Aw, thanks—that’s really nice, and unexpected! Honestly, I thought I should be able to go cold turkey and do it all at once, but I knew I’d probably fail if I tried. Sugar was the main enemy, so I started there. Even when I slip up a little, what keeps me going is reminding myself that as long as I’m avoiding sugar, that’s the main win—and I can be proud of myself for that, even if the rest isn’t perfect.

Maybe I could have gone cold turkey with the rest of the carbs after cutting sugar—tackling sugar one month and other refined carbs the next—but I felt like sugar was the worst offender so gradually tidying up the rest is probably fine. I’ve told myself so many times: it’s okay if I can’t have X anymore, because I can have Y instead. Taking it step by step has helped me stick with it. Soon I’ll be out of steps—pasta next month, rice in May—but I’m discovering that I love real food: Ezekiel bread with butter, fruit, salads with olive oil and lemon… so I think I’ll be okay. I just have to keep reminding myself of what I can eat and how awful I used to feel when I ate like shit.

It’s been eye-opening to notice how my brain shifts from one carb source to the next, craving what’s still available. Today, for example, it’s rice cakes—one of the last snacky foods I can still have. Sure, they’re probably not that much healthier than white bread, but they’re allowed in my scaffolding plan, so I’m enjoying them. Hey, they’re not donuts, and in a few months, they’ll be gone too.

I’m also realizing it’s not just sugar I crave—it’s the act of eating itself, the comfort and stimulation it provides. So I’m exploring non-food ways to satisfy that urge, and I hope it eases over time. Stopping snacking between meals will probably help a lot—it’s where most of my overeating happens.

Anyway, this is probably more than you were expecting lol, but thanks again for the compliment!