a while back i decided to do the whole30 challenge, which is a month long eating plan with no dairy, no grains, no soy, no legumes and no sugar. i'm not sure if i got all the "no"s in there but to put it another way, just eating fruit, veg, meat, eggs & nuts.
i lasted 20 or 21 days on the plan and then broke it because i was out and needed to eat and take away food is not exactly whole30 friendly.
it was an interesting exercise, i did it for long enough to come face to face with my great love of sugar, my conditioned expectations around food (ice cream on saturday night) and just how much good protein or fat a person needs to eat if they are not filling up on carbs like bread or rice.
i didnt mind the program and i'll probably give it another shot but it didnt change my relationship with food', as soon as i was off the program i was OFF the program :)
interestingly though, while i was hyper attentive to my food i also stepped up my attention to things around me, as if stopping junk to the body also slowed down the junk to the mind.
business is booming for me just at the moment, with a few bookings coming up, which is quite exciting and i have spent the last couple of weeks "supporting" a new mum. that support has consisted mostly of chatting about motherhood, babies and the kardashians while unbelievably being paid for the privilege. i sometimes remind the mum to eat and i attempt to look useful by running the dishwasher or folding laundry.
i have decided that i will train in end of life support as soon as the time is right but maybe i have a little growing to do before i will be effective at that type of work: last week i had occasion to speak with a woman whose mum had recently passed away. I cried (just a little) but the bereaved daughter didn't and somehow it's just not right that the support person be more visibly emotional than the bereaved!
and thats about the state of things
Interesting that mindful eating carried through to the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteI suspect (know) that I need to do some of that too.
I am not certain that being emotionally affected by death is a bad thing. Not certain at all. I have certainly cried with and for our callers - and feel no guilt.
EC,
ReplyDeletei think empathy is a good thing but i wondered how it would feel for a composed bereaved person to be faced with a teary support person, they might feel an obligation to "be strong?"
i guess that might be something covered in a course.
i can imagine you crying with a caller, your humanity is always foremost
xo
You never did tell me what happened on day six!
ReplyDeletei started out being perpetually hungry but by day six i had got over that. i wouldnt say i ever got to be completely disinterested in the banned foods but by day six i didnt have any problem ignoring them!
ReplyDeletethey tell you the program will give you extra energy etc but i didnt find that.
i think overall you were right :)
"it's just not right that the support person be more visibly emotional than the bereaved!"
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't want to be the loudest sobber at the funeral, but I don't think a few stray tears would matter, and they would show that you cared.
thank you, Snow. maybe i misjudged with that idea
ReplyDeleteWow, this is no small feat!
ReplyDeleteI like how you are questioning other things after focusing on food. Interesting how a small change can bring about other changes.
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by!
I'm thinking of going back to a modified version of the diet and who knows what else might improve along with it :)