Sugar is EVIL!

I didn't use to think about sugar. I didn't really care what it was made of or what it did to my body. THAT has all changed! Sugar has become my nemisis! I have a condition called insulin resistance, which means that the cells in my body resist the insulin (produced by my body) that trys to get into my cells and help regulate my blood sugar. Then what happens is my brain says "hey, there's too much sugar in the blood! We need MORE insulin!) So my pancreas goes to work! flooding me with insulin to try and get my cells to accept it. The RESULT of all this is: I gain weight, LOTS of weight! And eventually my pancreas poops out and says, "I quit! I can't keep producing all this insulin!" and I get type 2 diabetes, which so far, thank goodness, I've been able to avoid.

When I was a teenager and until shortly after I got married, I was skinny, I weighed around 115 pounds. (I also THOUGHT I was fat back then! That's just proof that teenagers are stupid! and yes, I am saying I was stupid). When the gene that carries this condition kicked in around 3 months after I got married.... BOOM! I started putting on weight like a pig before Christmas! I gained probably 30 pounds in a matter of 2 or 3months, even though I hadn't really changed my diet. This insulin resistance also caused ANOTHER gene to go "active", and I developed PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom, we'll discuss THAT ONE another day). SO, I was fat and had broken ovaries, but of course I didn't know it until 3 years later when I was finally diagnosed by a brilliant reproductive endocrinologist (who is also resposnible for helping us get pregnant with Braden. I owe him A LOT).

SO, why does this make sugar my enemy? Because if I eat ANY form of sugar (includes refined carbs and potatoes) I put on weight. It's that simple. I don't even have to eat a LOT of it. So, since the end of July I've been doing what most people probably consider a crazy, fad diet. It's called the HCG diet. I'm sure you've heard of it, or at least seen the signs on the side of the road that say "lose 30 pounds in 30 days!". I was a total skeptic when my mom started this diet. I thought she'd gone insane and I would have to get her psychological help because she wasn't really that fat (compared to me). But she lost weight, and then more people in my family were doing it, and THEY lost weight. The REAL test though was when my sister (who also has insulin resistance and PCOS) did the diet. I wanted to know if it would work on someone like that because we'd both tried dieting before and it NEVER worked. Well, she lost weight! Even though I thought it was crazy (you have to give yourself injections everyday for at least a month, and I HATE needles), I decided to try it. It's changed my life! I don't think I ever really understood food, and how I relate to food. That has changed. I know who my enemy is now! I've lost 40 pounds and I no longer have to take medication to maintain my weight! I simply have to stay away from SUGAR! As I said, before. It's EVIL!!!! You're probably thinking that I'm picking on it or giving it a "bad rap". NOPE! It really is evil, it sneaks into EVERYTHING you eat, and it hides behind many different aliases, like high fructose corn syrup, glucose, fructose, sucrose...the list goes on. It's SNEAKY! And, during the holidays, you see it in ALL it's glory! COOKIES, PIE, CANDY, MORE COOKIES, DESSERTS, CHOCOLATE, did I mention COOKIES? Do you have any idea how much sugar is in CRANBERRY SAUCE?! And there's a candy dish lurking around every corner, waiting to ambush you! Sugar know's what it's doing! It's a constant DAILY battle between us, and I'm determined to win! SUGAR! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!!!!!!