Day 7

Okay - confession - much as I would love to be, I'm not really a vegetable person. I mean, in the summer I absolutely do love eating beautiful fresh produce, but even then I'm more interested in fruit. I love fruit. I expected to be really, really challenged by giving up fruit.
Instead, I was noticing last night just how sweet a green bean tastes when you haven't had sugar in a few days. I have never thought of green beans as sweet - but these were fresh, lovely summery green beans. I could even taste the sugar in the cabbage. The sugar cravings, so far, have pretty much subsided.

I don't think of myself as having terrible eating habits - I almost never eat fast food, and I never heat up food out of a box. I'm a good cook and I don't like those things. But - I usually eat a small breakfast, drink coffee every morning, eat a small lunch, have a (usually unhealthy) afternoon snack, and then eat a largish dinner. Then, I look for snacks all evening because I haven't eaten enough calories to fill me up - and I generally fill up with carbs and sugar. Changing this pattern has enabled me to see this pattern - and no bloody wonder I've been gaining weight.

Since I started the Candida Diet, I've been eating a large breakfast (for me) of mostly protein. Yogurt, amaranth, flax and often eggs. No sugar whatsoever. Then I eat a small snack of nuts in the morning, and then a lunch that is mostly vegetables and protein, with some complex carb. I sometimes eat a snack again in the afternoon, but I am less and less hungry for it. Then I eat a smaller dinner of more veggies, some protein and maybe some more complex carb. I am also drinking tons of water because I am not allowed to drink coffee, tea, juice, milk or pop. When I do want a treat, I've been drinking Perrier with lime.

It makes sense, in a way, that my sugar cravings are gone, because I think I've been mistaking hunger for sugar cravings. I haven't been eating enough good foods, and then when I'm hungry, I overload on sugar and simple carbs to get a quick fix and feel "full."

What I am missing, and this is a surprise for me, is coffee. I don't think it's the caffeine - I feel pretty good and my energy is good. It's just coffee - I love coffee. I love sipping on a latte in the morning while I read. Fortunately, when I am finished this diet, I can stick to my new habits but add the odd latte in and that will be fine.

And - it's only been a week so I don't want to get prematurely excited as my weight can fluctuate - but I'm definitely down a few pounds!