10 Things I am Grateful For

January 16, 2017January 16, 2017 / riainthecity / 2 Comments

I was chatting with my mom last night and was complaining about something and mom said, instead of complaining about things that you don’t have or things that are going wrong, be thankful for things you have.

That really made me think. We get so caught up in things that we don’t have that we forget all the blessings bestowed upon us on a daily basis.
With that in mind, here is my list of 10 things I am grateful for. I’d love to see your list too 🙂

1. My family
Family is always first. Mom, dad, Hubster, Sisbug…I love you all more than I can ever express and I am extremely thankful to have you in my life.

2. Health – seriously health is everything

3. Good Friends
I am blessed with so many wonderful friends in my life.

4. Love of learning
My parents have instilled a love of learning in me that I am extremely grateful for!

5. Life experiences
I have lived quite the life in my 29 years on earth and I am thankful for every single experience, both good and bad.

6. Books
I mean for real though! Thank the lord for this!

7. The ability to feel
I am an extremely emotional person but I am beginning to realize that is a strength and I am embracing it fully!

8. Career
I have a great work fam and a career I love!

9. Food, Water, Safety

10. Love
I love therefore I am.

P.S: I am back from Vegas! So I will be getting back to my normal blogging schedule – all day errry day!
Should I do a Vegas recap post on here?

Fruits to Consume when you are trying to Quit Sugar

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015 / riainthecity / Leave a comment

By far, the most common thing I hear with regards to quitting sugar is, “So you quit sugar, but you must be eating lots of fruits! right?”

Yes, I am eating fruits now but I am careful about which fruits I consume because some fruits have a really high sugar content and I try to keep my natural sugar consumption under 20 grams a day. The reason being that the more sweet stuff I consume, the more I tend to want sugar. It is a vicious cycle and if you are new to quitting sugar, I would suggest that you keep that natural sugar intake low as well.

Fruits you can consume:
1.Raspberries and Blackberries
These berries are high in fiber and low in sugar plus they are extremely flavourful.
2. Avocado
Packed with nutrients, avocados can help to lower blood pressure and control your cholesterol levels.
3. Grapefruits
I am not a fan but they pack a nutritional punch.
4. Papaya
High in Vitamic C and rich in antioxidants, papayas also contain a lot of fiber, which can help to slow the release of sugar into the blood and assist with digestion.
5. Strawberries
6. Cantaloupe
7. Guava

Avoid:
1. Dried fruits and juices
Only fruits are low in sugar, not juices and desserts that they are used in. Reason being that one glass of orange juice has at least 3 oranges in it, which is 51g (3*17g in individual orange) of sugar!
2. Canned fruit
3. Bananas
4. Cherries
5. Pomegranates
6. Mangos
7. Grapes
8. Figs

Hope this helps!

How I Quit Sugar – Reactions

September 14, 2015September 14, 2015 / riainthecity / 2 Comments

First of all, I wanted to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you who read and shared my “How I Quit Sugar” blog post! It was the most read and shared post on here. Due to all the sharing and community love, CBC Radio found it and I spoke about quitting sugar. Let me just say that I am the last person I thought will ever speak about quitting sugar… ever!

While I am super grateful for that, a big learning opportunity for me was coupled together with the fact that so many of you were reaching out to me to tell me how inspired you were and that many of you have been trying to quit sugar. A friend of mine even started something called #SoberSeptember and is trying to stay alcohol free for a month!

I was also told that I should work in conjunction with the Canadian Diabetic Association, which I would love to.
There were some common questions and statements that I received in response to my post and I am listing and addressing them down below.

How much sugar did you use to consume?
Almost a can of condensed milk a day. That is a whopping 54 grams of sugar a day but that was not all, I was also consuming chocolates and donuts and cakes (yes, all in one day). The recommended sugar consumption, according to the American Heart Association, is:
- Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons).
- Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).
It grosses me out to even think about it now. I did feel a huge emptiness in my days that all the sugary treats used to fill in. I used to pick up a slice of lemon loaf from Starbucks each morning together with my green tea (ha ha so healthy *major eye roll*).
The point is, I was a major sugar fiend and if I can kick the habit so can you.

