These look SO good!

Yep, you read that right. I, Renisha, the personal trainer and health fanatic, am a sugar junkie. I decided to write this post to be sure all my readers get a more personal side of me. I certainly don’t want to come off as this perfect, unblemished and unaffected trainer that can’t relate to what you all are going/have gone through, only offering information and not sharing the real me. I’m a sugar junkie. I admit it. And I’m not just your regular “I have a sweet tooth” kind of girl. If I could eat candy or cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I probably would.

Where it all started…

Growing up, my father kept yummy, sugary treats in the house all the time. You name it, we had it. Glazed donuts, Twinkies, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, oatmeal cream pies, Suzy Q’s, Hostess Cupcakes, popsicles…the list goes on. And there were no rules about eating these treats. No “eat your dinner first and then you can have dessert” rule. If it was in the house, we could eat it.

Some of my favorite candy from childhood.

And candy was no exception. When my brother and sister and I got money from my mom or dad, the first stop was the corner store where there was candy galore (hey, that rhymes!). You name it, we bought it. Lemon heads, Boston Baked Beans, Chews and Frooties, Now and Later’s, Chic-O-Sticks, Fireballs, Tootsie Rolls, Bubble Yum and again…the list goes on. Many a day, we ruined our appetite for dinner because we’d eaten so much junk. So it goes without saying that my addiction to sugar started at a very young age.

The reality is, most Americans, like myself are addicted to sugar and don’t even realize it. Think about it: how much sugar do you put in your coffee or tea? Do you always order dessert? Look in your pantry and fridge, what sweet treats do you keep there? Do you crave something sweet when you’re sad or going through things emotionally? I know I do.

I think I realized I was a sugar junkie when I embarked on a 3-day “pay attention to what you’re eating” exploration. For three days I wrote down everything I had to eat and drink. When I looked it over, it was pretty obvious. Most of what I’d consumed was sugar. From the sugar I put in my coffee in the mornings (which was usually about 2 heaping teaspoons) to my snacks throughout the day. Although I have very good intentions and I KNOW I shouldn’t eat it, I eat it anyway. My over-used excuse: “Well, I workout a lot so eating ____________ won’t hurt.” Truth is…it does. My body craves sugar, and I feed it. I might go a week or so being very careful about how much sugar I eat. I might push away the urge to go get a red velvet cupcake (my favorite) or to cover my pancakes with ridiculous amounts of syrup, but I always fall off the wagon at some point and give in. (Don’t we all?)

So, my next question is this…what am I going to do about this addiction? Because quite frankly, I don’t want to be addicted to anything. I want to set the best example possible for the people I train and for the folks I inspire. So, I’ve started out slow, because I believe small changes = big difference.

My First Step: Research

I ran across this article when I was doing some research on being addicted to sugar and the emotional, psychological and physical affects of such an addiction:  ”The Harmful Effects of Sugar and Choosing Healthy Alternatives” Not only does it lay out what happens to your body when you eat sugar, but the article also offers ways to combat sugar cravings and healthy alternatives to traditional sugar.  I can’t make better choices or try to change my diet without knowing exactly what the problem is and how to combat it.

Most of the time, we know what we should be doing, we just don’t do it. Part 2 of these confessions coming soon. (Yup, there’s more…)

Be Renewed