All or nothing!

I have learnt about myself on this Sweet Poison sugar-aware journey. I am definitely an all or nothing person. This last week, I blogged that I ate the whole 110gm Cherry Ripe egg, with 51.9gm sugar per 100gms. I said I would give away the small bag of tiny Crunchie eggs. Well, I mostly did. On the same day, I wrote that blog, I still ate some. I ate 4 out of the roughly 20 you got in the bag. It's the old not wanting to waste your money, and also, I just had to know what they tasted like. They tasted a heck of a lot better than the Cherry Ripe egg and were thoroughly delicious. Gave the rest away to my offspring, which is really a terrible thing to do in leading them astray.

That has always been a big problem, which Stew never really liked. I'd buy chocolate and then share it with my 3 older kids (we only added on the babies in the last couple of years) so they were getting very addicted along with me. That's why I'm so proud of Brooke, who is trying very hard to do this too. Adam said he'd start in May, after his April b'day and Easter. Ethan, is not too keen, thus far, but he's only 12. Mind you, he'll find it increasingly hard to get sugary stuff here so at least  his exposure will be limited.

However, I still lost weight in the last week and am now in the 75kg range. Last Monday, it went up 200gms to 76.9 but has been 75.9, 75.6, 75.6 and 75.8 for the last 4 days. That can lead you astray if you focus on the weight only, which I sometimes do. Although I set out to do this for health reasons, thinking lost weight would be an added bonus, I sometimes get so caught up in the pleasing weight loss that I forget what this is all about. So, you can start to think, "See, I didn't gain weight from having sugary treats so having some regularly won't hurt etc" It's not just about weight!!!

I did an Inter-Library Loan on a book called "Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our  #1 National Addiction. Why our sweet tooth may be killing us" by Nancy Apppleton, PhD who is American, I assume. I think she's a nutritionist etc who learnt in the 70s that sugar was killing her but didn't have the benefit of the recent research to make people believe her. Have read the first chapter, as I only started it today, and it is interesting. Written in 2009. She's also written books like, "Lick the Sugar Habit". She's in her 70s and has been on a big journey of discovery. She lists 140 reasons why sugar is ruining our health though she is compiling more, all the time. Many will echo what Gillespie says, of course. A lot she gets from the Harvard medical publication. I plan to share some with you, each time I blog.

The first 10:

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause juvenile delinquency in children.
4. Sugar eaten during pregnancy and lactation can influence muscle force production in offspring, which can affect an individual's ability to exercise.
5. Sugar in soda, when consumed by children, results in the children drinking less milk.
6. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses and return them to fasting levels slower in oral contraceptive users.
7. Sugar can increase reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage cells and tissues.
8. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, inability to concentrate, and crankiness in children.
9. Surar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
10. Sugar reduces the body's ability to defend against bacterial infection.

Number 4 makes me wish I'd known to cut down on sugar in pregnancies. I always meant to but never did as I didn't know how. Willpower doesn't work for me. It's almost enough to make me wish I could have another pregnancy just to do it right, this time, and be healthy for the baby's sake.

Why my liver enzyme may be high???

Got this info from something Gillespie shared on Sweet Poison:

When fructose is joined to glucose, it makes sucrose. Sucrose is abundant in sugar cane, sugar beets, corn, and other plants. When extracted and refined, sucrose makes table sugar. In the 1800s and early 1900s, the average American took in about 15 grams of fructose (about half an ounce), mostly from eating fruits and vegetables. Today we average 55 grams per day (73 grams for adolescents). The increase in fructose intake is worrisome, says Lustig, because it suspiciously parallels increases in obesity, diabetes, and a new condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that now affects up to one-third of Americans. (You can read more about nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a Harvard Health Letter article.)

Virtually every cell in the body can use glucose for energy. In contrast, only liver cells break down fructose. What happens to fructose inside liver cells is complicated. One of the end products is triglyceride, a form of fat. Uric acid and free radicals are also formed.

None of this is good. Triglycerides can build up in liver cells and damage liver function. Triglycerides released into the bloodstream can contribute to the growth of fat-filled plaque inside artery walls. Free radicals (also called reactive oxygen species) can damage cell structures, enzymes, and even genes. Uric acid can turn off production of nitric oxide, a substance that helps protect artery walls from damage. Another effect of high fructose intake is insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425

Headache worsening, meat pies and blood test results

I wrote a blog over half an hour ago but got interrupted by the baby. My headache is worsening, and is getting right behind my eyes. Smart move to eat that egg, Fiona...NOT!

