I cracked and ate sugar.... UGH :/

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I've been really good about the diet (for the past week... I have yet to clear a week without cheating). I've been getting into cooking and baking foods I can eat. It's been really great.

My appetite is enormous, and I find myself munching on celery and cucumbers ALL the time in order to avoid putting something less acceptable into my mouth (because when I'm eating the celery and cucumbers what I really want is raspberry mousse or chocolate pudding...). It's been difficult.

Then, today, I made special French cookies for my family's pot luck. I did such a good job. The batter looked perfect. I was so proud. Even prouder that I wasn't going to touch it. Well, my dad made this incredible Italian custard sauce with the remaining egg yolks and powdered sugar (my most favorite enemy), and when I saw him dip his finger into my delicious looking batter I just cracked.

My finger went into the batter bowl... repeatedly. And then... it went into the delicious Italian "sauce"... several times, exiting the bowl with large teaspoonfulls...

Vertigo commenced within minutes, as did the stomach ache. All I want to do is finish the bowl of "death sauce".

Has this happened to you? Do you crack sometimes? Did I just undo all the good things I've done? I just don't know how to stick to this diet! It's harder because I'm not working with Dr. B yet, so there is no time table. I don't see an end in sight, don't have the money yet to fly out to LA and don't know when the end will ever be in sight... so it's tough. 

I feel enormously guilty. It was delicious. I want more. My stomach does not. I expect my bladder will take vengeance within the next hour or so....

Everyone seems to be so gung ho and good about this diet... but 5 days is my max!!!!!

UGH

cathy's picture
cathy

Hi
Before I started treatment with Dr B I tried sticking to her diet but was never really successful at that point. Once I had my first appt and started the treatment I have stuck to the diet, it was hard at first but as you get to add in more foods it gets easier, now after 2 months I am on list 3 and I find that my treat is blueberries and yoghurt and I look forward to that every day, I don't crave dessert or carbs, I am enjoying the diet now and eating healthy, it gets easier as time goes by.I am determined to get better as fast as possible so that makes me not even consider cheating on the diet.
I think that once you see Dr B you will get on the right track and be able to follow the protocol better.

deir's picture
deir

hannah- have you thought about maybe starting with a higher list and weaning yourself like that? Maybe have some blueberries? Also- maybe don't volunteer to make cookies next time! That is torture for you.

Mimij67's picture
Mimij67

Hi Hannah!
Firstly, don't be hard on yourself. Sugar is highly addicting. And most of the world is addicted to it. We evolved to crave it. Even though it can be our undoing.
When are you going to meet with Dr. B? Did you schedule a date?? I hope you have!!! List 1 is really hard to do unless you are under her care, although I have read of the few brave souls that have done it for a bit. If you can't stick to list 1, then maybe list 1 and 2, and no sugar or yeast?
I am very worried that you don't have quite the 100% support at your parents house that you will need. When you do start treatment, you will need to have them support you. This means not keeping sweets or sugar in the house. and NOT baking, except list approved yummy quickbreads, muffins and buscuits.
When you start treatment, you will have to tell them to keep sugar out of the house. Really. Seriously. Absolutely. They can get it somewhere else. It is everywhere, afterall. You must impart that you can't overcome this devistating imbalance if you eat sugar, and you can't do it without their help. I am sure they can get thier sugar somehwere else. 
Replace the sugar in their house with lovely maple sugar and raw agave. And then leave that alone too! To get through it with them, tell them it is just for one year. On list one there is lovely quickbread you can slather with butter. There are squash muffins that even my kids like. By the time you get to list 3 you can make cream buiscuits, blueberry or blackberry or raspberry scones (sugar free). You will be able to have yogurt with fruit. List 2 is really not too bad either!! You can bake on this diet. You just have to be very careful. TRY to experiment with recipes (search this site) and come up with a reperoire of "treats" from the lists. When I was on list one, I made yellow squash "fries" friend in olive oil almost every night. They were my treat. By list 2, I was tolerating olive oil potato chips from Trader Joes, and then the Kettle brand potato chips. Those are my "treat" also. In moderation, of course. It does get easier. It really does. But when you are really ready to commit, you can't have any of that stuff in the house!! 
This is a real lifestyle change. Forever. If you want to regain your health. I have started researching sugar-free products, including ketchup, fruit spreads, and other things that we used to eat weekly that are loaded with hidden sugar. You have to do your research and be very diligent. These lists involve initially making everything from scratch and only eating 100% unprocessed foods. It does get easier after you are in the groove of it. Focus on what you CAN eat!
The only things I have around for my kids are fruit leathers and real fruit popsicles. Also, Earth's Best or Annies Bunnie Cookies. These are not appealing to me so they don't tempt me at all.
I remind myself, that at the end of treatment, I will be rewarded by: A. A normal sex life, B. All foods will be available to me with a few minor execptions, C. I will be able to buy and make and enjoy fruit-sweetened and agave-sweetened goodies in moderation. It will come, and they will taste great. 
Even Dr. Rober Lustig, expert on sugar and its perils will tell people the best way to avoid it, is to not expose yourself to it. Don't go shopping hungry. I eat first, or I bring a cup of black tea or coffee with cream to the store with me so I can sip on it. Sometimes there is a cheese sample there so I can indulge in that!
Contact me through this site, or if you want, we can speak on the phone. You need support. You can do this.

If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.

