D is for Die, Diets!

If you don't take care of this the most magnificent machine that you will ever be given...where are you going to live?

~ Karyn Calabrese.

Back in January, I began the One Page a Day Challenge and immediately threw away my quill.  Now in April, I’m participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge and prepping for a Wilderness Writers’ Retreat.  I need ink, a stiff drink and therapy.

D

is for dying.

Which is what I want to do whenever I think about the “getting in shape” part of my Kodiak prep.

There’s a reason why the word die is front and center in the word diet.

And yet, Kodiak is overrun by grizzly bears.  Bears with paw prints the size of Shaq and Michael Jordan’s feet combined.

They say you can’t out run a grizzly bear intent on eating you.  But I intend to outrun the dude behind me.

D is for Detox

However, in order to outpace the entrée behind me, I need to train.  And before I prep the outside,  I need to prep my innards.  And that means a detox.

Juice All the Greens!

Image Credit: Grumpy When Hungry

Now, I’m no doctor, but I do know my body, specifically my digestive tract.  I know what makes it happy and able to process vitamins and nutrients; what materials it works best with to give me energy.  And what “foods” make it cringe in disgust and clench up in agony.

I also read a lot of nutritional books and articles, and I have a naturopath doctor when I have more technical questions about my eating habits. (See how I avoided that die word there?)

So, a detox I must do.  Preferably one involving green juices and smoothies, and fresh, organic fruits and veggies (for the fiber).  I was doing pretty good with this last year until the summer.

And then it all fell apart.

Why Diets Don’t Work

When I say the word diet, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Jeopardy theme plays in the background.

Okay, got your answers?  Here are mine:

Crash.

Overweight.

Obese.

Out of shape.

Unhealthy.

Sad.

Not good enough.

Undesirable.

Whoa.  Wait, what? (Dude, today is D not W ~ chill out!)  Looks like more than just the digestive tract needs to be detoxed. 

Looks like the amygdala needs some work too!

The Heart of Our Relationship. . .with Food

The reason diets don’t work is simple: they don’t get to the heart of why we’re unhealthy and out of shape in the first place.  This has been my issue with how people with addictions are treated today.

Why do we do the things we do?

To answer that question takes courage.  Because it means we have to sit down, look ourselves in the eye, and be brutally honest.  And not just honest about why we do the unhealthy things we do.  But whether we’re willing to change, and what we’re going to do to make that change a reality.

I’ll be honest with you.  For the past seven or eight months, I have felt like a complete fraud and failure.  I spent years figuring out what is best for my body; I researched GMOs, organic farming, sustainability, and the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle.

But it wasn't enough.  So I did some experiments ~ I tried cutting out the big intolerance issue foods: gluten, dairy, eggs.  Once I discovered that eating gluten and dairy were like putting my digestive system in the Iron Maiden, I quit cold turkey.  It was painful, but not nearly as painful as the consequences of eating the stuff.

Life was good.  I hired a personal trainer, began building up my strength, even lost some weight.

And in 2013 it all went to hell.

To be continued…

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Have you ever done a detox?  Why or why not?  What worked for you?