The nugget., January 13, 2016, Page 26, Image 25

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Wednesday, January 13, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Living a new way — one day at a time
By Katy Yoder
Columnist
On December 25, I com-
pleted a two-month cleanse.
For 60 days I lived without
gluten, dairy, sugar, alco-
hol, caffeine and most fruits
and meats. When Christmas
morning finally arrived I
found myself less excited
about my food-freedom than
I’d expected. Sugar and
“heavy” foods had lost their
allure. I liked the way I was
feeling and didn’t want to
return to my former state.
I did have a few sips of a
Bloody Mary, complete with
a splash of vodka. It didn’t
take much to make me feel
tipsy, so I didn’t finish it.
There was a pecan, pumpkin
and apple pie and a decadent
flourless chocolate cake to
cap off Christmas dinner. But
the thought of letting sugar
back into my body seemed
like a dangerous choice. So
instead I ate a “snap” of my
stevia-sweetened chocolate
bar so I didn’t feel left out.
That night I went to bed feel-
ing satisfied and not over-
stuffed — another first for a
Christmas celebration!
I’m finding that remain-
ing on most of the cleanse
guidelines isn’t as hard as
I thought. With health-ori-
ented businesses in town like
Melvin’s and Angeline’s I’m
able to purchase food that is
healthy and still delicious.
Going forward I’ve decided
to do a 90/10% ratio of eat-
ing a vegan diet with little or
no processed sugar.
When Gary and I cele-
brated our 25th anniversary,
I splurged and enjoyed an
amazing flourless chocolate
cake complete with peanut
butter ice cream and cara-
mel drizzled across the plate.
We shared it, and just a few
bites was all I needed. For
a girl who can eat a whole
pint of ice cream on her
own, that felt great. This
new way of eating seems to
have “cleaned out” my com-
pulsion to finish everything
I’m eating without thinking
about it.
When I spend the time
to make my own food with
ingredients I know are
healthy for me, I seem to
be more mindful about my
diet. Having started and
failed many diet plans in the
past, I’m under no illusions
that I’m “cured” and won’t
have to deal with addictive
tendencies toward food. I
know there’s still some deep
grooves that could catch me
up and send me right back
into repetitive behavior that
doesn’t serve me.
Now I’m working on my
lack of discipline when it
comes to exercise. I usually
show up at the gym once or
twice a week. There’s always
a good excuse — work gets
too busy; I have our dog
and don’t want to leave him
alone for an hour; or I simply
forget to go. But there’s also
a subconscious component
that acts as a repellent: Fear
of pain and injury.
Since I don’t go regularly,
it’s harder on me when I do
show up. My body protests
with achy joints, pain from
scar tissue and radiation and
my ever-present sore feet. As
my hubby points out, once I
go, there’s usually that great
endorphin-rush released
from exercise. I’m working
on remembering that posi-
tive outcome and forgetting
the pain that may or may not
happen.
I’ve got a list on the wall
above my computer designed
to keep me on track. It helps
me to minimize the fear I
have that cancer may come
back. I needed to find a way
to deal with that fear before
it grew any larger. There are
times when anxiety creeps in,
photo by gary yodEr
Katy feeling good after climbing the dune at Cape Kiwanda.
especially when I feel pain.
A sense of doom hijacks my
thoughts and before I know
it depression gains a foot-
hold. That’s when I have to
take control and remember,
I’m healthy right now and
these fear-based thoughts
are not true. Sometimes I’m
actually afraid of the fear
I’m feeling because I know
negative thoughts produce
stress which is not good for
my health.
I’ve realized that when
I’m doing everything I can to
be healthy, I worry less about
reoccurrence. Some of my
directives include: Listening
to my inner voice; taking
time to meditate and journal
and exercise. I added some
photographs of me having
fun and living my life to the
fullest. It’s so easy to become
sedentary and lost in my own
head, especially when it’s so
chilly outside!
But excuses don’t serve
me, so I’m choosing to look
at my plan for 2016 every
day and remember the guid-
ance I’ve given myself
to follow. There’s always
something to tackle, so I’ll
keep moving in the right
direction and see where I
end up.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Sisters!
Th e Nugget Valentine’s Day
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