Live Better

Things got much easier past Week 2 and now I am completely comfortable having my tea/coffee without sugar or biscuits. With 2 more days to go I wanted to call out one of the biggest roadblocks. In Indian culture and am sure in many others, a show of affection or even hospitality can come in the form of sugar.  Baked goods (someone made it esp for you, birthday cake at a party), someone offering only biscuits/cake or tea/coffee with sugar in it when you are visiting friends - basically social obligations can definitely come in the way of your challenge. My advice would be to still say no and share the why with your family & friends. It may even convince someone to join you. However in situations of sentimentality or consideration towards a host, I have resorted to a sip or two of tea someone made for me (that's it) and would probably have had a bite of something so as not upset loved ones. But don't give up, move past and stick to your challenge. This can be a tricky ...

It get's worse before it gets better. Somewhere around Day 7 -9 I started having pretty intense cravings esp for sugar in my tea/coffee. I would find myself staring at any sweet item my friends or family were consuming in front of me but I think I am getting better already and my cravings are subsiding. However I am pretty sure the cravings will hit me again when I get my periods. What has been helpful? My husband is doing the 30 day challenge with me and this gives me an immense amount of support as our food planning is pretty inter-related My friend at work I usually share meals with also started on the challenge last week, making my life much easier. Watching health or fitness videos where they rant about the ills of sugar is also pretty motivating. I also started a countdown by marking days I have completed in my challenge so I can see the no. of days receding - there are still 17 more days to go!

Day 5: This has been surprisingly easy and difficult at the same time. It's easy because the craving only hits you at specific times of the day - like for me it's  after lunch. The other obvious trigger is if someone starts eating dessert in front of you and then you want to hit them with a brick :P It's difficult because the craving can hit you hard and it can get especially hard if you are already hungry. So a important reminder is to not let yourself get too hungry & keep eating at regular intervals. Right now I am trying to compensate with some fruit when the craving gets bad. Also as usual I am overthinking things and that is usually my achilles heel. Once I get worrying I expend all my mental bandwidth on it and have none left over for self control.  Deep Breath. Everything is WIP :)

The Why?  A 6 day vacation in Sri Lanka with no holds barred on Food & Drinks clearly indicated that my body needed some rest. After some research including watching this video  by one of my favorite fitness channels on Youtube BeerBiceps  I decided to put sugar on the chopping block. The Confession I don't think I will last beyond Day 7 apparently that's when your sugar cravings turn you into a monster but I do want to give it a go. I am a big fan of trying stuff which has long lasting impact and is completely good for your health (No to crash diets) What are the Rules? This is a less strict version of the diet so no sugar in cube, powder, syrup form and no sugar in processed foods like bread, biscuits, beverages, any packaged item with added sugar like ketchup etc Fruits and coconut water is allowed in limited quantities. Same with plain yoghurt & milk. How did Day 1 go? Adjusting to drinking tea without sugar but coffee suddenly has lost its...

How do I find the Perfect Engagement Ring? How much stress for the Perfect Wedding Dress? I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my learnings from the Wedding Prep Madness while it is still fresh in my mind from 2016 The Ring & the Dress  It's like dating, you spend a ton of time worrying you will never find the one but given that you did find the one, the rest will work out as well; so Breathe! Also "People" will keep cropping up in these discussions esp what will "people" say or will "people" think its tacky but I personally am not sure who these people are so you should focus on your own sense of style & values. The ring is something that you will probably wear everyday so choose something which works with the "everyday" you (your regular clothes & lifestyle) If your fiancee is picking the ring then perfect but I picked my own ring and I looked at a lot (~300) before I found something I liked so don...

It's a Friday night and am sitting here watching good bad TV(yes, that's a thing) and wondering what it will take for me to learn the Joys of Solitude. The TV is off now so I can write better and have a moment. A moment full of what the hell is going on in my head? I feel good sitting here in my perfectly cooled room snuggled under the covers typing away but something is missing . My room is very close to to where I would like it to be cozy with oodles of me everywhere but there are loose ends like the framed poster still waiting to be put up. My life is also very close to where I would like it to be but just like the poster, some thing's are still undone. My life is right now just beyond the reach of perfection. If you had asked me a year earlier I would have said that I would not have been able to do this and this was what I wanted most in the world. Love lost and gained making my head swirl in delirious circles. Oh what I would give to have some of my past back again ...