My name is Jocelyn Babiarz and I'm a sugar addict.

That's right people... I love my sugar. Well, I have made you all a promise and even though I royally screwed up today (I forgot to mention the pizza for dinner tonight in my last blog), I am going to get back on that wagon and try it again. After some awesome responses from some of you on Facebook about going through sugar withdrawals, I did a little research and this is some of the stuff I found:

"What you eat affects more than physical health. Two new studies have added to the growing evidence linking the stomach and the brain."

"In a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers studied how junk food can trigger addiction behaviors. The brain chemical corticotropin-releasing-factor, CRF, is linked to motivation, and plays a role in drug and alcohol withdrawal and relapse. Researchers had rats eat normal food, then binge on sugar and chocolate-flavored snacks. When the rats went off the junk, they expressed CRF, just as do rats going through withdrawal. The rodents also had more anxiety and were less interested in normal food."

Yes, I am comparing my sugar addiction to rats, but hey, it makes sense. It's probably why I could never stick to anything longer than a couple days because I always had that terrible headache and MAJOR cravings. I know this is no surprise to a lot of you, but sometimes you need that kick in the butt (a couple times over in my case) to realize what you already knew. SO, I am going to try this again (minus the damn lemon water because I just... can't do it). I am going back to whole foods. I wouldn't talk to me for the next couple days... just in case.

Here is also an article I found if your interested (you know if you want to join SAG or sugar addicts group):

The 7-Step Sugar Addicts Guide to Overcoming Sugar Addiction

1. Admit that you're a sugar addict. Just like with any addiction, the first step in overcoming sugar addiction is to accept that you're an addict and understand the consequences. Sugar addiction can cause:

• Weight gain from eating more fattening food to get your sugar-fix.
• High triglycerides, increasing your risk of heart disease.
• Tooth decay from excessive bacterial growth.
• Metabolic syndrome, leading to diabetes.
• Poor nutrition from empty calories.
• Lack of immunity to disease.
• Periods of depression.
  

2. Know the benefits of a sugar-free life. Besides reversing all the drawbacks listed above, overcoming sugar addiction helps you lose weight, greatly improve your health, energy and endurance – both now and in the future – and makes you look and feel younger and healthier.

3. Become a "hidden sugar" detective. Sugar is hiding everywhere. Don’t stick your head in the sugar bowl or get blind-sided by sweet temptation. Know all the different sugar names and choose healthy low glycemic foods from the glycemic foods index to keep blood sugar stable.

4. Extract your sweet tooth – cold turkey. Sugar is too addictive to wean yourself slowly. Plan ahead, clean out your pantry and take some time off for withdrawal symptoms to pass. Look for new ways to comfort yourself – like a warm bath and good book.

5. Learn to love nature's natural sweeteners. Once you get through the first few days, fruits and other natural foods will start tasting sweeter. Stevia, a naturally sweet herb, can help sweeten food and drinks, but don't go overboard. Your objective is to reduce your taste for super sweet foods and excess use of artificial sweeteners only keeps mental cravings alive.

6. Make friends with naturally sweet people. If you were a recovering alcoholic, you wouldn’t hang out in bars with drunks. So make friends who support your sugar-free lifestyle. When eating out, break whole grain bread with wholesome people and choose tasty sugar-free foods.

7. Clean sugar out of your body and mind. It takes 3 to 7 days to overcome the physical addiction. But overcoming emotional attachments to sweet comfort foods could take longer. Here are some guidelines.

• Use the low glycemic diet and list of glycemic foods to help you choose healthier, more appropriate comfort foods to sooth cravings.

• Eat smaller meals 5 or 6 times a day. Don't get hungry. Haveprotein with every meal or snack to keep your blood sugar stable.

• Drink plenty of water to help wash out sugar and toxins.

• Make overcoming sugar addiction you're main focus. Don't start a new diet or exercise program while still going through sugar withdrawal. Weight loss is usually a natural result of giving up sugar.

• If you slip up, forgive yourself, have some protein to stabilize your blood sugar, brush your teeth, drink a cup of mint tea, take a walk or do whatever it takes to get back on track in a sugar-free groove.

Day two.... and I'm done.

Okay maybe not DONE, but holy cow it was a crappy day....

I started out great. Drank my lemon water (bleh), (still having a hard time drinking that). I had my morning oatmeal with cinnamon and a handful of almonds and even drank some ice water. We had a trip with some other moms to a local zoo so I packed a lunch for myself and the kids, including healthy snacks for all of us.

