Detox

Yeah, yeah, I know ... you were about to call a search party. *grin*

Well, it's like this. I'm about to be getting a lot more exercise because my car needs $928 worth of work in order to pass inspection at the end of the month. I'm so stressed about this and other financial matters, plus having my yearly "what am I going to do with my life?" attack, that I'm now clenching my jaw all night as I sleep. This has led to an aching mouth and headaches 24/7 for the last ten days or so and requires an expensive (but very cute, mind you) piece of dental equipment and the Big Sister discount from Dr. Munchkin only goes so far.

Oh, and I'm out of WW coupons too.

On the plus side, I've decided that I'm going to do a massive detoxification of my life: mind, body, and spirit. Just because I haven't been around these parts much (and have been spending too much time with the King of Burgers), it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about things. And I've been thinking big thoughts.

First of all, I've got to get rid of the sludge in my body. (I know that's the technical term -- I read it on the Internet!) So I'm gradually cleaning the house out of low-points but high-salt-and-sugar items, and once it's all gone, I'm going back to basics for at least three weeks.

Once upon a time, I went to a diet centre known about these parts as the Diet Nazi. While I wasn't exactly successful there (my enthusiasm waned faster than my waistline), I did like their "back to basics" approach when it came to their first three weeks. Basically, they cut out starches, upped the protein and fruits/veggies, and limited the sugar. I couldn't do the cottage cheese (the stuff literally makes me gag), but the rest of it was okay. I still have the menus, and between my Weight By Date software and my WW materials, I can check to make sure I'm getting everything I need nutrition-wise while doing the Diet Nazi Detox for three weeks.

I'm lazy -- that's my downfall, and I know it. That's why I'm such a "food in the box" girl. But I'm concerned with how much crap is in the average North America diet, and I know a lot of it is due to processed foods. So I'm going to try to cut down. Or maybe even cut out. We'll see how it goes.

Speaking of the North American diet ...

"Gluttony" is one of the seven deadly sins, and I'm just as guilty of it as anyone else. Sometimes I think my name must be "Buffet", because I go running whenever I hear the word. The first time I remember thinking "that's obscene", though, was when I saw the ad for the BK Quad Stacker. I'm sorry, but no one needs that much burger, and certainly not as part of an upsized combo. And the more I saw that ad, the more that it sunk in that we, in this society, are really becoming pigs at the trough.

As I said, I'm just as guilty as everyone else, if not even more so. Let's face it -- I didn't hit this weight by eating reasonable portions. But I think that they should intersperse the fast food ads with ads for starving people in Africa and food banks/homeless shelters here in North America. I think we need reminders that we are taking so much more than we need. We need to remember how to eat to live, and not live to eat.

The other thing that hit me, too, was when I realized that I was probably eating far too many animals than I really needed to. I'm a vegetarian in my heart, but my stomach is an omnivore. The proportion of my diet made up of meat is fairly small, but the more I eat, the more meat I eat. How many chickens did I eat the last time I had my fill of chicken balls at the Chinese buffet?

I'm detoxing. I'm changing not only my eating habits, but I'm changing my mind. I'm letting all those little ideas that have been simmering in the back take centre stage.

And I think I'll be better for it.