Sugarpie, Honeybunch
I've just finished pouring over Potatoes, Not Prozac
This is both a relief to know, and a major bummer. According to Kathleen DesMaisons, PhD and author of these books, my body's chemistry needs to be changed before I can lose this weight. I have been on the right track, but I need to take a few more steps, and slow down.
Not that my weight loss can really go any slower, now, can it?
The thing is, while I believe in my heart that The Fat Fallacy
The problem, according to Your Last Diet! is that sugar-sensitive people are less likely to have a functioning "off" switch, especially when it comes to sugary and "white" foods. We can be really good for a few weeks, enthusiastically charging along and then suddenly we crash, and binge.
Hello! Look at the archives of Big Slice of Life, Small Slice of Cheesecake! It is my pattern, and it has been for as long as I can remember. Reading these books was like seeing myself in a mirror, and it was shameful and horrifying at first.
DesMaisons really does get to the heart of the matter, and rather than offer a quick fix, she offers a multi-step plan, meant to be undertaken one step, one meal, one choice at a time. This is the anti-fruit cleanse.
When I think back to my recent fruit cleanse, I remember lying in bed, feeling the emptiness of my stomach, and trying to find a positive feeling to associate with that emptiness. I wanted to associate not eating with power and control, as a motivator. When I told a friend that I was unable to do that, and I was simply hungry and pissed off about it, she brought me back to reality.
"That is how someone with an eating disorder thinks. That isn't a healthy relationship to food."
Oh! Right. You all tried to tell me that, too. I just didn't want to hear it. I wanted quick results, and measurable success. What I really, truly need is healing - both my body and mind need to have the chance to adapt to a diet that is going to work for my personal issues. I'm a sugar-sensitive person, and without proper balance in my diet, I'm never going to lose the weight. Not only that, but I'm setting myself for a host of other problems, mental, physical and emotional.
The other factor here is that I believe, from careful observation, that my children share my sugar-sensitivity. This will be a whole family change. This is about more than eating healthy. This is about listening to our bodies, and understanding that what we eat truly affects our entire body and our minds, too.
I really like that DesMaisons goes into the different types of learners, and gives targeting suggestions for people who have different learning strengths. She doesn't treat her diet like a one-size-fits-all solution. She acknowledges that each person will have a different struggle and may require a unique approach to healing their sugar addiction.
So. I'm going to begin with Step One. Eat breakfast every day, with protein and a complex carb. I'm going to do this even when I'm not hungry. I've calculated the amount of protein I need to eat daily: 75 grams - which means 25 grams, three meals a day.
Which means I'm going to be relying on FitDay quite a bit to help me figure out what foods have what in terms of protein and whatnot. Aaargh!
Once I am on autopilot with breakfast, I'll move on to the next step. But for now, it is breakfast. Breakfast within one hour of rising, with protein.
Comments
You can totally do it. I have the same breakfast every single day: old-fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon. (I just cut out the raisins and eat it plain.) A bit later, I have raw almonds, thus achieving the protein part. (I hate eggs in the morning.)
Good luck!
Posted by: Shrinkingmom | December 27, 2006 11:09 AM
You inspired me to try this, when you posted about Potatoes not Prozac a while back.
I'm doing step 1 and 2 together - working on breakfast and starting the journal as well. I'm liking this style of journaling, mostly because the point of the journal right now is simply to journal. There's no guilt lurking in the background.
I'm looking forward to learning more about how my food choices make me feel good or CRAZY! :)
Good luck!
Posted by: elsie | December 27, 2006 12:03 PM
Good luck with your new goals!
Posted by: Elizabeth | December 27, 2006 6:17 PM
Jen, I've been following your blog here since you started it. I'm going to join you in step one. She nailed me perfectly in her book - I do great on a low-carb diet and feel wonderful for 2 weeks, then my serotonin bottoms out and I crash and binge. I've been doing low-carb since last November and my pattern is exactly that - great for 2 weeks, crash and binge. I'm tired of it and ready for a change. Good luck to you!
Posted by: Ginny | December 27, 2006 7:05 PM
I read another of her books. The sugar addicts recovery plan. I recognised myself in the book but didn't follow through with the plan.
Posted by: Sher | December 28, 2006 1:54 AM
Wow, that sounds like a major revelation. I'm interested to hear how it goes!
Posted by: EverydaySuperGoddess | December 28, 2006 6:45 AM
I really enjoy your blog - because you're real and you talk about your mistakes and learning process. When you read the "success" stories in Shape or whatever, you see the before and after and it says one day I decided to get skinny and I found the time to workout and started eating healthy - easy peasy. Well, we know that's not true...
This sounds like a sensible plan and I wish you the best of luck. Thank you for sharing your struggle, your humor and your great writing.
Me - I'm less sugar sensitive but very much a person of routine - which means I've lost weight (15 lbs since June) by not snacking, eating my 3 meals sensibly, drastically reducing but not eliminating things like bread, rice and spuds and only having wine on weekends (okay - the definition of weekend sometimes gets broadened...) It's made a huge difference. I get to the gym when I can but don't use not going as an excuse to eat. I've really slipped over the past few weeks - but will be back on the wagon soon. We're all different and we have to find out what works for us. I hope this works for you. Thanks again!
Posted by: Maria | December 28, 2006 8:29 AM
I started eating oatmeal every morning on the advice of Mel from Shrinking Mom and I feel GREAT. I was never a morning eater but I make myself do it and it really helps balance out the rest of the day. It made a believer out of a grumpy morning person!
Posted by: MJ | December 29, 2006 8:35 AM
I started eating oatmeal every morning on the advice of Mel from Shrinking Mom and I feel GREAT. I was never a morning eater but I make myself do it and it really helps balance out the rest of the day. It made a believer out of a grumpy morning person!
Posted by: MJ | December 29, 2006 8:45 AM
I just started reading Little Sugar Addicts and not only does it ring true for my three year old, it screams A HA moment for me too. I am so overwhelmed at such a drastic change, but I am seriously intrigued. Have started step one with breakfast, and look forward to hearing your experiences too. Happy New Year!
Posted by: Joan | January 2, 2007 7:06 PM
I'm on step three of this plan right now, and I feel better than I have in years. It's sooo worth it. I gained a few pounds, but I'm now losing weight and inches but better, I feel human now. LOL.
Posted by: Lisa | January 27, 2007 12:08 PM