Hi Laura. Welcome back!
I like the way you've reframed it as a learning experience, because that's really what our misadventures are.
You learned that you can feel so much better, and you also learned that you need to do it in a way that is sustainable. You are in the right place.

Starting with step 1 is a great idea. I look forward to hearing how it's going. I also like nut better in my hot cereal, and it used to be that hot cereal was just a vehicle for eating brown sugar. I also like to cook blueberries or diced apple in my oatmeal.
Allison

: Hi Everyone!

: I tried several times in the last 8
: years to start the program, but
: always ended up
: "failing" (aka
: learning!).

: Last year I started seeing a
: naturopath to see if she could
: help with my mood issues, and
: indeed she did! After a few months
: of a very restricted no-sugar diet
: along with anti-microbial herbs
: and probiotics, I had my
: microbiome reset and felt amazing
: for months. However, as my sugar
: intake has crept back up, my mood
: has crept back down. Then, at the
: end of November, I was under an
: enormous amount of stress and my
: sugar intake skyrocketed, and
: "Mr. Hyde" returned.

: The positives of that experience are
: that I was able to see just how
: good my life and mood were like
: without sugar (because I've never
: gone without sugar before) and I
: started to develop tastes for food
: prepared in other ways - I quite
: enjoy eating oatmeal with almond
: butter instead of brown sugar now.

: The negative part of the experience
: was that I never incorporated the
: behaviours required to maintain
: the sugar-free lifestyle, so I had
: no hope of getting through that
: stress unscathed!

: So now my plan is to come back to the
: Radiant Recovery plan and start
: again at Step 1.

: I'm looking forward to being part of
: the group again too!

: By the way - if there is someone else
: here with the same username,
: please let me know and I'll change
: mine.

: Laura