Days 2-4 of Sugar Detox

Day one ended well!  We ate our chorizo taco lettuce boats and went to bed feeling satisfied.  Our energy levels were pretty good throughout the day.  No 10am snack search or 3pm sugar crash.  It felt great!  The one thing I really love about this "diet" is that I am never hungry.  The meals are satisfying and nourish my body with what it requires to help me truck through the day, which proves to be difficult at times.  Sitting down thinking about what I used to have and how literally, 20 minutes later, I would be looking for something else... this is definitely worth the crazy, irrational phase where I look for crazy things to snack on.  Things I wouldn't normally reach for... like bakers chocolate (the bitter stuff you make brownies with), raw spaghetti or prunes.  As long as they have a sugar content, I'd be satisfied!    

Day two was a different story.  I woke up fatigued!  J didn't, and I don't think our partners in crime did either.  The big difference between the 4 of us is that I am 4.5 months pregnant.  If you are exercising for 30+ minutes a day or are pregnant/nursing, you have to add a starch on the "approved" list to provide your body with the additional energy it requires.  I didn't do that yesterday because it didn't seem necessary.  Ding dong, I was wrong!!!  So today I have a nice helping of winter squash on my menu.  Thank goodness there was some sitting in my freezer.  None of that stuff made the grocery list for this weeks menu.  

Day three went better!  Having that squash really helped.  BUT, the sugar crazies hit.  I took the kids blueberry picking at the town park.  The blueberries looked so delicious.  As usual, the kids ate more than they picked.  On a typical blueberry picking outing, I would pop a few in my mouth from time to time.  This is a habit very hard to break.  I had to spit a few out after I realized even "good" sugar needs to be avoided during the detox.  I found myself repeating out loud... "It's just 3 weeks.  Then I can have fruit again!"  I brought the blueberries home, gave some to the kids to snack on and froze the rest for August 12th... the day after the 21st day of the detox!  Nope - I'm not counting!  ;)

Today is day four.  For the first time, I woke up feeling energized.  I was alert and ready for the day at 7am, but the kids weren't up yet so I just chilled out thinking about the day.  I am looking forward to the day and feel like I have energy to deal with the kids, mental capacity to hold a normal conversation, and power to truck through the harder days.  I feel amazing!

Pointers:
Protein!!!  Make sure you have a substantive breakfast with some real protein (meat, eggs, etc.).  Protein is your friend!  It will keep your body satisfied for a longer period of time because it is much harder for the body to digest.

Preparation!!!  Preparation is key.  If you are short on time during the week, try to cook things on the weekend.  One thing I tend to do is cook 2-3 days worth of meat at once.  I'll cook a bunch of chicken thighs and that will be my go to breakfast, snack or lunch.  Meal planning is also quite helpful.  If you plan out your meals during the week, you are less likely to goof up.  As Jillian Michaels says, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

That's it for today folks!!!  Have a wonderful day! 

21 Day Suger Detox

I know it's been a while, but I'm back!!!  You're excited, aren't you?  It has been 6 months, but who is counting?  

So, as I return to the blog world, I am going to be sharing the journey J and I (and a few others) will be going through over the next 21 days.  What kind of journey?  We have signed up to do a 3 week sugar detox.  That means no pasta, potatoes, most fruit, bread and pretty much anything that comes in plastic wrap down the yummy junk food isle.  Essentially, it is the Paleo diet with full fat dairy squeezed in.  The point is to rid yourself of the sugar and carb cravings.  I was a little skeptical, but after reading the manual (with some recipes included), the science of it made total sense.  The person that wrote it also wrote "Practical Paleo", a Paleo cookbook with menus geared towards specific ailments (thyroid, autoimmune, cancer recovery, heart disease, etc).  If you'd like more info on the detox, check out this link.  

Anyhow, today is the first day.  Monday might not be the best day to start something like this, but we set a goal and we are sticking with it!  Well, we have every intention of sticking to it anyhow.  We decided to check in once a day, but that has proven to be quite difficult.  As the day went on, support was needed.  Right about now, I feel like raiding my pantry and eating a tub of peanut butter with sprinkled chocolate chips on top!  And heck... why  not throw in some leftover pasta too!  BUT, as tempting as that seems, I am forcing myself to keep the goal in mind and think about of how awesome I will feel in just a week or so. 

Today's menu: 

Crustless Quiche

Mustard glazed chicken thighs and Greek yogurt with a green tipped banana (one of the only fruits allowed)

Chorizo taco lettuce boats

I need to find another option for breakfast.  The quiche made me pukey.  Lunch was perfect though, and I am REALLY looking forward to dinner.  

Stay tuned... I have a feeling it's going to get harder before it gets better!  :)