If you know me, you know I love food. I love eating food, I love preparing food, I love talking about food, looking at pictures of food, hearing what other people have eaten…all the food. As I continue on my journey through health and fitness, I realize that my relationship with food might not be the healthiest. I may look and feel healthy now, but there could be serious consequences down the road if I continue feeding into bad habits.

Like many other Americans, I have a sweet tooth. I joke that I “have a mouth full of sweet teeth“. Desserts are a major focus when I’m eating, and also when I’m not. There are many times when I catch myself daydreaming about delicious treats that I’ve enjoyed in the past and I have list of sweets that I often crave. When I go to birthday parties, I look forward to the cake. (That’s what the party is for, right?)
Although I dream of and think about these things periodically throughout the day, I do not indulge and “treat” myself every time. I would be morbidly obese if I gave in to every craving I had.

For as long as I can remember, there have been some type of baked good at home. My mom bakes the most amazing cookies (of course) and loves sweet treats herself, so she makes sure to always have the pantry stocked with something delicious. Family parties were always loaded with savory foods, full plates and happy bellies. We spend time together, eat, share stories, eat, play games, and eat. When the sweets came out, you’d better grab what you can before it’s gone!
Food, in excess, has always been accessible and accepted.

Taking on a healthy, active lifestyle purposefully as a young adult helped me not give into the temptations that were always around. I had taken on very clean eating and was fairly strict. However, I would go through times when I would dip back into old ways and go nuts on ice cream and cookies and whatever I could get my hands on until I felt terrible. These “bingers” are still happening today.
While I am still in my twenties, very active, drink a lot of water and appear to be healthy, there might be a time my body is unable to manage all of the sugar and stress I place on it. Diabetes is prevalent on both sides of my family, along with heart conditions.

I need to get this under control before my body makes me.

Confession time: I just ended a dessert binge. Somewhere through the holidays I started indulging and saying “yes” to the things I wouldn’t normally. The yeses continued until I realized that I was eating some type of treat everyday, maybe even multiple times a day…that’s not a “treat” anymore. That’s a habit. I was constantly seeking out something sweet to munch on, even if I wasn’t hungry, just because.
Tired of feeling out of control, I have decided to stop eating desserts for 8 weeks to prove to myself that I don’t need them. It is day 2 of my sweet break, I have my blinders on and am doing okay. There are definitely cravings, but I remind myself that “I don’t want it and I really don’t need it”. There are delicious meals prepped, fruit ready to be picked at, and a square of dark chocolate- in case of emergencies.

My goal for this is to ween myself off processed sugars and decrease the amount of sweets I crave and consequently consume. Body fat loss is something that I hope for and expect to see without the added daily, empty, bad calories…I should recheck my body fat percentage. This can be done with a scale that measures body fat through electrical bioimpedance and/or calipers.

For others with sugar/food cravings, I’m not saying this is the proper method for everyone or that everyone should do something like this. But I do encourage you all to take a look at the way you eat and what your relationship with food is like.
Do you eat all 3 meals? Do you eat when you’re not hungry? Do you stop when you are full? Do you eat mindlessly while doing other things?
Think about those things the next time you sit down for a meal.

I’m just a lady on the pursuit of health and happiness, trying to bring everyone with me along the way. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns, let’s explore them together and support each other on our journeys.

#funfact : Friday March 16 is World Sleep Day, it celebrates the benefits of good and healthy sleep.