When did your cravings stop?
The first two weeks were hell. I was cranky and a major pain in the butt. I wanted to punch something… anything. It was only around the third week that I felt sane again.

Good on you, but I can’t quit it.
Yes, yes you can.

Did you quit natural sugar too?
Yes, initially. I am now beginning to eat fruits again but only those that are low in sugar.

Have you slipped and cheated through your #100sugarfreedays?
Yes, once. I ate two mini cupcakes to celebrate an important occasion and once on my wedding day I had a nibble on a traditional sweetmeat.

Are you doing this to lose weight or to stay healthy?
It is a bit of both. I wanted to be in charge of my own body and was developing an increasingly negative body image but I am also conscientious of the fact that Type 2 diabetes runs in my family. While I am aware that it isn’t just caused by consumption of sugar, I am sure it is not helping any.
I also found out that South Asian women are 10 times more likely to develop diabetes as compared to their North American counterparts. YIKES!

Why have you not substituted sugar consumption with something else?
Because that is not how it works! If you are merely substituting it with something else you are just as likely to get addicted to the substitute. That being said, if you are having a really hard time, I would recommend fruits such as blueberries that are low in sugar.

What do you do about hidden sugars in packaged food?
You can avoid that by cooking at home, looking at the ingredients on the packaging or by doing some good old internet research. The fact of the matter is that there is sugar everywhere and it is hard to avoid it completely but you can make healthier decisions by doing your research and being aware of what you put in your body.

My next blog post will be about fruits that you can consume when you are trying to quit sugar. Let me know if there is anything else you would like me to chat about, in the comments section, and I will do my best to address it.

How I Quit Sugar

August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 / riainthecity / 13 Comments

For those of you who know me personally, you know that I ~~love~~ loved sugar. Yup that’s right, about two months ago, I quit the white stuff. I am still eating fruits from time to time but no refined sugar whatsoever. Two days ago at an event, I had 2 mini cupcakes because well it was a major event and afterwards I felt like I was drunk. In short, it was awful.
I am really proud to say that now I don’t even crave sugary treats and would rather opt for vegetables or water.

How did this come to be you ask? Well my friends you are in luck because I am about to share some helpful tips to quit sugar for good (I hope). These tips will not be things like, “oh consume f***ing stevia” because YUCKS!

