Why diets suck – 10 tips to sugar free living

Having suffered from an eating disorder for as long as I can remember I have tried many diets, pills and remedies in a desperate attempt to change the way I feel about myself. To me being thin equaled happiness, love, acceptance and success. I placed so much emphasis on my  physical appearance neglecting my internal world completely. I was constantly seeking an external solution to my internal problems.

Here are just some of the self experiments (or should I say torture) that I have subjected myself to:

• I have been a vegetarian (very unsuccessfully as I became anaemic, miserable and even fatter).
• I tried the raw food diet which was way too much effort and I ended up using it as an excuse to eat even more ‘natural’ sugar. Out of all the diets I have tried this one definitely made the most impact on me as the low fat paradigm was thrown out of the window. I love raw chocolate, green juice and fermented foods and I heard it here first!
• In high school my friends and I tried the frozen grape diet (don’t even ask).
• the cabbage soup diet.
• Weighless.
• I used cocaine to take away my appetite in my desperate attempt to be a successful model. This was truly a low point in my life.
• Thinz tablets which I believe are no longer on the market. Hideous little pills those were.
• Candida diet.
• Drinking ridiculous amounts of water every day.
• Starvation diet which would only lead to bingeing.
• Alcoholism (not recommended).
• and my favourite, the ‘everything in moderation diet’.
• The coffee and cigarette diet and more.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt!

Today I choose to live a sugar free lifestyle. It suits me and I keep it as simple as possible:

1. I stick to simple, real food as close to it’s natural state as possible.
2. I don’t eat refined, processed food or anything with added sugar.
3. I add fat to every meal. My favourite fats are coconut oil, butter and avocado.
4. I eat loads of green veg such as kale and spinach in salads, veg dishes and even smoothies.
5. I eat three meals a day. The thought of intermittent fasting is fascinating but not great far an ex-anorexic.
6. I don’t weigh myself, I find this to be a form of torture.
7. I make time for myself to nourish mind and spirit. I make time for myself every single day. Some days that means going for a walk in the forest, other times its as simple as having a bath.
8. I try schedule regular exercise, not to lose weight but to calm my busy head.
9. Meditation. I choose the guided kind and am particularly fond of Deepak Chopra and the super cool Gabrielle Bernstein at the moment.
10. Affirmations. I have a tendency to be hard on myself, affirmations help me access my inner softness and allows me to affirm the good in me and everything around me.

I stay far away from anything that restricts me or makes me feel deprived, that can include people as well. I choose to believe in abundance, happiness and great health.

I have stopped looking to find happiness and love in all the wrong places and choose instead to look within.

I am on a journey, I will continue to expand and grow. My views will change and I will make adjustments along the way. I love where I’m at, I really do.

 

xxx Karen