Lightening Online

One thing I am learning on my journey to remove white sugar from my diet is that you don’t have to go without treats.

In fact, there are some AMAZING recipes out there for “healthy treats”.  Often they are still high in calories so you still need to view them as “treats” but at least they’re not full of empty calories.

These Chocolate Bliss Balls taste great and are awesome when I feel like a chocolate hit.  Interestingly, unlike chocolate, I don’t seem to scoff a half a dozen at a time.  I think the most I’ve had in any 1 day is 2.

CHOCOLATE BLISS BALLS RECIPE

1 1/2 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup Tahini
1/2 cup Rice Malt Syrup or substitute another sweetener (I used Agave Syrup based on a recommendation from Dr Oz BUT have since read they don’t think it’s much better than white sugar so I won’t use that again - it obviously doesn’t have the same addictive effect on me though as I’m not finding eating these is causing cravings)
1/4 cup cocoa (I’d like to try an Organic Dutch cocoa but just used what I had in the cupboard this time around)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
75 grams dates (about a handful) - I bought dried dates and then soaked them for an hour or two before using.
coconut for rolling the balls in

Process Almonds in a Food Processor (can choose to finely process or less so if you want some nutty chunks in your balls).  Add dates and pulse.  Add other ingredients and process until mixed.

Place spoonfuls onto a try and refrigerate.

When partly chilled, roll into balls (I found it much easier to do so once the mix was less “sloppy” after being in the fridge and it was still quite malleable) and roll in coconut (or cocoa if you prefer).

Store in Fridge

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I have now managed to go 3 weeks without eating any white sugar.

Well, almost anyway as I suspect there was some sugar in the barbeque sauce on my pizza last night.

Close enough to 3 weeks anyway.

It’s actually empowering to think that someone who usually eats at least a small amount (and sometimes a large amount) of chocolate every day, that’s a HUGE achievement.

Problem is, where to from here?

Part of me would love to stay off sugar (white sugar that is, not all sugars) for good.

And that is going to be my long term goal.

In the short term though, I’m considering going back on to sugar (particularly chocolate).

Just while I sort myself out mentally and emotionally.

And also because I’ve just started reading a book called Potatoes not Prozac which helps you conquer a sugar addiction in steps.  It’s not recommended that you try to cut back on sugar until step 6.

I only found the book as a result of googling for sugar addiction AFTER I’d gone cold turkey on not eating sugar (and in an interesting coincidence, between ordering the book and the book arriving, I received a lovely email from a reader recommending the book ).

So, for now my plan is to read the book (have made a start) and begin with step 1.

If I REALLY feel like chocolate or something else that’s sweet in the meantime, I’ll have it.

If I don’t feel like it, I won’t.

What I am finding amazing is the recipes available online for all kinds of healthy “treats”.  I’ll share some with you as I try them (have a chocolate bliss balls recipe to share when I can find where I put it when I’d finished making them.  Doh!).  And I’d LOVE to try this chocolate cake made with cooked beans.   It’s wheat AND sugar free.

Recipes like this certainly make the idea of being sugar free (or at least low sugar) more appealing.

One of the things I hate most about my struggle with depression is the brain fog.

Wanting desperately to put 2 thoughts together and not really being able to.

Constantly feeling tired and like I’m thinking “through a cloud”.

It’s awful and frustrating.

And I’m not even sure if it’s caused by the depression (lack of serotonin) or the drugs that are used to treat the depression.

Recently my meds started to really addle my brain.

We did some tests with dosages and it definitely seems to be the meds.

My last ones did the same and I really don’t want to change again.

But my specialist says it’s not the actual drug but the dosage that’s the problem.

Dropping the dosage has sent my depression spiralling.

So now we’re trying an inbetween dose.

And I’m scared and frustrated and sick of this stupid disease that won’t let me go!

I have about 6 posts rattling round in my head and I can’t seem to pull any of them together.

Tears beat a steady stream down my face as I drive along.

The intensity of the emotions waring within me overwhelming.

My throat feels like it has closed over.

Why can’t I breath?

Terror is added to the emotions and the tears come harder and faster and my body goes into a full blown panic attack.

The dry retching comes next.

Then the shaking.

What is happening to me?

Why?

Shouldn’t all this be behind me by now?

