Three and a half years into this process of getting healthy (and learning what that means…. and having to relearn that again and again) it’s not any easier to get through a craving for sugar. I still get them almost every week. 

Tonight I am finishing a two week experiment with a CGM (continuous glucose monitor). It was eye opening to say the least and has remotivated me to focus on my struggle with sugar. It is an addictive substance. Maybe not in the same way that meth or cocaine is, but it elicits a similar response in your brain…..

There is hope. 

The cravings aren’t happening every day anymore. Three years of progress and it is getting better. I don’t always notice the change from day to day…. but when I look back over the years I see a lot to be proud of. 

What once was an everyday battle is now once or twice a week. As I look forward to the next three years. It becomes more and more obvious to me. 

This is not a diet. 

There is no “diet” to do.

Change happens when we actually CHANGE our patterns of behavior not change for a few months and then we “get to go back” to having what got us into trouble in the first place….I have to keep living this way. I don’t get to go back to eating whatever the fuck I want anymore. That way of living was slowly killing me. I realize that the “rest of my life” is a choice. It can be a few years, or it can be many years. I may not have control over all things but the things that are within my control (such as what I choose to consume) can and do have a great impact on my health and well being (and also longevity). 

This is the way of living that has changed my outlook on health. Now I follow these principles for 85-90% of the time. 

I am committed to…

• Decreasing my meal frequency
• Prioritizing my sleep
• Formal exercise/movement routinely 
• Protein first when eating on a bed of veggies. 
• Real food.
• Constantly reflective of my process
• Constantly revising my process 
• Mindfulness about celebrating progress no matter how big or small
• Frequently utilize my support network
• Acknowledging my cravings
  • Lapses
  • Relapses
  • Collapses 
  • Successful days

I am committed to making intentional choices in every moment of my day. Becoming mindful of each and every choice. One moment at a time. One hour at a time. One day, week, month, year, decade, oblivion. My life is not an endless series of diets.

 It is how I am choosing to live/eat/survive/thrive.