Quiet Victories: Hunger, Healing, and Hope

So, nine pounds lost in the last 11 days. It has taken six months this year to get to the point of wanting to get back onto my journey to better health. I am glad to say that alcohol was not my problem as in years passed. There was a time I couldn’t go a night without a bottle of wine. This year, it was candy and other sweets.

After my Dad passed this past December, I was not able to get myself back on track. I had been in Texas for several months and, of course, off my diet. I arrived back here in South Carolina a few days before the new year. I tried several times to try to get on course, but it was useless. I chose sweets.

I have been eating candy every night this year. And if it was not candy, it was cake, or ice cream, or both! My addiction is so strong that I have found myself driving to the 24-hour convenience store at midnight to get my fix of sweets.

Eleven days ago, I finally forced myself to into 36 hour fast followed by 3 low to no-carb meals. From that point, I was able to acheive some consistency. I have now been back on my way of eating (diet), along with some intermittent fasting.

Of course, the struggle is not over. As I sit writing this, I am fighting urges to break my current fast, and not with the foods I should eat, but the sweets I mentioned before. At the same time, I am trying to enjoy the hunger pains these thoughts of sweets are causing. It gives me the feeling of being in a battle, a fight for my life, the life of health I desire.

As I said before, I have to fight moment to moment sometimes to succeed. Today is one of those days. I’ve been to the gym. Today was my first day back. I didn’t go too hard. I am nursing a very painful shoulder still. I saw a doctor about it several days ago. They didn’t think there was anything to do about it, except maybe therapy. Later today, I will probably go for a walk after it cools off a bit. Soon after that, it will be bedtime, and the rest of my battle can be fought in sleep. By then, any hunger pains will be long gone..

I believe I am off to a strong start. Soon, I will again be in the habit of choosing correctly what to put into my body.

My insulin levels are coming down (guessing), as indicated by my downward-trending glucose numbers. Most of my gut issues are diminishing. I was always bloated with somewhat of a belly ache from all the crap I was eating.

I’m sure anyone who has followed this blog recognizes that I’ve reported these issues before. I know. I’m tired of writing the same old thing. I would like to write about some sort of success one of these days. I fear no one will be reading this blog by the time I ever reach my goals. And I do expect to write that report at some point, and maybe show some success photos. Don’t know when that will be, but it will be.