Lent Week 1: Pass or Fail?
Cut to the chase, PASS!
In general, the week went well, even without detailed planning, which I will remedy for this week. Coming off of a week’s vacation, I did not really have a plan, but I did have enough backups to keep me on the program. With a couple of “exceptions”. That means FAIL!
FAIL #1
My Thursday night stir-fry needed a sauce, and instead of making it plain and spicy with Sambal Oelek, I made it slightly sweet with a sweet Thai chili sauce. Sweet? That means SUGAR! Oops. Rationalization time. It wasn’t THAT much sugar, mostly chilis. And garlic. And xantham gum. That doesn’t count, does it? Only if I say it does, and I say it doesn’t. Like corn tortillas and polenta, a tablespoon of stirfry sauce doesn’t count.
FAIL #2
Fridays don’t count, however too much beer interferes with the Lenten spirit. But it was a good play, and they are good people. Honest. But it is interesting how alcohol encourages cravings for bad food the next day, just as Dr. Fuhrman explains. Vicious cycle anyone?
Conclusion:
What do my two FAILs show? A problem with SUGAR! I like to boast that I do not have a sweet tooth and that desserts never tempt me. And that is mostly true, desserts almost never tempt me. But my two FAILs show that in my own way, sugar does have a grip on me. Good to know. Now I can watch myself this week and look for the places and times that my hidden sweet tooth sneaks up to bite me!
On the positive: Just a couple of days in, I could truly feel the difference! My energy was better, I could think more clearly (which may not be apparent in my writing!) and just generally was better off overall. I even meditated every day but Friday. It’s been awhile for that. Even though I know firsthand the power of the program, sometimes I find myself skeptical that it really makes that much of a difference. It does. Its funny to watch people and read their body language as I am doing at a cafe now. (full disclosure: I had a coffee, but now I’m drinking green tea) People do NOT feel good. You can see it in their faces and body language, but they are so accustomed to it, they think it is “normal”. I want to give them a wake up shake, but they would think I am crazy. I suppose I am, but I like my kind of crazy
Sugar.....hmmm. Yah I know this one. I don't boast a lack of a sweet tooth as I know I have one, but I thought I would keep an eye on high fructose corn syrup consumption for soemthing to do this week. So, I found out that my salad dressings (the oily yucky ones) that I love so much are FULL of the stuff. So, I cut it out. Only then I found myself wanting ketchup...what? I'm a hot sauce and salsa gal so where did this craving come from? Oh, high fructose corn syrup withdrawls as it is a leading ingredient in so many things that my body overtook my mind be seeking out a hidden source in tomato ketchup. May as well of had a handful of candy. Oh well, heads-up for next week!
ReplyDeleteThe more I hear about HFCS, the worse it gets, and yes, cravings and pop up in weird places. But really, ketchup?! BBQ sauce I could understand...
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