We meet the moms at 9:30am and I'm already hungry! When I didn't eat in the morning I wasn't hungry until about 11am, and now I'm hungry after two hours of eating. Maybe that's the point, but I'm not getting it. So on the way to the zoo (actually before we really left the parking lot of our meeting place), I have eaten my first snack, another handful of almonds. (I need to go to the store). Anyway the drive is about 3o minutes and about 20 minutes into the drive I am falling asleep at the wheel! This is a couple hours after just waking up! What am I doing wrong here? We make it to the zoo and I make it until noon until we start having lunch. I eat my lunch (left over dinner from last night, salmon and green beans), and I'm still hungry so I eat my smack for later in the day (apple with almond butter). I'm STILL hungry.

We make our way through the zoo and all I can think about it food. That and I can't stay awake. Isn't this diet supposed to give me an energy boost? I know, it's only two days in, well....day and a half, but I wouldn't expect it to make me a zombie either.

Soooooooo......... I needed to go to the commissary (grocery store), and I get my fruit, vegetables, chicken...... and I crash, doughnuts and a Red Bull. Some discipline. What's interesting, I felt SO much better! I was awake (thank you Red Bull) and I felt normal again. Is this what an addition is? Am I addicted to bad food?

Now my dilemma is, should I hop back on the wagon full force, or should I give up all together?

When I was a kid I always thought losing weight would be simple... man that's biting me in the ass now.

Day One

Day One:

Had the warm lemon water this morning, not so good. I really didn't think it would be that bad, but with my allergies bothering me and the back of my throat a little raw, it was a little hard to drink. But I did.

Breakfast:

Four egg whites scrambled with a dash of salt and pepper

A cup of oatmeal with some cinnamon and two packets of Splenda (they say to use the organic sugar substitute, but I can't find it here in Germany).

Snack:

Vanilla yogurt (Stoneyfield's Oikos) with a tbsp of Muesli mixed in. Yogurt was not good. The Muesli helped, but I need to find another brand of Yogurt.

Lunch:

Chopped boiled ckn breast, red grapes, and celery with a small handfull of almonds and curry dressing.

Snack:

Apple with 2 tbsp almond butter.

Dinner:

Salmon with green beans.

I've also been drinking ice water throughout the day so far. (About 6-8 cups so far)

Honestly, I'm tired and hungry. I want chocolate so bad and all I think about it eating something with sugar in it. This is going to be harder than I thought. Oh and I miss my COFFEE! Had a headache most of the day. I know part of it was the change in diet, but my kids were also trying to drive me to the looney bin today. Grabbed the keys a couple times...

Anyway, I am dying for something sweet to munch on, it makes me wonder why I need it so badly and my headache is still lingering after taking two migraine tablets. I hope this is just a first day issue. We'll see...

22 pounds in a week.... We'll see.

My husband is deployed, I have two kids and am about to start a Masters program, what else am I going to do but start an experiment I read about in a magazine? I mean, when you read "Lose 22 pounds in the first week", your interest peaks, especially for someone who could use to lose a couple. The concept was not a new one. It was about clean eating. basically you don't eat anything that has more than 5 ingredients. You stick to 'what God made' and ditch all the processed foods. Makes sense. But I had never heard the claim that you could lose 22 pounds in one week. So I figured I would test it out and write about it. It would keep me honest, and it's one week. Honestly, if I can't do one week then I'm really screwed when it comes to commitment. It also claims that it will give you " ...radiant skin, shiny hair, strong nails, bright eyes, fewer hormone hassles, (my husband would appreciate that), sharper focus, and an incredible energy surge." Sounds good right? Almost too good, especially in one week.

So here's my plan. I'm going to stick to the clean eating menu which includes lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, whole-grain bread and pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, and fresh fruit and vegetables. They also gave a few tips to slim "even faster" that I will incorporate into my week. This includes starting my morning with lemon water, eat six meals each day, sip ice water throughout the day (8 cups), and sneak in at least 10-20 minutes of strength training a day. I will log everything I do, eat and feel on this blog, including how much I lost at the end of the week. (If you think I'm writing out my actual weight here your sadly mistaken my friend). I will tell you the amount lost in both pounds and inches, if there is any.

Seven days.... 22 pounds. Lets see how the hype holds up.