Consequences of Bad Eating

I have been a sugar addict for most of my life. While chocolate wasn't one of my favorite indulgences, I usually didn't say no. A tradition in my family is for my mom to buy both my dad and me cordial cherries for Christmas. That was passed down from my dad's mother, and so Mom has carried it on through the years. That evolved into me creating my own Christmas tradition: eating the entire box of cordial cherries by the end of the day. For the past few years, I've said that I wouldn't do it anymore, but I've succumbed to the power of the sugar addiction. This year, I FINALLY broke that habit! In fact, I didn't even open the box of cordials until New Year's Eve. At that point, knowing the effect that sugar has on me, I allowed myself only ONE cordial at a time. I failed. I ate three. Augh. So I put the box of cordials in the freezer, out of sight. That has really helped a lot. Since then, I've only had one cordial, and guess what? I got an instant headache.

In fact, I've been getting instant headaches every time I consume refined sugar. I feel horrible, but it really is a good thing! If I know that I will feel terrible afterward, hopefully that will deter me from eating the crap in the first place!

Today I found a "cupcake in a mug" mix that my aunt gave me for Christmas. It didn't require eggs (which is good now that I have gone vegan), and when I started eating it, I immediately didn't really like it. It was chocolate with chocolate chips at the bottom. But it was spongy, too, which wasn't very appealing, either. I ate it, and then a few minutes later...you guessed it...I got a headache.

Our bodies do not want this extra stuff that our brains (and society) have taught us that we need. What's more, now that I am eating primarily fruits and vegetables, I find that I don't snack or even think about snacking during the day. I think that's because before I changed my diet, my body was crying out for nutrients (and to be nourished), which I translated as hunger. That's why I was constantly eating. Now that it is nourished with plenty of vitamins (I could still use some more fiber), I don't even think about eating between meals. It's amazing!

By the way...I'm down to 180 lbs now. I still have a long way to go, but it feels so nice to be seeing progress already!