It isn't so much a choice as it is a necessity. Sometimes when you go to one extreme, you have to swing the pendulum back the other way to get on track again. Needless to say, I'm relearning how to eat...well.
Those of you who know me, and I mean really know me, would probably describe me as one of the most indulgent people on the planet. I love decadence. I love champagne, and steak tartar, and duck confit on a Wednesday night just because I can. That is what makes me, me. I have a real thirst for the luxuries of life.
This is also why up until now, living in the center of Manhattan has coincided with every fiber of my being. You can live life here to the absolute extremes. Sunday brunches with fantastic dj's and unlimited mimosas, dinner dates with friends any night of the week, bar openings, gallery hoping, movie screenings, soho shopping sprees...there are no limits here, period. But when you're told pretty explicitly that you need to quit eating sugar NOW, suddenly there are limits (BIG ones).
You don't realize, until you are forced to pay realllly close attention, just how much sugar the average person consumes daily. From your milk/juice in the morning, to your salad dressing at dinner, just about every meal contains sugar. Perhaps the biggest shock of all for me is realizing just how much changing the food in my life affects absolutely everything else in my life too.
Suddenly living in a shoebox apartment in the West Village with no kitchen space doesn't seem so ideal for a person who now needs to prepare their own meals. Going out dancing a few minutes from home doesn't have the same 'win' feeling when having to explain why you can't drink with everyone else. Everything from where I eat to where I hangout is now influenced by my new diet.
Now I'm on the eve of starting a new job and I can't help but wonder how I will maintain a sugar free life in the face of new stresses and deadlines. When you change your life-source (ie food) you undoubtedly change your whole entire life. And despite whatever alarming inconveniences/cravings I faced in beginning this new chapter, I feel my body changing for the better. With less sugar comes diminished anxiety, fatigue, and weight, which is replaced with clearer skin, more energy, and a much more balanced life.
This is just the beginning for me and with it comes a new thirst for life (a much healthier one too). And I'm beyond excited to see where this new lifestyle takes me.
Have any of you gone sugar free? I would love to hear about your experiences below.
Much love,
Meag xx