Many scrutinized the direction we were taking with Armand. Questioning why I would make things difficult for Armand, my husband and myself. This diet is not easy, not simple, not effortless. In the beginning everything has to be cooked, peeled and rotated. And, depending on the response, this diet could last from six months to a year. Or longer.
I acted quickly. Armand deserved my attention and aggressive approach. Instead of slowly ripping off the band-aid, we quickly removed it. Armand got a crash course in “cold turkey”. All the foods he used to eat and loved to eat, were gone. Interestingly, my husband and son enjoyed the same snacks. Armand was not alone in his suffering, his grieving.
Armand started going through withdrawals. When you go through this drastic of a change, the body has an opiate reaction. Armand experienced certain “highs” with foods, and that “high” was immediately removed. A lot of upsetting behaviors occur during this time. It is intense enough to make you rethink your decision. I dug into my strong southern roots and stayed the course.
All of us went on this diet journey by purging everything out of the house Armand could not enjoy. If we were going to make this a triumph, we were all going to agonize, endure, and grieve together.
After about the first two weeks, when the cravings diminished and the yeast and fungus in his tummy realized the party was over, my sweet boy returned, and really started to blossom. ~ cont’d.
Quite a journey, and so worth it!
Good job, Nat!
MOM