100 Days Without Sugar

I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles today to have my driver’s license renewed. When they handed me the new license I was struck by how much greyer my hair was in the picture. But even more, it struck me that I had gained 30 lbs in 4 years. That was a sobering thought. Just one more reminder that I need to make some changes.

I have a lot of physical ailments pushing me in the direction of needing a change: lack of good sleep at night, frequent headaches, low energy level, body aches, fuzzy brain, stiff joints, weight gain. But not weight gain like I have ever experienced before. This weight gain is through my mid-section and is quite dimpled and blubbery and positions itself in rolls above and below my waistband. I have recently moved up a size from a 14 to a 16 and am already feeling my pants squeeze tight again across my mid-drift. I seem to be gaining with forward momentum that is getting harder and harder to rein in.

Older people always tell you how much harder it is to maintain your weight as you age. But today, the reality that settled in for me was: I am no longer living in the same body that I was 4 years ago. I am making the shift into a new body chemistry that processes the food I eat in a totally different manner than when I was younger.

I know I don’t have to passively settle for being overweight. I know people much older than I am that are the fittest they have ever been in their life. I just know that I have to get passionate about learning how to make my body work efficiently within a new set of rules. I am at a crossroads and I have a decision to make.

But where to start? Eliminate caffeine, cut out red meat, daily aerobics, drink more water, give up junk food? I know if I tackle all of this at once I will probably fail. So I have decided to strike out on an experiment and learn about myself along the way. I am going to record my progress each day. I am going to tackle one area to begin with and see how much of a difference it can make. And so I have decided to go 100 Days Without Sugar.