Tag: addiction

Posted on in Fitness, Food

ADDICTIONS

Can addictions truly be things other than substances? Can we really be addicted to behaviors? Can we be addicted to anger? What about happiness? And chaos?

Whether those things fit the true definition of “addiction”, I’m not sure, but I do believe we can learn to depend on certain behaviors and substances and even emotions. Especially chaos! Which is why it’s important to always be committed to personal growth. My children watched me grow out of many negative behaviors from my childhood. Substances, behaviors and emotion! All of them!

It’s been a lot of work but I find a lot of joy in personal growth. I truly hope I’ve set a good example to children for always growing to be a better human.

I wasn’t supposed to be an Empty Nester for another year. Circumstances have changed and I find myself an Empty Nester a year early.

One thing I find that I’m struggling with months into this is the addiction to being Mom. I’ve been parenting for 27 years now. Making sure my school aged child is on par, has everything he needs and teaching him to be prepared in the final year as he enters adulthood. These are all things I’ve always looked forward to. Hoping to provide things I never had.

I liken this challenge to what it might be to quit cocaine cold turkey.

Now, one might say, how can you assume what it’s like to quit cocaine cold turkey when you’ve never been addicted to drugs? Well, I’ve been addicted to substances such as nicotine and while it doesn’t sound so serious, Diet Pepsi. Before you judge, I’ve drank 1-2 two liters of Diet Pepsi per day since I was 16. I’m now 54. For years I carried a 2-liter just about everywhere I went. Never truly realizing just what it looked like to drink from that big bottle like it was a sippy cup.

I quit drinking Diet Pepsi in February of this year. It really was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Migraines that used to appear maybe once a month became weekly and then almost daily. I’m truly thankful I was able to make all the right choices to overcome this addiction in the best way possible.

My point is, having to stop being Mom cold turkey is HARD! Very HARD. I am constantly working on my mindset. Daily, no hourly!!! Hourly I’m working on my mindset from minute to minute some days.

I’m filling my time with advancing my wealth while I’ve been advancing my health.

I’m working on remineralizing my body and mastering healthier eating habits. I’m also adding digital product creation and sales as well as focusing on my virtual programs as well as in person personal training clients.

My digestion has never been better than it is right now. I’m eating more calories and yet the scale remains low.

A couple months ago I hired a health coach who has been guiding me on the remineralization and I’ve got two wealth coaches who are just the best!

I’m excited to see where I’ll be at the end of this year, having overcome my challenges and reached some new goals.

You can check out my journey here!

Posted on in Fitness

Divorcing Diet Pepsi

I’m divorcing Diet Pepsi. We’ve been separated for three whole days now. Today is day four. I’m calling the divorce final at two weeks and one day.

Why two weeks and one day? Because it’s what I choose and from my experience with other addictions and my clients addictions I know that when I pass the two week mark I have made it and I’m in control.

I have lived and breathed Diet Pepsi (which I’ll now call DP). Literally. I’m slightly embarrassed to share this story but I’m mostly making this change because others have shared that it’s possible. Isn’t that what life is all about? Sharing our struggles and overcoming them?

I can still feel the moment. I’m sixteen and driving and have my first job. What do I do? I stop and get my DP and a Little Debbie Fudge Brownie and make sure I’ve got my cigarettes.

This was my life. For years. The very three things I became seriously addicted to and would fight to remove them later.

Thankfully, when I started having kids my thoughts and desires changed. I didn’t want them to copy me so the changes began.

Quitting cigarettes was first and hardest. I tried everything and then realized I had to change the blueprint in my mind. I assumed since my parents, and everyone else for that matter did, I was born to smoke. But I changed that thought which led to me quitting.

Finally, after three children I noticed I’m struggling with energy and sleep and belly fat big time. Back then we didn’t know quite what we know now but the information was out there, I just had to research and piece it together. I had pre diabetes. The doctors told me I was near it but not enough to push me on meds and of course, I didn’t want meds. So my journey began.

After my fourth child, I got more serious. I had practiced learning about food by providing meals to my daycare children. My eyes began to open about nutrition. I chose to start working part time at the local Y instead of daycare in my home and after a year I was down 20 pounds to about 160 ish. My belly was still there! But I had taken a liking to personal training much more than fitness classes so I began researching and learning.

In 2008, I decided my last eating binge would be Easter day. I had learned to track calories and found that I binged terrible! On Easter Day I had over 7000 calories. A lot of that was sugar for the drive home to stay awake.

The day after Easter I began my journey with eating Low Glycemic (LG). This came from a program called RESET and it saved my LIFE! I learned the most valuable information there!

I also realized I had an addiction that needed tackling. Sugar. Little Debbie Snack cakes were my first battle. It was my go to for everything and I convinced myself that I wasn’t eating that many but when I tracked them, I was eating a lot and enough to keep me insulin resistant.

EVIL. That’s how I had to change my mindset. They were EVIL. So were pancakes in the morning and donuts. ALL DONUTS!

I removed the items that I felt I couldn’t control.

Pretty soon I loved how I felt regarding my blood flow and couldn’t stand how I felt if I chose to eat sugar! It got easier!

The next year I lost another 20 pounds in my midsection. I believe it was about five inches!

There it was! My perfect self!

But guess what? I wasn’t prepared for horrible life experiences and choices. What about when devastating things happen and it’s traumatic? I fell! And I fell hard.

Having the tools in my tool chest is what has saved me every time! Each time a life event happens now, I am better and better at handling it!

The latest being my father’s death. I have not dealt with death since I was young so this was hard. But I’m privileged to have been there to tell him I love him and for him to tell me he loves me. I was able to handle it well and while I gained a few pounds, that had much more to do with continuing my eating pattern for training but not training and instead driving to see him over many weeks.

Today I am tackling the last true addiction I have and that is Diet Pepsi.

I’ve tried every other diet pop and no success. I’ve tried all kinds of other drinks and such but I have always come back to DP. What I have found is that if I drink a nice ice cold collagen or Taka drink they actually suppress this desire for DP for a while. I am choosing to use these as my crutch because they are filled with nutrients my body desperately needs!

I think it’s possible I have been depleting so much out of my body by the amount of DP I have a habit of drinking. Taka replaces this for me and helps me move on! When I first tried Taka months ago I knew it was going to be the move I needed to make this happen!

As I write this, my mouth craves DP. It craves the bubbles. It craves the “hit” of dopamine bad! But I am controlling it and I have my mind set on know that this too shall pass. Water, Taka, Collagen and proper macros at meals are helping tremendously!

LIFE HAPPENS FOR US, not to us. My mentor Jessie Lee preaches this and it’s something I’ve learned from other mentors but she says it out loud the most and she’s right. LIFE HAPPENS for us. I would not be this strong helping others through similar journeys if I hadn’t gone through what I had gone through.

Now I look forward to struggle. Because I know I will learn and grow and to me that is what life is about. GROWTH

I have not mastered anything, but I am practicing everything!

Believe you can and you’ve done the hard part!