The Master Cleanser: Day 3

By Richie Whitt Wed., Jan. 7 2009 at 2:00 PM

Status: Green

Weight: 165.8 (-5.3)

Mood: ~~Sad~~ ~~Stagnant~~ ~~Skeptical~~ Surprised

It's weird about cravings. I'm quickly learning on this diet that it's not your body that craves food, it's your mind.

With the nutrients from the lemons and syrup, my body - somehow - is fine. Energetic even. I'm sleeping great. I'm working out. Coaching my kid's basketball practice. I even got over my pre-diet cold, just like that.

My mind, however, he's hungry.

I remember covering the Dallas Cowboys in the early '90s and at training camp in Austin before afternoon practices in the 103-degree heat coach Jimmy Johnson would walk around licking his lips, clapping his hands and bellowing to his players, "Make your mind control your body; not your body control your mind."

I think I get that now.

Last night everything's going swell. Watching ESPN and waiting on my wife to get ready to go to the gym when on trots a taunting commercial for Pizza Hut's new "natural" pizza. I'm tellin' ya, Bob Beamon would've been impressed with the distance that I gleeked. My mind said "pizza!", my body responded with instantaneous reaction from my saliva glands and the end result was me morphing into a spitting King Cobra.

I went to the fridge, took a gulp or two of "lemonade" and - presto - the craving passed. My body wasn't hungry, but my mind wanted the sensation of eating.

I'm not trying go all Buddha on you, but wouldn't it be a better world if we could attach our positive emotions and reactions to something more productive than food? Like, instead of "comfort food" why can't we train ourselves to feel happy, content and fulfilled with "comfort charity work"?

In other news ... laxatives work, salt water is still shitty and I feel the need to brush my teeth five times a day. I said things are going good, not perfect. - Richie Whitt

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