Last week, my weight got down to 76.7 on home scales. When I visited my doctor, her scales said 77.7kg but this was around lunchtime. I was trying to explain to her that when I weighed myself before eating, first thing in morning after toilet visit, it was 76.7kg. She laughed and said that she believed me. She said that she didn't care, anyway, as she was thrilled that it wasn't 84kg, which was what I had been on her scales a few years back when I had to get a medical for job I went for, and got, in 2007.

That high liver protein that made me have this further test two months later - ALP - was no longer 151 but was still high at 126. (It's supposed to be between 20 and 105). She said they'll test me yearly to keep an eye on it.  My sister said that sugar addiction can affect your liver in several ways, which is similar to what Gillespie found, from memory. Perhaps it has come down due to me eating far less fructose?

A few years ago, after I gave blood, the blood bank wrote to me to say that my Ferritin levels were low. (Ferritin is your iron stores) This time, it was 16 and it's mean to be between 15 and 165, so it's still on the low side. The doc asked me whether I ate meat. I do! Must take more care to eat iron rich products though...

In a previous blog, I said that meat pies without sauce is just not the same as I'd tried to water down tomato paste but it was yucky. Last night, we had 2 family meat pies shared among the 7 of us, again. Second time since fructose aware. This time, I didn't water down tomato paste. I just ate my pie slices without anything else. It was OK and I survived. I prefer to just do this from now on. Mind you, I could always make up the sauce recipes in the Sweet Poison Quit Plan if I really get desperate. Still miss the sauce taste but it really was the sugar in the sauce that I liked!

Two steps forward, one step back!

As I said in last night's blog, since I started this on Feb 14th, the only chocolate I've had is my Darrell Lea nougat filled egg, last week, and a sliver of my son's b'day cake last night. Both made me feel sick and gave me a headache. I also confessed to buying some 1/2 priced eggs yesterday. I love bargains and used to love chocolate so it seemed a good buy. I got a 110gm Cherry Ripe egg and a 135g bag of Crunchie eggs with hokey pokey Crunchie pieces in them. Wasn't sure whether to save them til my b'day or give away etc

Just goes to show that I can't have it in the house. There's been chocolate biscuits (good brand like Arnott's Tim Tams etc) in the house since before I started my Sweet Poison journey. They don't tempt me. Amy's normal chocolate easter bunny is there and I'm fine with it. Leftover b'day cake in the fridge and choc chip muffins (left over from Easter as my m-in-law brought them over) in the cupboard don't tempt me. However, knowing this Cherry Ripe egg was in the cupboard did my head in.

Why did it tempt me? Not really for the taste. Just knowing it was there and wanting to get rid of it, I think. If a fructose-eating adult had've been here, I think I would've given it to them but just asked for one little piece to taste it. They weren't here, so I ate it. All 110gm of it. Didn't feel hungry for it or anything, just wanted to have it and see what I felt like.

Until then, today, I'd been doing my usual good thing of having lunch for breakfast and breakfast for lunch. For breakfast, I'd had 4 pieces of toast with mashed avocado and a little tomato. Lunch was Sweet Poison muesli with Brewer's Yeast, Wheat Germ and milk. Besides my herbal teas, that's all I'd had, as per usual.

Crazily, I also wanted to see if I got a headache afterwards and felt sick as I thought maybe it was coincidences the other times. I did!!!!! Could I now be allergic to Fructose? Or maybe sensitive to it or something? Maybe now I've had a break, my body can't tolerate it as well??? Reminds me of that guy in Sweet Poison Quit Plan who tells people he's allergic to it to explain the effects it has on him.

Also, I usually love Cherry Ripes but this egg wasn't anywhere near as good. Either they don't make the easter eggs made out of Cherry Ripes in the same yummy way or I'm losing the taste for them? I hope it's the latter. The nougat egg tasted as good as I remembered them, last week.

Stew is very very disappointed in me as he told me yesterday, when I bought them, that I was in a fructose frenzy. However, I used to buy heaps of 1/2 price eggs so what I bought yesterday seemed so minimal as to be harmless. I am going to give away the bag of Crunchie eggs I bought. Next sugar hit, will hopefully not be til my birthday in August.

Next time I do deliberately have sugar, I'm hoping to not have chocolate. I wonder if just a normal sugar hit, without chocolate, wil have the same effect???? Stew swears that he had massive headaches when he resumed chocolate after his old choc fasts each January. He would have other sugary food in that time but no chocolate. So...I suspect it's maybe the chocolate, as well as the sugar???

