Counting Drops, Not Donuts

 SO WE’RE DOING THIS..

What’s that, you ask?

We have committed — heart, mind and wallet, to follow a medically supervised weight loss program.

My husband Steve, is the actual wellness-driven patient, and I (his wife Sandy, aka as SjoDry), am Steve’s official Wellness Support Partner.

For anyone who has done their due diligence on strict food plans and still made the commitment to dive in..despite the near universal first deer-in-headlights response to their stringent requirements-Congratulations! Please join us on the path to perfect portion control.

We are recent retirees who have decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle so we can more fully enjoy this new chapter in our lives.

WHEN YOUR SWEATPANTS BECOME JUDGEMENTAL

So how did we get here? 

Before I can address our adventures and discoveries on this new medically monitored food plan, I think it’s important to acknowledge the realities that brought our scale to a head.

I started to say that it all began in our ‘Early Marriage’ years, but the truth is, it actually started much earlier-in our childhoods. It is called conditioning. And marketing.

“ TRIX ARE FOR KIDS “

It began on Saturday mornings with Sugar Smacks, Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops, fed to us both literally and figuratively as we watched cartoons on our TV’s. This is where we learned what “normal” looked like - and tasted like. We were trained early to see sweetness as breakfast. We trusted labels and the iconic characters who sold them to us: Tony The Tiger, Lucky The Leprechaun, and Count Chocula.

No one called it a food relationship yet- but one was forming.

My first food memories weren’t meals. They were cereals. Bright boxes, loud promises, and the comforting belief that if it came with a toy, it must be healthy. We didn’t just eat cereal, we ate with Tony. We trusted the Count. And we hand-picked out the “magically delicious” pastel marshmallows from every serving of Lucky Charms (or at least I did - and still would if adequately tempted.)

The reality of that Saturday-Morning ritual, though, was that it quietly- and powerfully- reinforced a relationship with sugar that followed many of us well beyond childhood. A sugar habit, in one form or another, has taken up long-term residence in most of our bodies for most of our lives.

So here we are. Not at the finish line, not even fully convinced we know we know what we’re doing—just willing to pay attention in a way we haven’t before. This blog isn’t about perfection, redemption, or dramatic transformation (well maybe that.) It’s simply a place to notice what happens when structure meets honesty, and when long-standing habits are examined with humor instead of judgement. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how you got here too, you're welcome to walk alongside us. 🍽️

 

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