Surviving the First Two Weeks of a Major Diet Overhaul (Barely)
Saying Goodbye to Sugar, Alcohol, and My Sanity
The first week of a major diet change is no joke. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions—one moment, you're irritable and whiny; the next, a glimmer of hope surfaces when you see a small improvement. Be prepared for the pendulum swings, and give yourself grace because, gurrrlllll!, you’re gonna need it!
Energy levels have been a problem for me for years. Whether it's due to thyroid issues, peri-menopause, psoriasis, or some twisted combination of the three, I can’t say for sure. But this first week was so mentally and physically exhausting that my co-workers actually noticed a shift and voiced concerns about my wellbeing. It was obvious I just wasn’t myself. I shared that I was on a new path and that it was really draining me. The brain fog was epic—one entire day, I was completely worthless at work. Thankfully, I’m surrounded by strong women in medicine who had my back.
These first two weeks have made me realize just how much I’ve used alcohol as a crutch for mood enhancement. Like many adults, my intake increased during Covid and then became my new normal. I would indulge in a nightly cocktail or two (never more), about four nights a week. It helped calm my always-present anxiety into a more manageable state.
Then, I listened to a podcast that described alcohol as essentially poison, overloading my already overtaxed liver and contributing to my skin issues. That was enough for me—I went cold turkey. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since February 3rd.
Tacos without nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, salsa) and without Palomas? GASP! People actually do that? I was a very sad panda, indeed. I was successful, but I felt completely deprived and hated my body for being so weak that it led me to this place of tasteless boredom.
To help control the scalp itch, I started taking the Sacro-B supplement (one a day) and drinking organic Slippery Elm Tea daily for gut and psoriasis healing. Made from tree bark, it tastes like water with a hint of celery.
It reminded me of Dana Carvey’s Grumpy Old Man skit on Saturday Night Live: “When I was your age, we didn’t have chewing gum, we chewed tree bark! It made gums black and our intestines bleed, and we liked it!”
I don’t know if we liked it, but we didn’t hate it, and that’s good enough for now.
I also didn’t realize how much food had become the sun in my daily universe. My entire day revolved around meals—taste and satisfaction played a huge role. I started making changes even before my bloodwork results came back. Why? Because I knew they’d recommend this anyway. Why keep going down a self-destructive road when I could start making better choices now?
The meals I’m preparing are plant-based, featuring whole foods as much as possible. Eliminating processed foods—chemically engineered to hit bliss points in the brain—has been a challenge. It made me spiral and question whether I would ever enjoy a meal again. The joy was wrapped up in the addiction, and it gave me the smallest glimpse into what a drug addict experiences when trying to quit.
I’m not saying eating clean is equivalent to overcoming addiction, but it does provide incredible insight into the mental battle addicts face daily.
Cutting out processed food makes dinner harder to plan, especially on days I work outside the house. Case in point: I was driving home, exhausted and depleted from my part-time job (the day of the horrific brain fog). My mood was total shit, and all I wanted to do was eat dinner, then crawl into bed and wait for the sweet release of death—err, I mean sleep.
I gave myself a pep talk on the way: “Okay, when you get home, you can heat up the Italian Penicillin soup you made. And as a treat, you deserve one of the homemade, whole grain peanut butter granola bars in the fridge.”
When I got home, my sweet husband had already heated up the soup for me. But when he put the bowl in front of me, I cracked. It wasn’t the soup I’d been dreaming about—it was some bean and ham concoction I’d forgotten I made after Thanksgiving and had cryogenically stored in the freezer on the cusp of expiration.
“This isn’t the soup I wanted,” I blurted, unable to stop myself. The moody monster had me in its clutches, and I was a bitter little shrew. Then, I immediately hated myself for saying it—he was trying to help me. I hastily added, “But thank you anyway,” and forced it down, followed by an arugula salad with a vinaigrette so sour it made my butthole pucker.
Turning the corner on a meal I didn’t enjoy, I was ready to console myself with the treat. With great anticipation, I rooted around the fridge—but I couldn’t find the container. Hearing my audible sighs of frustration, my sweet guy asked, “What are you looking for?”
“The granola bars.”
The look on his face said it all. They were gone. I almost burst into tears and whimpered, “It was the only thing I was looking forward to all day.”
Total. Drama. Queen.
We laugh about it now, but man, did it highlight two things:
I am/was addicted to food—especially sugar and processed carbs.
My husband is a saint. He’s voluntarily shifting his diet to accommodate mine, even though he’s perfectly healthy and doesn’t need to. From day one, he’s offered total support.
I’m learning that when you eat a lot of vegetables, consuming enough calories becomes a challenge. Removing calorie-dense foods in favor of fresh options means I feel full but am only eating 1,200 calories a day. I need to eat more—I don’t want to slow my already sluggish metabolism.
Also, I learned it’s easier to eat a smaller portion when you aren’t hitting bliss points in your brain and not enjoying the flavors. Maybe that’s the key? You can’t be addicted to food if you aren’t savoring it.
New Behaviors:
No alcohol (this one was tough—especially on taco night)
Eliminating most processed food
Taking Thorne Sacro-B for scalp itch
Drinking Slippery Elm Tea daily
Rebounding on a trampoline to reduce inflammation
Drinking kombucha
Eating more fruits, veggies, and nuts than ever before
Making my own food to control ingredients as much as possible
Wins:
Homemade Whole Grain Granola Bars
Fresh Cauliflower Rice
Date “Snickers”
Glow Up Health-Ade Kombucha instead of cocktails
Weight Lost: 6.4 lbs (mostly water first week, second week was more typical)
Total Inches Lost: 9.25”
Progress:
Burning ears reduced by 20%
Scalp Itch reduced by 50%
Bumps on the backs of my forearms smoothing and/or disappearing
Losses:
The whole roasted cauliflower. Huge time suck, and the lemon was too much. I far prefer it broken into florets, air-fried or pan-roasted with some caramelization and proper seasoning.
I consoled myself with this fact: According to research, diet changes can noticeably alter the gut microbiome within 24 hours—meaning significant shifts in bacterial composition can be observed within a day.
A day!
Now that’s the kind of instant gratification I can get behind.
I get my bloodwork results next week, followed by a treatment plan from the functional medicine doctor. It feels like I’ll finally have some answers, and I cannot wait to see what they uncover so I can take the next step toward healing.
Leave a comment below if you’re finding this Substack entertaining and/or informative and want me to continue. I love interacting with my readers! If you feel the urge, share it with your circle—women deserve to feel their best. If traditional medicine won’t prioritize women’s health, it’s up to us to take the reins.
If you’re enjoying this Substack and want to see what my novels are like, check out the Midlife in Aura Cove series—a completed, six-book paranormal women’s fiction series featuring three generations of women over 50 discovering their magic. Yeah, I know—there’s a theme in my writing. I can’t help myself.
Women are magic. We just are.
