I recently had a friend ask for my help with some health issues she was having.  When she came by to visit, we started by discussing what she was eating on a daily basis.  She told me, "You're going to think I'm terrible, I'm embarrassed to tell you what I eat."  I assured her that I was not there to judge her, only to help her. Here is what her "food" choices for the day looked like.  She would start her day with a SlimFast shake (18 grams of sugar or 4.5 teaspoons of sugar), then she would have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (the peanut butter and jelly sandwich alone was 38 grams of sugar which equals 9.5 teaspoons of sugar), throughout the day she was consuming at least 3 - 24 oz. Pepsi's (30.75 teaspoons of sugar).  If she was unable to sleep at night she would drink more Pepsi.  She then moved on to the ice cream, consuming 1 gallon every 3 days (28 teaspoons per day). She then figured that she had blown her whole day and started eating everything in sight, including her husband's stash of King Size chocolate bars (6 teaspoons of sugar). She never ate dinner but would eat candy. 

 

She was not sleeping, most likely because she was over-caffeinated and was on a sugar high.  She felt tired all the time and knew that her eating habits were out of control.  She didn't know what she was going to do.  I started by explaining that everything she was consuming was overly processed and sugar laden and that her body was not getting any of the nutrients it so desperately needed.  Vegetables and fruits were not a part of her diet.  She asked what she could do, just one thing she could change.  I focused on starting simple and suggested that she wean herself off of the Pepsi first and replace it with water.  She suddenly announced that she needed to leave and I worried that I had offended her. 

 

Five days after her abrupt departure I received a text from her stating that she had not had Pepsi in 4 days and she was consuming pure water in its place.  On day 8, I received a text stating that she had not had ice cream in 8 days. I kept her supplied with new recipes for salad dressings she could make herself, fresh food recipes and a lot of support.  I am so proud of her and her success.  She added large green salads and fresh fruits and veggies to replace what she had been consuming.  She has mentioned several times that she just isn't hungry anymore and feels totally satisfied with her new lifestyle change and that she has never felt this good in her life.  She was concerned because her bowels were moving so frequently.  I assured her that she was finally having normal bowel movements because her body was releasing built up gunk that had accumulated over the past 60+ years and she was finally getting the fiber her body needed from the fresh fruits and vegetables. Her stomach is half the size it was and she has lost 15-20 pounds in 8 weeks.  She is also concentrating on getting more exercise.  She often comments on how great real food tastes and how on other plans she had tried in the past, she always felt deprived.  Now she eats until she is satiated and feels great.  

 

Our next step will be to add some herbal formulas such as the Dr. Christopher's Vitalerbs and cleansing formulas such as the Dr. Christopher's Lower Bowel Formula and then move on to cleansing the rest of her system.  She is happy to share her story and is proud of the fact that she is no longer being controlled by her food addictions.  When I asked her what had helped the most, she stated that she "had no idea where to start and what to eat in place of the "foods" she had been consuming."  My advice is to plan ahead and find new recipes to try.  Don't be afraid to ask for help.  Like my friend, start with something you think you can let go of and move on to the next step and then the next. I was once counseled by a dear friend that I needed to stop trying to reach the top of the mountain in one giant leap and to concentrate on taking one step and then focus on the next step and then the next.  Surround yourself with supportive people and remember to reward yourself for your accomplishments. I checked back with my friend yesterday and she reported that she is "doing great but I don't know what to do!"  I didn't quite understand.  "Well, I can't sit around knitting for the rest of my life.  I just don't know what to do now that I feel so good!"  

 

You can take control of your life and your health, one step at a time. 

 

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