epiphany

[Guest guest]

When I decided a couple weeks ago that IE was something I needed to do for my

sanity and quality of life, I spent the better part of a week eating junky foods

that made me feel like..junk. I didn't necessarily have strong cravings for all

of them, some of them were things that used to hold magic for me so I guess I

was going back to check if that was still true. I felt like I was supposed to

do this, otherwise it wasn't IE.

But the thing I realized is, there are lots of healthy foods that I really enjoy

and look forward to eating. I like the way they taste and I like the way they

make me feel physically...not sluggish and tired, but energized. And then I

realized...THAT is IE! I don't HAVE to eat junk food if I am not craving it, I

am just as entitled to eat healthfully if that is what I am craving. I know

that may sound sort of obvious, but for some reason it just wasn't to me, maybe

because of the de-emphasis on nutrition in the book.

Of course, in the past I had rules associated with eating healthfully...no

starchy carbs after 3PM, junk food only on assigned " cheat " days or meals, stay

within my calorie range, eat the right number of carbs, etc. So the difference

with IE is that none of these rules exist anymore...if I feel like eating carbs

with dinner, I will...if I don't, I won't. I will even drink a diet soda if I

want it despite all of those artificial chemicals in it! It is a subtle mental

shift, but it makes all the difference between following a diet and listening to

what feels right. And the truth is, most of those rules were never about being

healthy, they were about looking a certain way. Take away the rules, and you

have IE.