The Finish Line!

Midnight last night marked the end of my 21-days on a vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free diet!!!!! I made it!!! I actually made it 21-days! The only time I cheated was when I was feeding DD some yogurt and I licked a drop off my finger. But that was an accident, just a habit. I'm proud of the fact that I ate well for 21-days but I'm more proud of the fact that I just did it all the way up into the very end. You see I typically give up early when I'm doing something challenging. A couple of years ago DH and I did a fasting cleanse for 5 days. It was great, I loved it but I gave up 1/2 way through day 4. I always quit right before the finish line and so I was hell-bent and determined not to do that this time. I also always rationalize things when I'm trying to follow someone else's plan. Like when I did Weight Watchers, I would follow it sort-of but I would rationalize all kinds of stuff, "just this little bit over my points won't hurt." So not to overly celebrate here but I DID IT! I DID EXACTLY WHAT THE PLAN WAS FOR EXACTLY HOW LONG I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO IT FOR! YEA!!!!

Last night at midnight I made a grilled cheese sandwich and it was the best I've ever eaten. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I had a little bit of ice cream. The food really did taste good, better than usual. I think my taste buds were dead. My coffee this morning was outrageously good. I tasted things in it I've never tasted before. The flavors were much more complex. And I only drank one cup and was satisfied instead of my usual 3 cups. Last night I was really hungry at midnight and that grilled cheese sandwich was totally satisfying. I ate about 1/8th of the amount of ice cream I would usually eat. So in a nutshell I think I reached my goal of gaining control over food. Now how to keep it.................................

I've been reading up on a way of eating called "Traditional Foods". It's like the opposite of how I was eating but when I read the articles and research it resonates with me. It's a high animal fat (primarily) grain-fed, free range, organic animals), raw whole milk, tons of organic veggies, legumes and fruit, low on grains (and it focuses on sprouted grains), low to no sugar diet. So it's kinda low carb but not really. It boasts itself as a "nutrient dense" diet. It's based on research by a Dr. Weston Price http://www.westonprice.org who studied the diets of healthy indigenous people all over the world. I'm a bit nervous about it for two reasons: one, it advocates eating a lot of foods that have been demonized by popular opinion for the past 2 decades and two, it sounds expensive!!!!! But I read a couple of weight loss stories (one guy lost 130 lbs on this diet!!!) and I've been posting messages on discussion boards about how to do this on a moderate budget. I've gotten some good info on how to do this diet and not spend you whole paycheck at the store. The other downside is it's a lot of work but I figure it's worth it if it really has all the health benefits that the Weston Foundation claims.

Almost everyone whose posts I've read on discussion boards says you ease into this diet. It you clear your kitchen and go out and buy all this approved food you will break the bank and overwhelm yourself. I started small today by throwing out my white sugar and flour and replacing it with raw cane sugar and whole wheat flour (we'll get to sprouted grains eventually). I did pick up some raw milk cheese and I HAVE NEVER TASTED SUCH DELICIOUS CHEESE IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, anyhow, I'm going to quit obsessing over diet on my blog posts but I'll keep you posted on how TF (Traditional Foods) is going and if I'm actually losing weight on it or not. Thanks to all who supported me while I did the 21-day thing. Your words of encouragement were very helpful!!!!!