The Revolution: turning over a new leaf

So far, I've talked a lot about the pain and the struggle involved with this diet, and the ongoing stomach problems that brought on the diet in the first place. And, while that's certainly where I come from, that's not where I'm at today.

The revolution has come. I have reached the point at which I no longer feel forced to adhere to the rules of this diet. Instead, I have embraced the new way of food life that this diet has created in my world. And from this position, I've been able to start enjoying what food I have, instead of lamenting what food I've lost. [Not to say I don't crave the occasional piece of chocolate every now and then, but the cravings have left the building, as it were.]

Another way to say this: I no longer survive each day, but I do live each day and enjoy what I have. Food does still take up an enormous about of my thoughts each day, but I'm beginning to feel that this is more a choice now, and less an obligation.

This viewpoint is really helping me embrace the new lifestyle that this experience has created for me. My entire view of food and how to go about eating it has completely shifted. Junk food is gone, in favor of healthy treats that give me a more worthwhile sugar fix. Gone also is the 3-meals-a-day system, in favor of 6-7 smaller meals each day, spread out so I eat about every 2-3 hours. Whenever possible, I eat locally grown food and/or organically grown food - I shifted my whole budget, actually, to allow for the added expense of eating this way.

I like to think of it as an adventure now. An adventure into this new world of food that I've discovered. It's sometimes a bit of a puzzle to figure out how to pull out flavors from the foods that I am still allowed to consume - and paired with the puzzle of balancing meals so I don't eat a bunch of fat in one and none in another, so I get enough fruits and vegetables, so I vary my intake of types of fruits, veggies, meats - this can become a bit of a brain-twist. It's my daily game - named so because, hey, games are fun!