I'm an addict?

(So... sad...without...sugar)

I have stayed away from cigarretes. I don't gamble. I don't drink that much (proud to say alcohol has never made me puke) so how did I not escape it? The ADDICTION. It's not crack, or even Meth. It's sugar.

Don't laugh. I think it's true.

First you should know, I am attempting South Beach Diet, which is forcing me to give up all carbs and sugar. Only meat, veggies and cheese for 2 weeks.

Today on MSNBC.com I found an article titled, "Majority of Americans likely to become fat."

The article stated that, "9 out of 10 men and 7 out of 10 women will become overweight in their lifetime." The study also shows, "Americans live in an environment in which it’s hard not to become overweight or obese. Unless people actively work against that, that’s what’s most likely to happen to them.”

I was really hoping the article would have a "quick and easy fix" paragraph, but alas. As if people didn't have enough to worry about, now we need to pour constant energy into not being fat. Do you know how much energy I'm using already to simply avoid cookies for the next two weeks? It's so much harder than I thought.

I about had a mental breakdown in the grocery story when I realized there would be no bread, bagels, fruit or oreos. I'm just a carb kinda girl and definitely a SUGAR girl. I have resorted to buying flavored Dasani water (splenda not sugar of course) to get a sweet-tooth fix. There should really be a patch for this sort of thing.

You might think I'm being dramatic-- and I do have a flair for doing so. But giving up sugar, when you've never disciplined yourself to do so, is quite simply-- PAINFUL.

When I researched sugar addiction, I found out some interesting stuff:
-- Sugar addiction is recognized by many addiction counseors
-- Abruptly giving up sugar invariably brings on the sort of withdrawal symptoms associated with narcotic drugs- fatigue, lassitude, depression, moodiness, headaches, aching limbs.
-- Its addictive nature is also reflected in current per capita consumption in the USA- an average of 130 pounds of sugar per person per year, or about 1/3 pound daily.

If that doesn't qualify as 'substance abuse' I don't know what would.Good news is that I keep hearing this will get easier. That's comforting and I might lose some unwanted pounds in the process. I'll never be the girl on the cover of SHAPE magazine. But I can be a better version of me and in the process reduce the risk of heart disease.