Well, it’s been a few weeks since the sugar detoxing began. There have been great things and frustrating things about it, naturally.
One of the frustrations was serious moodiness. That feeling of denial, of a general unfairness to the world, which is of course not a truly rational feeling, but must be addressed and accepted nonetheless.
Another frustration is losing the desire to eat. Many times when I was struggling with my weight I wished for that, ironically. But it can be be aggravating to stand in the supermarket, know you have to get food, and not knowing where to turn. Everything is full of salt and sugar, unless you are prepared to cook from scratch ingredients. Sadly, I’m no cook.
Bad heartburn, but I’m not sure how this is related – if at all. I’m now reading that sugar can trigger it, and I know it gets bad after I eat fruit, which is what I do to help with the cravings for sweetness.
Another frustration was watching my carbs and salt go up in retaliation for the lack of sugar satisfaction in my diet. That stalled the weight loss a bit until I caught on. These habits can be sneaky!
The cravings improve but can still suddenly hit me, even after a few weeks.
Now, the good things.
I lost 4 pounds, and my clothes feel better again.
My energy returned.
I know my health is better for it.
I think my slight case of eczema is improving. I wasn’t expecting sugar to be a trigger but after doing some research there is a possibility. I’m not sure I’ve done near enough research on that yet.
The best help I think I’ve had in the struggle is R. He is so supportive, and also acts as a great back-up conscience! I believe 3rd party accountability is a huge factor for success in changing life habits. Talking to him helps me renew my resolve, and making him proud makes me feel great.
Dr. Kessler’s book (I wrote about that in my last post) not only made me aware of how serious this is for my health but he also has some great tips.
I will be doing a separate piece on those but I will leave you with the first one.
The moment the thought enters your head that you want that cookie – or chocolate or… – you have just a few seconds to get control before the obsessive thought takes hold and makes refusing the treat a herculean task. You must hear it, grab it and add the BUT.
I want that pie…BUT I don’t want to gain weight, get sick, end up with diabetes. I will feel good for just a few minutes if I have it BUT I will also feel awful and crave more if I do. I choose the long term satisfaction over the short term reward.
I’ve been impressed with how well it works, but you must practice it. It becomes easier over time as you successfully resist the trigger.
Just that one technique alone was worth reading the book.
4 lbs down, and I hope to drop a few more. This is not a short term weight loss goal however, it’s a long term health goal. Still, I take it one day at a time, in order to lessen that feeling of denial. No point sabotaging myself.
As I See It 