Week One of the Sugar Detox

I have completed an entire week! The past week has had its challenges, but that makes me feel all the more accomplished.

My energy level and mood took a nosedive after the first few days. This is supposed to be a common occurrence as your body adjusts to not being fed a steady stream of sugars/carbs. I kind of took things easy, skipping a couple workouts and just kind of sitting around more than I usually do. For the past couple of days, I have been feeling much better. I'm looking forward to doing some sprints tomorrow!

Then there is the odd rash I developed. I got an itchy, red, scaly rash up the side of my neck, all along one side of my mouth, the rims of my nostrils, and even my upper lip (sexy!). Along with this, my throat was sore and I had inflamed tonsils. According to the 21-Day Sugar Detox materials, these are symptoms of candida die-off. The idea behind this is that, while everyone has candida (a fungus) in their digestive system, some people have an overgrowth. When you go on a diet such as this one and deprive the candida of the sugar it consumes as food, it begins dying off in mass quantities and your body reacts as it is flushed out of your body. I actually saw the doctor about this, and he had (not surprisingly) never heard of such a thing. He cultured my throat (negative for strep, thankfully), pronounced my rash a type of eczema, and instructed me to put hydrocortisone on it. I have never had eczema in my life. I decided against the hydrocortisone, seeing as it and sun exposure don't mix, and treated it with coconut oil instead. (You know how the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding put Windex on everything? That's me with coconut oil.) At any rate, my rash is now starting to clear up, which is such a relief! I am not convinced it was truly caused by "candida die-off", but it does seem like a huge coincidence.

Social settings presented their own challenges. On the Fourth of July, my family and I went to the movies. The kids got a tub of popcorn to share, but I somehow managed not to eat even one kernel. I munched on the pistachios I smuggled in instead. (Being prepared is of the utmost importance!) Then of course there is the typical barbecue fare served on the Fourth. My husband (who is being super supportive and doing this along with me) and I had grass-fed burgers and hot dogs, minus the buns, and I made up some foil veggie packets for the grill. Roasted broccoli and salad rounded out our meal. On Sunday, the kids and I spent the day boating with family. To take along in the cooler, I made some roast beef roll-ups with yogurt cheese and roasted red peppers. I also packed a bag of raw mixed veggies, a sugar-detox legal muffin from a batch I'd baked the previous day, and the materials required for my new favorite drink: club soda with lime. (Lemon and lime juice are allowed.) Aunt Vicky brought on board a selection of frosted sugar cookies that the kids eagerly went for, but I discovered that they didn't even look appealing to me. (It's working!)

It truly is getting easier after that first week. I'm feeling good, my energy has come back, and I've lost three pounds! Right now this seems like a sustainable way to eat, although I am definitely looking forward to eating fruit again. I'm a third of the way through!

Day 3 of the Sugar Detox

Things are going pretty well! I am not craving sugar much at all...maybe a few fleeting thoughts, but nothing unmanageable. The worst was yesterday when I baked some homemade peanut butter granola bars for my kids, which I decided to do because I'm apparently a masochist. The whole house smelled incredible and the kids were exclaiming over how good they were, but I got through it with a handful of almonds. Overall, I've actually not had much of an appetite, although I'm more thirsty than usual. I think making sure I'm eating plenty of fat, as suggested by the program, is helpful. Lots of butter and coconut oil, and I am now keeping a jar of bacon grease on my counter like my grandma used to - I never would have seen that coming! I am glad that before I even started this detox I had stopped believing in the unproven theory that saturated fat is bad. (See the movie Fathead for more information.)

My energy levels are so-so. I went for a run yesterday morning and incorporated sprints, which I've been doing once a week. My sprints were pretty strong and fast, but I was wiped out for the rest of the day after that - and starving when I got home! For a recovery snack, I ate some plain Greek yogurt with cinnamon. I'm not sure if I could ever get used to eating unsweetened yogurt on a regular basis - it at least needs some fruit. Today I did my regular strength training routine and got through it fine (my squats are getting deeper and my push-ups are improving!) but by the time I got home from grocery shopping with the kids this afternoon I needed some coffee. My mood hasn't been the best, but it's been worse! Everything is supposed to improve by Day 7, so I'm almost halfway there.

The 21-Day Sugar Detox

 

Today I started a new program, The 21-Day Sugar Detox, so I thought I would revive the blog to keep myself accountable and to keep the majority of people on my Facebook friends list from becoming alienated. The idea behind the detox is to eliminate sugar/carb cravings by removing foods containing high amounts of sugar from your diet for three weeks. My carb snarfing is way under control compared to my half-marathon training days, but I still regularly get sugar cravings - especially ice cream - and I would like to kick the habit. I would also like to kick to the curb the last nine pounds I need to lose in order to reach my goal weight, and I'm sure this program will put a dent in that.

The "Do Not Eat" food list is pretty restrictive. Fruit, grains, processed foods, anything containing any type of sweetener (including artificial ones), any type of alcohol, sweet/white potatoes, peas, and all legumes (including peanuts) are forbidden. There are three levels to the program. I chose Level 2, which allows full-fat dairy. I couldn't care less about milk, but I love butter and cheese. Fortunately for me, the program is not too different from how I have been eating lately, as I have been eating about 90% Paleo/Primal for the past month or so. I don't make grains a regular part of my diet anymore (although popcorn is a must-have treat for me) and I've been trying to avoid most processed foods for quite some time now. I will miss fruit, but it's only for three weeks! I can still eat most vegetables, any type of meat, most nuts and seeds, eggs, cheese and butter (along with other healthy fats, such as coconut oil and olive oil).

Last night I had some farewell-to-sugar snacks: a mango and some stove-popped popcorn. I'm rather proud of myself that I didn't turn it into an excuse to make an ice cream run. Today I had Jason take some "before" pictures, which I may or may not share - it depends on how good the "after" pictures look! Today it was fairly easy sticking to the program: kale sauteed in butter with eggs for breakfast, leftover (Paleo) southwest chicken vegetable soup for lunch, and roasted chicken with spaghetti squash au gratin and cooked baby carrots for dinner. (I was pleasantly surprised carrots were allowed, being one of the sweeter vegetables.) I admit I looked a little longingly at I Scream U Scream when I went out to pick up a movie tonight, but it wasn't hard to resist. Day One is in the bag - just 20 more to go!