Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Thirteen things I have discovered in sobriety...

1) Negative emotions suck but feeling them raw helps immensley (in understanding them and getting over them quicker).

2) Sadness is my least favourite emotion.

3) Powerful positive emotions like pure elation or overwhelming joy don't come by often but when they do it feels soooo good (way better than drunk positive emotions).

4) It's really important to recognise when things aren't particularly bad or good but just trucking along nicely.

5) Life is not a party all of the time nor should it be.

6) Uplifting music can brighten my day and I'm wise to remember to play it when I'm feeling stuck.

7) I'm still not naturally into physical exercise but I know my life is better when I input it into my weeks.

8) Yoga is not overrated like I used to think it was.

9) I love dancing, particularly with props (e.g. glow sticks, ribbons).

10) Owning a dog changes your life for the better in numerous ways.

11) Getting 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep most nights is FREAKING AMAZING!!

12) Owning your truth is empowering and brave and no-one will judge you for admitting struggles.

13) It is possible to live a full, fun life without touching alcohol ever.

Love, Mrs D xxx


Tuesday, March 6, 2018

About my weight loss..

I've had quite a few people notice in photos I've been sharing lately that I've lost a lot of weight. And yes it's true! So here is the story.

Last year while I was writing and releasing my new book I got into some terrible (worse than usual) habits around food. I was using foods - specifically bready/sugary foods - very alcoholically. That is, I was locked into a cravings-binging-guilt cycle that was very reminiscent of my boozing days.

I was hyper aware of this dysfunctional behaviour. I knew very clearly whenever I was binging beyond normal 'treating' of myself (i.e. being a total and utter pig) because I often felt sick and really bad about myself afterwards. I could also clearly see that my worst binging came when I felt low emotionally or was dealing with something stressful or gritty.

And the scales were climbing up and up and up. One day I climbed on and saw that I was on the cusp of my highest weight EVER. This was my trigger number one to change.

My second trigger to change came at almost exactly the same time. I was listening to an online conference and they interviewed a woman who was talking exactly my language about food - like .. big time! Her name was Dr Susan Pierce Thompson and she was a recovering addict herself who had switched her addiction to food after getting sober. She talked about flour and sugar having the same impact on the brain as alcohol does and explained the programme she had developed that was working for many, many people.

I got her book Bright Line Eating: The science of Living Happy, Thin & Free immediately and half started following her programme by cutting out flour and sugar. The cravings stopped which was great but I wasn't losing any weight so reluctantly I started doing her full programme (I was reluctant because it involved weighing portions and I was embarrassed that I needed to get the scales out to weigh my food every meal).

But I'm so pleased that I pushed past my reluctance and embarrassment because FUCK ME THE WEIGHT JUST STARTED DROPPING OFF! Her programme is bloody brilliant because a lot of the time I'm not that hungry - just the right amount of protein and veggies to keep me going until the next meal - but the results have been dramatic.

To date I have lost 14kg (nearly 31 pounds)!! Her plan is quite detailed but I'm not going explain it here because it's all in her book and I really recommend you get the book because there is a lot of science and explanation in there about how our brains and bodies work which is so empowering.

I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone who wants to lose weight but mostly wants to be free from that awful cravings/binging/guilt cycle around food that is extremely soul destroying. I do still slip and eat those foods sometimes and then have to combat cravings for a few days until they've gone. But for the most part I live without these foods and happy.

Long may it last!

Love, Mrs D xxx