Aitch11's Journal, 02 Jul 23

My weight has been really up and down over the last few weeks. Not sure if it's the scales, or my diet, but I'm leaning towards my diet. I kept buying chocolate with the intention of having it as an occasional treat, but that's not how my relationship with chocolate works. Some nights I'd have half a block instead of 2 squares. Sugar and moderation are not compatible for me. And this is why I think of sugar as something that can be addictive, for some people but not others, the same as alcohol. Because for myself, for my clients that I work with day-week-month-year in year out, moderation and Alcohol & Other Drugs are incompatible. I watched something on tv recently where an expert was talking about sugar detox, and called it withdrawal. This reminded me of "keto flu". And also reminded me of alcohol and heroin withdrawal. Becuase the symptoms are the same. And like addictions, society looks down on those of us who are overweight and obese, and give judgemental and oversimplified advice, like "just don't eat so much junk", with no understanding of the intenal battle we have with our food cravings. There are also many experts who want to classify sugar as a drug, but that won't happen becuase there's too much invested in sugar and food. None of this is to say that sugar is bad, or that no one should have sugar. What I personally believe for myself is that processed sugar is not something that I can have, because like all the drugs I've ever tried, I can't have it in moderation. Changing how we view sugar, taking away the judgement overweight people face, and educating society on the risks and complexities could make a massive difference in so many lives. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk lol. 

Sugar is definitely a drug for me, when I eat sugary foods it temporarily lights up my brain and takes away my Fibro pain! However, I've had enough experience eating well, and feeling the benefits of eating well, that I don't keep it up for more than 2 days. I try not to binge on sugar, but as soon as I get just one taste, just 1 square of chocolate, or 1 Anzac bikkie, it's a sudden spiral down and all of a sudden, I've had a block of chocolate, or 10 Anzacs....my brain just wants more!!!! on Friday I binged on 5 LCMs, but thank goodness Saturday was a new day and I'm back on track 😇 

@Missy.Who: thank you! I'll definitely watch it, and I'm grateful for the recommendation. I also appreciate that you've worked in the same field as me and see the same correlations. @SpiceHorn: if sugar helps you manage your fibro symptoms I'm all for that, can't imagine how tough that is to live with. But yeah I too love anzac bikkies, and whenever i buy them, I'll eat the whole packet. I wish there was more discussions like this one happening. I'm glad that there's docos and experts coming forward, but awareness is defintely needed. 

Missy.Who: I watched "That Sugar Film". Couldn't find it on Stan, but in DocsPlay on Prime. OMG. He did such a good job of explaining it all, and I cried over the 15yo needing extreme dental work. I can't thank you enough for the recommendation, it's just what I needed to see at just this point in time. Devastating to think Damon only ate "healthy" foods that our drs might recommend for weight loss 🤯