You Are What You Eat – Especially in Recovery

I remember those early days in recovery, scarfing down cookies and guzzling coffee in meetings. OK, whatever gets you through. But I think over the long-term, diet and nutrition are critical elements of strong recovery. Why? Because food impacts how you feel, both physically and mentally.

I doubt any sugar junkie would deny that they feel almost withdrawals when they try to quit the sugar. I know I do.  In fact, when I recognize I’m carbing my way to bliss and shift gears, it takes about four days before I feel like a normal human being again.

In my case, food has been a perpetual source of joy and misery. It takes awfully good, but when I have to move up a size (again) in clothes, I curse my predeliction for bread and all things carby.

I know an addiction psychiatrist who is a die-hard believer that carb addiction is a real thing – and that some people just need to avoid them.  In my mind, a lot of alcoholics tend to crave sweets – and it makes sense physiologically.

One of the things I’ve noticed over the last couple of decades as I’ve struggled with my love of carbs, is that when I cut back dramatically on them my mood changes (well, after the first few days when I feel like I”m dragging a corpse around).  I feel more energetic and life seems less muted, for lack of a better word.

I also notice I’m less hungry, less obsessed with the next thing I’m going to gobble down.

There are quite a few schools of thought on diet – it can be confusing and frustrating to read expert after expert contradicting themselves. So why not determine what works best for you?   Generally, trying something for about a week can give you a picture of how it changes your feelings and behavior.  For me, a week without this obsession makes me awaken more refreshed and I pounds start to drop pretty rapidly.

So why, when I know this, do I keep going back to the basket of bread?  By nature I’m compulsive and impulsive.  I conveniently forget how all those unhealthy yet yummy foods make me feel sluggish, bummed out (tight waist band), and generally unwell.  It’s like I have to test it out again and again – it’s the “maybe just one” syndrome. For someone like me, just one generally leads to just one more.

So I’m back on track – fresh foods, no processed garbage, and lean proteins. I’m feeling like a million dollars after only six days.  Maybe I should just carry this post around with me and read it every time I think “ooh that cookie looks so good!”