any discoveries/breakthroughs?

[Aynsley Kirshenbaum]

Hi group!
As we plow through our final few days, I wanted to know if anyone has discovered something amazing (like FRESH PINEAPPLE), if anyone has had a breakthrough or if anyone has made a change that they plan on implementing from now on.

Here are some things that I *love* 

• the daily reminder that you'll be so happy a year from now that you started/continued what you're doing.
• not punishing yourself
• finding joy and satisfaction in fruit
• fancy water
• accountability

What are yours?

[Elizabeth Conroy]

This challenge has made me feel so much more stable and energized. My journey was to be a little more flexible then I think most others were. My sugar intake was really unhealthy and addictive. So I at times allowed myself, bread, potatoes, rice, some agave gluten free sweets from BabyCakes and a few diet cokes and one sugar free flavored latte. 
These were not cheats in my mind but choices. Compared to how I ate refined sugars before I consider my food intake a huge success :) I was aware of everything I ate, I didn't portion so I wouldn't get hungry and I even cooked a few things and I NEVER cook.

Moving forward I am going to keep refined sugars out! I will use agave, honey and maple syrup sweetened treats instead. I will focus on cooking whole foods rather then processed and will continue on my yoga path that was fueled by all of this!

Xoxo
Sent from my iPhone

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[Rachel Cutler]

How is your yoga challenge, Beth????

[Misty Fried]

I was a little discouraged this morning because I have gained a few pounds and I am still feeling less satisfied. I suppose part of my malaise is that I ran out of fish oil which ends up making me crabby ;-) SO... I guess what I'm taking away from this whole thing is balance and thoughtfulness. I know sugar can't be so prevalent in my diet as it has been, and this purge has definitely helped my cravings, but moving forward, what I really want to work on is balance. Not cutting sugar out altogether, but being more conscious about the foods I pick: doing a better job about balancing carbs, fats and proteins: cooking with alternative ingredients that aren't so highly processed. Choosing more whole foods; being more seasonally conscious. These are the things I know I can realistically do long term and will enrich my live instead of deprive from it.

Misty

[Bryan Zuckerman]

I think I've realized that I definitely feel a lot better going sugar
free (ish) and that its a tremendous challenge for me to eat
vegetables. Also, it is important for me to stay full because when I
start to get too hungry, my body instantly wants sugar and that's
usually where I run into the most difficulty. but so far, all in all,
its been an interesting experience. I've never tried anything like
this before and its definitely something that I'm going to keep
working at after the 2 weeks are up.

--
Bryan A. Zuckerman, Esq.
Long Island:
70 Lawrence Avenue
Smithtown, New York 11787
Cell (631) 873-7194

Brooklyn:
1072 Bedford Avenue, PMB 126
Brooklyn, New York 11216
Tel. (347) 221-0627

[Sarah]

Not a shocker to myself but I had let myself slip into some bad snacking and convenience eating habits since I started grad school. Which to my surprise this week, included A LOT of sugar.
So what have a learned?

- I need to take the time to pack healthy snacks
- I love kiwi (the skin has always bothered me even in trace amounts, so I've been peeling them and then rinsing them and it works!)
- the kitchen counter at school is the devil
-I don't need to punish myself to be healthy

I can't say I've had any more energy but I'm kind if blaming that on the strep.

All for now

[Jeanmarie]

Hi All 

I have to say I've been trying very hard to stick to the purge but being stuck in the house with a sick kid I have caved and ordered pizza for dinner.  The positive part of this "human moment" is I did not order a large pie and garlic knots.  Instead I ordered a veggie slice and water for myself while I got my son 3 plain slices and my husband a chicken parm hero.  

I love that I have been able to pick healthy options without hesitation unlike last week.  

I have enjoyed cooking new meals.

I still struggle some days with drinking water and getting enough veggies but hope to continue working on that.  

Jeanmarie 

[Elizabeth Rapkoch]

I am quite pleased with how all of this has gone, even with the pesky flu. I LOVE having eaten so much more mindfully and thoughtfully over the past couple of weeks, and I really paid attention to why I was eating as opposed to my typical automatic pilot approach (think of food=want to eat=eat without thinking). Interestingly, my sugar quasi-binge (read: definitely a binge compared to the last couple of weeks, but not anywhere close to binges I am capable of or have done in the past) happened yesterday. I ate what felt like "should have" been a good dinner, but I was super hungry still...probably because I hadn't eaten breakfast for a variety of reasons (super uncommon for me) and lunch was a fairly basic salad at a work banquet, with the only mocha since the challenge started mid-afternoon. I fought the desire to make something substantial to eat ("I shouldn't need it. I just ate a perfectly reasonable dinner.") and, instead ended up grazing: handful of dry Chex, Reed's Extra Ginger Beer, one serving yogurt covered raisins. Had I just pulled out the celery and peanut butter or made soup, I would have been in pretty good shape.  Lessons: Don't wait until famished to eat, and give in to cravings in a healthy and mindful way.  It was also a huge step for me to let that all roll without judging and berating myself for the choices. Yay!

What I want to continue doing:

* Focusing on truly mindful eating, from selecting the food to enjoying it while I am eating it. 

* An added bonus of mindful eating is that I don't have enough room for judgment when I am making thoughtful and intentional decisions.

* Smoothies: I love 'em! I started drinking them regularly in the morning in the couple of weeks just before the purge and definitely want to continue. 

* 85%+ chocolate will stay in my life...how have I not eaten it before now?! My favorite thing about it is that it takes very little for me to be satisfied because it is so rich and creamy with a bitterness that I adore.

What I want to start doing:

* Working periods of movement/exercise into my daily routine. We just bought a Wii and have been Just Dance-ing our assess off...that counts, right? :)

* I have really loved having this group to draw ideas from and support each other throughout this process. I hope to continue to have supportive and resourceful people in my life to share these experiences with.

I am thinking of all of you East Coasters and wishing you warmth and safety through the big storm this weekend!!!

Libby

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Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2013 18:06:00 -0800
From: jeanmari...@gmail.com
To: january-2013...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: any discoveries/breakthroughs?