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Lend an Ear

Here's a post about my game plan, because I have to have one if I'm going to stick to this.

I want my family to eat healthier. We eat sweets and snacks and don't think much of it usually. Pop tarts for breakfast? Okay, but you'll be hungry for second breakfast within an hour and you'll never make it till lunch. Candy bars, ice cream, sprite....sounds like a good gas station stop to me (except the kids get the sprite - I want the cherry vanilla dr. pepper.) Seriously - we're baaaaadddd. And vegetables? 5 a day? More like 5 a week. So we're going sugar free for a while - detox our systems, add in some good stuff, and get things back into balance. In addition to that, Chris is surprising the kids with a trip to an indoor water park in two weeks and I'd really like to lose that last 10 lbs in time to wear a bathing suit. So I am combining our healthy eating plan with a little South Beach until then. No sugar, no carbs, no fruit. That's for the grown-ups only. The kids are going sugar free, whole grains only, and plenty of high-fiber fruit. The biggest difference they are seeing is the increase in veggies around here. Honor has eaten more veggies this last week than she's probably eaten all year.

The South Beach has worked for me before. When Honor was about the age Sarah is now, I was also eager to lose my last 10 and tried it. 2 weeks, 10 lbs. Yes! Since our healthy eating plan was so close to the South Beach phase 1, I decided I might as well go for it and get it over with. If you'd like to find out how sugar affects your blood, this is a very interesting read. I learned a lot through this book. If you'd like to find out how sugar affects us on a cellular level, check out Dr. Denese's Secrets for Ageless Skin.

I'm on day 4 and it's the worst, but I know from experience, that I am home free tomorrow. 4 days of torture and then it's all down hill.

So here's the plan: I started by making a list of every possible meal I could have. I didn't write it out by saying "Monday is Baked Chicken." Instead, I wrote a list of possible breakfasts, possible dinners, and possible snacks. If you don't know what you're doing, it is just too easy to grab something you shouldn't or break down and run to McDonalds. At first, I had to really think to find anything, but as the movie Ratatouille says "You know, if you can sort of muscle your way past the gag reflex, all kinds of food possibilities open up." It's amazing really, how much better food tastes once you get over the sugar. It's like your tongue wakes up and suddenly notices spices and seasonings that were previously ignored. But it does take some creativity. Meals without rice or pasta? No bread? What?

Then came the grocery shopping. This is certainly more expensive than my regular shopping. Fresh veggies ain't cheap. I also made a trip to the healthfood store for some extra supplements. But this is getting long, so I'll post more on what we're taking and what's on my food list tomorrow.

It's halfway through day 4 and I am feeling soooo much better. I couldn't hardly drag myself out of bed this morning. I should have mentioned that in the plan, you do not want to start this at a time when your first 4 days will overlap with anything that requires you to function like a normal human being. And here's a good clue to why sugar is not a good thing. You will experience detox symptoms like any other addict would. It's not cool. I get lightheaded, I get the shakes, I can't manage to grade my 2nd grader's math, my skin breaks out, my muscles get weak, and I am a mess. As you add healthy stuff in and cease to feed the yeast, toxins get dumped into your bloodstream and work their way out of your body. It ain't pretty, but within a week you will be feeling better than ever. It's worth it. Just stay away from people for a few days. If you're not careful they'll offer you things like chocolate heart truffles or ice cream or dr. pepper. It hurts to turn down, but it's worth it.

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