I feel like I’m spiralling down…down…down…

To where I do not know.

The dark place I’ve been before?

*****

Contrary to the words above, I am okay.  Now.

Monday was a rough day.

Tuesday I slept all day.

Today I’m a bit “meh” and over life in general.

But I am okay.

My medication has started to mess with my head again.

Making it hard to put 2 thoughts together and giving me a lot of headaches.

I’ve cut down to a half dose.

This is helping with the “headiness” but not so much with the depression.

And I’m scared.

Because these meds worked really well (while they were working) and I feel like it’s too soon for them to stop.

They’re doing what my original medications did after a few years.

And I don’t want to have to keep changing all the time…

Wondering what will and won’t work.

Whether I’m ever going to be “normal” again.

And wishing that I could just stop taking them altogether and not need them anymore.

While I was writing my post about Conquering a Sugar Addiction, Zemanta came up with some “related post” suggestions.  One in particular caught my eye - Sugar Free, Baby.  I clicked through thinking I might find a blogger on a similar journey to me (or one that has been there).

That post led me to the Sugar-Free Challenge where I came across a whole GROUP of people trying to do exactly what I am right now.  At pretty much the same time!  What are the odds of that happening?

This is the challenge in a nutshell:

Don’t eat any sugar for 10 days. This includes honey, molasses, syrups, artificial sweeteners (like Splenda), sugar alcohols (like maltitol or xylitol), and no refined sugar.

**Taken directly from the Sugar Free Challenge blog post**

The challenge began on June 1st so by starting last Sunday, I am a couple of days ahead of them.

My plan was also to go sugar free for 7 days whereas this is 10.

Which means if I follow this challenge, I will actually be 13 days sugar free by the end of it.  I can still reintroduce fruit at the end of my first week as planned as this challenge allows fruit.  I’m pretty excited about it as I’m hoping not being “alone” will really help me get through it.

The challenge is also being run/supported by Run To The Finish where I also came across this very interesting article on the Effects of Sugar On Your Body .

This week I am attempting to go 7 days without sugar!

Insane?

Probably.

Why?

I was finding my sugar intake was getting out of control.

Like I was compulsively eating honey crackles, one after the other after the other.

Then I’d make another batch because I felt guilty I was eating them all.

Then I’d compulsively EAT them!

It was getting to be a vicious cycle and I was OUT OF CONTROL!

I’m not very good at “depriving” myself so the thought of not eating sugar at all is something I didn’t think I could EVER do!

BUT, going off wheat was something I didn’t think I could ever do either and I’ve managed it (some weeks I do better than others but for the most part, I’m now wheat free and recognising the benefits to my body of being so).

So, the time seemed right to attempt a Sugar Detox.

The plan?

7 days without any sugar, sweetened foods or fruit.

I chose to cut out fruit as well for the 7 days to try and reduce the sweet cravings as quickly as I could.

7 days is a looonnnggg time!

Today is Day 5 though so I’m more than half way there.

The first 2 days were pretty horrible.  I had awful headaches.

Day 3 and 4 weren’t too bad other than feeling constantly hungry.  I can only assume that these were a form of craving as I was eating pretty reasonable sized meals that included protein.

Today is the worst day so far.

I’m not sure if it’s because I was expecting it to be easier after Day 4.

Or whether I didn’t really consider my monthly hormonal patterns when I suddenly decided to try this.

I tend to be a bit like that at times though.

No planning.  No forethought.  Just jump in boots and all.

LOL.

Oops.

Since I started though, I have been reading a lot about sugar addiction.

I think there might be something to all of this.

I am DETERMINED to make it through the 7 days.

After that, I’m not sure.

The plan was to reintroduce fruit and more natural sweeteners (like honey and agave syrup) and steer clear of white sugar.

I think though, it’s going to take a little more research and understanding (and baby steps) to really conquer my sugar addiction.

But, in the meantime, hopefully this week will reset my body so that I can at least eat LESS sugar.

And did you know vegetables taste a lot sweeter once you’re not eating sugar?

We’re big on games in our family.

They’re great for quality time, lots of laughs and have many educational benefits too!

In fact, we have an entire cupboard full of games (not so full now that I’ve shifted some into the caravan for when we go away).

Some are more popular than others.

One game we all seem to enjoy is…

It’s a strategy game where you each have a colour and can only add on to the corner of your own pieces.

