Say No To Sugar!

There's a group of ladies who have just started #WWback2best - a weight watchers challenge to lose weight.

Well I want to lose weight with them

• before Mumsnet Blogfest
• before Christmas
• before I am 40!!!!!

I have been reading a lot and I think what we all need to do is give up refined sugar and restrict man made carbs (the latter certainly in the evening).

I am finding this basic principle time and time again underpinning various philosophies.  I keep bumping into this information.  In the last couple of weeks, literally again and again and again, all in different guises!

And I know it to be true.  In 2001 I lost over 3 stone, going from a big size 16 in February to a slim size 12 by June, in time for my wedding that October.  I didn't alter my diet at the time (i.e. I still had the occasional McDonalds but I eliminated sugar & desserts & fizzy drinks & caffeine and ramped  up my water intake.  Looking back I remember, every time I fancied crisps I ate nuts and every time I fancied bread I ate Ryvita.  What was amazing was the way the weight melted away!

The main focus was giving up sugar, and white carbs (like bread).

I have been reflecting a lot, (1) because I want to do it again but mainly (2) because I keep stumbling across the information, like I am being told "HELLLLLLOOOO" "do this!".

Reflecting now, back to 2001, has reminded me of three things.  I didn't actually do it for the imminent wedding even though yes I told everyone I will lose weight before the wedding but what actually motivated me most was that in 2000 I got really really really bad IBS.  I went to the Doctor and he prescribed Charcoal, which had me waking up in the middle of the night DOUBLED UP in pain! The other motivator was I had PCO.  And as if that wasn't enough, due to the IBS I felt queezy for about an hour everytime I needed to empty my bowels.  This wasn't pleasant when I was at work.  I have always been a conscientious workaholic and I was a Senior Office Manager at Next at the time, and it was not good that I'd not be able to concentrate for an hour if I needed to go and sit on the loo.  We constantly had a HUGE sweetie box at work, and I couldn't help but notice that on the days when it was empty, and I refrained, my symptoms would almost disappear, even more so if that occurred for 2 days in a row.  I mentioned it to the Doctor who was patronising and said it was a coincidence!

But the second thing that motivated me was that my Vietnamese friend got married.  I got plastered at her wedding, and the next morning, when I got up, I was standing in the kitchen after putting the kettle on, and I passed out and as I fell I hit the cooker.  This scared the living daylights out of me, so I did not touch a drink for EIGHT months.  I started having the ocassional drink to ready myself for my hen night, 8 months after that incident, which means my friend's wedding must have been in Spring.  Alcohol clearly contains sugar and my body could not cope with it!

What I haven't said above, is that between the PCO being diagnosed, and me later going for a follow up scan, they had disappeared as a result of my diet changes and weight loss.

So in those months that I lost all that weight, I had no sugar, no bread, no alcohol, no caffeine, drastically increased water intake, no desserts and no fizzy drinks.  I KNOW that I need to do it again.  FFS it has been 11 years since I last did it, it is about time.  And I write this post with a large latte next to me, that I bought on the way back from dropping Aaron at nursery.  That's even though I publicly said a couple of weeks ago that I was drinking my last coffee.

I (twice) a long time ago went to Anthony Robbins' conferences (Unleash The Power Within) and he says to make a change, the pain has to be severe enough to motivate you.  I really believe that the IBS, the PCO and the fainting, all ramped up the pain, to motivate the change.

I guess I am not feeling enough pain at the moment.

I am currently reading Slim 4 Life by Jason Vale, and Hungry For Change on my Kindle.  They both say all the things I already know; I just need to do it.  It is so funny as they BOTH mention Anthony Robbins and Jason Vale is featured in the Hungry for Change video.  It is like all my influencers over the years are all in the same gang.  I just need to start listening to them, taking it on board, and MAKING THE CHANGES.

Gosh if I was blogging in 2001 I would have been such an inspiration.  Size 16 to size 12 between February and June.  I was so so dedicated and commited - I think the IBS, PCO and the fainting scared the shit out of me.  I remember I had so so much energy, and if I occasionally weakened and had say a Snickers, I'd have one bite and spit it out as my body adapted to the lower sugar levels.

I really implore you to watch this video and this video, and if you think this knowledge is never reported in the mainstream media, it is.  Quickly googling the words I chose for the subject heading for this post, took me to this.  Look what she achieved in 4 short weeks, no wonder it was so easy for me also in 2001.  Interestingly on that last link, there is a commenter saying there is no link between sugar and PCO.  I would disagree and state clearly that mine disappeared in the SAME timeframe that I gave up sugar and lost weight!

Anyway, I also want to type up a big section from a chapter of Slim 4 Life, to show you, why giving up sugar has such an amazing effect on the body, but I have run out of time, but basically it is all to do with the pancreas, the liver, and insulin.  Once you sort those out, your body goes BACK into equilibrium, perhaps for the first time in YEARS, and you STOP craving sugar - simples!

More coming soon,

Liska xx