Chicana on the Edge

Mentioning the unmentionable since 2004

Releasing Another Layer (Cake)
written by Regina Rodríguez-Martin
January 10, 2021

Previous post on this topic: McCombs Candida Plan Day 53

I’ve been on the 16-week (112-day) McCombs Candida Plan for 71 days and yesterday I completely rebelled by buying a Pepperidge Farm frozen cake and trying to eat it (after thawing it, of course). But a strange thing happened: as I ate a piece, I found the layers of the cake rubbery and tasteless. Only the frosting tasted good, and then I realized that only the outside frosting tasted good. The inside frosting between the layers was watery and bland.

Of course, I had a second piece to make sure, but the cake was getting less and less appealing. Then I switched to eating only the outside of the cake with the good frosting, but it wasn’t long before I felt an unpleasant sugar rush throughout my body and I knew I had to stop. I was hurting myself.

As I walked away from the cake, I thought, “Why do I keep eating when it’s not what I want? There’s no reason to eat a cake that doesn’t taste good. This is such an old behavior.” Then an image occurred to me. I saw myself at a large dinner party enjoying a seven-course meal. I thought, “So maybe the first course is good, and the second course is even better, but the third course really isn’t good. I try a few bites and I don’t like it at all. Would I keep eating? Would I fill up on food I don’t like, knowing there are four more courses that might be delicious? No. I would stop with the third course and wait for a better one.”

I wondered if stopping with my sugar obsession might allow me to wait for the better thing in life that could help me more than eating sweets ever did. I’ve heard that the sense of safety and peace and joy that I’ve gotten in the past from food can be found in other ways.  Can it possibly be true?

Well, it better be true because layer cake does NOT do it anymore. It gave me a stomach ache that I had to walk off, but a few hours after I tried once more. I ate only the part that tasted good, but it didn’t taste good anymore. Now it really just felt like terrible, rubbery cake layers and too-sweet frosting. It gave me another stomach ache and I threw the rest away.

“I don’t want it,” I thought. “This is not what I want anymore.” It felt like such a profound shift that I began EFT tapping as I repeated, “This is not what I want anymore.” I did some crying (Relief? Disappoinment? Not sure). I knew I’d released another layer of old beliefs and behaviors.

Now I’ll see if this experience changes how I look at frosted layer cakes. I’m so used to gazing at them longingly, but this isn’t the first time I’ve realized they don’t give the emotional lift they used to. They’re no longer delicious to me (and most baked goods give me a stomach ache because I don’t digest wheat well). So it’s — once again — time to let go of thinking cakes and cookies will make me feel good. They don’t. And now I’m open to new ways to feel safety and peace and joy. I wonder what the next course will be.

Next post on this topic: Wars of the Buttercream Roses

10 Jan 2021

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7 Comments

  1. Rudy Giuliani

    I also need to adjust my diet to significantly reduce sugar. I can easily feel the sugar imbalance if I’ve eaten too many sweets. So how did you program end up? Would you recommend this program?

    Reply
    • Regina

      Hey, Rudy Giuliani (why do you still want to use that handle?). I just posted on how it turned out: https://www.reginachicana.com/2021/02/mccombs-candida-plan-so-how-did-it-go/
      The short answer is that I got a couple of good things out of it, but it didn’t change my life. I recommend it if you think a candida albicans overgrowth is causing poor health. If you don’t think that, but want to figure out what foods are causing you problems or just want to get really cleaned out, then I’d say do the diet part without the rest of the Plan (sweat baths, supplements, etc). It felt like a kind of reset, after which I could choose how much junk I wanted to let back into my life.

      Reply
      • Regina

        I should probably add this to my post.

        Reply
  2. Meridith Gelmetti

    Congrats on day 74 (if I did my math correctly)! It sounds like you have made leaps and bounds with your sugar addiction. That is amazing! Granted, the cake experience was upsetting. But, you counteracted that experience with self-reflection and a great attitude, just like Andria says! Your commitment to this plan seems to be helping a lot and I am so happy for you!

    Reply
    • Regina

      The cake experience wasn’t upsetting, but more surprising. It was actually a relief. But thanks for the support.

      Reply
  3. Andria

    “now I’m open to new ways to feel safety and peace and joy.” – what a great attitude. I really enjoy following your travels through these issues 🙂

    Reply
    • Regina

      Thanks, Andria. I’ve been working hard on my food problems for 27 years. I figure I should be through them in just a couple more decades.

      Reply

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