Have been re-reading the summary I made of how fructose harms you, that I did from Gillespie's second book. I see that I was temporarily forgetting about the health benefits and just thinking of weight. "I won't gain that much weight from just one choc egg!" however, it's costing my body more than just excess weight. Fructose is plain dangerous and I have seen how this toxin affects me, as I was beginning to forget. In unseen ways, it's harming you!!!

I used to get a lot of headaches before I went fructose aware. Maybe that's why? It was always the fructose. Have had heaps less since. Also, less wind, as Stew tells me!  (-:

Easter time

Easter has been hard due to old habits. Went to the shops on Saturday and there was chocolate everywhere!!!!! Was good until today, Tuesday, when the chocolate eggs were reduced to 1/2 price. Just had to buy a few small things. Will I eat them or not? Maybe I'll wait until my b'day in August. My hubby said I was going on a 'Fructose Frenzy', as I do after every Easter when they drop in price, but I was good really, considering.

As you know, I ate that one nougat egg last week, in one go, and it gave me a nasty headache, tummy pains etc. That's the big junky thing I've had since Feb 14th. Well, tonight, I did the 'party food is for parties' thing and had a sliver of my son's 15th B'day cake. I used to have a big piece so this was tiny and sensible. Was nice but have had a small headache since. Plus, my tummy is quite painful. Ahhhh! This is the first time I've pulled the 'party food is for parties' stunt and I'm disappointed. Maybe I just can't have any?????????????

Have felt quite hungry again lately. However, I do know when I'm full, which is great. I listen to it.

On the weight side, this is the first Monday that I haven't lost weight. It was 200gms more than last Monday. Last Monday, 18th April, it was 76.7 and this Monday, 25th April, yesterday, it was 76.9kg. Today, Tuesday, it was down to 76.4, which is relieving. It's been a funny week, with Easter etc. I didn't eat chocolate or anything - besides that one nougat egg  - even though it was around, but I ate more overall due to social opportunities.

My beloved Nougat filled chocolate egg from Darrell Lea that I've loved since I was a kid...



I'm not that concerned though. If this keeps happening, I'll worry but not so far. Still glad to be doing the 'Sweet Poison' thing and am grateful to this Blog for keeping me honest and to David Gillespie for getting the message out. Bless you!

Yesterday's folly

Began this on Feb 14th and had had no chocolate or sweet food until yesterday. Remember I said that I was thinking of having chocolate or very sugary treat at Easter (Mar/April), my B'day (August) and Christmas, which nicely spaces it about every 4 months? I also mentioned that I bought a Darrell Lea nougat filled, chocolate coated egg, which has about 90gms sugar in it in the 150gms therein.



After losing the 6kg, I do feel I'm looking a little slimmer than before but it may be wishful thinking. This was taken on 13th April, last week on our Goolwa holiday in South Australia

 Well, in all of my wisdom (!), I decided to eat it yestderday morning, for breakfast. I'd been debating whether to eat it all in one go, and get it done with, or over a few days. I'd feared that over a few days, may get me addicted again. The first half was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the first few bites. I started to feel a bit sick/tummy pain once I'd got through half. Got worse, as I munched my way through the rest of it and I felt quite sick in the tummy afterwards. Then, a nasty headache started. Much worse headache than anything when going through withdrawal. The rest of the day I was sensible with what I ate. It really was horrible, the effects on my body. Another headache came at night but I'm not sure if it's related.

Reminded me of my hubby's experience with chocolate. He would eat it occasionally but found himself eating it more just to 'save Fiona's hips', as he'd say because he if ate some, there was less for me! Basically, it was USUALLY my fault if he ate chocolate as I'd buy it and give him some. Anyway, some people give up chocolate or other things for Lent. A few years ago, he did his own version of that. From New Year's Day, until my daughter's birthday on Feb 10, he'd eat no chocolate. He did that for a few years. Whenever he began to eat it again, he'd get horrible headaches and would often feel sick in the tummy.

So, I'm not sure whether to stick with my plan of eating some at the three times, per year. If one is going to feel like that afterwards perhaps it's better not to!!!

10th April, 2011, last week's holiday in Goolwa, South Australia. I DO feel the the loss of the 6kg so far has made my face a bit slimmer. I know this photo is looking down at me, so you can't see the double chin thing happening but still, my cheeks do feel and look a bit better to me... Again, wishful thinking???

