Sugar Blues

I stay up often wondering and thinking about what is actually going on with all of us, mostly in this country but I am sure at some point soon the rest of the world will catch up to our progressive ways as well. Here we all are, intelligent people that have been inundated with so much information that we can't possibly fain ignorance, can we? Can we really all sit here and wonder what is really going on? As far as weight loss is concerned, how much more info do you need, do we all need? I cringe every time someone has a “new and improved” way of losing weight. I know it may at first appear that I am also one of those people too but I think that if you have been reading along you will come to see that I am not! I am in complete opposition to most of what I hear, not all because some of it is sprinkled with some truth.

What is it that people are really trying to sell? Is it weight loss? Really? Or is it hope? Or more to the point is it your own dream that they are selling right back to you? Is it everything you have been hoping to hear? That’s it, isn’t it? Here is one more then, why? Why can't you grasp hold of that dream right now, here at this moment? Why can't you say that it's time for you to put on your big girl pants and do what grown-ups do? (that’s how I often talk to myself when I know it's time for action) Again, it's not a rhetorical question, Why can't you do it? It’s a big question with a big answer. Is it perhaps that you are unhappy? Just plain old unhappy? And again why are you so unhappy?

I had a client of mine come in to see me a few weeks ago and said to me, Berta I know what the problem is, I’m depressed. First of all, I said to him, please don’t use that word lightly. Depression is a serious problem and most of us of you are not depressed, I mean really depressed. I do not minimize the ones that are but we can not as a society have all gone down the drain at once. I mean really, more and more people are on antidepressants and anti-anxiety and even our children are all on something, we are a nation of drug addicts and this has started when? In the last decade? So might there possibly be something else that is going on? By the way, I asked that client first to call it “melancholy” because that is what it was and I thought it was a state of melancholy that was brought on by his food and more to the point what he was drinking. I asked him to stop drinking his diet soda and miraculously his melancholy lifted. I know I sound as if I am minimizing a great issue in this country but believe me I am not minimizing it because it is huge. The thing is the issue is not us but the foods and beverages we are in taking are making us unhappy and sick. Mainly one in particular, there are many but this one is probably at the top of the list. Sugar.

Sugar, as I have stated in a past e-zine is one of the most addictive substances in the world! There I said it and it's true!! It’s in everything, and it's everywhere. It is not only one of the main culprits to why we are overweight and obese but is also one of the main reasons we are “depressed/melancholy”, diabetic, and have all kinds of allergies(although I also believe that dairy is another culprit in this as well), cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure issues, Candida problems (this needs a whole chapter in itself to discuss this one), fungal issues from athletes foot, jock itch, ringworm, skin rashes, acne, digestive and intestinal issues, arthritis, inflammatory diseases, not to mention the continuous amount of ear/sinus infections and down to the basic cold.

I suppose this sounds preposterous that so many things could be affected by something so sweet (pun) but I believe we could place all of these under one balloon called autoimmune disease malfunctions. Sugar and the excess of it lowers our immune function leaving us susceptible to all kinds of diseases. So what in the world does this have to do with weight loss? Maybe everything.

Imagine this, if everyone out there is looking for that one special pill that will make all our weight just drop off, and along with that make us healthy again and we are not a healthy nation. But if one magic pill could make us all ok again then think of this, what if we removed just one thing, perhaps the one thing that is making us all sick, fat, and depressed? Because you see if we are unhappy and unhealthy we then don’t care and we stop caring about our weight and ourselves. It may have a lot to do with everything.

Clearly, I can't talk about all of it here in this blog, not to mention that if I tried my editor would leave me for good. But what if we remove the one possible culprit to so many things? Sugar. Impossible you might say, why because it's in everything? Isn't that the point? That it is taking over. Well, if you believe or if you can at least for the moment accept that sugar is one of the most addictive drugs in the world then you can also see how impossible this whole venture is to lose weight with it always looming around you. There are thousands of small drug dens on every block of every city, sometimes a few on every block. Selling a variety of sugar hits in a variety of different ways. Not to mention the horrific display of chocolates and candies every single month in celebration of yet another holiday, but what and why does candy have to do with celebration?

Americans consume a rate of about one hundred pounds of sugar every year! It is reported to be more addictive than heroin, strong words I know but it's true.
So how can you stop eating something that is quite literally killing you, making you fat and depressed, and which then makes you more prone to eating since you are depressed, and so on and so forth?

I am only able to present a minuscule amount of info in this blog this week and I will continue to address it over and over again but for today, take a moment and think about the amount of sugar you have already consumed and if you haven’t think about how much you have already thought of consuming it. Have you thought perhaps of how much you can exercise to burn a certain amount of calories so that you can then treat yourself with just a little piece of something sweet? Why do you think this is so? It's because your body is asking for it, craving it as any good American addict would. It's easy to get your hands on it too, it's everywhere.
Sugar came into this country on the back of slaves and along with it came the progressive degenerative diseases that we find commonplace in our society today. One of course is obesity and diabetes. So what if you extricate it? Do it as an experiment if you will or perhaps as a challenge. The sugar challenge! Let's see if you are able to remove sugar from your diet for a month. I know that sounds impossible but most addicts would have that feeling come up for them. (Joking but not really) But for a moment just contemplate it, for one month try and see what may happen. Could be the worse thing that happens? You lose weight and feel great, your skin will start to shine, fungal issues may clear up, digestive disorders may dissipate, and arthritic joints may subside. Who knows? Exactly my point, you don’t know what may happen.

So think of removing all refined sugars from your mouth, and move to some natural sweeteners if you must for your tea such as Stevia. You may still consume nature's candy, fruit. Stay away from fruit juices of course. Just think that for a measly 4 weeks, you may actually be able to get an answer to many of your unsolved questions. Why can't I stay on track, what's wrong with me? And why am I just not that happy? And for everyone that thinks this is just some crazy way of thinking and its impossible to live like this, well that’s fine too but it doesn’t mean I am wrong it just means that you aren’t ready yet so take baby steps towards this and just think that it may possibly be true.

Warning: The giving up of sugar, cold turkey which I think is the only way to do this, can bring on many detox physical effects on you. From headaches to aches and pains in your muscles and joints, you may feel tired and listless but this, if it happens will normally be gone within 3 days. Within 3 days you should actually stop craving any if not all sugar consumption. And you will feel physically better right away. And for anyone that has been fuzzy-headed lately, you know who you are, this could also be a symptom of excess sugar so your head should actually feel more clear.

So take the No Sugar for a Month Challenge! And let me know how you feel and how you do, I would be surprised if this simple experiment didn’t change your life.
Good luck!