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I went to lunch with an old friend the other day, and I had a bit of an epiphany as we passed the display of cookies and other junk on our way to our table.
I don’t miss it.
It has been six months since I said, “Buh bye,” to wheat, and three months since I started my first sugar detox, and I do not miss it. I don’t want the junk anymore. I no longer spend my days craving stuff I know is bad for me. I didn’t realize until now how much mental real estate those thoughts occupied every day. Think about that for a second. It’s actually a bit sad. I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about junk food that I could have spent on more worthy pursuits.
The sense of freedom that I feel knowing I can walk past an abundance of cookies, brownies, and other junk is so wonderful. I feel an incredible sense of relief that I no longer feel compelled to shove garbage down my throat to hush the tiny demon voice inside taunting me with her promises of bliss if I would just give in to that one piece of chocolate. Deep down I always knew that one would turn into a dozen, but that evil little voice would not be quieted by anything but the garbage she demanded.
What astonished me the other day was the poignant realization that hit me just as our food arrived. I feel freedom from the shame of not being able to control myself when it comes to junk food, candy, chocolate, or whatever garbage is in my approximate vicinity. Freedom from shame. Amazing, right?
I no longer feel ashamed about what I eat. I no longer feel that compulsion to buy junk food from the vending machine and try to hide it on the way back to my desk. I used to feel acutely ashamed of how little willpower I had over my cravings and how easily I would cave, followed by a multitude of self-recriminations for knowingly eating junk I knew would make me feel yucky in the end or make my pants feel like the seams were going to split. It’s self-defeating and demoralizing to feel so helpless in such a situation.
If you are experiencing similar cravings, you need to read Wheat Belly or Practical Paleo. Shoot, read both. And when you are finished with those, pick up The 21-Day Sugar Detox. There is a scientific reason why junk food creates such addictive behavior in us. And these books lay it out there for us.
Wheat Belly states that wheat exorphins cross the blood brain barrier to bind with the same receptors in the brain that react to heroin or morphine. That is frightening to me. I can attest to wheat’s addictive nature. When I gave it up completely, I had some pretty significant withdrawal symptoms – the nausea, the shakes, foggy-headedness. It was awful. I remember a conversation with my daughter where I said, “Real food should never make you feel like this when you stop eating it. This isn’t real food.” My withdrawal experience cemented my desire to stay wheat free.
Sugar is just as addictive, too. The 21-Day Sugar Detox Book lists all the various health issues that can result from overconsumption of sugar, which is pretty sobering. After I gave up wheat, I allowed myself to have all the sugar I wanted, and I still felt horrible. A few months later, I knew that I had to deal with my sugar addiction or I would never find the true freedom I wanted over my eating habits. I spent a month preparing for my first sugar detox, and I am so glad that I did. I am so happy knowing that I can do another sugar detox anytime I feel I am getting off track.
Stop beating yourself up, put down the bagel or that candy bar, pick up one of these books and find out how to break the cycle of shame and self-recriminations related to junk food. You deserve to be free. We all do. The best news is that you can be free. It is possible. Believe in yourself.
It has taken me six months, from when I first gave up wheat, followed by two courses of the 21-Day Sugar Detox to get here, but I feel like shouting from the rooftop that the chains have been broken and I AM FREE!
