Question:
oday is the day before I start. Feels
like it was all fun and games and now I sit here the
day before and I'm scared. Not really in what the
program will do for me. I do believe in the nutrition
and the detox. But I'm scared of my habits changing.
I've used food as a coping mechanism for so long, and
now I won't be chewing for 21 days. No outlet for
stress that is familiar... the feeling of power that I
can eat anything I want pretty much, anywhere...
anytime. I am leaving something that is familiar and
has helped in the past... even though it has hurt me
as well. Anyone know what I mean?
Answer:
I do! That is why I am doing this. To make such a radical change to
remind myself I am getting away from habits I hate! I want a change! I
want to be reminded that I am making a life-changing step. I want to
remind myself that I don't like what I have done to myself.
I had done this before on Atkins with a friend, and it was easy.
While I was pregnant I thought, I can get on Atkins and take this
weight off anytime, it was easy. But it wasn't easy to start Atkins
again, my friend was long gone and I had no will power. The thing
with this is, Once you are in it, you are in it. IF you want to
cheat... it will hurt. I remember from Atkins when I would cheat and
have carbs, and ooooo the stomach aches. Once you have started and
see the weight loss and get through the crisis and feel good, you will
be amazed at how much more energy you have, how motivated you feel.
Besides... We are all here for you!
Do you want to change your bad eating habits?
Do you want to stop your addiction to sweets and carbs?
Do you want to crave veggies and fruit instead of chips and candy?
Do you want to shrink your stomach so you can practice better portion
control?
Do you want to start a new healthy life?
And theses are not even the DETOX benefits!! : D
Make a plan to be successful. What ARE YOU going to do when the
stress hits? You can't eat, smoke, or drink.
This is what I do:
Drink a big glass of water.
Light a candle.
Deep breathing.
Take a walk.
I am curious how you are doing. I had the same fears, but I
am relieved to realize that I didn't have as much of a problem as I
thought I did. My outlook has become so much more positive and
healthy---including my attitudes towards my body and food. It is
amazing how cleansing your body also cleanses your thoughts!
I hope you are having a positive experience too. It sounded like it
the first couple of days. . . Just want to check in and see if you hit
the crisis. We are all rooting for you!
Man. I love this support system. You guys are all so
great.
Life is good on day 3. I had a pretty bad headache
yesterday that increased and then subsided a bit after
taking the FANTASTIC (being sarcastic) tasting aloe
vera.
Today was my first experience with the 'ol coffee
enema. Just got done with it about 30 min. ago. Let
me just say, from someone who's experienced the
colonic and the enema now, if you liked and could
handle the enema, I'd seriously consider going for the
colonic. The enema feeling is 1/20th of what the
colonic is. Our colons are so big, and the colonic
can really cleanse so much of it (I think it's all in
the large intestine only, but it reaches so much more
than the enema does.) It's just such a great feeling
to get all the gunk out of you. Figures... I'm all
hip on the colonics and my email is sloppydroppings
(it's a nickname from my running club). hahaha.
I still have hunger pains but I think they are
subsiding. It is nice to be making the distinction in
my body between hunger pains and craving/
uncontrollable urges to woof down food.
I really want to take these 21 days to think about how
I want to relate to food. I've done Weight Watchers
before like someone else mentioned and it was just too
hard to rally behind, because I didn't want to adopt a
way of relating to food like that for the rest of my
life. I can really buy into this, and I notice I am
not feeling sorry for myself when I see others w/
food, or smell it. I just think that I am doing
something really good for myself.
I have had trouble with anxiety in the past... just
learning ways to relieve stress, etc. I've stuffed
feelings with food. I am doing this detox to:
1. detox
2. lose weight
3. help me learn new ways of taking care of myself
and dealing w/ anxiety
4. think about and decide on new ways of relating to
food
I just want to thank you guys so much, and Janice
especially, for being such a great support system. I
am shooting to lose 80 lbs. I will do the 11 day plan
after the 21 day detox and then continue cycling
through days 8-11 until I reach my goal weight. I am
also doing a 1/2 marathon August 11th-- if I need to
walk, so be it. I still plan to show up and finish
it. I am running 2 miles in the morning and so far so
good. Feels good to get the heart pumping and the
blood flowing through my veins. I don't want to do
anymore than that since protein is at a minimum.
Anyway, thanks so much for asking. I am so very
grateful for this support system!!!!!
I am having the same experience. I used to beat myself up about my
emotional need for food. I would pass by a fast food restaurant and
this voice would pop in my head and say things like, "Mmmmm. A such
and such would be so good right now. . . But I shouldn't eat that.
I'm already fat and I want to be skinny. Other girls are skinny. Why
do I eat so much? Why can't I be like other girls?" Then I would
start to feel hopeless and pull into the drive through, order a bunch
of awful things, and think to myself, "What is the point? I don't
have the will power to be skinny. I am always going to be big anyway.
Nothing I do is going to make a real difference." I would often feel
physically ill after eating a bunch of fattening food when I wasn't
even hungry.
I had that dialogue in my head probably on a daily basis and never
once noticed it until now. Now, when I sit and watch my family eat
pizza, or attend a birthday celebration where there is cheesecake and
chocolate cake, or sit in a lunch room full of everyone eating french
fries and burgers, or walk through aisle after aisle at the grocery
store trying to find something suitable for my detox, I automatically
have the same thought without trying, "I could eat that if I want.
But it will make me sick. And it will make me feel bad about
myself." And then, I actually feel empowered as I walk or drive past
all those toxic foods and continue on my diet. I don't feel tempted
in the least. For the first time in my life I feel empowered in my
relationship with food and I no longer have a little voice in my head
that beats me up.
For that reason, I too have decided I want to do a 7 day cleanse once
a quarter and a 21 day cleanse once a year. I also intend to follow
the maintenance diet to continue to lose weight after the detox. Now
that I have had a "taste" of how it feels to feel good about myself, I
never want to go back to my old way of life again!
