Hey there! Happy Hump Day! I was at Panera again this morning presenting a training and I ordered hot tea! That’s it, nothing else. I prepared myself before I went, I ate breakfast at home. I got there with a full belly and a mindset of “I am not ordering anything but hot tea.” Although while in line, they have the sweets and the pastries right there where you order and I saw this chocolate cookie looking thing that said, “gluten friendly” chocolate cookie.  What the hell is that? What is gluten friendly? Is it friendly to gluten? I chuckled and went on with my order of tea. I thought it was amusing. The language restaurants and food companies use blows me away!

So this mindset thing pertains to having a mindset of a person who doesn’t eat sugar or partake in sweets. Just like a person who works out almost everyday has the mindset of a person who pushes themselves just a little bit more than the average person. When I made the decision to stop doing drugs and alcohol, I was able to change my mindset from one of a person who hangs out at bars and parties to one that goes home from work and spends time with her family. I got to practice what a person that doesn’t drink or do drugs does. If that makes sense. It wasn’t easy, and most days sucked! Eventually, it got to the point that when I was on my way home, I didn’t even look over at the bar where I used to drink. My mindset changed. Does that makes sense?

Today I realized that if I really want to take this SugarSobriety thing long term, like the rest of my life long term, I was going to need to take on the mindset of an individual that doesn’t consume sugar. What does that look like? What does that feel like? What does that smell like? What habits would this person have? How does this person react in certain situations? How am I going to maintain this SugarSobriety over the long term? I have stopped consuming sugar products before. The longest I have ever been is about 2 months. That’s it! I always caved after that. I used some excuse that it was okay to have just one piece of cake, or one dessert with my friend. So, I am coming up on 20 days, it’s inching closer and closer to the 30 day mark. What am I going to do to maintain this?

The reasonable thing, is to do something every day to change my mindset to that of a person who doesn’t consume sweets. Watch what I eat, and plan my meals, plan my exercise, and plan eating out. Right? Makes sense to me. I love listening to binaural beats and isochronic tones as well. They help to relax me and give me a sense of strength when it comes to making a healthy choice. I can log the “consequences” from making these choices to NOT consume sugar on a daily basis and put it somewhere that I can look at it daily and really get a good idea of my results. It’s simple to stop sugar – how do we maintain it for a long time, like the rest of our lives?

The whole reason I stopped was because it was out of control. So, now that I have 17 days, the feelings creep in that it’s under control again. It’s that mindset, that pattern of the past creeping in. It’s the neural pathway that is deeply embedded in my brain, as well as my physical body. So, here is what I think is happening. I have been able to fit into some clothes that I never thought I would be able to do. I feel good, I look good. So, why am I thinking it would be okay to have a cookie? It’s a belief, or a mindset that I shouldn’t feel good, or look this good. I don’t deserve to feel this good, or look this good. I see the pattern as clear as day. The reason I always went back to the sugar and the “good foods that were bad for me” was because I started seeing results! Does that make sense to you? Do you see the correlation? Are you picking up what I am laying down?

Think about the decisions we make on a daily basis. WHY do we make them? It’s based on our programming from our childhood. I was always given the impression growing up that I was to act like a lady and not brag about myself and my mother was overweight and never took care of herself. My father smoked and died of C.O.P.D. Guess what I was diagnosed with a few years ago? You guessed it, C.O.P.D. Before the holidays, it didn’t matter to me what I ate outwardly, but inwardly I knew that it was not good. I felt guilty every time I ate something that was bad for me, or one more day I didn’t go to the gym. I would overeat at every meal. My clothes were SUPER TIGHT and uncomfortable ALL the time. My joints were aching, and I was miserable and disgusted with myself. The last time I had quit sugar was before my birthday in May 2015. I had quit for a month, and then it was my birthday and I went out to lunch with a friend and we ordered dessert. FOR MY BIRTHDAY. (excuse) I almost fell asleep while driving home that day. My mindset was that of comfort though.

Today, I am uncomfortable feeling good, and looking good. It sounds weird, but if you think about it, it makes sense. Given my background, given my upbringing, and I am grateful that I have seen the pattern and am aware of my thoughts and I pay attention to them. I ask questions pertaining to those thoughts, I address them and then process them in a way that serves my purpose. My reactions from childhood were there to protect me, those same reactions do not serve me as an adult that is striving to have the mindset of an individual that wants to have optimal health. I want to look good, feel good and in turn be happy. Don’t we all just want happiness? Let’s do it! The first step is being aware of the patterns that are in place, and then making a plan to change those patterns.

This SugarSobriety is much deeper than not consuming sugar. We will get more into this later on. Until then, I have accomplished 17 days sugar free. I am going for 18!

Until tomorrow………..