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No Added Sugar

 I am on day two of no more added sugar.  And let me tell you it sure is tough.  You are all probably laughing at me right now.  But, I truly am the one laughing at myself.  As I sit here and type I can see a photo of Hubby, A and I on the fridge.  It is a daily, albeit accidental, reminder of how skinny I used to be.  I was 11 years younger than I am right now, but truthfully I was that weight for another six years.  Then J came along and I stopped leaving the house for work.

After J was born it didn’t take me long to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I never truly got back into the same shape though.  And then all the fertility drugs, pregnancies and miscarriages left me a little on the heavy side.  When I finally did get pregnant with Apple I was already 15lbs heavier than I was for J.

Now, here I sit four months later and although most of the weight is gone, I still have at least 10lbs to go.  And yes, I know it will come off, but I also know that I have that extra 15 to get rid of too.  So I started thinking about what I could change without really starving myself.   And as I sat looking at the girl on the fridge I realized that I didn’t eat a lot of sugar back then.  There are other factors that kept me skinny, like bartending, dancing at clubs and lots of red wine but the one thing I can change now is that I went back to eating a lot of sugar.  And I am not just talking a teaspoon in my coffee.   I am talking sugar in my coffee, on my cereal in the form of candies, everywhere sugar.  And I felt like I had lost control.  I no longer had the will power to say no.  Then I realized that I was addicted to sugar.

Yes, my name is BeachMama and I am a sugar addict.

So right then and there I realized I had to stop.  Cold turkey.  And you know what?  It’s not so bad.  I realized that I actually enjoyed coffee without sugar and my tea is just so much more refreshing.  And don’t get me started on my cereal.  I was drowning it in brown sugar, I am too ashamed to even admit how much.  I thought I was going to crave it but I don’t.  Instead it is helping me think of other snack solutions that are less sugary.  And when I really feel the pull, I just grab a stick of gum or brush my teeth.  All the old tricks I used to do way back when.  You see, that former skinny girl only got that way after losing weight.  Fifty pounds actually.  I can’t say that I will ever be that skinny again, but I hope to at least get this 25lbs off and I will be a much happier BeachMama.

Oh yes, and I started the couch to 5k program, I am on week two.  Thanks Whoorl. 

13 comments
Categories: About Me, Exercise

I read Whoorl’s interview this afternoon, and although I wasn’t going to ask to be interviewed (Whoorl has tons of peeps reading her blog and I figured a million and a half of them were going to ask for questions, so I didn’t want to add to her list) but she offered and sent me five questions. If you want to play along, read the instructions after my interview and I will send you my interview questions.

1. What is the last thing you do before you get into bed at night?
Kiss J goodnight. Once in a while Hubby will go in and check on him, make sure he is tucked in, still in bed and kiss him goodnight. On those nights that I didn’t get my goodnight kiss, I don’t seem to sleep as well.

It is a good routine and I love it. I slowly open his door, let my eyes adjust (must do this as I almost stepped on him once when he was on the floor), hold my breath (not sure why I think my breathing will wake him up), check his covers, add another cover, bend over and kiss him. I step away and take a breath and whisper “I love you” as I leave the room. I leave his door ajar at night, just a crack so if (which is often thanks to my neighbours) he gets up he can pull open the door without without too much fuss.

2. If you could live anywhere, would you move?

This is a tricky question. My first instinct is to scream out ‘YES”!!!! But, then reality sets in and I have to think about who I would be leaving to move. My dream is to one day live at my favorite Beach when we retire. But, that is a long way away. And if we could afford one of the million dollar homes to have as a summer house, then I would definately spend my summers there.

But, in all honesty, I would have a really hard time moving away from my Parents and my Sister. One of my Sister’s moved almost two years ago (a three day drive) and it is really hard to have her far away. The other Sister has been gone for a while but, she is young and carefree and we see her often enough as she is in driving distance (15 hours). My Parents and Sister who is here really are a huge part of my life. I would have a really hard time being away from them, so I think I would have to stay put for now. Unless of course moving meant a huge amount of money so I could bring my family out anytime I wanted.