Willow's picture
Willow

I actually followed Dr. B's appoint for 4 months before my first appointment.  I was definitely easier once I had booked the appointment, because it was a real date to look forward to. 
One thing someone suggested to me that helped was to completely clear my house of food that I can't have, at least for a while. Your family will understand and will get their sugar fixes outside the home.  Next, keep a "treat" that you CAN have in the home.  List 1 is tough for treats, but I'd keep small bags of chips or I'd make the zucchini muffin recipe with lots of melted butter and eat that whenever I had a snack craving. 
Another thing that helped was training myself to think that sugar is POISON for me right now.  And it is. I knew it hurt my body so much to eat it, I knew it spoiled my plans of being well.  Everytime I'd crave a brownie or ice cream I'd picture myself dancing with my husband or something I couldn't do because of my IC and I told myself I wanted THAT more than a sweet.
Diet alone does make a big difference.  Believe it or not, I was starting to detox even before my first appointment just from sticking to the letter of the diet.   I sympathise, I know the diet is very, very hard, but we really do need to stick to the diet, day after day, in order to get well.
All the best,
Lauren

pterzwife's picture
pterzwife

These are formidable suggestions. On the subject of self-forgiveness, I was a bulimic in my 20s and I still have portion control issues. I repeatedly relapsed during bulimia and then double punished myself with a beat up session. After one eats, you feel disregulated and the voices start talking in the never/always vernacular. What I learned was to try not to throw up and put myself to bed at night. It was always better in the am. When I did throw up and concluded that I had blown it forever, I got back on the horse and rode and later saw that inspite  of what I thought, I did move forward. It took me many years (say 6) and a lot of OA meetings but eventually I stopped throwing up. Inspite of what I thought at many points.
You will get there. Your body and spirit want to heal. For every perfect
Brizman "protocolist", there are others like me who got to start on List 3 and was so addicted to sugar  that I had to taper off and eat half a bag of dried apples a day.
i also had to taper off white wine to stop a 20 year dinner time glass of wine habit (acid reflux) and boy did I feel deprived.
 
guess what- a year later, I am so thrilled that I don't drink. I understand that it was making me low grade sick all the time.  But it took time to settle into these new feelings and attitudes.  I am 54. You have a lot of time.
waiting at the other side are some amazing benefits that will reveal themselves.
 
for me, on List 4 and 5, my diet is amazingly rich because Dr. b cured me of my 25 food allergies. My allergist told me I would take them to the grave. Keep us posted. Love, B
 
 

researchnerd's picture
researchnerd

I did the same SO MANY TIMES.  You have to just grit your teeth, and trust that it DOES get better.  And like Deir said--don't torture yourself by making treats!  If people want to eat sweets, they can do so outside of the home!
 
You can do it!!! 

DLFox123's picture
DLFox123

Hey Researchnerd - long time no hear.  How are things going for you?

Mimij67's picture
Mimij67

Hi Denise, I was thinking the same about you! How are you doing? And researchnerd too!!?
xo

If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.

DLFox123's picture
DLFox123

Hi Mimi,
Well, after battling my "tied for the worst uti" that Dr. B had seen,( The dang battle lasting for three months) I am much better.  Althouth, my urine is etrememly cloudy and horribly smelly -  never had been before.  Dr. B has changed my protocol hoping to clean everything out.  I asked her if this was from the infection -she said she didn't think so -   That it was just really getting rid of the bad stuff. So, hoping this is a really good thing.  The really great thing is that the anixety is much more manageable - hoping not to jynx.
Thank you for asking - I hope that you are doing well?

Mimij67's picture
Mimij67

Wow Denise!
I am soooo sorry that darn UTI lasted 3 months!!!! That is absolutely EPIC. I am sure you don't appreciate the honor of being tied with anyone for that race! It sounds like your body is ready to move to a new level of healing, and your mind is giving you some peace to go along with it. What a lovely gift out of all of that struggle and uncertainty! Wishing you more healing!!
I am bumping along. My IC symtoms are mild, but nagging. And sometimes my frequency is icky. I have chunks of days where I feel normal. But there is still a lot of background urge which really bugs me and reminds me there is still a lot of healing to do. I guess I am tolerating foods up through list 3 pretty well, so that is a plus. I have good energy and mostly sleep through the night so I am trying to remain optimistic as best I can. I am only 4.5 months in. I just hate the occasional "what if I am the one that doesn't improve?" voice that speaks up alot throughout the day. I try to ignore that voice, but it is there sometimes....Sigh...

If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.

SarahC's picture
SarahC

Hey Mimi, thought I'd just pop on and say your symptoms sound just like mine. Mild but nagging, with background urge (I had bad urge and frequency to start with but that resolved more or less with the diet/getting rid of birth control etc).
 
Anyway, thought I'd come and encourage you, as this really is a thing of the past for me now. I've been in treatment 21 months and I reckon the background urge cleared up at the 1 year mark (with v occasional wobbles, but havne't had one for yonks). I couldn't really imagine it going, but it did! Really feeling much better these days - the last six months have made a big difference - just occasional awareness in pelvic floor/vv now. So hang in there! 4.5 months is super early; I'd barely felt any change by then!
 
And Denise, so so happy your uti is on the way out and the anxiety is lifting! I've had nasty anxiety/vertigo/weird deja vu feelings/breathlessness recently - think it's another round of die off, but it's super-horrid, and I've been thinking of you! Hopeful that it's on the way out now xx

DLFox123's picture
DLFox123

Hi Mimi,
Thank you for your kind words.  I too wish you more healing - YOU WILL GET THERE.  Stick your hand up and out and block out those negative words - it's a new coping skill I'm trying to develop - finally understand what the phrase "talk to the hand" means.  Ok - I'm a little slow on some things. :)
Hi Sarah and Ally - I also thank you for your kindness - I also wish you more healing - we are all coming so far.
Hugs to all