Week Four of Sugar Journal

Partly because of a chronic health condition, and partly due simply to no willpower, it was a rather tough week sugar-wise.

I have an inner ear imbalance, which can cause dizziness, fatigue, and nausea. When I'm nauseated it is very difficult for me to drink water. Since I likely live on the edge of dehydration on a daily basis, I knew I needed to liquids in me. So I drank Gatorade five of the seven days this week, and I had apple juice one day. I'm not sure how many ounces of Gatorade I drank each day, because I wasn't using a measured cup. Hopefully it was around 8 ounces each day. The apple juice was a 10 ounce bottle, because the grocery store was out of 8 ounce bottles. I'm trying to be healthy, but I'm also not going to waste 2 ounces of apple juice.

Saturday was my worst sugar day. In addition to the Gatorade, I also had two graham crackers (8 grams of sugar). But the big no-no was a small chocolate shake from Sonic - with whipped cream. Yup, I went there. I didn't eat all of the whipped cream, but still. I just had no willpower. I wanted it, so I had it. Simple as that.

I'm still ingesting far less sugar than I used to, so I have to be pleased with myself for that. But am I doing enough to be healthy? Is cheating occasionally okay, or am I cutting down enough to make it worthwhile to be doing this? I'm already at increased risk for breast cancer due to other factors, so is cutting back on sugar really going to help me in the long run? I don't know. The breast specialist told me that decreasing my sugar intake is good for me in general, although she didn't put stock into the sugar/breast cancer link. She was more concerned about the link between obesity and breast cancer, which is not something I have to worry about at this time. I also don't have a family history. But lots of women develop breast cancer without having a family history.

I guess I'll just keep plugging away, and doing the best I can. Every little bit helps is the philosophy I've decided to adopt. Try to cut down, but don't beat myself up when I cheat. And drink liquids with sugar in them if I have to. At least I'm not drinking sodas.

librarianintx