One little thing I’d like to share, since I don’t have anything specific to write about for this scribble, is that for the past few days I’ve been really good and disciplined and have finally, FINALLY, got some control over my inner chocaholic.

The cookie monster is tamed at last, however temporarily.

Lately I’ve been in a phase of eating chocolate/cake/biscuits (and yes sometimes all three together) absolutely any time I’ve had a craving, without being able to say no.

I say a phase but it’s been about thirty four years.

I’ve had some proper sugar-fasts every now and then, I went over three months once without eating anything sweet, and there have been a few times where I’ve had ten days or a few weeks off sugar.

These past few months though it’s been bad, like a smoker who goes from four or five a day to an entire packet.  And aside from all the obvious things like it being bad for my teeth, spiking my blood sugar levels (and my moods), costing me more money and usually being full of other nasties like transfats or preservatives or other processed ingredients… aside from all those things, it’s my utter subservience to the cravings that has been the real problem.

Feeling out of control around something as simple as a sweet craving was creating a general sense of free-fall around all my desires for instant-gratification; it’s subtle, but if you become very undisciplined in one area it starts to affect other areas too.

Will-power is a muscle and like any muscle, the less you use it, the weaker it gets.  Conversely, if you start to fire it up for even just five minutes every morning, you’ll find it kicking in throughout the rest of the day too.

It becomes easier to choose healthy meals, easier to say no to your cosy bed in the mornings and get up and go for a run, easier to stay away from the shopping malls and save your money for a new car or a holiday.

Doing all this positive healthy stuff – i.e. looking after yourself and your life – has yet another added bonus, besides the fun of better health, better finances and less worry:

You start to feel a little more in charge of your life.

You aren’t really, because no one can control life no matter how hard they try (and trust me, I have!).  But you get a little more in charge of how you respond to life and if you feel that you’re in control of your reactions and responses, well then it doesn’t really matter what happens outside anymore, does it.

All this my friends, just from the small act of saying no to sweet treats in the evenings.  (I hope I haven’t cursed myself by sharing this, watch this space tomorrow, after I’ve binged on an entire packet of chocolate digestives after dinner…)  But still it’s a real joy to have finally broken out of the repetitive loop of sugar cravings, however long it lasts.

Am I a total weirdo?!  I bet any smokers reading this will be rolling their eyes: “addicted to sugar??  Yeah right!”  Apparently sugar is as addictive as heroin though, so don’t scoff too hard…

Ciao darlings!

Lizzie xxxx