Cocaine

What?! Seriously- I'm going into sugar rehab.

 

“White refined sugar-is not a food. It is a pure chemical extracted from plant sources, purer in fact than cocaine, which it resembles in many ways. Its true name is sucrose and its chemical formula is C12H22O11.The chemical formula for cocaine is C17H21NO4. Sugar’s formula again is C12H22O11. For all practical purposes, the difference is that sugar is missing the “N”, or nitrogen atom.”

http://tugunchiro.com.au/articles/sugar-is-one-atom-away-from-cocaine.html

Headaches

It's been nearly 5 months off of my migraine medicine- and it seems to be going well. I've been researching more about non-drug and lifestyle prevention. Check this out:

"Four percent of Americans suffer headaches daily, and scientists have suspected culprits as diverse as undiagnosed jaw disorders, genetic susceptibility and stress. But according to recent research, a sizeable and growing number of headaches are being caused by the very medications taken to alleviate them — and the problem is far more common than scientists had realized. Half of chronic migraines, and as many as 25 percent of all headaches, are actually “rebound” episodes triggered by the overuse of common pain medications. Both prescription and over-the-counter drugs may be to blame" 

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-headache-ess.html 

The New York Times also has a whole series of art about headaches!

This is my head during a migraine:

Credit: Courtesy of the British Migraine Association

Day 2

I'm in the middle of day 2 being sugar-free and I'm still pumped.

Living in Europe for the past year, I've really realized how terrible I am at making my own food! I'm not sure how I got away with cooking so little in Atlanta. Surely but slowly I am learning, and getting more and more interested in making things from scratch.

I'm excited to start trying out all the sugar-free recipes I can find - I'll be sure to share the best ones!

"I Quit Sugar"

In January I stopped taking Topamax, a drug I took daily to prevent migraines. While my headaches have been fine- I've gained vaguely 10-15 pounds back.

I fully admit to being a sugar-junkie but with the appetite suppressants in my pills, it was easy to get away with and remain skinny. Now I'm back to full fledged sugar cravings and I'm not used to watching my weight. I long for chocolate after every meal. Drastic measures are needed.

I stumbled across Sarah Wilson's "I Quit Sugar" book online and after a little reading, decided to start out on an experiment. The next 8 weeks I am attempting to kick my sugar habit and get truly healthy instead of just my old 'no-appetite but plenty of sugar' skinny.

Today starts Week 1- Day 1. Those cookies on my counter will have to go!

Better eating and regular exercise- who knows where this might lead! Stay tuned...