Noshtopia

Weaning Sugar Wednesday #13: Just Because It's Organic Doesn't Mean It's Better

 

I saw this party napkin and had to laugh because it pretty much sums up my false belief that organic sweets are better than non-organic sweets simply because it's organic. Granted, the organic sweets are made out of ingredients as close to as Mother Nature made them which yes is awesome, but added sugar is still added sugar, and we're working on going sugar little to get down to consuming around 25g of added sugar per day.

And yes, organic cane sugar in the raw is a less processed and higher quality sugar than high fructose corn syrup, and if you're going to eat sugar it's better to have the raw sugar over the HFCS, but again, it's still added sugar, and you can overdo it....like I do or should say now, did quite often.

 

My weakness is the Whole Foods bakery and anything vegan. I have yet to see a packaged vegan sweet like a cookie, ice cream, or candy made with high fructose corn syrup. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, I'm just saying I haven't seen it. If you have, do share. I'm curious if it's a values thing, as many vegans I know have more of an as-natural-as-possible-foods mentality. It's a theory.

Every single time I go to Whole Foods which is like oh every other day, I have to scan the bakery and gawk. As I've been doing this sugar wean, the gawking is enough to curb my cravings most times.

And now, luckily for my weaning sweet tooth, because I live in Phoenix where vegan baked goods even in Whole Foods is scarce, I have less temptations than I had in the Bay Area where my biggest weakness were these vegan coconut and dark chocolate covered donuts, and vegan banana nut muffins. Oh how I dream of those moist luscious muffins often.

Not-so-sweet emo week

Last week was a bit rough emotionally, but I did manage to focus on keeping an open heart and keeping sweet thoughts about life. Wonderful things did happen like mom and I got featured in a post in the Wall Street Journal, and the IRS told me that they were giving me money back. Again, see, miracles do happen!

I did however overdo it with the agave in my rice milk latte coffee drinks. In fact, last week, I had a tall iced coffee with loads of agave in it almost every day. Along with the emo week, it's getting hot here in Phoenix where we've had a couple 90+ degree days already, and the coffee drinks have been my crutch. But it's okay. I'm aware now, and we can get back on track. No biggie.

So, how has your sugar weaning been going?

Relationships: Seeing The Flowers Beyond The Cactus

 

Every Sunday morning I go for a walk around my neighborhood. On this Sunday, it was a gorgeous Phoenix Spring day at 72 degrees and I see this cactus with these beautiful yellow flowers.

I've never seen cactus with blooming flowers before, and I smile because I realize that I am in a real desert area as opposed to faux desert that land developers will create for selling affect much like putting palm trees in to create a "tropical" feel.

When a friend acts out of character

Symbolically, I also appreciate the relationship metaphor of these flowers amongst the prinkly cactus as it was a reminder to me to remain optimistic during a challenging time I'm having right now. The other day I found myself in a situation with a friend who did something very spiteful to me. But what caught me off guard is that this particular action is very out of character for this person, and so I didn't really understand it...at first.

Don't get me wrong, the incident did hurt a great deal because hey I'm human, but also it didn't because of the left field aspect. It's like having a Labrador Retriever who is normally a really friendly and loving dog who would never even harm a flea, but then one day turns into Cujo and bites the hell out of you. You know that there is something going on with the dog because he's not behaving his normal nature.

On the surface, I see Cujo attacking me, but down below, inside, I know my Labrador is there. On the outside, it looks like a bad-tempered situation, but deep down, I know there is a lot of pain going on. The dark part of me wants to retaliate and be hateful in return, but the lighter part of me accepts what is and doesn't take the bait.

All we can change is ourselves and our attitude

Seeing the flowers in the cactus reminds me that even in the prickliest of situations there can be grace. Barbed and beauty can co-exist because you love a whole not just the pretty pieces. So in the now, I choose to focus on the flowers, the handsomeness of my friend instead of the sharp spines of their uncharacteristic behavior.

Three years ago, I would have focused on the hurtful spikes and the ordinary of the cactus, and probably curse the plant for not being what I wanted it to be.

As I realize that I am doing the opposite, and focusing on the whole, I smile again because the other beauty I discover in this thorny situation is that I have grown and no longer go to that "place," that place where I feel trapped in hurt and pain.

I'm not saying that what my friend did is okay or acceptable because it is not, and there are consequences. But, I'm not going to hang on to the wrong of the circumstance on either end. I will be compassionate and keep an open heart more because it is good for me. These are the moments where we choose to live in the light of love or in the shadow of fear.

