Well this is it!  Today is the day!  having umming and aahing about this for quite awhile, I decided it is time to start doing something for myself and quit this evil thing we call Sugar!!!  I have struggled with my weight most of my adult life......in fact since having my first child when i added nearly 30kg to my body!  I did lose most of it quite quickly after he was born, then had 2 more children.  I managed not to put on so much weight with them, but carried an extra 10kgs for the next ten years.  After a marriage break up I lost that extra weight.   But after meeting and marrying a wonderful guy, I became quite content and lo and behold, along came the extra weight again. 

We decided to add more children, and after having IVF treatment (which is really bad for weight gain!!!!) we had twins!  I was the heaviest I had ever been and although I lost  a good amount of weight after having them, I find now that I am a little older (not old :)) that this weight has never really shifted!  I am a busy mum, working nearly full time, I belly dance, I have 12yr old twins as well as grandchildren,  so finding that spare time to exercise is almost beyond me!  I can hear you all saying, that's just an excuse, but seriously, after all of this, I don't have the energy to exercise! 

I have tried most diets, weight watchers, gym, high fat, high protein, low fat, the starvation diet!!  and hypnotherapy!  The soup diet etc etc.

So why quit sugar you ask?  What about cakes, biscuits, lollies, chocolate etc etc.  To tell you the truth i have never been a huge fan of chocolate (I know...strange hey!) and only occasionally would eat lollies.  But the thing is when I did, I would binge and tell myself that it was okay!  After all I didn't eat them everyday so what could it hurt? One lolly would quickly become a whole bag, after all, whats the point of leaving them there and eating a couple each day, when I could eat the whole bag?  It really didn't make sense to me! and if there were cakes at work, one more piece wouldn't hurt would it??  I will admit to being a bit of a cake fan though, I love eating them, baking them, decorating them......in fact anything :)  

The one thing that struck me is the hidden "sugars" that are in everyday foods!  1 glass of apple juice contains just as much sugar as the same amount of Coke!  Yes i know it is a different type of sugar, but sugar is sugar! The daily recommended limit for a woman is 9tspsns of sugar per day!  There is more than that in a can of coke!

So the time has come!  I am sick to death of waking up feeling like I am hung over, tired, lacking in energy from not sleeping properly!  I have tried all different things to help me sleep from taking prescribed medications to natural therapies!  They work occasionally but not all the time!  I started wondering if it had something to do with sugar in my diet!  Maybe I am clutching at straws here......but I just know that I desperately need to do something about this.  I want to be here for a long time, in good health, not battling diseases, depression etc.  I want to see my grandchildren grow up and have the energy to play with them.

How did I find out about this?  My husbands cousin Tracey, mentioned to me that they were going to go sugar free in their household!  This small statement lodged in my brain, and I thought.....hmmmm....maybe this will work for me?  This was more than a month ago, and it has taken me this long to even get around to doing something about it......Procrastinate much??  lol........

She recently posted on facebook, about the I Quit Sugar book!  hmmm......interesting I thought!  So after a little reading, I downloaded the book and have decided that this is it!  I need to try this, and what better way for motivation than to maintain a blog.  The ebook is by Sarah Wilson and contains recipes, hints etc.  It is an 8 week program (or experiment) as she likes to call it.  What have  i got to lose.....except some weight :)  You can download the book by click on the link here.  Sarah Wilson Ebook

So.....THIS IS IT!  Today is the day! I will try and keep this blog up to date and list my weight loss (fingers crossed) as I go.  I am not going to list my starting weight (after all, you should never ask a woman what she weighs) but will keep a running tally!  I am also going to be posting hints, recipes, tips etc along with my daily diet (this will be the hardest part).  

I think the hardest part for me is going to be at work!  Reaching for biscuits, fruit, cakes etc when i am stressed, worn out, frazzled etc had started becoming the norm for me.  I am going to try and keep some nuts on hand to munch on, as well as some cheese, sliced ham etc!  

Feel free to add your comments or any hints and tips you find as well.

Day 1
Breakfast 

• Slice of Rye Bread with 2 eggs scrambled, Coffee made with Liddells low fat milk.

Morning Tea

• Handful of raw almonds, more coffee!

 2 cups of coffee a day is my limit! :)  after this, it is water all the way!

Lunch

• tba

HINT:  Coconut water is great if you are looking for a sweet fix!  If you are hungry try snacking on something that is higher in protein e.g. cheese, nuts etc.

PS!  the good news is white wine, red wine and spirits are low in sugar!  it is usually the drinks that you use as mixers that contain the sugar!  stick to soda water as a mixer!

Wish me luck :)