A Day In My Old Life

I wake up, and for a good 30 seconds my mind is clear and I do not immediately start to replay
what I ate the night before. I am simply thinking of what my day will bring. Then, I remember
what I did in the kitchen … the ice cream, the cookies, the leftover cupcakes from the kids’ party.
CRAAAAAP, did I really eat all of that? I touch my stomach, and wow, am I bloated! I lick my
teeth and they still taste sweet. I must have been so out of it I didn’t brush my teeth before I went
to bed. Wait, I think I have a little bit of cake in the back of my mouth. YUCK.

I go into the bathroom and get a look at myself. My face is pretty swollen and I contemplate
weighing myself to see if any of the damage “took” or not. I figure I still can keep eating since I
haven’t brushed my teeth. But then I get on the scale. YIKES. I step off the scale and take off all
of my clothes, silently praying my husband or daughter doesn’t barge into the bathroom and
question why I am totally naked and getting on and off the scale like it is a Magic 8 Ball that will
eventually give me the right answer. I guess I am up a good 3.5 pounds since last week. I must be
retaining water or something. It can’t be real weight, right? I look at myself in the mirror. I am
super puffy in the middle. It is not a cute look. I throw on my pajamas and admit defeat by
brushing my teeth, going to get my youngest out of his crib, and heading for the stairs. I’m
grateful the coffee pot knows what time it is.

What happened that got me into the food? I wish I could remember. I put my two-year-old down
in front of Sesame Street, then head into the kitchen to grab the biggest coffee mug I can find in

the cabinet. It must be the size of my head. I pour in a bunch of fat-free milk and then as many
packets of artificial sweetener as I can find. The white stuff sprays all over the place and I stir as
quickly as I can. I down the entire mug by the time my five-year-old pads down the stairs in her
nightgown. She demands French toast, which is the last thing I want to make. My food hangover
is in full effect.

This was how my day started more often than I care to remember. Sometimes I wish I had
learned to stop eating sugar, flour, and artificial sweetener before I did so I didn’t have to suffer
for so long. Other times, I realize I did for the exact amount of time I was supposed to in order to
learn enough to learn the lesson and be willing to accept the answer to my problem. It wasn’t
anything overwhelming, expensive or in a package. Thankfully, with persistence and
information, everything came together. I lost the 10 lbs plus another 5 that had tormenting me for
years, my skin cleared up and my mood stabilized. It doesn’t get any sweeter than that.

XO,

Erin

Tomorrow’s topic: Standard American Woman

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Together we will be Happy and Healthy this Holiday Season.