DennisMB
04-18-2005, 01:15 AM
Last night at a family gathering I gave into temptation and had a piece of KFC chicken, enough though I had all my own RAW foods with me. I went to bed at 10:30 and at 2:00 AM after tossing and turning for hours woke up with a sore stomach and feeling like crap. So I thought I would go check my email, and what do I find, but this article by Frederic Patenaude.
HOW TO GET BACK ON TRACK
When youÂ’ve fallen off the wagon...
By Frederic Patenaude
**********************************************
Whenever a discipline is concerned, everybody falls off the
wagon once in while. With a diet and exercise program,
I know it can go downhill pretty fast, once you get into a
bad pattern. What to do when that happens? That is the subject
of todayÂ’s article.
It started perhaps out of boredom, temptation, or another
reason. At the restaurant, you were tempted to taste your
friendÂ’s pasta, cheese, etc. You were able to control yourself
quite nicely and had only a little bit of it, and best of all,
enjoyed yourself. But strangely enough, the next day you
wanted more. Your taste buds had been excited by the salt,
sauces, and spices in the food you had the night before. You
tried your best to resist the temptation, but it was stronger
than you. That very night, you ended up eating a whole
bunch of foods you previously swore never to eat again.
You slept poorly, woke up in a daze, and then for the last
few days have been trying to get back on track --
but itÂ’s been tough.
Now you donÂ’t have the energy to motivate yourself, your good
old plain fruits and vegetables donÂ’t taste so good anymore,
and youÂ’ve been feeling a little depressed, sick, and especially
confused by the fact that such a little indulgence could put you
in such a miserable state!
First, you’ve got to understand that when you eat “modern”
foods, not just junk foods, but all foods that contain salt, spices,
foods that are combined and seasoned in such ways to please
your palate, you are under the effect of excitotoxins -- substances
that directly affect your brain. So you are literally not yourself
anymore. You feel a little bit drugged. Your system is upset by
the effect of these “excitotoxins.” Because you are not used to
consume them, your reaction is a lot more dramatic than that
of most people around you. You also feel the addictive nature
of excitotoxins a lot stronger. YouÂ’ll find yourself wanting
more of the very foods that made you feel ill the night before,
instead of naturally reaching for the simple fruits and vegetables
that you normally eat.
So getting back on track, feeling energetic and good again will
require a bit of a discipline, but not too much time, hopefully.
The easiest way to do this is as follow: fast until you experience
genuine hunger again, and satisfy that hunger with simple,
properly combined fruits and vegetables.
With genuine hunger, any simple fruit tastes like a delight
of the gods.
Not there yet? Yes, the simplest thing in the world, eating
with genuine hunger, is also the hardest! So if youÂ’ve got the
discipline of a champion, you might just meditate on the above
statement and let balance come again into your life. Otherwise,
you could try out my suggestions.
------------------------------------------------
FredÂ’s Getting Back on Track Program
------------------------------------------------
-----> For the next few days, skip breakfast. (Or do not eat 3-5
hours after waking up). This will give your body the chance to
detox, a thing that needs to happen at the moment. If you do not
have the courage to do this, at least try it out for a day. Then
consider doing this for a few more days.
------> For the next few days, consume only the following food:
FRUIT — Any fruits will do, but if you’ve made yourself a little
sick by your dietary indiscretions, avoid acidic fruits for some
time, and instead eat apples, bananas, pears, etc.
SMOOTHIES— Simple smoothies will give your body a rest
for a little while, while providing you all the nutrients and calories
you need for an extra boost, as well as extra water that you
probably need to balance out the toxins that have accumulated
in your body.
RAW SOUPS & JUICES— Rest from chewing salads for a
while, and instead have only raw soups (or blended salads), and
vegetable juice. No fruit juice, because the sugar in it enters the
blood too quickly.
-----> For a while, do not eat any of the following foods:
FAT: Fat is to difficult to digest, and what we want at the moment
is to give your body a rest. So no nuts, seeds, oils or avocados for
a little while.
COOKED FOOD: We want to flood your body with oxygen and
foods filled with energy and sunshine. So do not have any cooked
food for some time. If you must, then have only steamed vegetables.
FIBROUS VEGETABLES: All the vegetables youÂ’ll be eating will
be in the form of green smoothies, raw soups or vegetable juice. Do
not have any carrots, broccoli, beets -- or any other really fibrous
vegetables (unless they are juiced or well blended). Those are again
too hard to digest for the purpose of this cleanse.
DRIED FOOD: You want to stay hydrated -- not get more dehydrated.
So avoid all dried fruits, crackers, and any type of dried food.
SALT, SPICES OR SEASONINGS OF ANY KIND:
It is very important to abstain from all forms of seasonings. Why?
