Half way. Can I make this marathon?

Day 14 & 15

I'm half way!  I've done it. Fifteen days of not eating solid food seems crazy but I'm feeling much better for it. I've been very encouraged by you all as you read and cheer for me from the sidelines. Every comment of support spurs me on. Fifteen days to go.

The accountability of reporting to a crowd of unseen witnesses is a strong motivator. It stops me cheating! Yesterday I needed that help as I sat beside the water at Redcliffe with a table of teenagers. They ate sandwiches and hot chips. I drank juice and peppermint tea. I think it was the most difficult time so far . It wasn't the chips I wanted as much as the cappuccino I usually buy from the waterfront store.  For the rest of the day I struggled to resist food. I went to the shops and bought good, truss tomatoes, throwing aside my 'most economical' approach. My dinner juice was nearly straight tomato, with a couple of carrots, followed by a small glass of orange juice. The flavours were wonderful, even if the texture was missing.

Today a wore the slacks I grabbed on sale last year for $5. They reinforced my achievement. Sorry I wasn't holding my beetroot juice in the picture. It would have added great colour! It is an easier day and I remember I only have to do one day at a time, so all is good. Meanwhile both blood sugar readings I've taken are below 5.5! It gives me hope for my future health.

The scales however have turned on me. They read 0.4 kilo more than two days ago. More! I tell my self weight fluctuates from day to day. Last week my weight did a similar thing, then, all of sudden, it dropped a kilo. Today I'm not as upset as I could be as I know it isn't my fault. It can't be anything I ate, as I'm not eating anything!

So I've chalked up another new learning. The scales aren't reporting on my behavior but a scientific fact. Say what you like scales, but you will have to show a lower reading soon and I refuse any accusation of blame from an inanimate machine.


This is Steve's lunch, made while  I prepared my juices for breakfast and lunch. It looked so yummy. This is the food I'm looking forward to! Only fifteen days to go and I can join him. Juicing for a couple more weeks can't be that bad. I've proved it is possible.

Not my Fault, but my Responsibility

Day 12 & 13

Today, I'm pleased to be on this juicing adventure. I'm feeling good, except for aching joints, especially hips. My knee seems to be recovering well so I'm hoping the hips will feel better soon. I'm missing my early morning walks and am really looking forward to returning to my hill.

My stomach has stopped its constant whinging for real food. It is only in last couple of days that I've been free of the demand. Last night I made Mexican dinner for nine and it was much easier than last week, I spent a fair while browning mince and chicken with out feeling as though I must have some. This morning as I thought about it, I realized Peter Pratt is right. I can't remember how Mexican food tastes. But I can remember what cheese tastes like. I asked someone else to grate it to stop the temptation to pop a sliver in my mouth!

According to my scales I have lost 5 kilos! 7.9% of my body weight has disappeared. Some of the group have lost 10% and more. My aim is to lose 20% eventually. I'm really looking forward to new clothes. I do have one pair of fabulous pants in the cupboard. I picked them up on sale six months ago and put them away until I lost a couple of kilos! They fit now, which is both fabulous and disastrous. I probably won't get a lot of wear out of them!

The biggest realisation in the last few days is how difficult it is to keep blood sugar stable when you are a diabetic. I've been blaming myself for years for sugar levels. As it is a lifestyle disease, I felt I caused it. Therefore it's my fault when my readings go up and my fault cause I haven't lost more weight. ( I have lost over twenty kilos since first diagnosed.)

My reading last night was 5.2 . Awesome! this is an all time low.This morning when I got up it was 8. I hadn't eaten between tests. It wasn't my fault. Two hours after breakfast it was 6.4. By the time I got to have my lunch juice, it was back to 7.1. There is no logic at all. I am looking forward to it stabilizing, but meanwhile I have released myself from guilt.

A few weeks back, at the Diabetic Health Clinic, we saw a movie of a doctor speaking. He said weight could be the consequence of the disease, rather what has always been assumed - the disease being caused by the weight. the problem is a consequence of our national diet. Some get diabetes...some don't. Many who have been diagnosed aren't overweight.

So I no longer own the blame, but I do own the fight! There is a way to stop the rot, literally, and regain health. I am on the path and I must choose to stay on it. At the end of this adventure, there will be a new way of eating in this household. Steve is already starting to embrace it. We are excited.

The Adventure Begins

     "My name is Jo Wanmer and I'm addicted to....Carbohydrates."
     It started when, as a little girl, I sat at a farmhouse table and ate piles of white bread, smothered with Mum's homemade jams.
     Most of my life I've battled with this monster, without knowing its name. It hid under all sorts of names, such as overweight, chubby, hungry and so on. I fought it with various diets, eating patterns and will power, with some success as times, but it has never been defeated.
     About ten years ago the monster bought a friend to stay. Diabetes marched in without permission and sprawled through out my body. All my efforts to evict this demon, or to ignore it failed. It has been taking a toll on my body, but there was no way to boot out this unwelcome guest....until now.
    Seven weeks ago, after observing big changes in a friend's life, I joined the Diabetic Health Clinic. (http://www.diabetichealthclinic.org/)  I've learned a lot about how the body works, how medication effects my body and the sickness  forced upon us by processed foods.
     Most importantly, I found a way to break my addiction to carbohydrates. I have listened to many, who have lost a lot of weight, no longer crave carbs and enjoy plenty of food. All great achievements, but the most exciting thing is they now have normal sugar levels and are off all medication. I have listened with growing hope and a new understanding.
     Enter my new best friend, my juicer. From today, for an extended period, I will be having a diet of juice, mostly vegetables with a little fruit . I'm expecting this to break the addiction to carbs, re-set my taste buds and lower my sugar levels to normal.
    I have done the preparation. All now required is 'Just Do It'!
    Day 1. I'm just finishing my second lot of juice for the day. My stomach is growling, telling me it is not enough. But I know it is lying as 750 mls is plenty. It fills the stomach but isn't satisfying the carbohydrate addiction. Well that is too bad. I'm going to starve the monster
to death. In a few days it will have no more hold on me.
I have been told sugar is as addictive as cocaine. It has been suggested we ask for support to help in the struggle. So I'm making myself accountable to you!  If you'd like to follow this adventure, you can do so at the left of the page. I will be reporting everyday.
I will not surrender. These squatters have been at my house too long. They must go.