A lot of my girlfriends in the city and in other major areas around the USA have made a decision. They would rather drink their calories than eat them. I shared this “in” diet methodology with Cat. She said to me, “Do you really think it makes sense?”
I said, “A calorie is a calorie…”
To which she replied, “Yes, but what happens when you ingest certain calories?”
Here in lies the fundamental difference between holistic and regular medicine. No one ever asked me or explained things to me. No medical professional asked me to make a choice – they simply told me this is a solution, do that, don’t do this. Eat x amount a day, take these pills, etc…. You know the drill.
My food diary changed gears this week. I began adding in a few of the things taken off for the past month – in a modest amount and saw/experienced how it impaired and/or affected my digestion, my sleep, my skin. Yep – the jury is in. Sugar = bad.
Sadly, the other truth constantly smacking me in the face is that everything we eat, think, and do will affect our health. Actions and decisions have consequences, even the ones we made 10 years ago. We kind of all know this, though, don’t we? We just need a professional to remind us.
Adding fibre and water are 2 things that really have literally affected the ebb and flow of my digestive system. Interpret this as you will.
The scale has held at 7 pounds loss for me. My clothes tell another story. I am wearing things from 3 years ago, and in all honestly, exercise is such a small component of this odyssey, I realize that nutrition and my mindset are bigger pieces to the overall puzzle of getting myself back on track.
My struggle at work continues. However, I have kept my temper under-check. Actually, I just have less of a temper, period. I can see that my work performance is only part of the solution to ensuring my long-term survival. This has been a revelation to me. I think for the first time in my professional life I am grateful to be employed. Sounds dumb, but you need to crawl inside my head space to get that.
A lot of people have written in to encourage me and I thank you. Some of you had similar questions, so I am answering them below:
1. Brain fog – to me this is when I cannot be in the moment and find myself skipping forward or backward in thoughts, or just removed from a situation.
2. How many times a day do I eat? On average – 4 – but it should be 5.
3. Do I eat dairy? Yes, but my consumption is way down and I am only having organic products.
4. Favorite new food: Green Bean “Fries” – see above image.
5. Have I cheated? Yes, every week I have done one or two things wrong, but nothing that derails me from the end goal.
6. Is this program like therapy? Yes – more than I anticipated. Food is the fuel to run the mind – but I realize the mind needs retraining once you clear your engine of the junk. I liken it to being a used car with a new warranty.
7. What kind of tests have I got – blood, saliva, and hair mineral analysis.
Next week, I go for another round of tests. I now run/jog 2 week days and one weekend morning – as it fits my schedule. I do not love it – but see the benefits on my body and mind.
Until next week.