OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

------GOOD LUCK TO ALL -12- OF OUR CHALLENGERS------


OPERATION "SWEET CRAVINGS"

CHALLENGERS

Adena------------------------xxx (out of the challenge)
Alexa
asoprano1432-------------x
Elsey-------------------------x
guekjian
Hopejoy---------------------xx
Julirama--------------------xxx (out of challenge)
Mothercooter
Porcelain--------------------x
Seasands
Sherri
ValidRouge-----------------xx

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Sorry to here that Julie!

Adena and Julie, please stick with us as we get through the month. I will continue to share information along with all of you here.
If there is one thing that I would like to accomplish in this challenge, is to raise awareness of where sweetners are in our processed food and out in our markets. Also how harmful most of them are.
This week I will be sharing information about Diabetes and the effects on the heart. I believe everyone will relate to it on some level.
Here's to day 8 of our challenge. Keep going, it really does get easier as we go.
Sincerely, Sherri

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

You guys, I just want to tell you that I have a 'benign brain tumor' that I was just diagnosed with in January... I've been reeling a bit with the diagnosis... anyways... I just wanted to say the words out loud and get it out there on the table... that's the reason I'm doing this challenge and why I'm not eating sweeteners... etc... it's a little different urgency for me. I'm not saying this to get sympathy or anything like that... I just need to say it. Athough I hate to be 'the woman with the brain tumor' but there it is.

I just spent a few hours talking with someone diagnosed about the same time who is retired and had the time and energy to pursue getting treatment sooner than the doctors recommended before she got worse and the tumor got bigger... what she had to say made a lot of sense and now I am also feeling a renewed sense of urgency to get this 'thing' burnt/fried out of my head and get on with my life. If I'm not around much in the next few days or weeks, it's because I'm going to be pedal to the metal to get this taken care of. If I wait to see if it grows, I could start having seizures or something... and I don't want that so I gotta get serious and take care of serious business. I'll let you guys know what's happening but I might not be around much. Okay? Thanks, and you could say a few words to the big guy upstairs for me too if you don't mind.
Much love and hugs,
liz

Liz,
I know what you mean when you said " I just need to say it". By saying it outloud you're planning and putting it into motion. I agree, it's something that should be dealt with right away. Not only are you learning from this experience. But by you sharing, we are all learning, so please do share your journey with us as you go.
I actually have prayers for everyone here i say throughout the week. I will especially put a special prayer in my prayer box for you.
You're going to come out of this a stronger, healthier, and wiser women.
Sincerely, Sherri

[elsy]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Sherri, on Friday I had a piece of vanilla cake at work. Then on Easter day, I agian, I coudln't resist pineapple cake. Yes, I'm a real addict and I cannot stop. Today I'm clean though and I plan to stay clean for a long time.

Thanks for all your support, prayers, and encouragment. I guess I'm just a wimp. One day I'll get it Sherri.

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

------GOOD LUCK TO ALL -12- OF OUR CHALLENGERS------


OPERATION "SWEET CRAVINGS"

CHALLENGERS

Adena------------------------xxx (out of the challenge)
Alexa
asoprano1432-------------x
Elsey-------------------------xxx (out of the challenge)
guekjian
Hopejoy---------------------xx
Julirama--------------------xxx (out of challenge)
Mothercooter
Porcelain--------------------x
Seasands
Sherri
ValidRouge-----------------xx

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Sherri, on Friday I had a piece of vanilla cake at work. Then on Easter day, I agian, I coudln't resist pineapple cake. Yes, I'm a real addict and I cannot stop. Today I'm clean though and I plan to stay clean for a long time.

Thanks for all your support, prayers, and encouragment. I guess I'm just a wimp. One day I'll get it Sherri.

Elsey dear,
You are not a wimp, you're human! I believe you already "get it". It's just how bad do you want it?
Stick with us Else, we're rooting for your success.
Love you,
Sherri

[ValidRouge]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

I agree with Sherri, that we should all keep trying to avoid this stuff. What is amazing to me is HOW INCREDIBLY HARD it is to truly cut this stuff out of our diets. It's absolutely EVERYWHERE, which makes it incredibly inconvenient.

The shame is that it isn't NECESSARY ingredient.

