No Sugar Week - I Love You, I Hate You

Day 2 of my No Sugar Week has started out badly. I'm grumpy. I'm irritable. I want a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup somethin' fierce. I'm on my way.

But first, argh. I found out there is a tiny bit of sugar (but no high fructose corn syrup, which is hardest for me to kick!) in the protein bar I ate yesterday. Does this mean I have to start over on my "1 week without sugar" day counting? Let's say no. Let's say my body has already gone through the bulk of the withdrawal.

I went from eating about 11 pieces of Halloween candy and a cupcake throughout the day on Saturday to whole foods and one Premier Nutrition Protein Bar on Sunday. I say that's a drastic change, so let's call it good, shall we?

Thank goodness I get to make the rules for my own contest with my own self.

So, today, day 2 of no sugar, will be the hardest day for me, I think. I'm already "crawling out of my skin" and snapping at people and dogs with exasperation, for no real apparent reason...except that I'm not eating sugar. Which is a huge reason.

Tomorrow will be easier. I know this, because I've done this before, actually. Just like I've lost 50 pounds before. Just like I've run a 10K before. I'm a professional at this health-nut stuff.

You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I do actually know how to turn my flab into muscle, and how to stop poisoning my body with junk food. I'm sort of like Oprah that way. She's made a career out of it, although I'm sure she'd rather not be known for gaining and losing weight. She's not a yo-yo, after all, just a real person.

So now it's time for me to do get serious about my health. Again.

This is what I know for sure: losing weight, getting in shape, and maintaining weight loss is hard work. There are no shortcuts. Trust me.

Several years ago, when my youngest was in preschool, I spent 9 months eating right and exercising, a lot, and I turned myself into a healthy hottie mommy. It lasted for about 2 years, and every single day I practiced willpower and determination. Constant vigilance, I tell you.

The cravings go away, of course, just like nutritionists and diet gurus say, but the mental gymnastics, for someone like me, who has been chubby since age 3, convincing myself to eat right and exercise enough to lose weight is a daily ritual. My mental chubbiness always remains.

Maybe I should put my brain on a diet.

So I enjoyed looking fabulous and kept most of my healthy habits in place for quite a while. Then, slowly but surely, my life changed, my stress increased, I started working full time, traveling more and exercising less, insomnia started, my body turned 40, my hormones shifted, my furnace slowed down a tad, and I started drinking wine and eating junk again.

Little by little, my chub increased. 10 pounds a year adds up to 30 pounds in 3 years. It's that simple (since I'm a real math whiz!) and here I am.

And now, the time has come to start the process again. It's not rocket science. There's no hidden angst, no horrible childhood, no valid excuses that Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz or Bob Green the guru trainer can solve for me. It just is what it is, and I gotta do the work to keep my body machine in tip top shape.

I feel kind of like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, before Dick Van Dyke made her over into the magic flying car. I've got good bones, and with a little work (and maybe a spare fireplace screen)I'll be quite lovely again.

So now I'm going to eat an apple and a hard boiled egg, go for a run, and hope to make it to day 3 of No Sugar Week.