Joy dot: the most incredible sky yesterday afternoon, with clouds with multiple beams of light shining through. And the Sandia and Manzano mountains were lit up, with a big rainbow on top of the south end of the Sandias.

One thing I would definitely recommend is joining the step 6 list. There, you will find other people who are doing detox or have recently done detox and can share what they have learned. Of course, you can still post here as well - we would love to hear how it's going

What I remember most about detox is the challenges that came up in social situations. People were used to seeing me eat sugar, and all of a sudden I was declining it. And when I went to parties, I would bring my own treats, so I wouldn't feel deprived. I used to bring things like berries and cream. (I had detoxed cold turkey on another program, so it was a very abrupt adjustment). Now it doesn't bother me at all to have people eat dessert in front of me and I don't need to bring something of my own, but it really helped at the beginning. I also had to learn new ways of rewarding myself, since I could no longer sit down and have coffee and cookies. (Since I didn't use sugar in my coffee, I kept drinking coffee for 6 months, but then I quit caffeine too, because my addiction to it was causing problems.)

I got a dog a few months before I made all these dietary changes, and I think the exercise I got taking her for walks helped a lot too. And I found that if I was restless, or feeling a craving for "something", a brisk walk around the block really helped. Or I would get some beef chili from the deli across the street from my office for lunch, and the fat and spices would satisfy me.

My life doing the food was so much better that I have never looked back. I've been eating this way since December of 1998, with a few small detours at the beginning, but once I realized how my life was changing, I committed totally to doing the food. No more depression, crazy thought patterns, feeling like the whole universe and God were out to get me. No more voice in my head telling me all day what a loser I am, and how I'm ugly and unloveable. I still remember the day I realized the voice was gone. Now my worst low BE day is like a good day before the program. And now that I've experienced life as a sane person, I wonder how I even accomplished as much as I did when sugar was messing with my brain. It was like going through life with a huge ball and chain attached to my ankle.
Allison

: Most definitely I am lurching around.
: Didn't know what to do, so here I
: am at Day 3 of detox and stuck
: between two worlds. Any help would
: be appreciated. You, Mosaic,
: Allison and Cloe have been most
: helpful.

: Jeffrey