Please excuse the weird spacing here. Not sure what happened.
Today is Day 19 since I started with my new OA sponsor, and have been avoiding sugar, flour and wheat at his wise encouragement. Yes, you heard this cake lover right.
In that time, I have baked Peanut Butter Cookies twice, using oats and peanut butter, apple juice and coconut oil [and sea salt and a couple other ingredients]. Dan and Figgy like them--can't fool Punchy.
I have had a few falls--I felt shaky and carbohydrate-craving, and then reached once for a whole-wheat English muffin with blueberry preserves and butter and another time for long pretzel logs. Just today, I felt shaky, having had breakfast at 9:45 and not eating lunch till 2:30. I ate 2 spoonfuls of Punchy's green tea ice cream, one of her favorite treats, and some of the granola I got for Figgy, mixed in with plain Cheerios.
Just saying though, it's hard. Two minutes ago, I followed a Food52 link to the recipe
for Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies.
[Google if you must. It ran one summer in the NY Times, I still remember, and it is an
incredible cookie, involving sea salt, chocolate disks and a 24-hour resting period in the
fridge for the dough.]
Onward I go, onward I walk. I have been turning to delicious non sweets, such as the
fabulously creamy cashew milk with coffee and cacao from Juice Culture in town; the
baby eggplants I roasted with fresh lemon juice and torn mint leaves; the smoothie I can
make with frozen banana and pure unsweetened Valrhona cocoa powder from France.
Benefits [This is for my friend, Nan, who always asks, But how do you feel? She is right to ask.]:
- I have not been losing my temper as much. I am on more of an even keel. I am not as likely to turn into a monster who yells. In other words, I am more patient.
- No dark depression.
- My blood sugar is better.
- I am getting along better with my husband.
- I am sleeping better.
- I am napping less, and for shorter times when I do.
- I have gotten to my 8 a.m. yoga class 3 times in the last 8 days.
- I am more present. Stay in today.
- I have lost several pounds. I have many more to go.
Hope all is well in your pocket of the world. xo
Posts
wow! Alice, what wonderful results! I know it's hard, but so great to see how tangibly better you feel! Keep up the good work, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kim. Major sea changes, a long time coming. Xo
DeleteWow! 19 days is incredible! I struggle To do not nearly as much - daily juice, salad, keep hardboiled eggs in the House. But you are hard core! So glad you listed the benefits. I have slowly accepted the bad effects sugar has on me, and I am careful, but have not taken that step of eliminating. Brava!
ReplyDeleteLiz
Good, good, good for you! It is more work, though, isn’t it? Hooray for feeling some benefits, and noting them.
ReplyDeleteXoxo,
Nan
Liz and Nan, thank you. And Nan, you are a true researcher. Love that! Now that I finally addressed how I feel without the sugar etc, you ask about whether it’s more work! I think in many ways it is but in other ways it’s less work, since I don’t have to waver over cupcakes, candy etc. I’m just not having them. But it def takes more planning, more veggie cooking and more time to sit and eat. Believe me, I could whip through a donut or slice of pizza, but the chicken kabobs tonite took me a long time to eat. I like your questions. Xo
ReplyDelete