My daughter works at Baker's Delight and she's been bringing home Hot Cross Buns. The boys have been eating them. She then brought home ones without fruit so that she, Stew and I could eat them. (She's doing the Sweet Poison thing herself, which is not easy, when you're a teenager.) However, AFTER I'd eaten some, buttered, she tells me that the sugar per 100g is about 8gms, which we decided is too high so I told her not to bring me home anymore. Sob Sob, Easter is losing it's lustre, on the food side of things. Thank goodness, it's more about the redeeming sacrifice on the cross undertaken by Jesus than Bunnies, chocolate eggs, Hot Cross Buns etc

Weighty honesty!

Have been going now for over 2 months. 2 months my body has had a break - an unheard of break - from chocolate, biscuits, lollies, cake, ice cream etc Yay! I've lost weight but am thrilled about the health benefits more than the lost weight. Remember, I had a baby in 2009, and another 13mths later in 2010, both by c-section and I am breastfeeding both of them, currently. So, my body is doing a lot, as it is. Have 3 older kids, as well.

OK, I am going to bite the bullet and tell you my weight before I started this Sweet Poison healthy eating plan. I feel crazy for even thinking about it.

This is a conversation I had with Stew about it:
Me: Am thinking of putting my weight, before I started, on the Blog.
Stew: OK.
Me: You don't think that's crazy?
Stew: No. Why would I?
Me: Not being too honest?
Stew: No, I think it's OK...
Mind you, he's a male, and they aren't as funny about weights. Gee, it feels like I'm telling my students my age or something, which us older teachers, at 41, do NOT do!  (-:

OK. As far as I can tell, I was 83kg at the start!!! My old scales at home said about 81kg and they're about 2 under what they should be. At the end of the first week, my doctor weighed me and I weighed 81.7kg on her scales. Scales can vary. Maybe I was 82, who knows. The Australian Weight Watchers chart says that, at my height of 165/166cms, I should weigh 55-69kgs so I was quite overweight. I was actually in the OBESE category, even at 82kg, to give my old scales the benefit of the doubt. Ahhhh!!!
http://www.whathealth.com/bmi/chart-metric.html
http://www.hindustanlink.com/doctortex/heigthweight-women.htm

Here's how one site puts it, for my height as I'm 5 foot 5 and 3/4 so I'm putting both listings:

1.65	5	5	54.0-58.1	57.6-61.2	60.3-65.8
1.68	5	6	55.8-59.9	59.0-63.5	62.6-68.0

The three columns are for small, medium and large frame. I think I'm medium to large frame?
I always record my weight on Mondays. Here's my weight loss per week, though I occasionally weighed myself daily:

Starting weight was about 83kg on Feb 14th, 2011
After 1 week, 21st Feb: 81.2
After 2 weeks, 28th Feb : 80.6kg
After 3 weeks, 7th March: 79.6kg
After 4 weeks, 14th March: 79.3kg
After 5 weeks, 21st March: 78.9kg
After 6 weeks, 28th March: 78.4kg
After 7 weeks, 4th April: 77.3kg
[skipped week for S.A. trip. No access to same scales so didn't bother weighing self]
After 9 weeks, 18th April: 76.7kg


26th January, 2011. Australia Day breakfast, squinting into the camera lens as no sunnies.

So, I have now lost 6kg. Was worried about the holiday. Besides the strawberry feast I mentioned in the last blog, I was very good about avoiding fructose but, being on holidays, it was hard to stick to the usual routines. I think I ate more overall etc Oh well, I still lost 600gms over the two weeks.  One of my friends is only going to weigh herself every 2 weeks. Maybe that's worth a try. Daily can do your head in.

Me on 12th January, 2011, double chin and all. Mind you, it's not always that bad but can look bad if you get me from the wrong angle.

I hope you don't think less of me for my confession. From now on, will report my weekly Monday weight on my Blog too. If that doesn't keep me honest, I don't know what will!

Holiday happenings, thus far

Here we are on holidays in South Australia. Goolwa, to be precise. The resort we are at has a Pancake Breakfast get-together on Mondays. I looked at the description that said, “Try them with Dianne’s famous strawberries in syrup, maple syrup, cream [probably made with sugar], jam, apple and cinnamon or plain...fruit juices” etc and read it out to Stew. Then I said to him, “Let’s just let the boys have it as there’s nothing we can have. All too fructose-y!!!” The next day, when I repeated that before I went over to the reception area, he said, “Remember, it said fresh strawberries so we can eat it.” I’m like, “Oh, I thought it didn’t have anything we can have. Are you sure?” He was sure I’d said that so we went and booked in. When we got to the breakfast, it was NOT fresh strawberries at all but in syrup made with  sugar in the syrup. [I know because I asked.] There was really nothing I could eat so they refunded me. Was a bit cross at Stew as I’d told him that I didn’t think there was anything we could eat however I think that he heard what he wanted to hear as he so wanted it to be fresh strawberries. We were both very disappointed! The lady behind me in the queue, when I was checking out all the sugary stuff, said, “Oh, yum”, in an addicted trance when she saw it all. Came back to the rooms and ate plain yogurt, pear and cinnamon instead.