The flowers in the cactus remind me to choose love because it's plentiful and everywhere. We just have to be willing to see it.

Weaning Sugar Wednesday #12: Change Happens In Moments Not Plans

 

After years of experience with dieting or I should say diet mentality, one thing I've learned about working with my Inner Resistance Monster is to not have plans. In fact, even when I blog, I commonly go to a cafe, get a rice milk latte, and just start writing or tweeting whatever comes to mind. I tried doing an editorial calendar once to help me organize, and yeah, the IR Monster rebelled.

When I started this going sugar little journey to get down to eating 25g of sugars per day, I had no plan other than I chose first to do a wean versus cold turkey, and to have no time line. I had no end date nor any set goal for the day. I didn't even think about how long I would like this journey to take. I just decided to go with the flow man. I would stare down sugar one tasty drink or treat at a time like these Rice Dream chocolate pies.

 

Now, the "no plan" strategy is completely opposite of my instinct to plan. I'm a natural planner. Back in my corporate career, I was the master project manager and multi-tasker. Oh you should have seen my Microsoft Project sheets - they were almost works of organized art.

And of course, I would apply my planning skills into creating one of my famous "lose 15 pounds in 12 weeks" plans where I would have two Excel spreadsheets: one for body stats like inches and pounds lost, and the second spreadsheet for calories in and out. I'd cut out recipes from magazines and print out more recipes I found online.

And yes, I would start on Monday because geez what other day of the week do you start?...Oh how we laugh now, naive dieter I was.

Plans & action

Even though I was an amazing planner, I was a poor executor. In my career it was different, everything I planned I would easily and eagerly turn into action and achieve every goal I set out to accomplish. With losing weight, well that was a whole other story. For some reason, I couldn't mimic the success I had achieved with work projects with success in getting back into the skinny jeans.

I would either not start on Monday or start but then slack or give up by day 5. Sometimes, if I was fed up enough with that pesky muffin top, I would last on "the plan" about a month and drop about 5-6 pounds.

But then like a ship who lost it's rudder, I'd veer of course. I discovered later in therapy that my Inner Resistance Monster was okay with plans at work but not plans in my personal life and even more specifically with my weight.

 

Two years + 4 months ago, after dropping 30 lbs and keeping it off all this time, I think I was successful in not only taking the weight off but keeping it off this time because I shifted strategy and focused on attitude before diet & exercise, and I didn't really plan. I did a little planning but nothing close to what I used to do with the Excel spreadsheets.

The Tolle approach to weight loss

What I did focus on was just choices in the now. Yes, I'm sounding Eckhart Tolle. I did away with "planning" thinking and focused more on what I would eat for the day or even in the moment and what I would do for exercise...again just for that day. Tomorrow didn't exist, only right now did.

I found that I experienced less anxiety and I felt like I had more control. Thinking about the future and the past would really depress me, and that would then trigger night emo eating of chocolate chip cookies, pecan praline ice cream, or gingerbread cake...not beneficial for anything other than getting a temporary sugar high which would then trigger a crashing low. I'd rinse and repeat almost every night. It was exhausting...and frustrating.

In the past, I think one of the main reasons I would gain weight back whenever I did lose weight was because mentally I was "done" meaning done with whatever weight loss plan I was on because I had reached my goal, so we're done, right? My brain was no longer in plan mode any more, so I'd drift back to my old habits.

One of the tactics that worked in keeping the weight off this time was that I had to retrain or trick my brain a bit and nix the planning mentality and just focus on the "is." What will I eat right now? What exercise will I do today?

We don't need no stinking plan

It finally dawned on me that I can't live my life on a constant plan or program, and that having that healthy body I want and keep is not a result of big plans but really a result of everyday choices in the now that added up over time and will continue to add up going into the future.

Being more in the present is also how I discovered the tiny actions strategy because even if I only did 10 minutes of exercise or ate 100 less calories for the day, it was better than doing zero. Also too, the idea of tiny actions is far more doable and stress-free than big plans which can scare the beejeebies outta my Inner Resistance Monster.

So, how about you? Have you found that you do better on plans or more go with the flow in the now type of strategies.

Weaning Sugar Wednesday #11: Change In Sweet-Tooth Affecting Salt-Tooth

 
Here's one of my smoothie concoctions: strawberries, lychees, hemp seeds, rice milk, and ice.

