Sugar High, Sugar Low

I have over-indulged on the sugar lately, and the results are not so good.

I haven’t gained weight, at least not yet.  But I will say that my nerves are shot. I’m anxious, mildly depressed, my mind is racing, and today, I’m jittery.

How do I know it’s the sugar?  I’ve over-indulged the last few days and consumed much more than usual.  All-in-all, it’s the only explanation I can come up with.  I’ve been taking my meds (prozac), so unless I’ve suddenly become immune to my 40 mg per day (please, God, no), that’s not the problem.

I’m not drinking.  That can’t be it.  I don’t drink anymore simply because it messes with my mood really bad. That, and, it’s just not as fun as it was 10 years ago.  It’s just sad.

It started a few days ago. I decided to mix up breakfast a bit for the kids and bought them some sugary cereals for breakfast. I don’t normally do this. Usually it’s oatmeal and cheerios with some kind of fruit on the side.  They will eat that, and I will eat something packed with protein, like a bagel with cream cheese or some grits with shredded cheddar mixed in.  However, because the sugary cereals were in the house, and I love me a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I indulged…and did so on a grand scale. Two bowls in the morning to start my day.  Bad idea.

In addition, I was eating cookies (which I indulge in from time to time, usually in the evening) halfway through the day and drinking obscene amounts of Starbucks mocha frappucinnos and McDonald’s Mocha Frappes.

All in all, I was flying high and then crashed and burned.  Worst still is that, I know better.  And now I’m suffering from my own stupidity.

The last few days I was feeling really out of it. It started with a lack of energy, which I believed to be the result of a lack of sleep. So, I began to indulge in a lot of frozen coffee drinks.  Since my energy was low in the morning, my body craved sugar, so I ate more sugary cereals for a quick get up and go. The problem with this quick get up and go is that I come crashing down very quickly afterward and feel worse than I did before.

That’s when the depression sets in. A few days without much energy means you accomplish very little.  This tends to lower one’s self-esteem, making you feel like a total failure.  This is a feeling I know very well and once suffered with almost every waking moment of my life.  Now it’s a rare occurrence, thank goodness, but from time to time it creeps back into my life.  It’s not a pleasant feeling.

Yesterday, though, was the worst. My mind was racing.  I felt out of place and uncomfortable in a familiar situation with familiar people where I usually feel quite comfortable.  I imagined that no one there liked me much, and that I was an outcast.  I knew something was definitely wrong with me at that moment, because I never feel this way around these particular people in this particular situation.  I was not myself.

I felt shut down inside of myself, my mind racing.  I was tired.  I was exhausted.  I fell asleep on the couch last night before my children went to bed, and my husband didn’t wake me when he put them down.  I slept for 9 hours, and I woke up tired.

So this morning, while I did have a warm cup of mocha, I will not have any more coffee today, nor will I have refined sugar. No sugary cereal for breakfast. I started my day with a bagel thin with cream cheese and a zero calorie Vitamin water.  I just had a snack with the kids – ham pieces and applesauce.  Now I will drink water and take the kids to the playground to get myself some sunshine and fresh air. That should lift my spirits as well.

Hopefully, a few days back on a healthier diet will help.  I’m so angry with myself that I let this happen. I know better than that.  Refined sugar is evil, unhealthy stuff, and my body is telling me enough is enough.

How does sugar affect you?

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