I consider myself incredibly strong and I plan. I know that Julie is a stickler for detail too. Look how easy it is for us to trip up, or succumb to just a little tiny bit. One of the things that I've been thinking about is, without this challenge, how much would we have consumed? And, how much time would we spend spinning our wheels with the yo-yoing of the scale, how much stress does THAT add to our lives? How much time would we waste waging war against our cravings? How much time would we waste on the feelings of failure and disgust and regret...all the self recrimination? That kinda PISSES ME OFF! That these chemicals are so widespread and in EVERYTHING!

What do you guys who have gotten 3 x's feel??? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Please just don't disappear.

[Porcelain]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Liz, I will be thinking about you and you will be in my prayers.

Today was very hard for me. Ten and a half hours in Disneyland. My friends had icees, chocolate covered marshmallows, cookies, caramel popcorn, fresh fruit parfait (i was dying for that and I don't even like yogurt) cajun fries with parmesan and dipping sauce. I had none. Nada. Zilch. NOTHING! I didn't even lick a finger. It was so hard but especially when I was sitting there, waiting on my really dry grilled chicken to show up, I was dying for some of those fries. It would have been easier had I had good water to drink by the restaurant's water was just nasty, as it the case for most southern california water. Even one of my friends said "Don't worry about it today and we will support you for the rest of your time you are on a diet, you should eat today, you are in a happy place." I haven't been this tempted since I started being strict since January. Even when I cooked breakfast for them this morning, I made them cinnamon toast and didn't so much as lick a finger or a spoon.

Perhaps I will be proud of myself tomorrow at the willpower I showed today but at the moment, my mind returns to those chocolate covered strawberries I saw in the window.

[hopejoy]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Hey Valid... thanks! glad your mil had a good outcome...these particular one's, meningiomas are 'the good kind' and that's great that she's feeling so much better. The treatment they have now is really amazing for the size that mine is it would be perfect to do gamma knife or cyber knife which is outpatient laser radiation type 'surgery' that is precisely aimed at killing the tumor cells and misses all the 'normal' tissue. That would be eery that we look a like... ha! Thanks for telling me about her though... I like hearing successful stories... it makes me happy.

Terry, thanks for your prayers and healing words... I'll look out for exploding eggs... that could explain the succession of teapots I've gone through recently...hmmm....

Sherrie, uh... I thought I was out after yesterday, I thought I was going to get 2 X's so I went to the health food store and bought energy buzz cookies that are made with honey... oops... I'm out now! I was kind of stressed out... so I got that and some fresh vegetable juice... Thanks for praying for me too... my rip tear with the medical community went remarkably well today and now just waiting for approval which I think is certain... ( but just in case, keep praying...) to be able to go to this Dr up at Stanford University... and get cyber knifed or gamma knifed (which ever they recommend) as soon as possible. And pray for my family too please.

Thanks Porcelain... you're a sweetie.

Hey, I'm still here even though I messed up 3 times I really really appreciate what I've learned here... and my awareness has gone up drastically! It'll be at least a week now until I hear from Stanford and then it'll be to make an appointment. So, I'll be around... I was going to get a 3rd opinion at UCSF but honestly I don't know what the point in that is... Stanford is really a good place to go. Tomorrow the quilt group is coming over... I have so much to do... I'm on ovewhelm.

liz

[hopejoy]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Porcelain... you deserve a metal! wow! that sounds like a tough day! it was hot today! But none of it would have been as good as it looked and it would have made you feel terrible!!!!

Valid... I totally agree!!!! it is so maddening that sugar and other chemicals are in so much of our food and for no apparent reason!!! Go into any convienience store and find one legal food to eat... there isn't any!!! The nuts are coated with weird MSG crap! We are poisoning america!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLLO!!!!!!!!!??????!!!!!!!! It's is discusting! That I can go to dinner and taste sugar in other peoples food and meat... now that's just weird... our taste buds are so sensitive now that we KNOW! It's like we woke up in the Matrix and everyone else is still asleep and plugged in... ha ha!!! (any Matrix fans?)

liz

[elsy]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Hhow much time would we spend spinning our wheels with the yo-yoing of the scale, how much stress does THAT add to our lives? How much time would we waste waging war against our cravings? How much time would we waste on the feelings of failure and disgust and regret...all the self recrimination? That kinda PISSES ME OFF! That these chemicals are so widespread and in EVERYTHING!