We're now two and a half months into our going sugar little journey as I make the habit change of going from eating 80g to 25g of sugars per day. To refresh those who haven't been following, I based my 25g of sugar per day on the American Heart Association's (AHA) recommendation that we consume no more than 25g of added sugars per day...which does not include natural sources like fruit. I took it a step further and just made it a lump 25g/day no matter the source.

I don't know exactly how many grams of sugar per day I'm eating now, but I've gone down significantly to see..or rather I should say experience...the change in my taste buds. I mentioned a couple weeks ago that there are foods that I ate all the time back in January when I started this sugar weaning venture which I have a really hard time eating now because it's just too sweet to my taste buds. I call that some significant progress because I am, or was, a serious sweet-toothaholic.

 

I also talked about how I've been having weird...because I've never had them before...but good cravings like wanting to eat greens like spinach or kale, and fiber. I've seriously been on this fiber trip lately. I now eat something green everyday, mostly mixed Herb Salad mix, spinach, or kale. I really have been loving kale like this simple kale salad with avocado,cherry tomato, onion, and toasted walnuts.

 

And now the newest weird change is that I'm also noticing that my desire for salt is dropping. Again, I'm experiencing it in the taste buds. Salty things that I used to love before are now starting to taste too salty to me.

For example, instead of getting salted pistachios, I prefer the raw versions now. I got a small bag of potato chips at Whole Foods the other day and the chips just made me cringe a bit because they were just too salty. In my cooking, I'm using pinches of salt versus many shakes.

Besides the high sugar intake, I also knew that I consume high amounts of sodium, but I figured I would tackle that issue after I was settled with the sugar weaning. Well, interestingly enough, it seems as if the sodium change is starting to happen naturally on its own in concurrence with the sugar wean.

When you let the body do its thang

But hey, I'm not complaining. In fact, I'm thrilled. It's like I'm getting a two-fer. It got me thinking though. I'm wondering if these changes are not just about sugar or sodium but just that my palate in general is adapting to a new level...a lower one...of seasoning, flavorings or whatever.

As well, I'm not forcing my body with radical change like trying to go cold turkey with the sugar. I'm doing a slow wean and just focusing on everyday moments and tiny changes as I really have no grand eat less sugar plan. I've just been winging it and making choices literally at each meal or craving of the day.

I wonder if my body is sensing that I want to work with it versus forcing it and in return because I'm basically letting it be, the bod is able to do what it wants on its own like reducing the desire for salt as I reduce the consumption of sugar.

Who knows the answer, but all I can say is that so far this whole sugar weaning process has been painless and interesting...and the most important aspect being "pain-free."

So, how's your sugar weaning been going? Have you noticed any weird changes or cravings?

Weaning Sugar Wednesday #10: Short and Sweet

 

Today's report is going to be very short yet sweet because:

• My laptop got infected with all kinds of nasty viruses and I had to take it to the computer hospital. It was so bad they had to do a complete re-install which means wiping out everything. While in there, the IT guy is telling me I should upgrade to Windows 7 since Vista just sucks. Makes sense so, I say yes. I got the laptop back last night, but now, it's like moving into a new house whose floor plan you've never even seen. I have to re-do and re-learn a whole lot.

• My folks have been here this week visiting me, and they want to go do some sightseeing today, so mom is like, "Chop. Chop. Let's go!"

I will share this one cool new thing, my parents and I did this week in an effort to cut down on sugar. My birthday was on Monday, and normally mom would buy some large cake at Safeway. This year, we got a small 3" Coconut cake at Whole Foods, cut it into 4 small pieces, and coupled our cake slice with my favorite So Delicious Coconut-milk based chocolate ice cream.

We got to enjoy a small amount of cake and ice cream without busting our sugar and calorie consumption. I also introduced my folks to the coconut-milk based ice cream I love so much and they liked it too. Bonus!

So see, you can have your cake and eat it too....and feel good about it :)

Tried Something New: Instead Of Eating A Cookie, I Ate...

 

Night time is when I get the worst sugar cravings and often I will satisfy my sweet tooth with things like cookies, cake, ice cream, or rice krispy treats. Since starting this sugar wean in January, I've noticed that besides wanting the sugar, I'll eat the sweets at night just out of pure habit.

So, the other day, when I was up late blogging and wanted to eat a granola bar or a Neapolitan ice cream sandwich bar, "I tried something new" for the #foodrevolution and cracked open a can of tuna to get some protein and Omegas.

Awhile back, I remember my ND telling me to eat protein instead of a sugar at night because the body is dropping blood sugar and what it actually needs is protein and not sugar although that is what we crave. Of course, did I follow that advice? Um-no.

