In the last four days I have been able to avoid fries, potato chips, tater tots and all other forms of starchy high-glycemic treats that make up 1/3 of my personal axis of evil. (Bush had Iran, Iraq and North Korea and I have Carbs, Caffeine and Cable TV – oh my!) And yet, here I sit having a medifast caramel bar and my third (or maybe fourth) cup of decaf coffee with a dollop of whipped cream. Seriously, this is my life…I’m eating a pre-packaged 110 calorie meal replacement with a whip cream chaser.
We humans are funny creatures. Sorry, to project my quirks and vices on the entire species, but if I were the only one allowing my baser instincts to over power my intellectual will then the self-help industry would fail to generate $10 billion in revenue every year. In a pathetic attempt to justify my actions I will say that the whipped cream actually has more natural ingredients and less calories than my beloved vanilla creamer, but philosophically speaking it is somewhat antithetical to my desired outcome of making healthier choices.
And speaking of evil…Dr. Oz is starting to bug me. On EVERY episode he recommends at least 5 supplements that you MUST have to live a healthy life. Last week he suggested white mulberry tea as a way to block sugar absorption and maintain a healthy weight. I put some in my virtual shopping cart on Amazon that very day for a cost of $16.95 for 30 bags. I thought it was kind of expensive so I didn’t purchase it right away, wanting to do a little research. A week later, the same item went up to $38. Needless to say, I’m still drinking coffee.
On his show he repeatedly recommends that we avoid high-glycemic foods as they spike our insulin and negatively effect the way our body functions. 
Yet, in his column in O Magazine, one of his 6 tips to get a better night’s sleep is to (and I quote) “add food high on the glycemic index, like rice and potatoes, to your evening meal roughly four hours before bed” as it “could help you fall asleep 49 percent faster than a low-GI meal. High-GI foods increase the body’s levels of the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan.” What…. Dr. Oz is trying to Judy Garland us into eating high glycemic foods so we can fall asleep at night and then pumping us up with mulberry tea and green coffee beans in the morning. (I actually take a green coffee bean supplement once or twice a day, and I have to say – it seems to be suppressing my appetite, at least before the late night munchies.)
This eating healthy thing is tough. Even if you aren’t inclined to accessorize your coffee like an ice cream sundae there are so many temptations, conflicting theories and promises of transformation without sacrifice. I believe that a balanced life includes some sacrifice, now I just have to decide if I’m going to sacrifice my health or my whipped cream.
Sweet (but sugar-free) Dreams!
Health Update – Bad night of sleep last night which I believe left me vulnerable to my cravings today. But I did workout, even though I didn’t want to. But my desire to not workout was over-ruled by my desire to still be able to say I’ve exercised everyday this year.
40DDD 