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!