Fifty Percent.

Today marks the end of my fourth sugar free week, halfway through the "I Quit Sugar" experiment.

Today I feel - even. I don't know how to put it into words, but I don't have mood swings, fiendish food cravings, emotional outbursts... I think this is how I am SUPPOSED to feel. It's interesting to think that all these years, I've been abusing sugar and it's been abusing me back, by making me moody, critical and dependent.

I realize now how much I leaned on mindless snacking, which has completely stopped! In fact, I'm having a hard time meeting my Weight Watchers daily points because of it! I'm spending more time playing with my kids, cleaning my house and working on my crafty projects instead of in the pantry, hunting down my next sugary snack.

I feel almost as though this process has given me my life back - a life I didn't know I had! I feel more confident, both in myself and in my ability to cut sugar out of my diet. Honestly, when we started this journey, I had my doubts. I relied on sugar emotionally, physically and socially.  Now I'm learning who I am aside from the baker, the cake girl, etc. And it's FUN!

Everyone keeps asking if I'm putting my family on a sugar-restricted diet too. My answer is no, but that's not entirely true. I do most of the grocery shopping and cooking and I'm not making those things anymore! So I guess I AM, in a way. And why wouldn't I? I don't want my kids to grow up with the same dependence on sugar that I have.  It's hard to keep my daughter from having sugar at school (preschool snacks are ALL sugar!).   (I have toyed with the idea of being a sh!t disturber, though - keep that on the back burner for now, I want to make friends at her school first ;-)   So yes, I have stopped feeding my family cake, candy and cookies at home. I've stopped using products with corn syrup in our cooking. I'm working on getting rid of maltodextrin (will try to do a post about that in the near future too). Am I FORCING them to go sugar free? Nope. I even bought my hubby a milk shake tonight when I went to pick up dinner. Did I steal a sip? Nope!  Did I sniff it? Yes :-)

So at the end of week four, I'm going strong. I love this lifestyle, I feel better and I can't wait to see what the next four weeks bring. Although I guarantee that I'll be breaking it the first day of week 8. I can't deny myself wedding cake. Let's call it a victory slice :-)