I made it a goal in 2015 to blog about fitness. One of the biggest drivers for this decision was so I could hold myself accountable for my fitness. Given this fact, I would like to share a secret…
So here it goes:
I am addicted to sugar. — Steve Flanders
There, I said it. Now, I am not talking about a sweet tooth or the occasional candy bar. I mean, I could live on sugar. I mean, I have probably had more sugar in my 30 years than most people would have in 3 lifetimes. Is this to say I cannot turn down sugar? No. Is this to say I haven’t been able to cut sugar out of my diet? No. But this is to say that I can and have binged on sugar. Again to be clear, this isn’t like a bad day; I mean more like a bad week or even a bad month.
What is the first step to recovery from any addiction? Admitting you have a problem — check! What is the next step? Coming up with a realistic plan. For step two, I plan to use the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. method I discussed previously:
- Specific: I plan to limit my non-normal caloric sugar intake — more specifically, things like drinks and snacks. To be 100% clear here, I drink milk, which contains sugar, but will not be counted against this goal. Also, I plan to make an exception for orange juice — let’s say 16oz orange juice no more than once every 5 days.
- Measurable: No more than 3x a week of non-normal caloric sugar intake with a maximum sugar intake of 75 grams — equivalent to about 7 Reeses’s peanut butter cups — per week. Note if I have one orange juice every 5 days, which is unlikely, bringing me up to 125 grams of sugar a week. Think that is still too much? Me too, but see R. and E. — I can revisit them for the next round.
- Assignable: Me.
- Realistic: This is way harder than it sounds — especially if I have easy access to sugar and I am in the middle of a binge
- Time-Based: Now through 7/31/15
- Empowering: Given I am in a binge phase, I will feel accomplished and be motivated to continue making progress
- Recognized: Everyone reading this post is now aware of my goal. The next time you see me ask how I am doing with my sugar addiction. Is this to say you are responsible for this problem and not me? Absolutely not, but I find that the proper support network can help promote success.
So there you have it — even after achieving fitness again, I still have my own internal struggles. This time, however, I want to change. I will hold myself accountable, I can do better, and I will do better.
© 2015 – 2021, Steve Flanders. All rights reserved.
