Thank you and some other important things I should say - Day 20 of running streak, Day 17 of Sugar Free Challenge*

Thank you!  My blog, only 20 days old, has gone over 600 views!!  Small in the vast expanse of the Internet, but big enough to let me know that you are reading it and hopefully enjoying it.

Thank you also to my loyal Facebook friends who are taking the time to read my thoughts every day.  You're letting me know that you like the blog, and I really appreciate it.

I changed SFC back to Sugar Free Challenge* because my daughter just started reading my blog and didn't know what SFC was.  I figured there must be some others out there that may be curious as well.

How is the Sugar Free Challenge* going for me?  WONDERFULLY!!!!!

As I mentioned way back on my fourth entry, I gave up sugar in the following ways:  manually added into food, sugary foods (cereal, baked goods, soft drinks, sweet tea, etc.).  I did not give it up in non-sweet commercial foods that already have it, like bread, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, etc.

I also didn't give up fruit.  Or coffee (I use Truvia now, which is derived from a plant, so I think it's okay).

I feel so much better now!  More weight is starting to come off and I really do not miss it.  The weight or the sugar.  Okay, I do miss it sometimes, like when I walk into the QT to pay for gas and see the giant donut rack in there with the .69 donuts after 8.  But I usually don't miss it.

It's just emptiness, sugar.  Empty calories, bad for your teeth, bad for your digestion...

Eat fruit.  It gives you the sweet, plus you get lots of other great stuff like fiber and vitamin C.

Don't eat baked stuff.  Okay, if Grandma wants you to eat a homemade cookie or two, it's probably okay unless you're doing my SFC*.  Then it's not.

But that wrapped stuff at the convenience store?  Those giant sticky buns and fruit pies?  Stay the hell away from those.

Not just for the sugar, but for the crap put in those things that make them stay "fresh" for 6-12 months or longer.  You really want to eat that?

I did.  I used to be addicted to those things.  Then I had heart disease.

Amazing how heart disease can change your outlook on food and exercise and rest.

And thankfulness.  Thank you again and again for reading.  I hope reading this is helping some of you; it's helping me to write it.

They say that the best way to learn something is to teach it.  I look forward to all of us learning together for a long time to come.

Today's run - 2.17 miles, verified by Nike + running app