Every sugar high comes with a sugar low.

I love carbs. I love carbs and I do mean all carbs. I love potatoes and tomatoes. I love oranges and bananas. I love popcorn and potato chips. I love cheezit crackers and wheat thins. I love ice cream and chocolate cake. I love bread and cupcakes and dinner rolls and those little fine white crackers they give you on cheese trays. I love love love carbs.

Carbs, however, are no friends of mine. They bring me up and then they take me down. I can’t regulate my energy on carbs. I can’t maintain my empathy on carbs. Carbs give me headaches and heart burn. Carbs inflame my joints and make me cranky and pretty darn unreasonable once all the sugars have drained from my system. Me, on carbs…

Me, once the carbs have worn off…

My body does the same roller coaster with all simple carbohydrates. I can handle low impact carbs but only in small doses. I even out a bit and I also notice that I’m not as hungry and that satisfied ‘full’ feeling I get after a protein rich meal stays with me longer.

So this week I’m maintaining my momentum (last week’s pledge to sleep and not eat yielded a 1.2 pound loss). I will focus on

1. Leaving the simple sugars on the shelves. I find that if I don’t buy them I won’t eat them. When I go grocery shopping this week I will not purchase the roller coaster driven energy zapping treats that my kid and I both crave but does neither of us any good. I love this fooducate app. I use it to grocery shop so whenever the kiddo asks for the unreasonable I can zap it and when it gets a failing grade I quickly instruct him to put it back.
2. Snacking smart is better for my heart. I am a lunch packer. I’ve been packing my own lunch since I entered the world of work more than 21 years ago. In my lunch box I have always placed snacks or ‘mini meals’ to help me with my long days (I’m kind of work horse). Packing my lunch and snacks is cost and time efficient and I prefer to know what I’m eating. Lately I’ve just been grabbing stuff and tossing it into the bag. This week my plan is to actually plan out my food so that I can stay away from the cookies and donuts that get passed around at meetings or find themselves looking so lonely and inviting on counters with those slutty ‘please take one’ signs.
3. Bringing back the steak. I heart a nice cut of beef (and I am talking about meat). For many years (probably since the Oprah incident) I had stopped eating beef. But I find it filling and in appropriate portions the food that keeps my energy level steady. This week, I’m broiling a steak and with a side of steamed squash.
4. Veggies good. You know you’re on the wrong track when you’re five-year old asks to substitute the fries that come with his meal for broccoli while you ask for more fries please. My son has a love for vegetables because I actually heart vegetables. So when did I stop snacking on the broccoli and steaming the cabbage? I don’t know. This week I plan to take in nice healthy portions of pretty veggies seasoned lightly.
5. Fat’s not so bad in small doses. When I first started this journey to get healthier my nutritionist had to re-educate me about fat and how to use in my diet. I, having been brainwashed by the fat-free publicity machine, adamantly refused to include it swearing that it would make my then borderline heart issues cross the scary line. She talked me off the ledge and since then I’ve learned all kinds of things about dietary fats and the fact that there are both good and bad fats. The bad fats and cholesterol are the devils that bring doom but there are good fats out there that mean my body good. My plan is to acquaint myself with them and in small doses relearn how to use them.
6. When all else fails add cheese. As much as I love carbs, I actually love cheese more. And I’m not at all a cheese snob like some of my friends. I will eat American as well as Gruyère. I like feta and ricotta and brie as well.  And I don’t mind spreading my cheese on celery or simply taking a slice and eating it solo. Cheese make a wonderful snack and I have to admit there have been times when a well-arranged cheese tray and a free vegetables have served as a complete meal for me. So I’m headed back to my roots this week and adding a bit of Colby/jack to my grocery list as well.

Carbs really are not my friends. And though I may miss them in the times that lie ahead the reality is, our relationship is well past its expiration date. I’m ready to move on and move forward and leave those slutty simple carbs behind.