I’ve always wanted to go berry picking so we went to this Berry picking farm called Beerenberg Strawberry Farm. (Well, I think that was the name). I’ve never had the chance to do this before and it lived up to the expectations. I adore strawberries and picked the absolute best ones which were so delicious and tasty. I knew I would be overdosing on fructose so was in a quandary. Stew and I decided that as ‘party food is for parties’, then perhaps this special occasion would be OK? We rarely go to parties, these days. We also didn’t go on a holiday at all last year, due to having a 9 ½ week prem baby, and this is our first one this year. Holidays aren’t common so maybe it’d be OK? I know I’m not dieting and don’t have to answer to anybody but it’s my own health that I’m robbing if I eat too much fructose so I need to be sensible and not do this often.

All the tourist shops here stock just one fructose-y thing after another. I’m so sick of it. Do they think that that is all that everybody eats!!!! Hardly ever anything one can eat if they are avoiding fructose. OK, so I used to love to eat it too, but I’ve seen the light. Society sure is sugar-addicted and is sooo in need of Gillespie’s message.

Will school holidays be hard?

Am about to go on holidays tomorrow. A week interstate as the school holiday are the next two weeks. Have written down all I've eaten since I started this on Valentine's Day and am not taking that book with me. Having the week off from writing it all down!!! Will have to be very careful in what I eat, whilst away, as holidays can mean slack eating. The fact that hubby is doing it too, should help.

Yesterday, my friend came over and brought some Jaffa Biscuits from the Quit Plan. I never have been a big cake or biscuit maker as I used to just eat the Arnott's ones from the shop. I was very impressed that she'd made them and brought them over to share. I had some. Yum! They tasted sweet but don't have sugar, just glucose. I was glad that they tasted sweet as this is my first time having glucose powder and I was worried that it'd not taste sweet enough. Wouldn't this mean I was still addicted to sugar??? So, it was a relief!

It was lovely to have someone over who understands it all. I don't need to explain anything. We had a lovely time! I gave her the Sticky Toffee Pudding flavoured tea. No sucrose but yummy.

7 weeks in

I now have lost over 5kg in weight. Yay! 7 weeks into this sugar awareness journey today. Very glad I am doing this. Stew has lost a little weight also but he really doesn't need to and could afford to gain a little.

Am not going hungry and am eating well. Have less of an appetite these days. After dinner, I try and clean my teeth, a lot of the time, so I'm not going to do mindless eating. I clean and floss every night - and hate it - so I don't want to do it twice hence it's a good deterrent from eating food I don't need.

We had two family meat pies for dinner tonight between us. (Well, there are 7 of us!) It's the first time we've had it since we started the sugar- awareness journey. I realise now that I'm not a big pie lover and used to enjoy them because they were covered in - what I now know is - sugary tomato sauce. (Thanks, Gillespie, as I didn't realise a 'savoury' thing like sauce had lotsa sugar!) I tried using tomato paste, watered down, but it just wasn't the same and I barely enjoyed the pies full stop! Such a shame as I used to love our family meat pies nights. We have them with steamed veggies and mashed potato. So sad!

Decided to have some sugar at Easter so bought a Darrell Lea "Our Famous Milk Chocolate Soft nougat egg" all ready for Easter Sunday. It's 150gms and the sugars are 58gms per 100gms. Wow! So I'm going to have 1 and a half times that on Easter Sunday. Sugar is the first ingredient! Cost me about $7.50. At this stage, I'm going to only have that, at Easter. Maybe also a bit of sugar on my Birthday, in August, and Christmas, as previously mentioned. Can't get complacent as don't wanna get addicted again. However, I want to have some on very rare occasions so I know I have the choice and usually choose NOT to. Each to their own. Will see how I go at Easter. I may go all sugar crazy so might have to miss it on my b'day and at Christmas.

Went for walks on 4 days last week. Weekend was busy so didn't get to, nor today. Will do it when I can. Not a slave to it. Depends on weather, doesn't it!

Had a hard, depressing day with the baby girls today. (One of them keeps taking their nappy off!) Used to turn to chocolate on days like this. Now, can't...won't...don't want to...  So, I have to cope via other strategies.