Sugar is evil!

I'm pretty unhappy with myself today. After four days of not eating perfect, but at least making smart choices, I completely caved. And for some strange reason, I feel the need to confess my sins. So here's what happened:

Before leaving the house this morning, I packed a sensible breakfast (yogurt) and a Lean Cuisine for lunch. I threw in an orange and a small bag of microwave popcorn. I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffee (as I do most days). So far so good.

Then, at 8 a.m., I walked into the office to find four giant bags of cookies on the "community food" counter. I walked straight to my office ... and ate a handful of reduced fat Cheez-Its. Just a few minutes later, I found myself pulling three chocolate and shortbread cookies from one of the bags. I ate them so quickly that I'm not even sure I tasted them.

I survived a couple of hours, but then I got bored. I tried to do the right thing and ate a piece of lowfat string cheese. Walking back to my desk, however, I grabbed a chocolate chip cookie. Back in my office, I ate a dark chocolate and almond nugget.

This was all before lunch.

For lunch, I ate the Lean Cuisine. The morning was a disaster, but there was still time to recover. Unfortunately, I found myself in my boss' office digging through her candy dish. I ate two packs of sweet tarts and a snack size Kit-Kat. Back in my office, I had two more chocolate nuggets, three Starbursts and another handful of Cheez-Its.

There was no turning back now. I ended the day with a piece of lemon pound cake (also from the community counter) and a third handful of Cheez-Its. By the time I left the office, I was tempted to give in completely and get fast food for dinner. Instead, I decided to stop at the grocery store. I got a California roll and some fruit. Not the best choice, but certainly better than I'd been doing all day.

And the only good decision I made today was that I walked 2 1/2 miles around my neighborhood before dinner.

During my journey, I've read a lot about the effects of sugar on weight gain. I've also discovered that when I limit how much sugar I eat, I feel so much better. So why do I keep eating something I know isn't good for me? Because sugar is evil. It's an addiction. And once I eat a little bit, I just want more.

I know people who've tried to give it up entirely. That might be the only way to achieve long-term success. But I honestly don't know how to do it. Just thought of trying is overwhelming.