They are all stimulants to some degree. Right now, you may be
overly stimulated from the foods you ate recently. All those
excitotoxins are driving you crazy and making you want to eat
more and more junk. You have to break that pattern. So for a while,
abstain from all seasonings, including sea salt, seaweeds of all kind,
spices, vinegar, etc. You can use some lemon juice however.
-----> Get some oxygen in your system by doing aerobic exercise.
You may be feeling down, tired, or whatever. You can rest to
recover, of course. But you also have to get some oxygen flowing
in your system. And youÂ’re going to do this by doing some
aerobic exercise. The standard exercise I recommend in that case
is a daily one-hour brisk walk. If you feel like doing more, go run,
hike, bike, rebound, etc.
-----> OTHER THINGS TO DO:
WRITE DOWN HOW YOU FEEL:
Take your journal or open a fresh new page in your computer,
and write down how you feel at the moment. Pour out your
emotions on paper -- and also note everything that you ate or
did recently. DonÂ’t worry if you have no inspiration --
just write anything that comes to mind. Letting out your emotions
by writing is a powerful therapy.
GO WALK IN NATURE:
Reconnection with nature uplifts your spirit, and this is exactly
what is necessary when you need at the moment. Whether it is
raining, snowing, or sunny doesnÂ’t matter. You should find some
time soon to go for a long walk in the forest, mountain, etc. Your
soul will thank you.
WRITE DOWN A LIST OF ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU
LOVE TO DO THAT DO NOT INVOLVE FOOD:
This is an interesting exercise. The idea is to make a list of all
the things that you love to do that make you feel good. The last
part is important, so avoid things that make you feel good upon
gratification only to make you feel bad later on. And those
activities shouldnÂ’t involve food. So take out a piece of paper
and brainstorm. Write as much as you can. Then, select the top
5 or 10, and choose one or two that you can do today or soon --
and set plans to do them.
WRITE DOWN A LIST OF THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE:
This is another good exercise: write down on a piece of paper
all the most important people in your life -- those that you
relate to often -- friends, family, co-workers, etc. Then divide
them into 3 categories: uplifting, neutral, or negative. ThereÂ’s
no judgment there, just honesty with yourself. Once that is done,
decide to spend more time with the uplifting people in your life.
MEDITATE. You may have a special technique for meditation.
You may not. It doesnÂ’t matter. Just sitting still for 30 minutes or
longer and observing your bodily sensations, observing your
thoughts come and go is a powerful way to reconnect with
yourself again -- which is just what you need at the moment.
So you see, falling off the wagon can be a great opportunity to take
time to reevaluate your priorities and move in the direction of what
you really want! Just taking the first step, one day at a time, is all
it takes.
Good luck!
Frederic
HOW TO GET BACK ON TRACK
When youÂ’ve fallen off the wagon...
By Frederic Patenaude
**********************************************
Whenever a discipline is concerned, everybody falls off the
wagon once in while. With a diet and exercise program,
I know it can go downhill pretty fast, once you get into a
bad pattern. What to do when that happens? That is the subject
of todayÂ’s article.
It started perhaps out of boredom, temptation, or another
reason. At the restaurant, you were tempted to taste your
friendÂ’s pasta, cheese, etc. You were able to control yourself
quite nicely and had only a little bit of it, and best of all,
enjoyed yourself. But strangely enough, the next day you
wanted more. Your taste buds had been excited by the salt,
sauces, and spices in the food you had the night before. You
tried your best to resist the temptation, but it was stronger
than you. That very night, you ended up eating a whole
bunch of foods you previously swore never to eat again.
You slept poorly, woke up in a daze, and then for the last
few days have been trying to get back on track --
but itÂ’s been tough.
Now you donÂ’t have the energy to motivate yourself, your good
old plain fruits and vegetables donÂ’t taste so good anymore,
and youÂ’ve been feeling a little depressed, sick, and especially
confused by the fact that such a little indulgence could put you
in such a miserable state!
First, you’ve got to understand that when you eat “modern”
foods, not just junk foods, but all foods that contain salt, spices,
foods that are combined and seasoned in such ways to please
your palate, you are under the effect of excitotoxins -- substances
that directly affect your brain. So you are literally not yourself
anymore. You feel a little bit drugged. Your system is upset by
the effect of these “excitotoxins.” Because you are not used to
consume them, your reaction is a lot more dramatic than that
of most people around you. You also feel the addictive nature
of excitotoxins a lot stronger. YouÂ’ll find yourself wanting
more of the very foods that made you feel ill the night before,
instead of naturally reaching for the simple fruits and vegetables
that you normally eat.
So getting back on track, feeling energetic and good again will
require a bit of a discipline, but not too much time, hopefully.
The easiest way to do this is as follow: fast until you experience
genuine hunger again, and satisfy that hunger with simple,
properly combined fruits and vegetables.
With genuine hunger, any simple fruit tastes like a delight
of the gods.
