Now that it is over and I am looking back on it, I find that I still have mixed feelings about it.
I hated it.
But guess what.
I also loved it.
Don't you hate that? When you feel conflicted on something?
What I hated:
- I really missed my sweets. My cravings for something sweet never really disappeared in the 30 days. I thought of sweets a lot. I would imagine exactly how they would taste. I would even dream about them, binging in my dreams and feeling guilty that I ate so much...till I realized it wasn't real.
- It didn't make me feel physically better. I guess I was just expecting something more in this area. A boost in energy? More clarity in thinking? I just assumed that I would somehow feel better and, although there were benefits, I didn't feel any different.
What I loved:
- My calorie intake went down. I wasn't wasting empty calories filling up on sugary, junky foods. This left room for more nutritive, filling foods. Also, once I taste something super sweet, my taste buds instantly crave more of it, leading me to eating more and raising my intake.
- It helped me overcome a recent weight loss plateau. This happened quickly. In my first week of cutting out sugar I suddenly dropped a few pounds that I had been working on for weeks.
- It was much easier to just say no. This may, in part, have to do with the alluring taste of sugar. But I also recently read an article by Gretchen Rubin about abstainers vs. moderators and I guess that I am an abstainer. I found that items were less tempting if I knew that they weren't even a possibility. The answer was just "no" and it was easier to say than, "maybe just a taste."
I don't even know where I will go from here. The problem lies in the fact that I am a better abstainer, but that I really, really want to be a moderator. I don't want to give up sweets completely. I want to have them as a treat on occasion. Or even a little taste each day.
But it is so much easier for me to just say no.
Maybe there is another rule that I could set for sweets. Fridays only? Holidays only? Special events only?
*sigh* I don't know what to do. It shall take some further pondering.
What do you do when it comes to sweets? Any suggestions on what I should do? Let me know!
