Refrigerator full of kryptonite

I have fallen off the wagon.  That little bastard just took off from under me.  What am I referring to?  I'm eating way too much sugar...again!  I've been doing very well since I started blogging.  Lately though I have been dipping into the sweets again and I think it's the change in season.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

My Kryptonite

My kryptonite is SUGAR.  Like Superman's greatest weakness it makes me lethargic, weak and want to sleep but unlike Kryptonite I crave it.  It's the undoing of alot of the fitness heroes out there.  When you least expect it you are eating ice-cream, cake and candy with out realizing it's making you fat.

 One of the worst things we consume is soda.  It's sugary, tasty and it quenches our thirst.  The problem is that it's making us fat.  Ever since we were little ankle biters we have been given sugary soda to fill our little tummies.  Why not?  It's cold, sweet and eventually you sleep like a wittle wittle baby.

Here is why it makes us crash.  The sugar in the drinks make your insulin levels rise, which makes you crash.  These are the typical sizes of soft drinks you would receive at a fast food joint.  See how much sugar is in each one??

It would take you 63 minutes to burn off that Large drink at a 5mph run.  That's JUST THE DRINK!  How many of you are running for 63 minutes straight?  I didn't think so.  

Here is what happens to your body an hour after drinking a cola.

When somebody drinks a Coke watch what happens…

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
• 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
• >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
• >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
• >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

So there you have it, an avalanche of destruction in a single can. Imagine drinking this day after day, week after week. Stick to water, real juice from fresh squeezed fruit, and tea without sweetener.
Primary Source: by Wade Meredith

Soft Drink Company Conspiracy

If you have ever been to Europe or Asia one of the first things you notice is how thin all the natives are.  Besides the fact that they smoke more, they are also consuming less sugar in the soft drinks.  Why? Because their drink sizes are smaller than the same sold in the USA.  Remember back in the 70's and 80's before Super Sizing?  The MEDIUM drink at a fast food chain today is what a LARGE was back then.  

When we go to a movie they up-sell you a "large" for 25 cents more and it's literally like drinking from a keg.

What's love got to do with it?

We drink more sugar cola then we do diet.  Diet is the lesser of two evils. Is diet better than regular soda?

Calorie-wise, yes, the diet version seems healthier, but if you take a look at the ingredients, there's a big difference. Diet Coke and Coke Zero contain aspartame, also called NutraSweet or Equal, while Coke is made with sugar. Aspartame is 180 to 200 times sweeter than regular sugar, and is the artificial sweetener of choice when it comes to most diet sodas. While the FDA approved its use in foods and beverages, some side effects include headaches, dizziness, mood changes, or skin reactions after consuming it. Aside from that negative, even though it's low in calories, diet soda may also lead to weight gain. To find out how keep reading.

Source: Flickr User √oхέƒx™

 Diet soda still makes your body crave more sweets.  It's tricking your mind into thinking you're doing yourself a favor but in reality it's not

  

Baby Steps

Use your best judgement.  You're an adult.  If you cut back on your sugar you could lose 10 lbs immediately.  Sugar cravings take a week or two to get rid of.  It sucks but now you have the tools to substitute and wean yourself off sugar drinks slowly.  If you have to, switch to diet and then work from there.  

Remember, it takes 1 month to change a habit or develop a new one.  If you can last a whole 30 days without sugar you've won the battle, maybe not the war but it's a battle plan.

ps- the picture of the water bottle on the left, it's bag is empty. It's a glare on the bag that makes it look like it has sugar in it.