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| Keeping the Train on the Tracks |
I'm keeping busy "Keeping the Train on the Tracks", so to speak.
Evacuations due to the fires, plumbing issues, other house things that require my full attention. Yep! Just because I've lost weight and maintained doesn't mean that life is perfect. I just means I have to add a few more things to prioritize on the list. Stuff happens and I have to deal. I just choose to deal without my old food habits.
For 40 years, I dealt with life by "using food". It took and takes effort to maintain food sobriety. Support is a key element.
After my plumbing problems and during repairs, I had a super strong gut feeling to change up where I was getting my support with my emotional/binge eating. I'm an abstainer from 99% of processed sugar, all grains, legumes, dairy, and nuts. Abstaining helps me to eliminate emotional/binge eating AND to support my post auto-immune thyroid body. Not as many people abstain, and it's not a popular path, but it works for me and it's MY path.
I'm old and wise enough not to ignore strong gut feelings. I had an intense gut feeling to seek out more abstinence based support. So I did. I keep the details of that support private. Please know I don't blog about any of the private details of the support here or anywhere else.
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| Moderation themes make me crabby! |
In seeking the support, I wound up finding some additional in real life friends who are also on my same path. I foresee additional job stress that will require that I keep my support system with others who abstain very current.
Seeking support from "moderation" systems doesn't jive with what I need. In fact, I find "moderation" based support to be outdated with my goals. I tried and tried to make moderation part of my food system and long term weight maintenance. Better late than never to figure out what works.
That little voice that says, well... keep going up this hill. Head to a certain beach on a certain day. That small voice or motivation lead me to find this small whale breaching off the coast of North County San Diego. It was the day before Mother's Day. What a gift! I could go years and not see whales in this particular area. It was so close to shore and having great time playing around.
Anyway, happy to report I'm staying on track , replacing some of the batch cooking, like chicken bone broth and lunches that I lost last week due to the power outage. Being "tough" not moderate for the WIN!
I'll be back soon with more posts.
What's working now:
1. Paleo food template, lower carb, higher protein/fat
2. Abstinence from trigger foods (wheat, grains, most sugar and nuts)
3. Support that matches with items 1-2
4. Listening to my gut feelings.
What didn't work in the past:
1. High Carb, lower protein (too many points), lower fat (soooo afraid!)
2. Trying to moderate my trigger foods and work with calories in/calories out.
3. Support that matched moderation and keeping that when I knew it didn't work
4. Ignoring or not even being able to hear or feel my gut feelings.
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| Hibiscus near the Savory Spice Shop, Encintias, CA |
I think most of us started with moderation and then have learned that cleaner and clearer is easier and easier as time has passed. If you look around at the people keeping it off, abstaining from the stuff that causes physical or emotional problems is what seems to work. But most did not start with that on day one. Most have learned and applied over time. This involves putting oneself, one's true self, first and taking a hard look at reality. Those still trying to make everything in moderation work, after years of clearly having it not work, are a little heartbreaking to see. . .
ReplyDeleteTrue, Vickie... it took me about 2 years to get to my fully abstaining state, post weight loss. Being very honest was key- and that hard look at reality. I did not fully realize how hard it would be to see others repeating their old behaviors. I've recently changed up my feedly reader because I needed to focus on reading less on the moderation pages. It is heartbreaking. I see myself in them. 40 years of it. Tough stuff.
DeleteYep, abstinence is the ONLY way to go. Those scoffing either have never suffered from trigger food addictions, or haven't been on the path long enough, successfully enough...to realize its a truth.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!
Realizing the truth is a gift and hard, too! Thank you Gwen. :)
DeleteKaren ...once again your choice of photo's and choice of blog post SPOT ON.
ReplyDeleteI wish you
All the best Jan
Thanks, Jan. I was leaving a second hand clothing store and got a great shot of the commuter train. Heh, heh, heh... Thanks for stopping by the blog.
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