Secret Diary of a Sugarholic

Sugarholic: a person having an abnormal desire for or dependence on sugar and sweets. Here lie the secret confessions of one such junkie, as well as useful info for others: such as fun health and cooking tips to lower sugar consumption without cutting out the sweet things in life.

[tinykitchenvegan]

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

[healthyequalshappy-blog]

This is such a good idea. 

[bubblywubblydubbly]

Detox Water for Craving Control & Beautiful Skin

- 1 to 2 L of water - 1 lemon - 5 strawberries sliced - 1 apple sliced - handful of fresh mint leaves - 1 tsp of cinnamon - handful of ice

Because this drink tastes so good, I’m drinking tons of water and am feeling great! Wonderful for detoxing from yesterday’s meal which was so sodium laden that I felt all shriveled up inside. Here are the benefits of this concoction. Make it for yourself and tell me what you think! You can let it sit overnight to maximize the flavor profile.

Cinnamon: improves circulation, thins blood, and manages blood sugar levels. Results in fewer sugar cravings so you eat less and can control calorie intake.

Apple: vitamin c also known as absorbic acid synthesizes collagen which can help your skin look better. It also helps repair and maintain bones and teeth and helps heal wounds swiftly.

Strawberries: help fight carcinogens and contains anti aging properties such as biotin and antioxidant ellagic acid which helps prevent sagging skin.

Mint: helps to improve digestion and gets rid of stomach cramps.

Lemon: stimulates the digestive track and helps with constipation.

[anthrocentric]

How often do you really need to shower? Most people think showering once a day is the norm, but there are plenty of people who don’t — and it might be healthier.

If you don’t shower much — but generally keep that information to yourself because of the negative stigma — you’re not alone. Following hot on the heels of the no-shampooing hair care revolution, some folks are taking the logical next step: If no or reduced shampooing results in healthier, shinier hair, what about skipping soaping up the body?

  Unlike the modified hair-washing schedule, which tends to elicit commentary about shampoos and parabens, conditioners and hair-drying time, skipping showers altogether seems to bring up plenty of other opinions on the subject. Many people who do shower every day think that not doing so is inherently wrong and unhealthy. It’s assumed that people who don’t shower on the regular are stinky and/or greasy and maybe even visibly dirty — and it certainly can’t be good for you. 

  But considering that it has really only been the last 100 years or so that people have bathed more than once a week (Saturday night baths were the norm for most of American history), daily showering is actually not objectively healthier or better; and in fact, one of the most common reasons that people cut down on showering is actually for skin-health reasons, not laziness. As far as being actually physically dirty, most of us who don’t work outside or aren’t otherwise involved in daily work where we might get covered in dust, dirt or grease probably don’t get any real dirt on anything other than our faces and hands most weeks. 

[read more]

[anthrocentric]

One twin gave up sugar, the other gave up fat. Their experiment could change YOUR life

By avoiding mirrors and scales you can fool yourself about encroaching middle-aged spread, but it’s much harder when you have an identical twin with whom you can compare yourself. 

My twin Chris and I have each gained and lost a lot of weight since we qualified as doctors 11 years ago. 

At my lightest, I was 9½ st - skinny for someone who’s 6ft. But then I moved to the U.S., my life became sedentary and in a few years I was 17½ st.

Chris was back in England at a normal weight of 12½ st and was appalled at my transformation. I was a fat version of him - a walking cautionary tale about what he could easily become.

Weight gain and obesity can be explained by lack of willpower and self-control or by genetic and hormonal factors. But when you have one thin twin and one fat twin, it’s hard to blame any of those things. 

I put it down to stress and the birth of my son, but those things didn’t really explain what had changed.

[read more]

[secretdiaryofasugarholic]

I don't bake often, but when I do…

"From scratch pumpkin and molasses pie with apple rosettes covered in a lavender caramel sauce with chocolate mint leaves as garnish"

Only sugar in it was in the caramel sauce, and the whole thing was delicious. 

