Sugar Junkie. Part 2. by Guest Blogger Rebecca Hill

(Image above: Rebecca, Kiana, Julie)

Last week was wonderful but I did face 2 big challenges on my quest to break my sugar addiction:

On October 27 I celebrated my 41st birthday! I am thrilled to still be here and feeling good at 41 so that was reason to celebrate; however, my birthday did bring up a big question. No, not the meaning of life (I know many people start to contemplate that as they get into their 40s and 50s) but that's not the big question I faced. The big question I faced was, "Can I handle eating a single cupcake on my birthday without it starting a food rampage?" I really (REALLY!) like cake. In particular, I like white cake with white frosting. Learning from past disasters I knew I could not handle having an entire cake in our home so my husband, Tom, and I decided we would just go out and buy me a single cupcake on my birthday.

Because eating one cupcake often leads to me eating a dozen cupcakes I was nervous about this plan. I reached out to Kiana on the morning of my birthday and she suggested that I get a "cupcake made with stevia which is a natural plant extract. Tastes exactly like sugar and no after effects....Now only if they had a similar fix for wine....." I loved that suggestion and headed to Whole Foods. At the bakery the employee explained that their healthy cupcakes are made with fruit juices not stevia. I was so worked up for a cupcake that I knew a cupcake made with sugar juice wasn't going to do it for me. I thought about going to a "normal bakery" but fortunately was deterred because I had a massage booked. After my birthday massage, I got pressed for time. Tom and I went out to dinner and I opened all of my presents (all the while thinking about the cupcake. I had decided that finding a cupcake made with stevia was going to be too difficult (I give up easy when it comes to sugar and cupcakes) so I decided that Tom and I would go to Suzy's Cakes in our Brentwood neighborhood and buy me one REALLY GOOD cupcake! I told Tom this plan and he agreed it was reasonable. (I knew I would not be in danger if Tom was with me because I never eat 6 cupcakes in front of other people; that kind of behavior is reserved for when I'm alone in my car.) So, we got dressed - went out and (cue the horror music) found out that Suzy's Cakes had already closed for the evening! There is a good yogurt store next to Suzy's cake in Brentwood so we got yogurt instead. I act like a normal person when it comes to yogurt and ice cream so I could be trusted there. Crisis averted! (and I had a great birthday!)

My next challenge is universal to all sugar addicts - Halloween! As always, I went to Woodland Hills to take my little friends Allie & Billy trick-or-treating. (Allie dressed up as Elvis. Billy was Bruce Springsteen. And I was their "backstage security officer.") I had a plan. (HAD being the key word in that sentence.) Through discussions at my Weight Watchers meeting, I knew that a Blow-Pop lollipop and a few small tootsie-rolls would be good choices for me in terms of their calorie counts. I also knew from past research that as far as candy goes, Peppermint Pattys are the least evil of the candy bars. I knew this but when I saw all of the Butterfingers, Snickers and Twix bars, I lost my mind! I started eating without thinking. I unconsciously unwrapped and ate at least 30 candy bars while carving a pumpkin. My first thought was "these are just minature bars - they can't cause too much trouble." Then I stopped thinking all together and just kept eating. Within an hour, little Billy and I both acknowledged having stomach aches while Allie (and their parents!) looked at Billy and me in bewilderment. See, that's how things go wrong. I stop thinking and just keep eating! This is why a food journal is crucial to my success. There are people (like Kiana and my husband, Tom) who just naturally monitor themselves and how much food they are eating. But I need to write down what I'm eating in order to stay conscious of what I'm doing.

So, my birthday went well. Halloween was very fun but not a victory in terms of incorporating a healthy lifestyle and reasonable, moderate consumptions of treats into my celebration. Guess I should have policed myself better (see attached photo) - ha ha!

Well, it's a new day - and I'm off to my Weight Watcher's class. Hope all of y'all had a Happy Halloween! Did anyone have an experience similar to mine on Halloween? Did anyone do better/ have more success at having fun while still staying on track in terms of their sugar consumption? Kiana and I would both love for you to share your stories here on the Fit Mom TV website. We want to hear from you because we're all in this together!

Rebecca Hill is the author of "Confessions of an Innkeeper" and "Don't You Worry, Don't You Cry." Her writing has appeared in Redbook Magazine and she frequently contributes to Chicken Soup for the Soul. Her most recent story appeared in the new Chicken Soup for the Soul book, "Thanks, Mom!"