No sugar-no wheat diet

sugar-yogilates
I have started a simple diet – I’m not eating bread nor sugar for a week. That is all.

There are several reasons why I am doing it. One is that I started to have a little tummy, and I don’t want it to let it get too happy 🙂

But I try not to stop there. I believe it’s very useful, every once in a while, to intentionally put our will to test, to strengthen it, and, in particular, to bring attention to our addictive habits.

We live in a time when people are extremely dependent on their habits.

We all want to improve our lives and to do that that, we may do many different things, like reading books or going to seminars, but we pay attention hardly any to our little daily habits. For example, for some people the thought of not having their cup of coffee is just awful… but they don’t see any problem in that. We can become so addicted to these things, so dependent on them, that we lose a lot of power and control over our lives. Just as an example, let’s say we dislike our jobs, but because our jobs allow us to do certain things we cannot live without, we stay there. It’s the same with relationships. We may be in a wrong, hurting relationship, but we may be so afraid to lose our little conveniences that we cannot let it go. These are more powerful examples, but we can see the same patterns when it comes to what we eat, food being very addictive. For example, for me sugar and bread are something that I crave. Now I’m doing much better, but still the craving comes up and I believe once in a while it is very useful to confront these needs.

So I’m inviting you to do this little exercise with me. I don’t expect extremes, because extreme things don’t work, but a little bit of challenge is good for the body, especially if there is a small addiction to something one knows isn’t good for health. If one can also lose some weight, sure! Why not? But we shouldn’t stop there. Once in a while, if we can put a little challenge to our habits, we will see how many things appear! When the moment comes, when you are tempted by a habitual desire, you will see how many excuses may come up. It is very useful to see our attachments, and not to yield to them. A small addiction can hide a big emotional blockage, like for example the fear of being alone, or our need for recognition, or our dissatisfaction with our lives.

Challenging our addictions is really a way to understand freedom.
We believe that to be free means to indulge in as many desires as they come up, to eat as much sugar as we want, to have as much sex as we feel like or whatever. People really believe this is freedom. But it is not. It is actually being a slave; a slave to my needs. Why? Because there is no end to desires. When I was younger, I was so addicted to sugar, and I was so tired of being so dependent on it, that I decided to eat so much of it that it would make me so sick that I would not want to eat it ever again. I was very sick for one day… but the craving came back three days later. It doesn’t work. Freedom is to be free from desire, not to indulge in it.

It’s a false idea of the modern consumer society that freedom means to consume as much as you want to. Freedom is actually the ability, the capability, the strength to be able to choose if you want to indulge in something, or not. Freedom, really, is the ability to choose. It is not to not have the desire. It is the possibility to say no.

And so the idea of this little diet is to play with all these ideas.

As usual, in the Yogilates classes, we take care of our body, by doing the exercises or by being encouraged to eat less sugar, and we take care of our minds, by going deeper into the psychology of our actions.

Nothing is separated from anything else, and even a small little diet of not eating wheat and sugar may be able to act as a reflection of our heart and mind.


Categories: Reflections

There are 6 comments

  1. Simona

    I’ve cut sugar for three month a couple of years ago. I wanted to see how much time I can resist. The first two weeks were the hardest but after that it didn’t seem so hard. What is interesting are the transformations that took place in my body. After this experiment I can only eat dark chocolate which I’ve never liked it before .. all the others seem too sweet. Coffee, tea are so much better without sugar. And now every time I eat a large quantity of sweets .. I get to feel tired and very agitated. Plus now I rarely crave for sweets.
    I totally recommend to try it, for a week at first, but if you can go longer try it.

  2. Anita

    Hi Carlos,

    No wheat and no gluten is a great choice, you will see great results so fast. I was amazed when I have done that for the first time. Occasionally I eat pasta or other stuff like that when I go out as i just could not cut my social life that much. Bread is a a memory from another life already. But pasta or cake 1-2 time per month is inevitable for the time being and it is really ok, The results stay and I love it. Much more energy, clear mind, you can not be depressed so easily, as like nobody could hurt me, it was quite unexpected. I felt like I was taking some drugs, it was funny and i was even a little scared:))) I just tried for digestion reasons and I have got back so much more in return.

    Unfortunately i can not do NO sugar yet, but I have to try this too one day! I am sure I will be amazed. I know that sugar is filling an empty space in my life and no matter how much i try to avoid it by eating healthy stuff, tons of fruits, if i have a “bad” moment, i just collapse in front of any cheap candy. Sugar is not just food, is a way of escaping, like the cigarettes maybe. When i will find out how to fill that empty space, sugar will be just a “sweet memory”. Till then, I have patience with myself and slowly by slowly cut out the bad things in my life. I have cut out coffee for one month and it was a very good choice. I just drink 1-2 in the weekend for the taste when i go out, of course:) This can not be bad, as it is my choice on how much and when to have a coffee, i do not drink it anymore because I have to wake up.
    Looking forward to reading other people’s experiences on this.

    Many hugs!
    Anita

  3. Graziela

    Hi
    Thank you for this challenge! It cames in a very good moment because I just started a diet.
    Will be easier for me to eat good food while I know you and other people will do the same! :))
    See you in a week to share our impressions!
    Good luck to all and to me:))))
    Graziela

  4. Meridor

    I usually think of the power habits have when I see smokers who become agitated and stressed (and annoying to everybody around) when they run out of cigarettes, or even when they think they will run out of cigarettes 🙂

  5. Bianca

    I will stat too on Monday. I quit bread in January this year so i have to fight with my very best friend the Sugar. I know its hard a week but im gonna take this challenge. I think im ready to try tough. Any suggestions for say no to tempations, i mean some mentaly sugestions?:) Good luck everyone! good luck to me too!! 🙂

    1. Carlos

      Hello Bianca,
      I am eating a salad with a very nice piece of bread 🙂
      Finish my week today.

      You asked: Any suggestions for say no to temptations, i mean some mental suggestions?

      On Wednesday I had a very strong craving for bread, on Saturday I was invited to a wedding and then every evening the need for sugar was appearing…

      In many moments the temptation to break the diet was there but in those moments in particular the temptation was very strong. The most powerful tool I used to keep it was my understanding that throughout all these years in my life letting my short term desire do what it wanted did not bring any happiness in my life, quite the opposite. This impulse to ‘do what I want; independent of consequences’ was at the basis of a lot of difficulties and sufferings and conflicts. This knowledge of myself, this understanding of my lack of will was like a force, a power that allow me to say NO to the desires that wanted to brake the diet.

      I can also describe it as a need to grow up. I see my son not been able to stop himself from demanding what he wants, no matter what the actual need of the moment may be. I just did not wanted to be like a child any more. A mature human being is one who has freedom, the freedom to say NO when the moment requires it. That need for freedom, for maturity, was the power that allowed me to say NO.

      Now, enjoying this piece of bread, I am very glad I did not have it before. And not only that. While I could not have it, the need of it was enormous. Now that I can have it, it does not seem so important any more. Our mind is very tricky :). It is very good that it is so because it helps us to stay alive, to survive. But at the same time, without the right understanding of its ways, is what mostly prevents us from being happy…
      Have a insightful week.

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