Sans le Sucre.
I gave up sugar for lent as well as fried foods. It's been really challenging but somehow God has helped me to overcome. I've bypassed coffee cake, hot fudge sundaes, and other sugar social eating opportunities. I have been substituting with a lot of dried and fresh fruit. It's sweet I want and sweet I get but without the sugar.
I've been eating a lot less processed foods. And I've managed to drop 5 pounds. I wasn't doing this for a weight thing but it is a nice perk and it also shows me how much sugar I eat and how I'm pretty addicted to it. It's kind of unbelievable the things I've been saying no to.... I didn't realize how much sugar I was eating. Yikes.
I've been avoiding caffeine. Not on purpose mind you but I like sugar with my coffee. I like flavored lattes and mochas. I like drinking english breakfast with sugar. And then there's Coke. I really like Coke. It started with my pregnancy with Libby. It was pretty much the only thing that would calm my stomach down. It helped me to be able to eat. It helped me from keeping up what I ate from coming back up.
I'm coming up on the Anniversary of my sister's death or as I like to think of it, her heaven birthday. March 7th will be 8 years. It's hard to believe and it's also easy to believe. I can't believe she's missed the birth of all my 5 children. My brother's marriage and his child's birth. The holidays over the years. My kid's health issues and diagnoses. And yet, in some weird ways I feel like she's been with me through those things. Not in some creepy way. She's not a ghost. She's in Heaven with Jesus. In the sense that I think about what I'd say to her and I imagine what she would say back to me. So it's all imagining and in my head. Weird.
All that to say I'm trying to decide if on the 7th if I'll break my sugar fast. I'm leaning towards no. But there were some special things she loved... icecream, Starbucks, hershey kisses, Lucky Charms, etc.... Note that they all have sugar. Anyway, I think I will abstain. I don't have to use food to remember my sister.
But with the date approaching I realize how drawn I am to sugar.
Sugar = Comfort
But I want to smash down this false comfort in my life. I feel it's power over me slipping and also feel the temptation get stronger. A strange juxtaposition.
I'm drinking my fruit smoothie and enjoying the sweet taste... and asking God to help sustain me. May I look to Him and cry out and in my desperateness turn to Him.
I've been eating a lot less processed foods. And I've managed to drop 5 pounds. I wasn't doing this for a weight thing but it is a nice perk and it also shows me how much sugar I eat and how I'm pretty addicted to it. It's kind of unbelievable the things I've been saying no to.... I didn't realize how much sugar I was eating. Yikes.
I've been avoiding caffeine. Not on purpose mind you but I like sugar with my coffee. I like flavored lattes and mochas. I like drinking english breakfast with sugar. And then there's Coke. I really like Coke. It started with my pregnancy with Libby. It was pretty much the only thing that would calm my stomach down. It helped me to be able to eat. It helped me from keeping up what I ate from coming back up.
I'm coming up on the Anniversary of my sister's death or as I like to think of it, her heaven birthday. March 7th will be 8 years. It's hard to believe and it's also easy to believe. I can't believe she's missed the birth of all my 5 children. My brother's marriage and his child's birth. The holidays over the years. My kid's health issues and diagnoses. And yet, in some weird ways I feel like she's been with me through those things. Not in some creepy way. She's not a ghost. She's in Heaven with Jesus. In the sense that I think about what I'd say to her and I imagine what she would say back to me. So it's all imagining and in my head. Weird.
All that to say I'm trying to decide if on the 7th if I'll break my sugar fast. I'm leaning towards no. But there were some special things she loved... icecream, Starbucks, hershey kisses, Lucky Charms, etc.... Note that they all have sugar. Anyway, I think I will abstain. I don't have to use food to remember my sister.
But with the date approaching I realize how drawn I am to sugar.
Sugar = Comfort
But I want to smash down this false comfort in my life. I feel it's power over me slipping and also feel the temptation get stronger. A strange juxtaposition.
I'm drinking my fruit smoothie and enjoying the sweet taste... and asking God to help sustain me. May I look to Him and cry out and in my desperateness turn to Him.
I am so proud of you, my sweet friend. Isn't it amazing how food can have such a subtle yet powerful hold on us? Even more important than the health benefits of this fast (which are VERY important!), are the spiritual and emotional victories you are achieving by recognizing this little strongholds and facing them square-on! It's so very, very tempting to turn to food for comfort, out of boredom, out of guilt or obligation, or out of social pressure. But I'm PROUD of you for deciding to take this issue on, though I know it's not easy!
ReplyDeleteI'm standing with you in this! And I'm even learning to drink coffee with no sugar, provided it's GOOD coffee. :)