Monday

Finding the balance

I don't know about you, but this week and next week are somewhat crazy for me at work. I don't know if everyone was getting back into the swing of things after the new year, and are now plowing full steam ahead, but it's just madness.

That said, I have not had a soda in two weeks. I'm still trying my best to stay away from artificial sweeteners - which has its pluses and minuses. I feel better about what I'm putting in my body, but at the same time, I know it's more calories. So, having to balance those two things is a real challenge for me - especially considering my sweet tooth. I'm already heavier than I was before the holidays (oh hi, tight pants) and I don't like feeling guilty about the extra caloric intake.

What are your thoughts on natural versus artificial sweeteners? How do you find the balance?

4 comments:

Katie said...

Are you cutting out caffeine too? For me, I'd rather keep my coffee with a little bit of cream - I stopped putting in Splenda months ago when I ran out and didn't feel like buying more :) - than drink regular soda instead of diet. I like soda, but it's not worth it for me to drink all the calories in regular, so I'd rather cut it out completely and keep coffee.

What kinds of things are you adding sugar/sweetener to? If it's coffee, you might be able to do cream or skim milk and not even use it. It could take an adjustment, but at least you wouldn't have to worry about the sugar factor anymore.

Sarah with a Sweet Tooth said...

I cut out soda completely too. I still drink my coffee in the morning, but now I add agave (for 20 calories).

I don't really add sweetener to many other things, but I have been trying to cut out anything sweetened with aspartame/splenda - like baked goods.

Katie said...

Hmm, I probably eat some without noticing, but what foods do you eat that have aspartame/splenda in them?

Sarah with a Sweet Tooth said...

What I can think of right now:

I like to chew a ton of sugar-free gum, and I like sugar-free hard candy while I'm at work. Both have aspartame. I realize I could cut out the hard candies, but they prevent me from eating chocolate most days...

Any light yogurt has it too.