Pin me!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

How it feels to change how you eat...

So I started trying to really cut out the sugar this week and it has been working. I'd like to share a few thoughts from the first week of stopping the sugar addiction....and yes I do think it's an addiction, for almost everyone.

First, I can't believe it's working really. I mean I've been able to drink unsweet tea most of the week and that in and of itself is SHOCKING. Just the fact that I keep wanting to drink it is crazy. First I was able to give up soda and then sweet tea! I mean really people. Something drastic must have shifted in the universe. I don't know if it's a change in my thinking or having more info about what this stuff does to me or what...I just keep thinking, I'm so tired of doing bad things to my body and then beating myself up for doing bad things to my body. I would drink 3 diet sodas a day and say I didn't care, but I did (and I think in the process I ruined my adrenal glands, more on that later). I just want to feel good about the things I choose to eat (and drink). I want to eat what God intended for me to eat, what He made to go in my body and what He made for my body to digest. And this week as I've eaten  real food and drastically less sugar, I have felt so much better about how I'm eating and what's going into my body, and I haven't been ashamed of what I'm doing to my body when I eat. It feels so much better and very freeing.

Second, as I was driving to work one morning, eating my oatmeal and drinking my unsweet tea (and feeling very proud of myself, I might add, I need to work on that), I saw a woman smoking a cigarette in her car and felt sad for her, that she was addicted, that it would be very hard for her to quit and that she probably beats herself up for smoking. I can identify with that with food. Or maybe she wasn't beating herself up, but I suppose...And then this thought dawned on me...when we do bad/damaging things to our bodies it's another form of self-hatred. We're hating ourselves by damaging ourselves further, whether it's through food or cigarettes or too much exercise or not eating enough or not exercising. And that leads to more self-hatred because then we hate ourselves for doing that to ourselves. I know some people may not follow this, but it stuck with me. When I put trash in my body, I'm not helping myself out basically. I'm hurting myself. I wouldn't let someone else abuse me with food. So why do I let myself do it? Point taken. I love it when God has little lessons for me in the car when I least expect it.

Third, other people don't always get it or like it when you don't eat like them. My sandwich got questioned and made fun of a little bit at lunch one day this week. It had bell peppers, cheese and spinach. I was just trying to get more veggies people. But I mean seriously. I'm not forcing you to eat it and I wasn't preaching about it or even talking about it, so back up off and let me enjoy my lunch. Sheesh.

Fourth, if my friend is opening up a restaurant and he wants me to have a biscuit and a coke, it's ok. It's not the end of the world. One coke and a white flour biscuit will not be the death of me. This is about changing the way I eat on the whole, not about being a food nazi and hurting peoples' feelings.

Fifth, I really do think I'm learning to appreciate more flavorful things. My husband made a pizza kind of thing with chicken, bell peppers, cheese, olive oil and herbs on nan bread this week and it was just like I could taste everything so vividly, more than before. I don't feel like everything is numbed by sugar.

Sixth, I did have a moment of sadness the first morning I realized I was actually drastically cutting back sugar. I was like, "oh I'm not having a dessert every day anymore and I'm not drinking sodas when I need my afternoon energy for 7th period." And that's when it hit me how attached to it I was, that I was actually mourning the loss. When I really processed that I was like, dang, ok this really needs to happen. I don't need to be this emotionally attached to food.

Seventh, when I do crave something sweet, I'm actually ok if I eat a banana, a Larabar or drink some Kombucha. Mmm...And those all have naturally occurring sugars, so they're ok!

So those are my reflections from this week of natural food eating. I think it's going well and I'm encouraged.

This post is a part of Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

4 comments:

  1. I love it when God uses crazy things to teach me! Way to go on cutting back on sugar and giving up soda and sweet tea!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Christy! I love that too! He's getting very creative with me the past few years. Thanks for the encouragement! It means a lot!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your sandwich sounds amazing. I think people get jealous when others make good choices. Also, since you're not visibly unhealthy (read: fat), people think a person is negatively eating better food, like to be thin when they don't need to me, instead of positively eating. I love you!

    Also, that pizza thing sounds amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, friend. I don't love the people being mean about being healthy. People also hate on me for eating organic stuff. And I get that not every one wants to buy organic stuff and I'm not saying they should, but that's the choice I make for some foods, so just let me make my own choices ok? Ok. :) Thanks for the love! I'm glad things are going well.

    ReplyDelete