David Gillespie - I beat the Tim Tams!

06 Oct 2010 12:15 PM

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Message # 439696

Deleted user

Yesterday was Day 3 of my newfound "sugar is evil" eating habits. I've been having a rough time lately and a friend came over to hang out with me for a bit after my kids were in bed. She came bearing Tim Tams, one of my all time favourite sweet treats.

My initial, I guess pre-programmed response was "TIM TAMS! Oh one won't hurt, I can break my "diet" for one Tim Tam". Very quickly followed by "that's like saying you can have just one cigarette while quitting". So I thanked her for bringing them, but explained I was giving up sugar (she'd seen a Facebook post of mine recommending Sweet Poison).

And amazingly, I found I didn't feel the least bit jealous watching her have some with her coffee. In fact, I sat there with the urge to stop my friend being poisoned, rather than the urge to eat any myself! David, thanks so much for your "Addiction" series of articles - I've found that it really helped turn around the way I view sugar. I don't feel like I'm missing out at all....well, except on diabetes and heart disease!

06 Oct 2010 5:39 PM

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Reply # 439763 on 439696

Deleted user

Congratulations, Katherine. That's really kicking a goal!

07 Oct 2010 4:11 AM

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Reply # 440048 on 439696

Deleted user

Well done, the reasoning is hard to beat isn't it! I stood in a queue at the check-out in K-Mart today between 2 racks of sweet things and looked at them in amazement, and normally I'd seriously consider buying one, cos it was there. Of course now I think it's rather evil preying on people's addiction so blatantly!

14 Oct 2010 8:26 AM

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Reply # 443922 on 439696

Deleted user

Good for you, Katherine. The addiction explanation (with research so not just my imagination) has really helped me too. I finally get it that it has nothing to do with my will power or lack of it or me being "good" or "bad"; just caught in an active addiction.

17 Oct 2010 8:39 PM

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Reply # 445562 on 439696

Anonymous

yeah its especially hard at supermarkets ... imagine trying to quit smoking but having to queue at the register between two aisles of ciggies! - one little trick I had when in the withdrawal phase was to take the precaution of picking up a can of Pepsi Max (or some such) and drinking it while I waited between the chocolates ....

Cheers

David.

17 Oct 2010 8:40 PM

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Reply # 445563 on 443922

Anonymous

Leonie Aldcroft wrote:Good for you, Katherine. The addiction explanation (with research so not just my imagination) has really helped me too. I finally get it that it has nothing to do with my will power or lack of it or me being "good" or "bad"; just caught in an active addiction.

good point well made Leonie .... willpower is irrelevant!

Cheers

David.

01 Nov 2010 3:44 AM

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Reply # 454542 on 439696

Deleted user

I agree, it is habit as well as addiction. When i went vegan about four years ago (not any more unfortunately I have to eat fish now as i can't digest beans) i remember giving up biscuits, cakes and a lot of processed stuff because it had milk solids and other animal products. At first it was hard because i was so used to it, then i realised it was just an addiciton and a habit to be lazy and buy so many processed biscuits and garbage like that. Now that i'm no longer vegan, four years later - i eat some cheese and fish- but i have not gone back to the pre-packaged processed foods. Since i broke my habit and addiction to them, I don't even find them tempting. I think once you beat it, you realise it holds no power to you after a while. :D