It Takes Me Down - Update on Cleansing - 4
A little background...
Yesterday we had a rough start to the day and so we grabbed breakfast out. I had granola, yogurt and fruit. Only the fruit is approved.
I took my go-bag and did really well for an 11 am quick meal.
In the middle of the day as I headed home and realized there would be no napping for a while I stopped at my favorite coffee shop and got a blended coffee that is not on the approved list.
Then our kids were all over for BBQ and a swim so I didn't get another meal as I should have. A salad would have been great.
At dinner I ate a good quality wiener and fruit. Still very hungry I then had a second wiener of unknown origin, six (6) Doritos and six (6) little alphabet cookies.
This morning I was sore from water aerobics on Tuesday, generally cranky and back in bed by 9 am, shades of the last six months! Blecht!!
I moved my water aerobics and sauna plan to tomorrow.
During the week I talked with many women about food and how amazing it is to me that my brain will still tell me I will feel better if I have some sugar.
Clearly, based on my experience yesterday, I don't even have to eat anything noticeably sugary! Processed food and sweetener in the granola or whatever will do it.
Since being on this new eating regime I am astonished that the fact that sugar, flour and cheeses will Kill me hasn't made more of an impact on my thinking.
The bottom line is I'm still eating something sweet once a week. My pattern is every seven (7) to 10 days I find my cravings so insistent that it is really hard to say no.
I don't mean one cookie - I mean a package of cookies. I don't mean a bowl of ice cream - I mean a pint of ice cream (also possibly with the cookies.)
Positive Reinforcement -
So now what do I do? I mean, I've been trying to stay abstinent from sugar for 1.5 years and I'm still not regularly succeeding. I'm better, but I'm not where I need to be for my health.
This morning I tapped the expert - my husband - on ideas for positive reinforcement. I know from experience that my thinking will eventually change if I work at it. I might still start in the same place, but then I add healthier thoughts on top of where I start. This is super effective.
1) I pulled a calendar template from Word, printed it, will tack a couple of sticker packs to it and hang it on the wall.
2) Every day I have success not eating sugar, wheat flour and cheese, I get a sticker.
3) Every four days of success I get a reward.
Rewards may be -
* Fresh flowers
* Special magazine
* Some little thing I've been wanting (like more stickers)
* Save toward larger items like a massage, pedicure or new pair of shoes.
Note: If I do not succeed, there is no penalty.
We budgeted $40 per month to start. The idea is that after I've had success for a while then we will move it up to every seven (7) days, and then again when I get that down, etc.
More to come on my trials with healthy eating!
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