On lowering sugar consumption: a real life science experiment

I literally did a little dance of joy that the month of May is over. I don't know what's with May, but it just felt so frikkin' long to me. My theory is that the weather is getting colder and it feels painful (to me) that I have to fight this constant feeling of being cold. Plus the month itself is actually long - thirty-one days!

But really it is because I am so looking forward to June that I am glad that it is finally here!! As they've always said, in life, you need something to look forward to (and someone to love and something to do). This is why you need something to look forward to - because it is like so awesome when it's finally here!

I don't exactly enjoy writing posts whereby I am explaining myself, but I find myself talking quite a lot about quitting sugar lately. I am not affiliated with Sarah Wilson. I came across her when my friend talked about the "I Quit Sugar" book. I was intriqued and subsequently started reading Sarah's blog.

I kind of like her blog. I kept coming back. I have never met Sarah, so I don't know her at all. (I say this because it is easy for us to think that we know someone by the mere fact that we read their blogs. I don't believe that this is true. This is because, a blog, is an outcome of exertion of thoughts and communication activities (writing) and viewed this way, it is an art form. Yes, this creation can be  rather personal in nature, but I don't believe that it is a whole and total representation of a person, even when it can appear to be that way. When we see a painting, we do not automatically make inferences about the character of the artist, for example, but we would, depending on the painting, make inferences about the talent of the artist. I quite frankly don't understand why the same standard can't apply to a piece of writing.)

Now that all of that has been said, I personally believe that there is some merits about lowering sugar consumption. Yes, the book might have been labelled "quitting" sugar, but if you read carefully, you would note that the end-goal is not about eliminating all sugar in your diet (in contrast to like, quitting smoking). Yes, you can still a banana (I eat them with ice cream, also known as banana split) or two, or three, but by this stage, I am pretty sure that you would be so sick of it that you probably would throw up. And that's the point really, sugar consumption is a declining marginal utility phenomena, simply because the space that we have for sugar consumption, or even food in general, is limited.

So it makes sense to optimise what we've got. Or I should've said, it makes sense to me that I optimise the space that I have. This is because when I eat, I get full, you know, so I can only eat so much. Yes, I get hungry often, but that's not the point. Believe it or not, being hungry often is annoying. It is like you are perpetually searching for food. Like once you've found it and consume it, you are back on the hunt for your next one. (Okay, exaggeration. But it's pretty close.)

I mean, really, it is just like the time that we have. We all have limited time in this planet. We may not feel that way, but it is the cold hard fact. We may die anytime, so it makes sense that we make the best of what we have now. Kind of like when we spend time, we want it to be somewhat rather productive. So if we spend our time to do something, we want to make sure that it is something that is of net benefit to us - in the form of happiness, or relaxation or perhaps just simply human connection. It is the same thing with eating, and yes, there is a science to it. All the more fun, right, it is like a real life science experiment. You don't have to fiddle around with the beakers and the bunsen burners.

So what does this real life science experiment tell me?

What I found is this: sugar does not stop my hunger, it does not make feel satiated either. This is why I can always eat dessert. This is why I think there is always room for dessert in my stomach. But just because there is room, doesn't mean that I am going to eat dessert. Just because you can do it doesn't mean you have to do it.

I consume sugar, mostly in the form of fruits. These days I love grapes. Other days, apples. Actually, anything that is already cut up for me. (Obviously you don't cut grapes, which is why I often eat them voluntarily.) I still eat ice cream, I don't think I'll ever stop consuming ice cream. Rum n raisin, anyone?

I still drink alcohol, like I did during our date night last night. This morning I ran 10.50km and was wondering what the run would've been like had I not drunk so much alcohol. I also ate cheesecake and ice cream. The combination of dessert and alcohol, to me, pretty much meant the run more painful than it usually is. I felt sluggish and I had to push myself twice as hard rather than if I eat "cleanly".

I keep saying, over and over again, that you need to do things that are suitable for your body and your lifestyle. What I really mean is that if you don't think it is going to work for you, or that it is too hard (in the literal sense of the word), then don't do it because you are setting yourself up for failure (and let's face it, that's shit). Whenever I talk about my running habits, for example, a lot of people always said, I am not a morning person, I don't know how I can wake up early to run. If you are not a morning person, don't force yourself to become one. Just run or do some form of exercise at any time of the day - morning or night, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you actually do it. Timing is irrelevant.

Do what works for you, and what's sustainable in the long run. Being healthy is like a marathon, it is a life-long journey, it is never ending. You can sprint to feel good about these short bursts of progress, but remember that the journey is long and you need to do this for a long time to come. Because the alternative, being unhealthy and God forbid, fat, is so much more unpleasant.