What do you guys who have gotten 3 x's feel??? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Please just don't disappear.

Joy, I won't just disappear. And if you're interested here it goes....

Yes, I do feel exactly the way you put it. I feel like I'm spending so much time (months, even years) spinning my wheels with the yo-yoing of the scale. I can pretty much tell you that I have spent about 90% of my life waging war against my cravings. And at the end it all leads to feelings of failure, disgust and regret. Oh yes, and self recrimination. I'm just using the same words you used cuz you're right. It Pisses Me Off too and not precisely because small amounts of sugar chemicals are spread everywhere, but because I am just weak. I can't say NO to sweets the way others do. That's why I'm fat and that's why I will continue to fight this war.

I know people that are toothpick skinny but they don't eat sweets per say or anything made out of flour. They're just not interested. You see. Come come I can't do that?

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

------GOOD LUCK TO ALL -12- OF OUR CHALLENGERS------


OPERATION "SWEET CRAVINGS"

CHALLENGERS

Adena------------------------xxx (out of the challenge) please stick around
Alexa
asoprano1432-------------x
Elsey-------------------------xxx (out of the challenge) please stick around
guekjian
Hopejoy---------------------xxx (out of the challenge) please stick around
Julirama--------------------xxx (out of the challenge) please stick around
Mothercooter
Porcelain--------------------x
Seasands
Sherri
ValidRouge-----------------xx

[julirama723]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Don't worry, I'm sticking around!

This challenge is FASCINATING!

I don't really feel like a failure, because I *do* try to be aware of illegal ingredients all the time. (Though I'm not as much of a stickler as I thought, huh Joy? ) I'm not sitting here beating myself up or feeling guilty. Granted, the fruit salad thing was stupid. I was going to just leave the cream cheese plain, but Geoff made a horrible face when he tasted it, so out of habit I added a couple of drops of stevia, then he tried it again and I tried it and went "Oh ****" and realized I was out of the challenge for good.

It's frustrating that sugar (or some sort of sweetener) is in everything. Mayo especially makes me mad. Why on earth is there sugar in full-fat mayo? I can't buy any mayo around here that doesn't have sugar. I eat it so rarely that to make my own would be a waste--I made some this summer, ate it once or twice, and then it went bad (and made me sick).

One good thing from this and from Atkins is that I read labels now, religiously, and I'm training Geoff to read labels, though he's still a bit remedial. He has a habit of just looking for the word "sugar" or "HFCS" and forgets that evaporated cane juice and honey and malitol are sweeteners, too. But lord help him, he tries. He's been ditching preservatives and sweeteners with me for the last month, and he's noticed a HUGE difference in how he feels.

I guess what I've learned is that it will be a constant war, and sometimes I'll be victorious, and other times I'll lose. But I will never give up the fight.

[asoprano1432]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Hi, everybody,
Liz, you are in my prayers.

Porcelain,

WOW! I am feeling proud because I did without mayo and I bought kosher salt, and look at what you did!! I am giving you a standing ovation!!
I am slipping on at work, on break, so I really have to go, everybody have a great, sweetener free day!!

[Sherri]

Re: OPERATION "NO SWEETS" CHALLENGE

Liz, I will be thinking about you and you will be in my prayers.

Today was very hard for me. Ten and a half hours in Disneyland. My friends had icees, chocolate covered marshmallows, cookies, caramel popcorn, fresh fruit parfait (i was dying for that and I don't even like yogurt) cajun fries with parmesan and dipping sauce. I had none. Nada. Zilch. NOTHING! I didn't even lick a finger. It was so hard but especially when I was sitting there, waiting on my really dry grilled chicken to show up, I was dying for some of those fries. It would have been easier had I had good water to drink by the restaurant's water was just nasty, as it the case for most southern california water. Even one of my friends said "Don't worry about it today and we will support you for the rest of your time you are on a diet, you should eat today, you are in a happy place." I haven't been this tempted since I started being strict since January. Even when I cooked breakfast for them this morning, I made them cinnamon toast and didn't so much as lick a finger or a spoon.

Perhaps I will be proud of myself tomorrow at the willpower I showed today but at the moment, my mind returns to those chocolate covered strawberries I saw in the window.

GREAT JOB PORCELAIN!!!!!!! I'm really proud of you!