But for one day, I did, and it was fine. Eating the tuna certainly wasn't like eating a cookie but my cravings did go away, and I felt good that I made a conscious effort and took a tiny action to break one of my sugar habits. We'll take a win for any little victory we can get :)

Nourishing My Nature With Pooh and Piglet

 
 

I believe that as important as it is to nourish the body with fresh vibrant foods, it is equally important to nourish your mind and sense of purpose with nutritious content. This weekend, I feasted on The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet which unbelievably I have never read until now. I know! I do however believe that the Universe timed my reading of these books perfectly and I attracted exactly what I needed at this time.

On Saturday, I was feeling a bit unsettled and discombobulated if I may use a supercalidocious word. In the overall scheme of things, I am very glad that I left corporate America, and became an entrepreneur because as Pooh would tell me, working for myself is my true nature.

But there are stretches of time that go by particularly when the bank account looks like it's going to be wearing red instead of black, where I feel like, I should just go get a job. When it gets really tough and I have those tormented writer cocktail days ala Hemingway, I even start to think that life would be so much easier if I just go find myself a wealthy husband. I could be one of those Housewives of Scottsdale...Yeah, okay, I know, not me...but maybe?...Okay, got it, let's get back to Pooh.

Tried Something New: Putting Takeout Food On A Plate

To some of you this is going to sound ridiculous, and to some others of you, you will be like, "OMG! I do that too." I don't mind admitting some of my oddities because 5 years of blogging has taught me that many of us are more alike than we think.

So okay, whenever I get takeout meals besides pizza and Chinese because that food usually comes in individual dish containers, I eat right out of the to-go container like this. I don't bother with plates mainly because I'm lazy and hate washing dishes.

 

I know many people find it surprising that I have lazy tendencies because in many areas I am somewhat disciplined. When it comes to food though, I got all kinds of lazy going on which is why I'm all about finding shortcuts, doing semi-homemade, and using as little dishes and silverware as possible because I hate washing dishes.

In fact, another dirty little secret of mine is that at home I eat mainly with disposable forks and spoons so I can just throw them away instead of wash them. I'm either saving water or creating more landfill, two ways to look at it.

In an effort for, "I tried something new" for the #foodrevolution, I decided this time to put my Vietnamese Bun #3 dinner out of it's to-go container, and put it on a plate. Now, why this seemingly small action actually is a big deal is that it made me realize that when I eat straight out of the to-go container, I will be inclined to eat the whole thing because some of my, "Clean the plate" mentality will eek in. Eating a whole to-go container of anything is just way too much food as some of those containers can fit 3-4 servings.

A simple way to cut down calories

A very significant yet easy way to cut down our calorie consumption is simply cutting down portion sizes. I no longer deprive myself of any foods any more. If I want something, especially if it's a sweet or a fat like pizza or cake, I'll just eat a small portion of it. My Inner Resistance Monster is satisfied because to him even two bites of something is better then telling him, "No way Jose." Whenever, I do that, oh boy, the cravings intensify until I break down and then end up eating way more had I just taken the couple bites in the beginning.

 

I have these plate/bowl dishes I got at World Market, and I like them because they are flat yet have edges and can hold in food like a bowl. So, I put my takeout food in one of these dishes, and as you see here, I have only one egg roll instead of two, only 1/3 of the noodles, and about 75% of the meat. I don't mind eating more meat because it's mostly protein, and the dish didn't come with that much meat in the first place, so we're good.

I actually didn't eat everything on the plate because I got full, so I stopped and put the rest back in the to-go container for lunch the next day. I think we can often underestimate the power of visual queues when we eat. When you take take-out food out of its to-go container and put it on a plate, you can have better control over the portion size you eat, and help keep on track for your health goals.

Eating at the table

Along with putting the food on the plate, I also ate at my dining table. Normally, I'd eat my take-out in its to-go container on the couch and watch TV. Besides the food looking nicer in a plate, eating at the table made me feel like I was having more of a food experience like what you have at a restaurant versus feeling like a couch potato.

I did have to wash the plate, but I figured washing one plate in an effort to help me cut down on my food portions was well worth it. Glad I tried something new!

So what new thing did you try this week?

A De-Liteful Snack: Kettle Corn

 

I love the flavor of kettle corn because it has that sweet and salty combo. Traditional kettle corn like the stuff at street fairs piping hot from the vat is awesome but can get really caloric with the fats and sugars.

