Hi sunkacola, your post was very helpful to read. A lot of it I knew were things that could help, but hearing someone vouch for them made me believe in them a little more. I have been exercising and limiting my stress, even cutting back on medications that made things worse. One of my current problems is sugar. I know it is bad for me, and I know I can avoid it if I really try, but I have a really hard time with it. Do you have any suggestions for the sugar cravings? That is the hardest part. I tried eating fruit, but then ended up eating too much and still having an unbalanced diet. I just need to get through the cravings, and cut sugar out. I know I will feel much better. Thanks again for your advice, it was wonderful.
So glad that y advice helps.
Sugar cravings are bad. It's actually like an addiction in terms of dealing with the cravings.
You could try a fruit that has a high sugar content, but only eat a very small amount. Grapes are a good example. Eat only a small handful, and eat them very, very slowly. If you live close to the store, only buy a very small amount of fruit at once so that you won't be tempted to eat it all. On the other hand, you can eat a very large apple, which has a lower sugar content, and chew that very slowly. That way you get to have more bites for the same level of sugar.
Most of it is sheer self-discipline, and you just have to do it. But you can make it easier on yourself by never buying anything that is sugary, like cake or cookies or candy and so on, and removing everything you have like that in the house. Let people around you know so that they do not offer you things.
Then, you have rules for yourself. the first one is that you can only eat the fruit
after you have had a good quality large meal. You are less likely to overeat the fruit if you are already full.
The second one is that you cut ahead of time the amount of fruit you are going to have, and put it in a container, and that's it. Once you have eaten that, no more.
If you are still craving it, eat something else that is healthier instead, like protein.
And remind yourself why you are doing this. It's for the health of your body, which you have to live in every single day for the rest of your life. There's no trading your body in for a better one, so you have to take care of it if you want it to last.
Finally, think of some other thing you can use to reward yourself. If you can go a whole week eating only the amount of fruit that is healthy, and absolutely no sugar otherwise, you get to go to that movie. Or buy that little thing you want, or do something else that will be a healthy treat for you. Congratulate yourself. Really. It sounds silly but it will help.
Trust me, once you have disciplined yourself long enough to stay away from a food that is not good for you it will become easy. It's not like you have to work so hard at it for the rest of your life.