by Chris McKee
I get my love of sugar honestly. My father never met a cookie, pie, cake, candy, cobbler, or ice cream he didn’t like. There’s a story about my maternal grandfather (see, it’s both sides of my family) which goes like this: My grandmother would ask my grandfather to perform some chore, his response, “I’m gonna eat my pie.”
So when I read The Bootcamp Girl’s newsletter on stubborn belly fat, I was relieved in a way. I know that my love of sugar is keeping me from reaching my fat loss goals, plus the sugar is rotting my teeth.
My name is Chris, and I am addicted to sugar. Hi, Chris.
I decided to make my significant other a cheesecake (at his request, I might add) with an Oreo cookie crust. When I brought the Oreos home, I set aside the 19 I needed for my recipe, and snacked on 2 or 3 of the rest.
I snacked on more and more, until I had eaten into the stash I needed for the recipe. I bought another bag, set aside the 19 I needed for the recipe, and ate the rest.
In 2000, my then-trainer told me that the food industry was putting additives in our food to make us eat more. I thought that was barely plausible, and vaguely paranoid. Then an October 2013 study found that Oreo cookies were more addictive than cocaine, otherwise known as yaho, crack, snow or blow.
Do you think Oreo cookies contain naturally-occurring, crack-like properties? BTW, what’s the US’s number one selling cookie of the 21st century? Guess.
During Lent, it’s traditional for Christians to give up something that they love, for a sacrifice. What do most people give up? Candy, cookies, alcohol—sugar. Because we’re addicted. We love it.
In 2015, it’s time to break free of our addiction.
I love the suggestion to replace a daily dessert with fresh fruit—how about for both lunch and dinner? Having fresh fruit after lunch will probably keep you from hunting for dollar bills to raid the snack machine at work ’round about 3:30 p.m. Or succumbing to the colleague from hell’s candy dish.
Ok, here’s a problem. Daily alcohol. I don’t drink on a daily basis, but I don’t limit it to special occasions either. But I will remember that you can’t lose fat on a day you take a drink. I will remember that limiting alcohol to special occasions will help me lose fat quicker and easier than ever before.
Luckily for us Boot Camp Girls and Guys clients, lack of exercise is not a factor. We have the best trainers and the best workout routines ever. We have trainers who care about us and what we put in our mouths. We just need to show up.
So in 2015, I am making some resolutions. One is to limit the sugar I am used to devouring by eating a more plant-based diet. It will take time, planning and effort. It won’t be easy.
But then nothing worthwhile ever is.
