Sarit, at this point in my program, lack of sleep over a period of time (generally a result of insomnia) has just as much or more of an effect on me as anything with my food. On top of that, after a few days I start to feel as though I have the flu. Glad you got that straightened out and are feeling better.

Allison

: It has taken me quite some time to
: get back on track since my trip
: abroad.
: Timing and food got wobbly while
: visiting my daughter.
: After getting home, instead of things
: getting better as I had expected,
: I actually went deeper and deeper
: into whites, sugar and chocolate

: Then a week ago, something really
: interesting happened
: It taught me a lot about what is
: deeply embedded for me in doing
: the food

: When I returned home, I was on a
: 10-hour jet lag which took forever
: to shake off.
: But when the jet lag settled, instead
: of making sure I kept to a good
: sleep schedule, I kept staying up
: late to watch TV.
: It kept me in sleep deprivation mode,
: and I couldn't cope with doing the
: food.

: Then, one night - thoroughly
: exhausted - I went to bed early
: and got up very late.
: I slept about 14 hours!!
:

: As if by magic, the very next day I
: forgot all about the whites and
: sugar and chocolate,
: and just picked up my food program as
: if nothing had ever happened
: It wasn't a conscious decision.....it
: just happened on automatic pilot.
: It was only in the late evening, when
: I made DH a cup of tea with
: chocolate-covered cookies,
: that I noticed I had *forgotten* to
: binge

: In answer to a message I had posted
: long ago about sleep deprivation,
: Kathleen wrote me that if I didn't
: get enough sleep it would CLOBBER
: me.
: Well, clobber me it did, even after
: almost seven years on the program
:

: So I've been doing squeaky-clean food
: for a week now, with ZERO effort!
: And I've been sleeping lots
: The most amazing thing was that there
: was no Day 4 in sight!
: I kept waiting for it to pounce on
: me, and it never showed up.
: At all.
: That was strange

: Well, lesson learned
: Not only am I eating well now, but I
: also finally have the strength
: to cook myself good meals that help
: me keep doing the food

: Sarit