So, given that I'm in the midst of going sugar little, I was so excited to see this Lite Kettle Corn at Trader Joe's. Why I think this popcorn is filled with snacky awesomeness:

• Easy portion control: There are 6-bags in a pack, and each bag is one serving size at 110 calories. Just one bag will satisfy an afternoon craving.
• The sugars are 4g.
• Total fat is 4g which is 50% less than than Trader Joe's regular Kettle Corn.
• The ingredients are simple: popcorn, sugar, sunflower oil, and salt.
• It's gluten-free and low sodium.

What I think is impressive too is that to make a Lite version, Trader Joe's didn't start using artificial ingredients to cut things down, they just used much less of the same. Seems like a logical thing to do, so what if more food manufacturers did the same?

Stop wallowing in the Snuggie & 5 other things to do to not be miserable about Valentine's Day

This year, part of me is really tempted to wallow in the pity pool this Valentine's Day swaddled in a Snuggie reading trashy romance novels and noshing on chocolate covered woe-is-me because I'm still single and my Ex is now married.

I know. I know. I should be grown up and just get over it like any other mature adult but I'm just going to be honest and admit that a part of me still feels a little bit of the bitter sting around the heart more because I thought I would have at least had a serious relationship by now, but I do not. If I think about it too much, it makes me want to bundle myself up in a sleeved blanket of fleece and cry me a river with Justin Timberlake. Say hello to my woeful drama queen side.

BUT!

We are not going to wallow in pity or stuff bon bons in our pie hole as tempting as that may be because all that's going to get us is frown lines and make us look like the morose spinster wrapped in some ridiculous As Seen on TV getup which really omg! is even too pathetic for a Lifetime movie.

SO! To help both you and me be in a more positive mood about Valentine's Day coming up this weekend, here are 5 other things you can do to not be miserable and maybe even have a wonderful day of love.

• Be completely selfish: Think about all those couples who have to share and make compromises so both of them are happy on that day. Remember how stressful that was when you were once in coupledom. Now solo, you get to do whatever the hell you want without anyone's permission, having to consider anyone's feelings, or to compromise on what you really want to do. Make Valentine's Day all about you and go do something you've always wanted to do.

• Give your inner Ms./Mr. Perfect the day off: Typically the voice in your head that is making you feel miserable about being single on Valentine's Day is that inner perfectionist who has a set image of perfect love or an image you're supposed to be hooked up with another because that is what everyone else is doing and you're supposed to be a part of a twosome because well....because we're all brainwashed to believe that we are incomplete until we find that one that completes us like in Jerry Maguire, "You complete me." The only one that completes you is you darling.

• Get glammed up and go party with your other single friends: No doubt that you are not the only one who is single on Valentine's Day so instead of each of you caving it up in your homes, get gussied up, put on the gloss & floss (G-string), and take your hot selves out to celebrate friendship and friends whom really our some of the great loves of our lives. Boyfriends/Girlfriends, Husbands/Wives, may have come and gone but your friends were still there with you. Life is short and do you really want to look back on this day and see yourself either sour-faced on the couch or giggling sipping on cocktails with your friends.

• Make love to yourself: Here's the beauty of solo lovemaking. You know you are going to get lucky. You are guaranteed an orgasm, and you will get exactly what you want in bed because are you going to say no to you? No way! This is a chance to make sex all about you because heaven knows many of us know what bad sex is like. No one is more qualified to please you sexually than yourself.

• Write down 5 things you do have: When we are in miserable mode it is usually because we are mentally focused on what we don't have, what we lack, like I DON'T HAVE a relationship. I DON'T HAVE a one and only, I DON'T HAVE a date. The DON'T HAVEs start to look really big when that's all you center your attention on. So, get a paper and pen, and jot down at least 5 things you DO HAVE like for me I'd put I DO HAVE freedom. I DO HAVE parents who love me unconditionally. I DO HAVE love all around me.

The commercialization of Valentine's Day makes us believe that you only have love if it looks like being part of a couple. The image of coupledom is what we buy into as having love but that is not true. If  you just look at love as love, energy, a feeling, and not package it or brand it like it's some kind of product, you will start to see that you actually are surrounded by all kinds of love, it just looks different than what you have been focused on.

This Valentine's Day weekend, one of my single girlfriends from California is coming out to visit me, and the two of us are going to have fun this weekend, doing something, I have no idea yet. But it will be fun because the intent and the friendship is there :)

Feel the love and enjoy your day of joie de vivre!