by JP Esq | Jul 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
I tried to quit sugar using Sarah Wilson’s eight-week detox “program” laid out in her book I Quit Sugar. I really did. I have managed to dramatically cut back on my sugar intake, but that seems to be more discipline than strict adherence to the detox program.
There is a healthy amount of information in the book, but the sources of the science aren’t entirely transparent. And some of the suggestions {like eating more fat in place of sugar} should be supported by hard facts and sources since they are so counter intuitive.
The eight-week program though isn’t really a “program” by the standards many people are likely searching. There’s no eating plan, there’s no schedule, there’s no real accountability. It’s more of an encouragement plan. Giving you information to empower you to make the best decisions, but if you are the type of person who needs exact steps to follow and strict guidelines on what to eat every hour of the day – this book is not for you. I’d call it detox coaching rather than a detox program.
By other issue with this book is biased, but if you have a load of food allergies, this book is also not for you. No fault to the author, but for those of us who have to potential fatal allergies to foods, this is critical information to have. The two main sources of substitutes in the book seem to be coconut something and almond something else. I’m allergic to both so found that many of the recipes were just not usable for me. I did try the Salted Caramel Halloumi & Apples Apples recipe because it was quick and I love Halloumi. Try Halloumi if you haven’t; sauté in olive oil until golden brown. It’s delicious.
That said, this is a gorgeous book with lovely photography. But you can’t eat the paper, and pictures aren’t going to help you reign in your sugar problem. I gave my book to my sister, who has no issues with food other than a sensitivity to gluten. Perhaps she will have better luck.
You can peek into the book here.
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to post a positive review.
by JP Esq | Jul 11, 2014 | Uncategorized
My Mr. has a way of speaking so much life into my world. The hard truths are shrouded in love and through that process I have a growing self-awareness. Here are a few things I’ve learned about myself this year:
I’m not the rock in my relationship; I am the kite in the wind. I have always held some inflated sense of pride in being the solid rock in my relationships. The one who has it all together, knows all the answers, makes all the right moves. I’ve learned that I am the exact opposite of that. I’m the one who freaks first. When the storms roll in (and they always do) I am thrashed around in brutal fashion. But more than the acknowledgement of this is the acceptance that it is ok, as long as I commit to growth. I don’t have to always have it all together. I don’t have all of the answers. My Mr. somehow harnesses my energy (as he puts it) and finds a way to root his feet soundly in God’s Word and Way and keep me tethered close so I don’t fly off into the winds of trial. When he’s flailing, I hope to do the same for him.
I have to rely on God for my supply of patience; it is not something I posses. Perhaps we all have that list of ideal qualities we think we should posses. At the top of my list was patience. I’m supposed to be patient, so when my patience wanes I see failure in my dashboard. Grace absent. Initially, when My Mr. pointed out my penchant for impatience, I was hurt and felt a grandiose sense of inadequacy. What I learned was that I needed to be ok in my weakness to give God’s strength the opportunity to be perfect over me. Listen, I’m not patient. Everyone moves too slow, thinks too slow, talks to slow. And I’m sorry. But I’m working on it and learning to give myself grace in the process.
I have decision paralysis. Whatever the source, this is the one thing I’m trying to change post-haste. I could write a book on the origins of my current paralytic state when it comes to making decisions (and perhaps some day I will), but not today. I labor over making decisions. Big and small. Insignificant and life-changing. And by labor I mean a painstaking, soul-swallowing, tear drying intense overwhelm. It is a prison in which I no longer wish to dwell. I bought into the illusion that I was actually deciding NOT act when I wasn’t sure what to do. In other words, if I’m not 100% sure that it is a perfect right decision, I don’t do anything. Not ok. Not continuing. Must change.
There are others, but these are the three that present themselves most today. I am grateful for the 14 years of friendship I have behind this growing relationship and for someone who delivers the truth of what I need to know in a way that is loving and soft (most of the time). He understands my fragile interior, but loves me enough to desire and encourage continuous personal growth from me, by making me aware of who I am. He wants to see me do better, grow, and be more of who God created me to be. I don’t deserve the gift that he is to my life, but I humbly receive him.
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