Who lives on Perfection street (although I would very seriously consider buying a house due to that awesomeness alone)?  This begins the 4th day of my sugar detox and I am truckin’ along.  Yesterday morning was a doozie as I woke irritable, not feeling well, and wishing that I could just live in a world where I do not need to partake in any “detxoes”.  But, then I remembered that commitment provides healing in many forms…and thus my resolve remains, albeit weak.

Have any of you felt a shift?  Even after only 3 days?  Mind you my shift to being highly irritable and an overall feeling of ‘uuuuuuuuuuugh’ was expected and I tried to power through it.  What was helpful is that I stayed busy all weekend.  I had previously committed to a weekend on the ski hill for ski patrol and was gladly deterred from any ill-behavior, although abstaining from alcohol after my shifts wasn’t pleasant.  It’s not that I craved it — it was pure habit.  Something I felt that I deserved.  I stewed on it and thought more deeply about it and realized that I was simply just not being mindful.   Last night, though, I felt a shift.  I realized that I had eaten my breakfast of oatmeal, had a morning snack of fruit, ate some soup for lunch, and then came home to more soup my lovey had made.  I drank tea into the evening and did not have the inclination to snack.  At one point I yelled out, “I want cookies!”  But I was just testing my partner who yelled back, “NO!”

It got me thinking.  Most of our issues with food and habits is that we’re not mindful.  Hence the entire Mindful Eating movement — which I support fully.  And, if you think about it — it’s not just being mindful about what we’re not supposed to eat but also that we’re not being very mindful about what we are supposed to eat.  Now, I am a seasoned veteran because of my professional passions and have trained my brain over the years to think very systematically about food.  And what I mean is that I have a checklist in my brain that helps me to make decisions about what to eat (rather than the yuckiness of always thinking about what not to eat).  Over time I now have developed a pattern of eating that helps me to sustain nourishment (although my alcohol and sweets issue rears its head often).

For example, I know what I need to eat in a day.  Eat from the 5 food groups.  Not too much. Mostly plants. (Thank you Michael Pollan).  So, when I eat grains or proteins or fruit or veggies (quite honestly I do not limit veggies…the more the merrier) or dairy —  I’m keeping a quota.  What this allows me to do is to mindfully not eat too much of one thing that is crowding out the consumption of something else.  Rather than reaching for another cracker or yet another piece of fruit in the afternoon, I’ll mindfully think, ‘How many grains have I had today or how many pieces of fruit have I already had? Have I eaten any veggies yet?  What various types of protein have I had today?’  And, because I ensure my cabinets and fridge always have the options from the 5 food groups (very basic food groups that are not processed or have lengthy ingredient lists) I’m able to make a mindful choice and keep myself balanced.  This takes practice.

Most Americans do NOT think this way and thus why our balance is whacked.  We reach for whatever is there without thinking, “Is this nourishing?”  And, if not, “Have I already had too much of this one thing today?”

So, why the sugar detox you ask?  Well, we all have our tendencies.  For whatever brain chemistry has been wired and whatever bad habits I’ve picked up along the way — I can definitely get out of symmetry.  The last 9 months has been quite trying (new job, new move, new everything) and it’s amazing what toll it can take. Once being an avid exerciser…now I am just getting back in to it.  Once being someone who could maybe have a glass of wine with dinner, I have now become accustomed to drinking a beer or wine every night.  And on some of those nights finishing the bottle of wine…by myself.

I became accustomed to just not feeling my best.  That’s why I detox.  Because I just don’t feel my best.