The Kat Files

Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to our first meeting of Sugar Addicts of America. My name is Katherine, and I am a sugar addict. Yep, I am addicted to sugar and want to try to break that addiction. Now, let us bow our heads and pray.

 Back in April, I picked up a health/diet book by Jackie Warner called This is Why You’re Fat (And How to Get Thin Forever).You don’t have to say it, so I will say it for you. Funky title. Agreed. However, after thumbing through this book several times on my visits to BAM, I decided to purchase it. Jackie Warner is a personal trainer based in Los Angeles. I own her fitness DVD Workout and have exercised with it several times. Although I have not completed the book, I’ve learned so much already.

 One of the main components of the book is understanding your body’s chemistry. She writes about how your hormones and organs are affected by the foods and beverages you consume, which determine weight loss/gain. One of the main culprits of weight gain and medical problems attributed by weight gain is SUGAR. Not just the refined sugar that you spoon into a cup of coffee. It includes sugar in all of its disguises: high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, and the list goes on. Sugar is hidden in so much of the packaged and processed stuff we consume. Even the skim milk I drink has 12 grams of sugar per cup.

 I will not pretend for one minute that the information I’m reading from this book is all brand new to me; however, I will admit that it has opened my eyes about how much sugar is being put into our food and how much sugar I’m consuming on a daily basis, as well as the negative effects it is having on my body. All my other heath/diet books, as well as my nutritionist, recommends skim milk. It’s suppose to be healthy. It is healthier than whole milk, but it still contains too much sugar.

 So, my plan is to finish the book. It is full of menus of the right things to eat, as well as circuit training routines. The book does state that you are allowed to eat two treat meals in a one week period. For example, you eat clean from Monday through Friday, and then can enjoy two treats during the weekend. This does not mean unhealthy eating all day on Saturday and Sunday. You may want to have a cheeseburger for lunch on Saturday, and a slice of cake at your friend’s party on Sunday. It takes planning, and planning takes time. You have to make the time to be healthy. And, being healthy doesn’t mean you have to be skinny. It means eating clean and being active. It means making good choices when fueling your body.

 I’m giving myself until June 30th to finish the book, throw out the bad foods in my house, buy the good foods, and get familiar with the fitness routines. Come July 1st, I’m going into rehab mode to kick this sugar addiction and to drop this unhealthy weight I’ve been carrying around for the last few years.

“The groundwork of all happiness is good health.” ~ Leigh Hunt