Not there yet? Yes, the simplest thing in the world, eating
with genuine hunger, is also the hardest! So if youÂ’ve got the
discipline of a champion, you might just meditate on the above
statement and let balance come again into your life. Otherwise,
you could try out my suggestions.
------------------------------------------------
FredÂ’s Getting Back on Track Program
------------------------------------------------
-----> For the next few days, skip breakfast. (Or do not eat 3-5
hours after waking up). This will give your body the chance to
detox, a thing that needs to happen at the moment. If you do not
have the courage to do this, at least try it out for a day. Then
consider doing this for a few more days.
------> For the next few days, consume only the following food:
FRUIT — Any fruits will do, but if you’ve made yourself a little
sick by your dietary indiscretions, avoid acidic fruits for some
time, and instead eat apples, bananas, pears, etc.
SMOOTHIES— Simple smoothies will give your body a rest
for a little while, while providing you all the nutrients and calories
you need for an extra boost, as well as extra water that you
probably need to balance out the toxins that have accumulated
in your body.
RAW SOUPS & JUICES— Rest from chewing salads for a
while, and instead have only raw soups (or blended salads), and
vegetable juice. No fruit juice, because the sugar in it enters the
blood too quickly.
-----> For a while, do not eat any of the following foods:
FAT: Fat is to difficult to digest, and what we want at the moment
is to give your body a rest. So no nuts, seeds, oils or avocados for
a little while.
COOKED FOOD: We want to flood your body with oxygen and
foods filled with energy and sunshine. So do not have any cooked
food for some time. If you must, then have only steamed vegetables.
FIBROUS VEGETABLES: All the vegetables youÂ’ll be eating will
be in the form of green smoothies, raw soups or vegetable juice. Do
not have any carrots, broccoli, beets -- or any other really fibrous
vegetables (unless they are juiced or well blended). Those are again
too hard to digest for the purpose of this cleanse.
DRIED FOOD: You want to stay hydrated -- not get more dehydrated.
So avoid all dried fruits, crackers, and any type of dried food.
SALT, SPICES OR SEASONINGS OF ANY KIND:
It is very important to abstain from all forms of seasonings. Why?
They are all stimulants to some degree. Right now, you may be
overly stimulated from the foods you ate recently. All those
excitotoxins are driving you crazy and making you want to eat
more and more junk. You have to break that pattern. So for a while,
abstain from all seasonings, including sea salt, seaweeds of all kind,
spices, vinegar, etc. You can use some lemon juice however.
-----> Get some oxygen in your system by doing aerobic exercise.
You may be feeling down, tired, or whatever. You can rest to
recover, of course. But you also have to get some oxygen flowing
in your system. And youÂ’re going to do this by doing some
aerobic exercise. The standard exercise I recommend in that case
is a daily one-hour brisk walk. If you feel like doing more, go run,
hike, bike, rebound, etc.
-----> OTHER THINGS TO DO:
WRITE DOWN HOW YOU FEEL:
Take your journal or open a fresh new page in your computer,
and write down how you feel at the moment. Pour out your
emotions on paper -- and also note everything that you ate or
did recently. DonÂ’t worry if you have no inspiration --
just write anything that comes to mind. Letting out your emotions
by writing is a powerful therapy.
GO WALK IN NATURE:
Reconnection with nature uplifts your spirit, and this is exactly
what is necessary when you need at the moment. Whether it is
raining, snowing, or sunny doesnÂ’t matter. You should find some
time soon to go for a long walk in the forest, mountain, etc. Your
soul will thank you.
WRITE DOWN A LIST OF ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU
LOVE TO DO THAT DO NOT INVOLVE FOOD:
This is an interesting exercise. The idea is to make a list of all
the things that you love to do that make you feel good. The last
part is important, so avoid things that make you feel good upon
gratification only to make you feel bad later on. And those
activities shouldnÂ’t involve food. So take out a piece of paper
and brainstorm. Write as much as you can. Then, select the top
5 or 10, and choose one or two that you can do today or soon --
and set plans to do them.
WRITE DOWN A LIST OF THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE:
This is another good exercise: write down on a piece of paper
all the most important people in your life -- those that you
relate to often -- friends, family, co-workers, etc. Then divide
them into 3 categories: uplifting, neutral, or negative. ThereÂ’s
no judgment there, just honesty with yourself. Once that is done,
decide to spend more time with the uplifting people in your life.
MEDITATE. You may have a special technique for meditation.
You may not. It doesnÂ’t matter. Just sitting still for 30 minutes or
longer and observing your bodily sensations, observing your
thoughts come and go is a powerful way to reconnect with
yourself again -- which is just what you need at the moment.
So you see, falling off the wagon can be a great opportunity to take
time to reevaluate your priorities and move in the direction of what
you really want! Just taking the first step, one day at a time, is all
it takes.
Good luck!
Frederic