~Losing the Shackles of Food Enslavement~

18 July 2013 - 30 March 2014

The tag line in the picture above says it all - an opportunity to take my life back-a phrase that has kept me sane for the past eight months.  The operative word, the word that stands out for me and makes this tag line meaningful, as it should be and hopefully it's more than 6000 members have realized, is YOUR, making it personal, making it all about ME and this is how this amazingly supportive space of like-minded individuals has assisted me in pushing my boundries, being relentless in my quest to beat the processed carb addiction and indeed reboot my system by Control(ing) what I put into my body,  Alt(ernating) my food choices and Delete(ing) the former addictive and damaging foods that robbed me of my happiness and health and paved my way to getting my life back.  As you see, (typed with a healthy and hearty laugh), it has been all about ME - as it should be for YOU and YOUR life. [ This is that which kept me returning a zillion and one times a day to the Facebook support page,  to seek inspiration and motivation to help me break free from the fat (and food) shackles that I harp on about in my blog description and many blog entries]

Eating unhealthy is like going on a trip without a road map. You can’t expect to arrive at your right destination in life if you’re continually making the wrong turns. There are signs that will warn us when we’re eating unhealthy and about to lapse into ill health. Eating the right food, however, will lead to good health. You’ll know when to start the journey if what you see in the mirror is rotund and unattractive. - (Dr. T. Moore who lectures and teaches nutrition, heart disease and diabetes reversal)


21 or 30 days to break a habit - bah-humbug! whoever coined that phrase is crazy!  At the end of March 30th,  2014, concludes my 8 months on Reboot or detox. Why, you may ask?  After the first 30 days, I was not confident that I had overcome the processed foods addiction and continued on the straight and narrow.  2 months and even a month ago, I thought that I was ready to let go but found that it was difficult to do so.  Throughout this process I remained true to myself and my addictions - I did not eat processed foods while no one was looking and then complain about not losing weight or falling off the detox wagon - the benefits far out-weighed any temptation to put processed and sugar-laden foods into my system.  This is what reversed my diabetes and hypertension and dependence on medication for over 13 years,  in the space of 6 months. This is what saw me going from a size 44 and 46 to size 34 all round.  This is what metamorphosized me from a couch potato who thought walking up 10 stairs would kill me, to a someone who comfortably enjoys exercising and the challenge of a sweaty gym workout. This is what gave me back control of, and a new lease in life...

The same goes with cheat meals, while this is debatable, something clicked in my mind that just one cheat and all the bad habits would come back, and it would be one excuse after the next about why I CHOSE to cheat and make myself feel guilty about my choices.  Basically, that's what I've been saying all the time, we have the right to choose....and although some may say by making bad or incorrect choices is how we learn, I totally disagree - we learn from the past - and that's something we don't let enter our present or future - No matter how we choose to sugar-coat it!

Food beguiles - maybe it's the food serpent?  Remember Eve was beguiled by the food serpent...a good biblical analogy to draw one towards a healthy lifestyle and away from bad food choices - simply put, if I ALLOW myself to be make poor, unhealthy food choices - I will be causing my own death.

It doesn’t take much to prepare a good, wholesome nutritious meal. We’re all used to fast food, but it’s not healthy. We should not be so much of a hurry and consume food that will destroy our bodies and force us to live on medication. No one wants to cook, but you’ll have to if you want to live a healthy life. I re-started my blog towards the end of October 2013, and to date have over 16 000 hits in a 5 month period.  The most viewed recipes are the ones' where I tried bread alternatives, using gluten and grain free flours and blogged the recipes.   That so many readers of my blog are looking for bread alternatives, is evidence that processed bread is indeed addictive!

The choice is ours. We can prevent cancer, diabetes and heart disease by changing our lifestyle. We shouldn't be persuaded by advertisements that promote easy, quick processed foods. I know food advertisements sometimes look delectable, scrumptious and tempting, but we have to fight the powerful lure.

The proof of my journey is in the manner in which I followed the Reboot or detox rules.  For 17 weeks I ate clean - pure, natural foods with no focus on alternatives and I lost 25kgs.  The next 17 weeks I started adding back alternatives and lost 12kgs - while it can be said that the less weight you have to lose, the longer it takes, I somehow believe that had I chose not to look for alternatives, the weight would have shifted quicker...which could be a good or a bad thing.  However, I do believe that in adding back,  and remember, it was at this stage that I entered diabetes remission, my system started accepting the alternatives as possibly a way forward in me adapting to a lifestyle change - so not entirely a lost cause, if anything, a gain in making me aware of the good alternatives available and further refining my ability to choose versus backsliding to the old me.

So, my parting shot to you reading this and possibly to assist you in adapting to a change that can only enhance your life, remember, the next time YOU hit ctrl-alt-delete on your pc or laptop, think of doing the same with YOUR system...YOU OWE YOURSELF this much and so so much more.... And as the days go by, I unshackle myself from the food ties that bind me...one meal at a time...

ALUTA CONTINUA...