It is all about the Why
Yes, the why is so very important. I have tried to quit sugar several times before this but every single time I tried to do so, the main reason used to be the fact that I wanted to lose weight and fit in a dress. I would quit sugar for a few weeks, then go back to it as soon as I fit in a dress and the event where I had to wear it was over.
This time, however, things were different.
I quit because I wanted to live healthier. I have recently found out that almost all of my grandparents had diabetes and that it skips a generation. That in itself was enough for me to want to be healthier.
So let your why be a healthier lifestyle. It is fine to have weight loss as one of your goals, tweak it a little and make it “MUST LOSE WEIGHT TO BE HEALTHIER!” and see wonders happen.
Reward yourself
Yes, I said it. You have to reward yourself but not with sugary stuff! Instead choose a different reward system. In my case, I am an avid book reader, so all the money I used to spend on candy, chocolates, drinks and other stuff now goes towards buying books.
How I derived the magical number to spend on books? Mostly it is an estimate but I know that I used to consume chocolate bars, condensed milk and sweet treats from Starbucks every single day so the number comes up to roughly 60 dollars a week.
I usually get my books from used book stores so $60 is enough for at least 3-5 books a week and it helps me nourish my mind!
Also, I don’t buy 3-5 books a week so I am actually saving some money.
Don’t go to places that serve sugary treats (at least for the first few weeks)
Admittedly the first few weeks of quitting sugar are really rough. I had the shakes and could not sleep well, which to be honest scared me a little because I felt overly reliant on sugar.
I found it incredibly hard to resist the urge to pick up snacks if I was looking at them, so I stopped going to places that served sugary treats, which included cafes and restaurants. C was also doing most of our grocery shopping so I did not have to worry about facing chocolates and other cakey goodness in person. (Thank you so much C!)
When I did go for grocery shopping, we called the sugary aisle “The Aisle of Doom” and avoided it all together.
Don’t talk about quitting sugar when you are trying to attempt it
Quitting sugar is like being in fight club, we don’t talk about fight club. In the past, every time I had tried to quit sugar, I would tell everyone about it and everyone would praise me. As a result, I would get so much satisfaction from the fact that I was getting praised that I would not actually end up doing it.
This time though, I only talked about it after a few weeks of trying to decrease my sugar intake and since I was already on the path, it was much easier to keep going on it.
Do it with friends
I am not refuting point number 4. What I am saying is that tell one friend about it and have them help you. C has known for a while that I have wanted to quit sugar and as a result has been cutting it out of my morning tea for a year or so now. I didn’t even know this!
At first I thought C just really sucked at making tea :p but then when I found out, I was actually really happy because now when I actually did quit it, at least my tea in the morning tastes normal! And that my friends is a blessing!
Don’t overthink it
There is tons of stuff out there talking about how sugar is bad for you and causes a ton of diseases. I found that reading all that made me depressed and made me crave sugar more. So I would suggest not to overthink it.

I hope this helps you in quitting whatever you are trying to quit. I would love to hear your tips and tricks on how you have quit something. Let me know!

Image from Fit Girl Secrets (It has some tips on quitting sugar too!)

I didn’t do any work this weekend and that is just fine

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 / riainthecity / Leave a comment

It happens every once in a while. I lose all will and motivation to do anything but that’s not what happened this weekend. I intentionally decided to not do anything.

No school, no work, no getting stressed out about oh so many things that needed to get done.
Instead, I read and spent a wonderful day in the city, out and about, with the hubz! 🙂 Couldn’t be happier! Totally ready to kick butt at work tomorrow now!

Picture Taken at Kensington Market in Toronto

First weekend read was A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did not Buy by Sarah Lazarovic! She is a Canadian illustrator and designer who also happens to have written a wonderful book. It is a light read and perfect for a lazy summer weekend. This is also something I would highly recommend all of you shopaholics out there to read. I picked up some shopping tips and actually applied them when I went shopping. All I can say is, quality over quantity folks.

My second weekend read was a graphic novel. I haven’t updated this site in a while but I did mention a year ago that I am enrolled in a Masters program at University of Toronto. It is a really diverse program, which is why I have been able to take some really interesting classes in the last two years (Oh did I mention that I graduate in 2 weeks?!)
Anyways, I am currently taking a class on Graphic Novels and Comic Books in the Library and have actively started seeking out and reading comic books. Which led me to The Big Skinny.

Ok that’s a big fat lie! That’s only part of the equation. I also have started a weight loss journey… No, I don’t have an eating disorder and I am not obese. I am just trying to be healthier and eat better for the sake of older me. (hey 50 year old me! if you are reading this… you are welcome! ;))
So as I was saying, the comic book class and the quest for a healthier me led me to Carol Lay‘s work in the form of The Big Skinny. It is a bibliography cum self help guide to help folks eat healthier! I especially love the calorie count table at the end of the book! Thank you Carol.

The book does not tell you to count calories obsessively but just being aware of what you put inside your body is really freaking important!

It was written in 2008 so some of the research is not super up to date. For instance, she recommends using Stevia and Edamame… Two things I will never put in my body ever again. Overall though, it is a really fun, fast and useful read.

Oh and I guess finally cleaning my desk counts as a little bit of work! :p

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend as well! Catch you soon!

Ria In The City

Living It Up In The Bus Lane

health