Sunday, April 29, 2012

Food Struggles

Maybe you all are tired of reading my food diaries here, but changing my diet has been an all-consuming venture!

First the bad:
It has been a rough week and an even tougher weekend! All week I had sore joints. I was still able to play outside with the children, so I am not as sore as I was. There were some days that I could almost hear Mt. Dew and coffee calling my name. But, I did NOT give in. My parents took us out to dinner on Thursday night and that was okay. My salad looked like the best food on the table! So, that was not too hard (emotionally, I mean). But, Saturday night our church had a baked goods auction to raise money for vacation Bible school. I originally did not want to go. I assumed it would be torturous. But, in the end, I thought it would be fun - I stayed to watch. I almost cried once. Seeing all of those pies, cakes, cookies, etc was a tremendous challenge for me. We did not buy any junk food at the auction. I came home and made an apple juice and that improved my spirits some. Then, after church today there was a meal again... and chocolate cake. I won't lie  - I came home nearly in tears. And, I have cried off and on all afternoon.

Now - in my defense - you might think I am a silly girl for crying over sweets. But, let me tell you, unless you have given up sugar and high fructose corn syrup yourself you just don't know how hard it is! There are cravings and emotional breakdowns, and I can bet you that people will talk about you behind your back. That reminds me - one of the ladies at church asked me why I was doing this new "diet." And, I explained that I have a disability that cannot be diagnosed. That I have terrible joint pains and I cannot get out of bed. Her husband - who teases a lot - says, "that's just old age." I think he was joking. I am only 33. But, there have been times in the last 3 years that I felt twice that old!!!

Anyway, that's the bad news. The good news:

My beginning weight was 202, two Sundays ago before breakfast. Before breakfast today it was 190... a loss of 12 pounds. I realize that this alone should be enough to keep me from temptation. But, I am truly addicted to sweets. It might take months to get over years and years of sweets and overall bad nutrition. Going "cold turkey" after twenty or so years of poor diet is extremely difficult! (more on this later)

That's the good, the bad, and the ugly. I will never tell you that this kind of dietary change is easy. But, some days I am confident that it is worth it. Time will tell!







5 comments:

MamaHen said...

So sorry it has been a rough week Bethany. You are doing great though. And I bet it is going to get better sooner rather than later. It is worth it and don't worry what others think. They aren't living the life you are right now. Keep it up girl!

Unknown said...

I'm sorry its so hard. There are couple things that can really help. Craving sweets is not a bad thing, as we are created with a sweet sense.
But, candida overgrowth can throw all that out of whack. and a serious lack of saturated fats in the diet is an even bigger cause of serious cravings. A spoonful of butter or coconut oil will often stop the sweet desire.
Paula

Bethany W. said...

Paula,
Good to see you. I stopped by your place and saw it was offline. I hope your family is well!
Thanks for your suggestion. Another girlfriend recommended that I eat beans for breakfast. That has worked for her and her whole family. So, I might do that. And, without a doubt, I am always better all day when I eat eggs for breakfast!

Thanks for stopping by,
Bethany

Unknown said...

Bethany, I would begin delving into traditional foods again, especially things like fermented veges, adn of course, fermenting the beans.

Have you also had your adrenals checked?
I am finally seeing great headway in all my recovery. I make sure I eat fermented foods, plenty of different kinds of meat and raw goat milk, and taking the supps needed for adrenal fatigue. Those are fermented cod liver oil, magnesium Glycinate, LOTS of sea salt on and in everything, and avoiding high potassium foods like the plague.
With adrenal fatigue, the body is unable to process potassium, so it just builds up and causes lots of pain and fatigue. The two foods I avoid are all white potatoes and bananas.
The magnesium supp helps balance out the potassium issue.


We are well, new blog addy. www.pleasantinthevalley.blogspot.com
I do not update very often, as we have a private blog that all our extended family uses.
No idea if you know, but we were given a 3 week old baby last year, and the private adoption finalized 2 days after her 1st birthday!

Bethany W. said...

P, M, and B,
I cannot get into your blog that you gave me the address for in this comment (may 1).

Bethany