And I would have to add, that after watching SAJ and Whoorl have so much fun out in California and after visiting San Diego myself last fall. If I could live out there, I think I would. The weather is just so much more what I am actually living in.

3. What is your favorite recipe?

Well, in all honesty, I have many favourites. But because Whoorl posed the questions, I will think of her in my answer, just in case she needs a little Sangria in her life.

BeachMama’s Sangria (which many peeps used to order when I was a bartender)
1 part red wine (and don’t be cheap on your wine, it will show through in the Sangria)
1/4 part OJ (I always use pulp free, because it’s my Sangria and I hate pulp)
1/4 part lemon and lime (If I can’t find the mixers, or am going to the corner store, I get Fruitopia lemon)
splash of brandy (don’t be cheap here either)

Shake this sucker up and server with fruit slices (Orange, lemon, lime) and cherries.
**I use parts because then you can make a glass or a pitcher, it’s up to you. I usually use a bottle with a lid when I make a pitcher so I can shake it. And I never leave it sitting with ice in the pitcher, just pour it over ice in your glass, nobody likes watered down Sangria. And if I wasn’t pregnant right now, I would be mixing Sangria and firing up the BBQ for some burgers.

4. What was the happiest moment in your life?

Hands down the day that J was born. It was a beautiful August day and I had no idea that he would bring so much joy into my life. I remember, very well, holding him and looking at him and just wanting to cry (ok, I did cry) because he was so gorgeous and I waited so long to meet him. There has been nothing sweeter for me than meeting my son.

5. What cheese do you prefer on your burger, if any?

Cheese, did someone say cheese? How can I pick just one? Yes, first of all, I do love cheese on my burgers. In fact I rarely eat one without cheese. Now because we usually only have cheddar around here, that is what gets put on my burgers the most. But, truthfully I prefer mozzarella. I love the way it melts and holds onto all the other condiments on your burger.

If we really have some fun cheeses, like havarti or gouda, I like to mix it up a bit and add them all to melt in harmony on my burgers.

Great, now I am drooling wanting a burger, which I probobly won’t get for dinner, but hey I can pretend.

Instructions for an interview:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Great, now I get to bundle up in some winter gear and head to the hockey rink, for what I hope is one last hockey game of the season for A. This is the Championship!!

4 comments
Categories: About Me, Meme

I was tagged by RedDirtRoad to share with you five things that you don’t know about me. Let’s see how I do.

1. And I was going to share this in Reddirtroad’s comments yesterday but saved it for today. I have a toe ring. I have been wearing it since I was fifteen. That would make it… 21 years that I have had this thing on my toe. It started when a friend gave me one of those rubber rings and being that I have fat juicy fingers, I stuck it on my toe. She kept giving me more when they broke, she even gave me a silver one, but that one hurt. About ten years ago, my sister made me one out of beads and I have had that one on ever since.

2. I drive a motorcyle. Ok, I used to drive a motorcycle, as I don’t have one anymore. But, I had lots of money, there would be one parked in my garage. I used to have a ’90 Kawasaki EX500, electric blue with a pink and white stripe on the side. The fastest I took it was 180kms on the highway heading out of town. Once, and only once did I push it as fast as I could go. I drove it around Ottawa and Winnipeg when I lived there. Then I sold it and got a convertible.

3. I lived in England. When I was six and turned seven, my Dad was asked to go to England to open a church. We packed up some stuff and headed there. My older sister and I attended school (Devonshire Public) and we lived in Sutton Surrey (5 Lynton Court, Cedar Road to be exact). And my next younger sister that I hang with almost everyday was born there. She has never been back to see her birthplace.

4. I play a cello. Ok, I can play the cello and I have one in the basement but I rarely take it out these days and I am a little rusty. I used to dream of playing in an orchestra that was playing a score for a movie. Most likely because my first teacher would write out the themes for “Chariots of Fire” and “Rocky” and other popular movies and we would play them in concert. I gave up seeing “Duran Duran” so I could play in a concert one night. I was the only cellist.

5. I was a cheerleader in highschool. I still love cheerleading and secretly watch all those silly cheerleading movies. I still remember a few cheers and break out in them once in a while to the horror of A.

7 comments
Categories: About Me