what CAN’T I do?

I have been uncomfortably noticing just how much sugar I consume. I’m a bit of a chocolate Zingers addict, to be quite honest. I love sweet stuff: ice cream, hot tamales, skittles, chocolate milk.

I love it so much and I use sugar in many ways as a therapeutic substance. I get to have sugar during stressful times. I find that if I deny myself of sweet things in the interest of losing weight, cravings increase fast and then I pretty much binge.

I imagine that describes more people than just me.

But there was a time that I spent much of my day with these thoughts somewhere between the front and back of my mind: When’s my next soda coming? When do I get another Coke Zero? How much soda can I drink today and justify that it’s okay?

So when I decided I had to stop consuming caffeinated sodas, mainly because I was certain it was exacerbating my tinnitus, I just up and did it. I had finally made the decision that reducing my tinnitus was more important than drinking Coke Zero and Cherry Zero. It was cold turkey and by gosh it was hard, but also very simple.

I’ve decided it’s time to do the same for sugar. I don’t like my mood swings; I don’t like depending on sugar to make me feel a certain way; I don’t like just how much sugar I consume when I justify it enough. I worry a bit about diabetes, although the rest of my diet is so good that I don’t worry a lot.

My motivation is to prove to myself that I have no addictions. I’ve conquered caffeine and other, harder, addictions, why not sugar?

Every day that I don’t eat sugar as a therapy or as a habit or out of a craving, I win. I will eat dessert with my family and with my wife, because that’s important to me in a different way.

I can do this. I know I can because, frankly, conquering the other addictions I’ve dealt with was indescribably difficult, but I’ve done it.

You will notice the progress bar for this challenge there on the right of the page.

Today is April 2. This all starts tomorrow. July 11th is 100 days after tomorrow. My goal is to not allow myself to eat sugar due to a craving, a mood need, or for any reason than as a dessert with my wife or kids. And even then, I will eat in moderation, not in momentum.

If I fail a day, I start over.

Please encourage me. I’m a little scared.