day 6

So I made it through the week....barely.  I suffered major headaches and gave it to a piece of pizza....but only took two bites and decided it wasn't worth it.  I saw an almost immediate result just from those 2 bites!  It has been challenging....I found myself at work just staring at the vending machine thanking God it doesn't take a debit card!  I did give in to the diet coke, which was not on my original agenda...but I only had 3 this week so that's much better than the 3 regular cokes I was having each day!!  Here's the kicker....lost 6 lbs! Not bad!

Day 1

Well, It's just after 7 on day one.  Amazingly enough, I didn't have any sugar cravings at work today.  Had  a banana and soy nuts for breakfast, snacked on kiwi and had a nice vegetarian lunch and several bottles of water.  Tonights dinner was also a delightful veggie meal....but....then....I remembered the leftover pizza in the fridge......that's when the battle started.  It's hard to go sit with your plate of baked eggplant, peas and rice while knowing the delicious chicago style pizza is right there in the next room.  Then, I started thinking about the Dr. Pepper and how wonderful it would be with the pizza....It was a sure struggle however short lived.  After getting past that hurdle I was hit with the typical after dinner desert craving.  Thank God there was orange juice in the fridge....because there were also Smores poptarts in the cabinet and I was having a hard time getting them out of my mind.  But, after the OJ, I didn't really care about the poptarts anymore.  I must say my first day has been a notable success.  I did not suffer from the 3 pm crash I would typically have experienced on a normal day.  This evening was a struggle but I was able to say piss off to the pizza and poptart!  (that's a HUGE triumph for me!)  I am looking forward to day 2. Tomorrow is a run day.  It's always so much easier for me to make healthy choices when I start the day with exercise!  

ps. iced tea helped prevent any caffeine headaches that would have been caused by not having the soda.  What a relief that was!

We Shall See......

Ghandi said to be the change we want to see in the world but many of us have a difficult time even being the change we want to see in ourselves.  This blog is going to chronicle the changes I have decided to make in my personal life.  I found out last fall that I am allergic to wheat...and peanuts...and almonds.  One would think that this information alone would prevent these items from being a part on ones daily diet....wrong!  I have had the hardest time eliminating the wheat from my diet...it is in everything!  I have an immediate reaction to consuming wheat. I will start sneezing, have changes in my breathing, get headaches and have abdominal pains.  I have also had multiple sinus surgeries due to allergy complications and have lost a gallbladder because of poor dietary choices.  These things are motivating me to make changes....but that's not the only thing.  I work in a drug treatment facility where I encourage people on a daily basis to stop using a substance that their bodies have become physically dependent upon.  They are told that total abstinence from the substance is the only way to treat their addiction.  They re-frame their entire lifestyle to accommodate these life saving changes.  Is it easy? Hell NO it isn't!  But it can be done.  So, I figure if I can ask this of them, I can take on some major changes of my own.  So, my goal for the next 30 days (may 2nd- June 1st) is to eliminate all allergic substances  as well as  processed sugar entirely.  Sugar effects the brain in a similar way as morphine and heroine- it is NOT good for me.  Ultimately, my goal is to create a vegan, wheat-free, sugar-free lifestyle.  If anyone is curious about my inspiration, check out "Sugar Blues" and "The China Study".  I must admit that this is not my first attempt to make these dietary changes.  My efforts have never been successful.  So, with renewed commitment, we shall see if I create this much needed change in my life. ( I must add that I have recently taken up running and will continue running and working out while working on these dietary issues.  Any weight loss will also be noted through this next month.)