As I wrote last time, this was my first week of living without sugar, white flour, caffeine, and dairy. I often wondered if I was taking on too much at one time but managed to make it through and there was no collateral damage in the process.
Last Sunday I was experiencing a little fuzzy brain, but did okay even though someone in the knitting group put a container of mini-cupcakes in front of me and left them there for about ten minutes. I had needles in my hand, people!!! I finally asked to have them moved before someone got hurt.
My biggest challenge was resisting Dunkin’ Donuts. I usually eat breakfast in my car on the way to work and, if I need an extra snack on the road, DD’s is my pit stop. That is why I needed to cut out the caffeine and the sugar together, because if I was still drinking coffee (even if I just stopped for decaf) I would be tempted to get something sweet. Caffeine and sugary sweets go together like cigarettes and alcohol in my mind. Both had to go. I hope to eventually be able to go back on decaf coffee but will need to buy a Kuerig maker so I can brew one cup of decaf at a time before work in the morning. All major changes in one’s life require shopping (another addiction that will be addressed at another time, but not now).
I bought Ezekiel bread, made from whole sprouted grains and legumes, to have with peanut butter or Tofutti cream cheese. I also hunted down a good protein powder that is made from soy vs. dairy and is unsweetened (Spiru-tein - but you have to look for the unsweetened one). I mix a scoop with more soy milk, a scoop of essential enzymes, and some blueberries and I have a great morning smoothie.
I don’t know which days were the hardest. The days when I was driving around the state or the day when I was at work with left over holiday sweets just steps away. On Monday I took my friend, Darcy, to her chemo appointment in Lebanon and made a peanut butter on Ezekiel bread sandwich for a snack and was able to get a great vegetarian soup at a restaurant at the hospital. Darcy also gave me some clementines. I found that those help a lot when a craving starts in.
Another item that has saved me has been Snyder’s Naturals Wholegrain Tortilla Chips. They are gluten free and are made with flax, quinoa, sesame and chia seeds, rice and corn flour. I can eat a few of those and the craving for salty/crunchy is taken care of and they are filling.
The cravings were nothing compared to fuzzy brain syndrome. I am normally a little adrift but for two to three days I was unable to string whole sentences together. I felt as if my intelligence had been directly fueled by sugar and flour and that there was no way I could think clearly without them. I had hoped it would only last a week and I have noticed that with the extra protein and some rest, I am now at a manageable state of being.
I didn’t realize how much my body counted on sugar for fuel. I have been colder than usual all week and came to realize that it is the direct result of having less glucose in my system to burn for body heat. Hopefully, that means my body will now turn to the fat cells which have long held copious reserves of unused fuel. I will wear more layers if necessary, do more yoga, and drink herbal teas, but my body needs to use what fuel it has more than adequately stored in my hips, belly and breasts.
The immediate positive effects of all this – feeling lighter, less bloated, and sleeping very well.
I don’t think I am past the cravings yet, but I do think I have pulled together enough tools and support to be able to handle them. It is now all about choice. Do I use my tools and supports, or do I give in to the cravings? I am hoping that eventually the choice to use tools and supports will be as automatic as giving in to the cravings has been. That means more meditation, more yoga, and more mindfulness in regards to the state of mind I am in. I know that when I am lonely, angry, tired, and stressed that I am more than likely to give in to cravings. I know that when I spend too much time with the committees in my head that I am likely to be a couch slug. Knowledge alone does not help. Like another blogger recently said in her post – “2011’s mantra is to say yes!” and my mantra is to say “yes” to feeling better in body and mind.
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