit and mix it in. This is really filling thanks to the protein. I find that I do not have a problem with dairy, so I include it occasionally. Another favorite: sliced strawberries  and bananas with a big dollop of Greek nonfat yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Here's a tricky one for me. Drinking more water! I try to drink three or four of these big tumblers full of water each day. I squeeze in some lemon juice for a little flavor. I try to drink one with every meal.

I've switched back to my Senseo coffee. I had been drinking Keurig coffees for about a year. But for me, it wasn't all that special. My Senseo pods make a delicious cup with a crema layer. I add a little unsweetened vanilla almond milk to the coffee, and it's my treat. No sugar! Better than treating myself with cookies!

We have been loving Dave's Killer Bread. I keep it in the freezer, and we toast as needed. Another good fiber and protein pairing: a slice of this with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. We also love Aldi's Knock Your Sprouts Off bread, which is very similar to Dave's, with one difference. It's a LOT cheaper! I also love Mary's Gone Crackers. Gluten free and organic. A good one to pair with a Babybel cheese.

My meal planning hasn't changed much. Ed and I are in the habit of making healthy food choices. We don't eat a lot of empty carbs like pasta or unhealthy breads. We like lean proteins and roasted veggies, soups and salads, quinoa and brown rice bowls or cauliflower rice bowls paired with veggies. I like to swap between egg and veggie scrambles and steel cut oats and berries for my breakfast.

I do read labels. You have to look at the Nutrition Facts and compare that to the Ingredients. For example, many items naturally contain sugar, and that will be listed in the Nutrition Facts. But if it's listed in the Ingredients, that means it has been added unnecessarily, in most cases. You can't avoid it completely, but you can make sure it's not one of the first five ingredients.

I hope to start getting out and walking more, now that spring weather is making an appearance. We walk Jemma every day. But one mile of dog walking, where she stops to sniff a bush every few yards, is not the level of aerobic exercise I need.

I like to think of these things as lifestyle changes. Just doing little things to improve our health as we get older.

As Psalm 139 tells me, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" And so are you, my cafe friend!