Hi All,

I decided in December to try out cocoa and chocolate again and see how I do with them. I took them out of my diet in the past because they had too much of a stimulant effect on me. When I'd eat chocolate, it would move too quickly through my system, especially when I was running, and tear things up on the inside a little bit too. I also felt that it changed my consciousness too much, made me wired. I've always been very sensitive to stimulants. My system runs high and fast enough without them, and I don't like how they make me feel.

I got the impression that I might be OK with it now, don't know why, so I've been adding cocoa and sometimes unsweetened dark chocolate to my diet. To my surprise and great delight, it's been a non-event. I still run hard on the treadmill with no digestive problems, and I don't feel wired. Maybe it's because I'm past menopause or because it's winter, but whatever the reason, I'm glad of it, because I really like the taste of it.

It may change again, and if it does, I"ll remove it again. It's one of those wonderful things about this program. On step 7, it's really easy to gauge the effects of different foods and easily remove them, without drama.

I also have added time 4-5 days a week to sit quietly and be aware of my thoughts for 10 minutes. That's also going well.

Just thought I'd post about this in case anyone was interested.

JoEllen