Why being an addicts sucks
I did a bad thing today but I didn't realize how bad it was at the time. Since going back on the wagon a few weeks ago and giving up sugar again, I have hud HUGE improvements by leaps and bounds not just in my health but in my entire life. My life is amazingly happier and better now.
Today after having lunch with a girlfriend we hit some stores in Capitol Hill to find her some club clothes. She asked if we could stop at Cupcake Royale and I told her that I don't eat sugar but I would go with her to get a chai there (the chai is sweetened only with honey and maple syrup and no sugar). She got a cupcake topped with "salted caramel". Oh my god, I love caramel. So I asked for just one small bite of her cupcake. BIG mistake!!!
The bite of chocolate cupcake with salted caramel frosting was absolutely orgasmic. I fell back in my chair while chewing it and I think my eyes rolled back up into my head. I only had that one bite. But it was all down hill from there.
For the rest of the day I kept seeing treats everywhere. Even the event I taught a lap dance workshop at tonight had free cake and free chocolate. I went out of my mind trying to resist them. That one bite of cupcake royale shot my sugar cravings through the roof. In desperation I stopped at the Greenwood market to get a sugar free pie (sweetened with fruit juice and pear syrup). I try to avoid these sugar free pies and such now because in the past they have been a gateway drug to the real thing (with sugar). But truly, I was insane with cravings and desperate. But the sugar free pie did not quell the cravings like it used to. I tried my stevia sweetened chai tea at home, that always does the trick and stops the cravings. But it did not this time either.
I guess when you're an addict, you can't sample what you're addicted to and expect to go on about your day or your life with no consequences. I have no idea how long I'll be made miserable by these cravings. I only know that the one bite of cupcake was not worth the torture the cravings are putting me through now.
Today after having lunch with a girlfriend we hit some stores in Capitol Hill to find her some club clothes. She asked if we could stop at Cupcake Royale and I told her that I don't eat sugar but I would go with her to get a chai there (the chai is sweetened only with honey and maple syrup and no sugar). She got a cupcake topped with "salted caramel". Oh my god, I love caramel. So I asked for just one small bite of her cupcake. BIG mistake!!!
The bite of chocolate cupcake with salted caramel frosting was absolutely orgasmic. I fell back in my chair while chewing it and I think my eyes rolled back up into my head. I only had that one bite. But it was all down hill from there.
For the rest of the day I kept seeing treats everywhere. Even the event I taught a lap dance workshop at tonight had free cake and free chocolate. I went out of my mind trying to resist them. That one bite of cupcake royale shot my sugar cravings through the roof. In desperation I stopped at the Greenwood market to get a sugar free pie (sweetened with fruit juice and pear syrup). I try to avoid these sugar free pies and such now because in the past they have been a gateway drug to the real thing (with sugar). But truly, I was insane with cravings and desperate. But the sugar free pie did not quell the cravings like it used to. I tried my stevia sweetened chai tea at home, that always does the trick and stops the cravings. But it did not this time either.
I guess when you're an addict, you can't sample what you're addicted to and expect to go on about your day or your life with no consequences. I have no idea how long I'll be made miserable by these cravings. I only know that the one bite of cupcake was not worth the torture the cravings are putting me through now.
I had to give up the SF stuff, all the chemicals were making me sick. I still can't have lots of sugar without going into insulin shock(dump), and moderation is the key. It's odd that you don't react to maple syrup or honey, since those freak my body out just as much as sugar.
If I could give up eating altogether, cold turkey, and still be able to live, my life would be so much better. Sucks when your addiction is not only legal but actually encouraged and advertised everywhere.
Cupcake Royale = evil. Trophy Cupcakes = pure heavenly EVAL
Edited at 2009-09-05 08:33 pm (UTC)
So think of it this way, honey and fruit juice do stimulate insulin production but are as natural as poppies. Sugar is processed to the point of being as unnatural and as harmful as heroin.
You can find all this info in a book called Sugar Blues (in addition to the entire history of the sugar industry). Check out the reviews on Amazon. 65 out of 87 people gave it 5 stars. Another 12 of those 87 people gave it 4 stars. Some people even commented on how giving up sugar changed their lives:
http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Blues-William-Dufty/dp/0446343129/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252203415&sr=1-1
Seriously? If you're trying to rid your system of sugar, you're not going to help it by consuming honey and maple syrup. A lot of maple syrup contains sucrose (processed sugar), while honey just has fructose and glucose. Here's another fun fact about fructose and glucose - most sodas are now made with high fructose corn syrup, makes little functional difference from sucrose, since high fructose corn syrup contains fructose and glucose in a similar ratio to that produced metabolically from sucrose. Honey's sweeter, so you might use less, but it's still going to raise your blood glucose levels. If you have defects in your glucose metabolism (like diabetes or hypoglycemia), it's not going to matter whether the sugar is processed or not. You can still get the effects of sugar from non-processed sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw, without the 'extras', but it will still cause changes to your insulin/glucose blood levels.
Your comparison to refined sugar and heroin is honestly apples to oranges. Sugar, even processed and refined is *not* as harmful as heroin. Yes, they both are processed from a natural plant into something that can alter chemical levels in the body, but there are also striking differences that make the comparisons a stretch (and yes, I've read quite a bit of the book you linked below). I could take anything that processed a natural item into a synthetic one and it still wouldn't make them comparable.
Either you're giving up sugar because you don't want the physical effects to your blood levels, or you don't want to processed chemicals. If you don't want the effects to your body and mood/blood level changes, you have to cut out all of the sweeteners with -ose at the end, and watch your consumption of sugary fruits too. If you just don't want the chemicals from processed sugar, then make sure your maple syrups don't use them and eat things made with raw sugar. I guess I'm just confused as to what it is exactly that you are trying not to eat?
As for the picture, I was trying to make a point about why I was tempted. I mean look how good they look! They won't tempt me anymore now that I know how much I will suffer just from one bite.
Edited at 2009-09-06 02:14 am (UTC)