#WriterWednesday: How Life without Sugar can Still Be Sweet

    At the end of September, I saw myself in a new way. I felt that I had hit rock bottom and decided I needed to do something about it. What I decided was that as of October 1 until Oct. 30, I would give up sugary treats (all candy, cookies, cakes, and ice cream), alcohol, and fast food. I would just substitute said sugary treats with healthy options such as yogurt or pudding. And I would workout (five to six days a week). And for the first seven days I did amazing and I felt amazing! I wasn't doing this experiment to lose weight but if I  did happen to lose weight, awesome. Yet, I just wanted to see what it felt like to go without those three major and wasteful food groups.

    The funny thing was I felt great without sugar. I slept better (mostly because I didn't have to get up to pee four and five times a night). I was happier. My mood was better possibly because my brain was actually getting the nutrients it needed to stay happy and sane. I had more energy even without three cups of coffee. Plus, it was actually easier to reach for a yogurt or a pudding when I wanted something sweet knowing that I wouldn't regret the calories the next day.

Then, on October 7, my dad bought my mom and I a mini cannoli at the grocery store. And he practically forced it down my throat. It was only 140 calories but still, I felt like I should have been stronger in my refusal to eat it. Then, on October 9, my sister  bought a box of Dunkin Donuts Munchkins. She said I could have a couple but I ended up eating a family of munchkins, an extended family. And when I wrote down my calories for the day, I saw how I had wasted 300 calories on munchkins and regretted it well, because despite the taste being heavenly, they left me hungrier than I was before I ate them.

From this day forward until October 22, I stuck to my no sugar, no alcohol, no fast food plan. Yet, once I came off of it, I realized that I started once again to struggle with sleep, to struggle with anger that I believe was produced by my failed sense of accomplishment, anxiety and symptoms of depression. I'm not saying these medical issues all have to do with what you eat but they say you are what you eat, right?

Thankfully, this sugar cleanse taught me a lot about the uselessness of sugar (even in my coffee) and a lot about myself.

Yet, life has turned around for me, since I last wrote a #WriterWednesday post. I got another freelance job, and as of yesterday (11/03/15), I got hired as a merchandising specialist at Best Buy. Plus, over the weekend, I visited the new Tampa Premium Outlets and got to meet TV personality, Skinny Girl Founder, and NYT Best-selling author, Bethenny Frankel. Needless to say, my Halloween was more fabulous than spooky:

 All in all, the greatest thing I learned that life without sugar can still be sweet when you learn to just let go and trust God. I am definitely going to commit to a sugar and junk free lifestyle after the Holidays are over. And for all my writer friends who are bravely blazing the long month long trail that is National Novel Writing Month, I salute you and hope next year, I can fully commit to the treacherous but fulfilling task of writing 50,000 words in a month. (This year, it just didn't work out for me.)

Until next time, remember: For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. -Habakkuk 2:3

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~