[secretdiaryofasugarholic]

Sugar Linked To $1 Trillion In U.S. Healthcare Spending

Its not new, but last month's Credit Suisse report on sugar is both detailed and provocative. The sobering assessment is worth a second look especially during this week's binge festival of candy  Halloween. While the focus of the report is largely financial, there's something for everyone including healthcare professionals, researchers, politicians and really all of us as consumers. There are many highlights, but [...]

[isabellafitnessfun-deactivated2]

[healthyequalshappy-blog]

yes, yes, and yes

[spiritualturtle]

[healthyequalshappy-blog]

histerical. but true

[gym-fit]

[whatkristensees]

Yup, I’ll definitely give people enough time to read this shirt! :P

[10000steps]

I want that shirt!

[healthyequalshappy-blog]

LOL this is perfect

[secretdiaryofasugarholic]

Fitness Gardening?

I've been meaning to post this for a while, as one of the things that fills my 50 hour work weeks is professional gardener.  I'm not a huge fan of exercise for exercise sake.  I do it, but I have a hard time keeping up with just a basic routine.  And I just KNOW there are others out there just like me, so I thought I'd share this!  :)

Gardening and strength training are a pair made in heaven, especially if you're one who has trouble staying with a workout routine.  Once you plant a garden, you need to maintain it for happy plants and lots of pretty flowers or tasty vegetables, so there's built in accountability!

Laying out and planting your garden is a lot of upper body work, especially in the shoulders and arms, and especially if there's sod to rip out! @.@  Make sure to pause every now and then to get a good stretch in there.

Then, once your garden is planted, mulching is a good transition workout as it involves both lifting and shoveling, so upper body, and also squats and lunges to really get down into the garden and spread the mulch between the plants!

All done right? Well, no.  While mulch helps with weed control it doesn't do everything, so getting out into the garden on a weekly basis and really coming through for weeds guarantees you get your squats (and or lunges!) in.  Deadheading flowers, and pruning off the dead leaves is a great way of extending the time in your garden.  

Then, when you're all done, not only will you be sweaty and sore and feeling awesome, you'll also have a beautiful garden!  Win-Win, right?

[secretdiaryofasugarholic]

Climbed again yesterday!  Went in to Vertical Endeavors to work on the 60 ft wall  (it was raining out...wet rock isn't much fun).  I just worked on 5.9's mostly.  Struggled with a few, but flashed a few others.  Once a week doesn't do a lot, so I don't feel like I'm making a lot of progress, but I'm definitely not loosing ground, so that's something!

[secretdiaryofasugarholic]

Nutella

aka, that beautiful, tempting, tasty thing, made entirely out of things I can't eat.  ...That instantly gives me a headache... apparently...

[secretdiaryofasugarholic]

Went climbing yesterday!!  

And it was good.  Conquered 2 5.9s in our (usually sandbagged gym) and then failed epically at another, tho to be fair I think it's more like a 9+ aaaand really pumpy.

(in english: Those routes are harder than labeled, and I'm getting my old swing back!!!!  :DD)

[inspiring-pictures]

[healthyequalshappy-blog]

yes yes 

[secretdiaryofasugarholic]

:/

So the final numbers are in for my fundraising efforts for that half marathon I ran... and I owe a little over $1000.00. That's in addition to the couple hundred I've already put into it.

This is why I haven't been posting much.  I haven't been out running (well... the shin splint may have something to do with that as well) or climbing or having fun cause I've been working 50+ hours a week to try and recoup my failed fundraising.

Don't get me wrong.  I like the cause.  I like the idea of running for a cause.  It just seems no one else I know particularly cares for it.  :(

[idietitian]

[secretdiaryofasugarholic]

First post-marathon run... could have gone better. lol  I'm not sure why I waited this long (aside from the shin splint and general 50 hour weeks that is).  Only planned on going two miles, and still did a bunch of walking. ... Okay, it wasn't that bad, but I was hoping for no walking so comparatively...

2 miles @14 min/mile..  Not quite back to square one...