Thursday, April 14, 2011

Lent Take-aways and Japan Sale Wrap-up!


As I stated in an earlier post, I kind of quit Lent a little early. Aigh! With a little over two weeks left! So bad! Ah well. It was my first time ever "giving up" something that wasn't a life choice (I was vegetarian for 5 years -- that didn't work out either).

What I learned:

  1. When I'm not eating a lot of sugar, ie, such as in desserts and lots of baked goods, I have a lot more energy, and I don't experience the "sugar crash" so much. Eating snacks that had a very low glycemic index seemed to make for a much more even energy level.
  2. I was much less likely to snack after dinner, as if I didn't get to have a cookie, I kind of didn't see the point. This was a good thing.
  3. I am amazed by how inundated that we are with sweets in the US (and probably all over the world!). It seems like someone was always offering a "sweet treat" as part of a special, giveaway, blogs (what's up with that?), and as a promotion. This exercise made me so much more aware of how much we are taunted with "just a little treat." No wonder we have an obesity epidemic here!
  4. OK, the bad. I was really moody throughout the process. I thought that I would have sweated the sugar jones out of my system within a week, turns out not. Given the above problem with the overwhelming amount of sweets that we see on a daily basis, I could never seem to get away from the lure of the desserts!
  5. People need vices. Yes, you heard me. OK, I don't smoke, do drugs, eat artificial sweetner, drive a fast car, buy expensive clothes and makeup, and I don't consume a ton of alcohol. Ah-ha! So sweets were really my only vice, and honestly, I don't eat a ton of desserts, but it was one of my few indulgences. However, with desserts off the table, I noticed that my alcohol intake increased. I think that subconsciously, I figured that since I wasn't consuming a ton of sugar and carbs, I could up my alcohol. Weird, huh?
I think that this little experiment was pretty helpful, and it made me a lot more aware of the effect sugar has on my body. Although I'll reduce my dessert intake even further (and when I do, continue to lessen my intake of refined sugars -- I was already on that road, but I think that I am now even more conscious), but cutting it out is pretty unrealistic for me.

Japan Sale Wrap Up!

I didn't raise a ton of money, but every little bit helps! I managed to raise an additional $25 to donate to Japan! Thanks to everyone that purchased items from my store!

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