Not to make light of prayer because I believe in the power of prayer, but I was given some information yesterday that sorta shook me out of complacency. I have been praying for years for help in my fight against my extra weight. As long as my blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels have been good, I have arrogantly been able to prolong the serious discussion about loosing weight and working out.
I can provide the correct answers when asked................a healthy life includes exercise and healthy eating, but I have been unable to walk the talk. The reasons are deeply personal and numerous, reasons I have shared with very few. I, like many others, am a creature of denial, and I have known for a long time that the only way I'd truly get my act together would be at the benefit of my own health.
It's a truly dangerous arrogance here.....................pushing myself to the point of poor health, living in denial. It is a passive / aggressive reaction so classic for me.
Of all things...................the trigger event for needing to take this seriously is eczema around my eyes. About a month ago, I had a severe outbreak. First were some dry and itchy eyes. Then it progressed into swelling and burning of my eyelid and under eye area. For two weeks, I suffered through painful and irritated eyes, extreme dry skin and swelling. I tried everything. Eventually, the symptoms dissipated, and I was so grateful. I didn't have insurance, so going to a doctor was out of the question.
Then, this week, it started all over again. Luckily, I started a night time ritual of Benadryl immediately.This time, I have insurance, so I went to the doctor and was told it was eczema. I am not completely convinced of this because I have no other eczema, nor do I have asthma or regular hay fever. I do agree that it is an allergic reaction to something. I have carefully retraced my life leading up to each outbreak. What have I eaten? New products?
The doctor tells me that I need to alter my diet..................no wheat, eggs, dairy or refined sugar. And there it is.........the push. The final straw. It's time to face reality. I know that removing the refined sugar must happen for successful weight loss. Refined sugar is my drug of choice. There, I said it. Refined sugar is my drug of choice, and I have a problem.
I was a bit mad, upset, panicked, nervous................you can imagine all the feelings that exploded at once into my spirit with her prescription for the end to this eye eczema. Change is hard for everyone. It is especially hard for people with OCD or PTSD, even when the change is necessary to survival.
Like any good researcher, the first thing to do once my initial shock wore off was to do some research. Ha, ha................that's just too funny. But seriously, I got online and began looking. I also created a Paleo board on Pinterest. Remember what I said about Pinterest? I did get a bit sidetracked looking at stock footage from WW1. But I found several recipes that I think would substitute for my favorites. For now, I need to get up and moving, make some breakfast and get ready for work. I'll do some shopping tomorrow for ingredients to take the "bad" things out of my pantry.
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