Small changes with big impact....

So did you do it? Did you keep your log all week? What did you notice?

My habits are a little better than they were back in 2000 when I first kept a log but my downfall is still sugar. It's not the obvious sources either. Then it was the sugar in my favorate tomato soup, cereal and dried fruit all of which I ate almost every day. It might not sound all that bad to you but I was also missing protien which made my energy level really unstable. When I'd hit a low I ate more sugar and/or caffeine. Thankfully I was exercising a lot or I surely would have packed on the pounds.

For all you other sugar phenes out there be sure to read the article in More magazine about Sugar. It's a health hazard to say the least. Sugar has been proven to cause wrinkles, heart problems, liver damage, gout (form of arthritis), yeast infections and diabetes and is a suspected factor of other serious diseases such as obesity. I encourage you to read it. It might be just the motivation you make a few changes too.

I've had a serious sweet tooth my entire life but haven't been too concerned about it. Last year I made cutting sugar more of a priority because a health nut who's a personal chef told me that I should be only consuming 1 table spoon per day. The most significant change that I made as a result, is eating my oatmeal without sugar. However, I cover it with raisons, nuts and berries. It tastes good but now it's loaded with natural sugars. Better but still not great.

So I've decided to renew my effort to focusing on cutting my sugar intake down. I've started reading labels again to become aware of the amount of sugar that is in the products that I eat regularly. As a result, I'm drinking carrot juice rather than orange. It has half the sugar per serving. I'm also trying new snacks rather than eating my standard dried fruit and nuts. Both are healthy snacks but high in calories and sugar.

I noticed that Real Simple has some suggestions this month and HungryGirl.com also has recipes that are all under 200 calories. Has anyone tried them? If you have please share your thoughts and experience. For the rest of you let's try them together and report back.