I’ve been absent from this thread for awhile because the stress of going back to work just completely threw any diet plans out the window. I haven’t really gained weight since January, even lost a little, but it’s too hard for me to focus on losing weight in the midst of these horrible mood swings.

What I AM focusing on, and what I’d like to try to track here, is cutting out artificial sweeteners (my beloved diet soda and crystal light) and cutting out added sugars. I started on Monday. I didn’t have any artificial sweeteners until today, when I had a large Diet Coke. That’s better than the 64+ oz of Diet Coke I was drinking a day, plus then all the crystal light. I’ve switched to sparkling water, off brand Hint water, and plain water. I’m definitely less bloated than I was.

As for added sugar, that’s been a serious challenge. I’m trying to switch to whole grains wherever possible, but sometimes there’s just no choice but for me to have processed food. And sugar is in literally everything. I really wish I could be normal
And cook meals at home but I’m just too ****ed up right now. I use my slow cooker and that helps but I need to find some sugar free recipes. A lot call for brown sugar and honey.

My goal is to get less than 25g of added sugar a day (not counting natural sugar from whole fruit and dairy). That’s the recommendation for women. It’s been hard. I had 40g today, mostly from tomato soup and ketchup, two things you would not expect to be loaded with sugar but they are. I knew about the ketchup but I just didn’t care at dinner time.

I’m also trying to keep my binge eating under control. It’s very hard, especially at night. For instance, I am obsessively thinking of chips and dip right now, but I already had fast food for dinner. I’m trying to distract myself, think of it like an addiction like cigarettes. I’ve been smoke free (though not vape free) for a month now. I was successful at resisting last night.