Purify Me (And Greg!)

Well, today is the end of the third day of our 2011 quest for purification. I feel pretty good. A few headaches are to be expected, and I have had off and on head pain for the last few days. Other than that, though, I am doing very well. I personally feel like this year has been much easier than last year. I haven't had any intense cravings for sweets, like I thought I would, and I haven't been hungry at all either. I've even been running (although it is a skimmed down version of my usual workout). Perhaps the ease is due to the fact that I've done it before, and I know what to expect. Maybe it's because I know how much there is to gain from going through the program. Maybe it's just dumb luck and next week I'll be overcome with mad desire for chocolate cake! I don't know, and honestly, I'm not questioning. I'm just happy to be having a good experience and to be getting back into a healthy eating pattern after all of that gluttony over the holidays.

Greg, on the other hand, has found it a little bit harder than me. He's still searching for the right balance of protein, veggies and fruit to keep him feeling full and his blood sugar stable. He's looking to me for advice, which I try to give, but I feel terribly under qualified to help him when it comes to the big things. I have told him to eat what he wants from the allotted food groups. I've suggested spacing for the shakes and vitamins. It's very difficult for me to gauge his needs, though. First of all, I am not sensitive to low blood sugar like he is. Even when I am not going through a purification program, I can go almost all day without eating a bite before I start to feel ill. I've always been that way, for better or worse. Also, I'm half his weight. So what it takes to sustain me isn't going to cut it for him, no matter which way you look at it. He really can't eat the same portions at meals as I do and expect to feel good, not when what we are eating has very few carbs.

I think the biggest hurdle for Greg is mental. The only times he has been on a regimented eating plan, he has done so to bulk up, eating more than normal. That's quite different from now. Greg is not trying to lose weight, but the goal is not to gain either. It's to cleanse his palate, steady his blood sugar and set him on a path of healthful eating. As any of us who has been on a diet knows, just the thought that any one food is forbidden makes you crave it. I have been on many diets and thought the entire time, "I'm starving!" I wasn't starving. It was all in my head. Greg needs to relax about his eating and his mind will follow suit. I'm cautiously optimistic.

That said, I have felt (many times over) like handing him a huge cup of coffee and a donut and saying, "Please, please just drop out." No, I would not do that to him. I really don't want him to fail. I'm rooting for him to succeed, big time. I want him to feel as great as I do! But he has been an absolute grump for over a week now. It started before we began the program, when he gave up coffee, and has just continued since. It's a bit hypocritical of me to say I'm sick of his bad mood, because if anyone is ever guilty of unjustified complaining, it's me. I suppose it's because it's such a switch in roles for him to be the grump and me to be the one saying, "It's ok. Just relax." I am not exactly qualified to tell anyone to relax!

Like I said, I'm remaining optimistic about the outcome. I know that it's the best thing in the world for me. And I believe that if Greg can hang on despite the struggle, he will begin to see the light too. I know he will feel great when it's all said and done. Sometimes a harder journey reaps a sweeter the reward.