I just got done watching a lecture by one Dr. Lustig on youtube. It is called "The Bitter Truth" and was broadcast on UCTV. He vilifies sugar, especially fructose and high-fructose corn syrup. Since HFCS started to be widely used in 1975, obesity has shot up around the world. Fast-food restaurants strip all their food of fiber so that the food can be cooked and eaten quickly. It can also be shipped more easily. Fructose is a poison, but in fruit, it comes with its own naturally-occurring antidote--fiber. He speaks of the Coca-Cola conspiracy. Coke contains caffeine and salt, which cause dehydration and thirst, so we drink more. The corn syrup does not create any sensation of satiety, so one consumes more. The sizes of drinks have grown exponentially in the last 40 years. Infant formulas have as much sugar and corn syrup in them as soda.

The American Association of Family Doctors has recently received a large grant to "help people make informed decisions about their soft drink consumption." There is only one informed decision about soft drinks--don't drink them. That goes for soda as well as sport drinks. Guess who the grant is from? The Coca-Cola Company! How unconscionable! This makes about as much sense as giving grants to public schools in exchange for placing soda machines in the schools, as our local school system did several years ago.

Dr. Lustig mentions a book: Pure, White and Deadly by John Yudkin. I'd like to read it. I found a copy on amazon for $622! My college library may be able to get it for me through interlibrary loan.

Exercise is important in combating obesity, not because it burns calories, but because it reduces stress. Lower stress levels equal decreased appetite. It also speeds up the metabolism.

My wonderful friend Hedda, who has been so ill for so many years, has high levels of stress and anxiety. I got her a Bose Wave Radio, and she can pick up WDAV, the classical radio station of Davidson College. She is in heaven, and her whole person is different now. She can listen to classical music all day, and it keeps her from being so lonely and focusing on herself. Music is a powerful healer.

Being a professional pianist myself, I know how important music is to me. If I go more than a day or two without practicing, I just don't feel right. It's as though I haven't shaved or brushed my teeth.

I'm still hanging in there. It no longer feels like such a frightening thing. My mood is much more stable, and my clothes already feel a little better on me, even after just a couple days. Scott brought home a broccoli salad which had raisins and a sweet kind of dressing. I ate some of it, but it wasn't enough to throw my blood sugar into a tailspin. Diet sodas are a thing of the past with me, but coffee is still very much my friend!

I made it through another day without sugar. I still get cravings, but I'm not really hungry. Scott made spaghetti sauce tonight, which I love. Sugar is not listed on the ingredients, but it does have 2 grams of sugars per serving--natural, I guess. It seems to make me want to eat more and I got cravings after dinner. I stilled those with berries and cream and an apple. I didn't even look up when Scott started eating pumpkin pie. It's in the refrigerator, and I didn't even look at it. I also drove past a Dairy Queen and didn't even think about stopping. My head has been aching today and my stomach has been queasy, but I plan on feeling better tomorrow. This life is so much better for me. I already feel more compact, less bloated, and less hungry.