addiction revisited, part 2

i want to write a lot more about my struggle to eat healthily over the last five years, but i don't have the energy for it right now. so instead of getting bogged down in back story, i'll share this:

i have decided that i won't eat any refined sugar for two months.

i think two months is long enough to feel the effect of this change on my energy, mood, physical health in general, menstrual cycle, etc. and while i have tried many things in recent years to change my relationship to sugar, i have always caved and gone back to binge eating sweets.

the sad fact is, i am Completely sick and tired of it. i'm ashamed of myself, and embarrassed, and i'm wasting my money, and i'm a bad influence on the young people in my life, and i can't handle that for much longer. and if i don't tell people what i'm doing, i won't stick to it.

so - here's where you come in. if you're reading this, and you see me in person or online, or send me any messages, Please say something about my commitment to go two months without refined sugar. please do not say judgmental things or negative things about how i have been, because that's likely to make this harder to handle. i need all the support i can get. i cannot face this addiction on my own.

i will do my best to blog about this decision every day, to share how it's making me feel and what effect i'm seeing physically or mentally. i already spent most of today with a withdrawal headache, something i am not used to. so as much as possible, i want to stay Out of my own head with this battle, to have people asking me about it and talking about it so that i can process through it and keep taking one step forward at a time. i hope you will help.

thanks,

joan

Comments

steward said…
Go with what works for you. I've got so many restrictions on my diet due to stomach/colon problems that if I went off refined sugar / corn syrup, I'd likely never get enough calories. (I have no teeth due to a genetic problem - I had them once but they're gone now.) I can't have soda, chocolate, citrus fruits, or tomatoes due to my stomach; my fat is limited to 18g/day due to my gallbladder. (Any more than 1/4 oz of chocolate and it's grab the Oscal time - and that's after my Zegerid dose for the day!)

It's probable that I didn't turn out retarded with my genetic disorder because I followed my body's instincts to drink a lot of milk when I was growing, and my parents didn't stop me. By my teens I was up to a gallon a day... which ensured I got enough extra calcium for my brain to develop correctly. Later I became lactose-intolerant to a degree, developed osteoporosis, and had to go on Oscal (double-duty: bones and stomach upset :) .)

If you feel your body's telling you to stay away from refined sugar (and you might want to include high-fructose corn syrup in that plan, many nutritionists class it as even worse than refined sugar), then listen to your body. It'll let you know along the way if you heard it right or if you have to adjust things.
Raman said…
Hey Joan!

Don't know if you remember but we met when we visited the Walters. Just started reading your blog posts and can definitely identify with your sugar addiction - I may just be inspired enough to try and tackle mine!!

Wishing you all the luck to succeed, especially during these difficult "holidays".

Warm Regards,
Anjali, Tejal & Raman.
hennalion said…
hey Raman! thank you for your interest and support, i appreciate it. i know jack and valerie (and others by proximity) have appreciated the spices you sent them. that was so generous!

thanks, steward. once i get more into the last five years i'll talk about the long journey of learning to listen to my body. definitely good advice, though it is hard, just like any new language with an unfamiliar alphabet. i appreciate you sharing some of what you've gone through and where you are now.