The idea is to get as many of your pieces on the board as possible before you are completely blocked (and some of the pieces are shaped quite strangely).

It’s one of the few games we have that seems to balance out the age gap between our children (it does involve strategy and thinking but also quite a bit of luck that someone else doesn’t play where you want to go).

Right now, the kids are asking to play it most nights!

Aren’t I a self sacrificing mother, letting Singstar Princess have the red while I get boring YELLOW!  LOL.

While the game is designed for 2-4 players, my kids also like to play it solo.

Trailer Boy can spend hours just playing with the pieces like a puzzle, trying to fit them into the board and making patterns with the colours.

I do like me a game that can be used in more than 1 way!

What about your family?  Do you play board games together and which is your favourite?

I’m always interested in what works for others and always on the lookout for new games to add to our cupboard.

I tried to set up a Lightening Online Facebook Page a while ago but never got around to actually publishing it (the story of my life at the moment).

Sometimes I just want to ask my readers a question or post something really brief and it seems like such a chore to do a full post on it and expect people to click through in order to answer it (different if it’s more of a discussion of course).

So, if you’re on facebook, please like my page:

And if your website or blog has a page on facebook, please mention it in the comments section or comment on my page as it would be nice to tag a few “like minded” pages.

What do you think? Is it a good move to have a page for your blog on facebook?

I would also love to hear suggestions on how you use it, does it help with blog growth, do you find you post even less on your actual blog for having one? That kind of stuff.

Singstar Princess has been asking to make chocolate mousse.

Not something I’ve ever made before.

Off I went to the internet, trying to find a simple recipe that didn’t contain too many raw eggs (not a big fan of eating raw egg white in great quantities).

We thought we’d found one.

It was AWFUL!!!

SO, try Facebook instead.

At least that way we’d get a “tried and true” recipe.

My friend Naomi made the following suggestion:

Whipped Cream with Vittorio Hot Chocolate Powder mixed in.

Now that’s MY idea of simple!!!

I made the appropriate purchases then we lightly whipped the cream (I think we used about 400ml of cream but you can make whatever quantity you like), set aside a small quantity of whipped cream for garnishing and then began to add the Hot Chocolate Mix a bit at a time until we had the taste we desired.

Here’s how they turned out:

I bought these Martini Glasses from Kmart one Christmas to put homemade slushies in and they’ve come in handy as dessert glasses as well.

Singstar Princess made the chocolate garnishing while they were setting.

I’m sure they’d look even better if we’d had strawberries to put on top (but at $8.99 a punnet right now, that just isn’t going to happen!!!!).

They were a big hit with the whole family although none of us managed to get through it all in one serving.

So we added a wine glass marker tag to each stem and put them in the fridge.  Everyone knew what picture they had and could grab theirs whenever they felt like it.

I think Singstar Princess was pretty happy with her efforts:

Every time a busy season comes around on the farm and I become a “temporary widow” and “temporary single parent”, I am overwhelmed by how hard the task can be (and in awe of those who do it on a more permanent basis).

I will admit that it is easier these days than it was when the kids were younger.

Except when they are sick!

Which all 3 currently are.

Even harder when I’m not feeling the best myself.

At the moment I am juggling dealing out medication doses, cleaning up tissues, cleaning up bodily fluids (mainly due to phlegm), dr’s appointments, cuddling sick kids, driving the tractor, transporting hubby between farms, cooking, cleaning, washing….

On top of that there’s the usual stuff like parent-teacher interviews, parents & friends meetings and follow ups, submission writing for funding, netball coaching, personal training, grocery shopping, dealing with mail, dealing with the mess kids are making being home from school, broken sleep due to kids waking up from coughing so much….

Is it any wonder I feel like crawling under the doona and staying there until everyone is well again and seeding is over????

* For those not familiar with our farming program, seeding is a busy time of the year where the tractors go many, many hours a day spraying weeds and putting seed in the ground to grow our years crops.  During this time, my husband is rarely seen hence the term “seeding widow” (or “temporary widow”).  Fortunately, with larger equipment and not tilling the soil as much, our seeding program tends to run 3-4 weeks instead of the 6-8 it did when my kids were babies.

Image Credit http://www.suburbanpediatrics.org/ParentingTips.html