Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Mr Diabetes

Nada has a nickname for me...Mr Diabetes. Forget about meth addiction because an easier-to-procure, more sinister substance has taken over my life...sugar.

I didn't realise just how addicted to sugar I am until today. I've been cutting back on sugar over the last few weeks and the cravings have been moderate. Then today, as Nada and I arrived at the markets, the sweet scent of sugar wafted into my nostrils and over my olfactory glands...and I went berserk. A stall nearby was selling freshly made sugary treats, and I was overcome with a need to consume anything that contained sugar. I bypassed the first of the temptations and headed straight for the stall that sells my favourite indulgence (sweet eggs). Fortunately, the lady who sells sweet eggs wasn't there, and with a few encouraging words from Nada, we got what we needed and left before I succumbed to my sugar addiction. However, I spent the next few hours moping around the house feeling sorry for myself (much to my shame). I've been trying to make it up to Nada ever since.

Nada has been very supportive of my weight loss/sugar reduction goals. She has incorporated more vegetables into our diet and replaced white rice with Riceberry, which is much more nutritious. We also eat fruit, which helps dampen my sugar withdrawals. For breakfast, we have whole-grain cereal with protein powder sprinkled on top. I have one cup of coffee a day, which I have after breakfast and has only one sugar.

The evenings are the hardest. I have always enjoyed having a dessert after dinner, and later before bed, a glass of milk with two TimTams (a brand of Australian chocolate biscuit that I have run out of). Now after dinner, I eat some fruit, and before bed, I have a glass of milk with just one Tim Tam. I have a bottle of Red Fanta in the fridge, which acts as a kind of security blanket in case of a sugar emergency. I've been toying with the idea of pouring it down the sink, but I'm not ready yet.

We walk for forty-five minutes every day, and with the change in diet, I've lost enough weight so that when I look at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I can see the difference in my belly. I'm starting to feel better about myself and my body image. Nada too has lost weight, and we often complement each other on our progress.

I have an addictive personality and my brain sees sugar as a drug rather than a food source. And considering my little performance today, I'll be treating it as such going forward.