In part 3 I mentioned I’d be talking about dealing with the emotional side of changing to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. When I was getting ready to start the diet I remember feeling excited. I looked forward to learning something new, making a bunch of new recipes, eating healthy, and most of all – feeling good.
All of that was true, but there was an aspect I didn’t consider – the newness wearing off. It’s true, at some point the honeymoon was over and I found myself feeling a bit dragged down by the whole thing. That’s what happens when you start feeling better. Your brain starts to get fooled into thinking that you don’t need the diet. The diet is for people who aren’t feeling well and you feel great.
Nonetheless I had committed myself to sticking with it for at least a year before even thinking about anything else (if you’re wondering, I waited seven years before introducing new foods). That didn’t mean I felt happy about it the entire time. I found myself feeling left out of nearly every social occasion with family, friends, or at work. There were plenty of times where I had to sit there with nothing while everyone else enjoyed fried chicken or pizza. I resented them for eating in front of me.
You probably won’t be able to avoid those feelings completely. One big mistake I made in the beginning was not making sure I had something with me at all times that I could eat. One everyone else was digging in and I had nothing – or plain salad with no dressing (sometimes that felt worse than nothing) I started to feel the anger creep in. Once or twice it got the better of me and I whined and complained to whomever I was with.
It will happen, but what I started to realize was that I had made a commitment to myself and that was what was important. Yes, a slice of pizza at the work party would have been nice, but it also would have been a short-lived pleasure that could have led to hours of not feeling well. That’s one thing to concentrate on – it’s more uncomfortable (or embarrassing, or sidelining) to have an upset stomach than to just put up with an hour of other people eating food you can’t have.
I wish I had some great tips for this, but the best I can offer is to bring snacks you know you can eat and to focus on the positive – at least you’re feeling well enough to be around other people!
Yes, people socialize with food. It’s impossible to avoid, so i try to just concentrate on the social aspect. If anyone wants to know why I’m not eating I’ll tell them. After a while it won’t be a big deal.
Sometimes you might feel like throwing that pizza against the wall in a fit of rage, but you won’t actually do it. My main point in this post is just to let you know that you might feel like throwing in the towel during these times so you can join everyone else and feel like a normal person. Those feelings are normal, but don’t throw in the towel. You can get through it just like I did. Concentrate on feeling good!
Part 5 – Illegal and Legal Foods – coming soon!
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