View Full Version : 21-Day Sugar Detox
Hi all,
Happy New Year! Anyone interested in doing a sugar detox? I saw that the paleo bloggers I read are doing a detox and I need to do one too after indulging too much over the holidays. And I remembered how much I enjoyed doing it here with you guys.
Everyone can modify it to suit their needs. I'm going to eliminate sugar (plus wheat because my body treats it as sugar). I might keep my coffee sugar for a week or so - we're using Starbucks French Roast coffee which is just too strong for me to drink without it. I'm working on switching to Splenda but it's tough.
I'm starting today if anyone wants to join me!
Tussiemussies
1-2-13, 4:23pm
Just to cheer you on, I gave up sugar two years ago and only broke down like 4 times since then. I feel SO much better! I decided to give it up when my mother was diagnosed with diabetes. Good luck you CAN do this. PS do some research with Dr. Mercola, he says any artificial sweetener is not good for the body...
Christine
I am doing South Beach. The diet plan uses a lot of Splenda. I try to stay away from it, although I do but hard candies with Splenda. The rest of the time I use agave nectar. I know there is some controversy around agave, but it has helped me lose 40 pounds in 6 months and helped stave off sugar cravings.
I can always use some support for staying away from sugar. I did much better this holiday than any in the past because I did not eat any wheat. It really helped. I plan to stay off wheat long-term, and mostly off sugar.
I want to, especially as I notice that I've been creaky in the joints and wonder if this could improve it. But as we talked about in the goals thread I will "lean into" it . . . I can only hold so many goals in my head and be successful at any of them and I'm already focused on finishing up some projects.
I have been off wheat for nearly an entire year, though, and the difference has been amazing. I think dairy needs to go, too, but I haven't brought myself to completely eliminate it yet. One thing at a time . . . . .
Look at Xylitol as a sugar replacement. It's natural, safe for diabetics, and tastes just like sugar. And good for your teeth.
I could never give up sugar. I could cut down on sweets but sugar seems to be everywhere.
I am doing the 21-Day Sugar Detox. I started yesterday. I was going to do level 3, but decided to do Level 2 so that I can have cream in my coffee and occasional cheese or Greek yogurt. But I am accustomed to putting liquid Stevia in my coffee and that is really hard to give up! It seems so harmless, but I am going to try to do this by the books.
I am also working out every day of the program for at least 30 min. It can be anything from swimming, biking/spinning, running, weights/strength training, or yoga.
I'm coming from a low-carb/Paleo background, so I don't think it will be too hard. But I do miss the Stevia in my coffee! I've been off track for the past 2 months, so I need to clean up.
I have been off wheat for nearly an entire year, though, and the difference has been amazing. I think dairy needs to go, too, but I haven't brought myself to completely eliminate it yet. One thing at a time . . . . .
I've been off wheat for about 6 months, and I have to agree with you, fidgiegirl, the difference has been pretty significant! I was off dairy for about 2 months and was feeling even better, but went back to it because I just missed cheese so much! I'm going to try a dairy-free stint again after I get back from Texas next week (too hard to try to start up again while traveling).
As for sugar...I know I *should* at least cut back. I would estimate that 90% of the sugar I eat is in the form of chocolate. That's gonna be hard to let go of...
Good luck to all of you on this challenge!!!
After hubby's heart troubles, the doc put him on a low glycemic diet - similar to a diabetic diet. It can be low carb but is definately low to no sugar. I have joined him in this dietary change, and have to say I feel so much more energetic!
We went off the program the other day with pasta for lunch and then a cinnabon for snack. It was good at the moment but we both suffered afterwards - me with a nauseous feeling and dh with headache and racing heart. I have to say that sugar is addicting and the removal of it will cause symptoms and then slipping up is "self -correcting ", at least in our case.
Hubby has been allowed dark chocolate as long as the cacoa content is over 70 percent. It is a small treat that is really worthwilhile, so for the poster with chocolate cravings (all of us, lol) check into the GOOD stuff.
Hi, Watergoddess, glad you are back! I will "lean into" this along with Fidgiegirl. I was doing very well from August through November but fell off the wagon including messing around with wheat and dairy (and sugar) and really, really feeling the negative effects. So I know that in order to feel well I have to eat particularly well. This will be a help. I want to get back to completely off wheat and dairy, which I think will be fairly easy and completely off sugar which is extremely difficult for me. Even when I was doing a pretty "paleo" program I still kept my dark chocolate but the problem is that I have trouble keeping myself at one or two squares a day. Within a couple of weeks I was eating a bar every two days (that 100 gms, no longer a trivial amount).
So I am easing into my program because that seems to work best for me....dropped grains and dairy but slipped up with some milk chocolate which is still left over from the holidays, yesterday. Today I am clean so far....if I focus on colourful delicious vegetables, good protein and plenty of fat, I can manage just fine, and hopefully will drop the five pounds that I bloated on in the last couple of weeks.
Lmerullo, your story is a good one....love those carbs in the moment but the aftereffects are telling. And to think I used to live in that carb-induced pain and haze all of the time!
We went off the program the other day with pasta for lunch and then a cinnabon for snack. It was good at the moment but we both suffered afterwards
I've never had a "sweet tooth", but refined sugar is such a small part of my diet anymore that eating a donut or more than a couple of bites of cake almost makes me sick thinking about it. Just kind of that "I know what's going to happen and I don't like it" feeling. It makes it quite easy (for me) to walk away. Now if only I could apply that psychology to a few other foods.... :confused:
Hubby has been allowed dark chocolate as long as the cacoa content is over 70 percent. It is a small treat that is really worthwilhile, so for the poster with chocolate cravings (all of us, lol) check into the GOOD stuff.
A little bit of good chocolate is far more satisfying than a lot of some cheap-o Hershey bar or such. There's more flavor, a better mouthfeel. Good chocolate is not inexpensive, but in the long run, it probably isn't more expensive than buying more of the cheap stuff.
Happy New Year, Watergoddess!
I'm going to pass on this challenge this time around, but am extending much success and encouragement to all!
Maria527. Extending a warm welcome your way! Hope you become a regular face/member to our home. :)
I'll "lean" along with you folks! My big goal for this year is to get my blood sugar issues under control. I have been hypoglycemic all my life, so I know sugar is a big problem for me. But so hard to cut out. Need to do it, though. But I also can't just cut out chocolate entirely! So I'll try to reduce and substitute other things.
For the coffee drinkers, I highly recommend using half and half or cream in your coffee. I started doing this when I was cutting back on sugar last year, and now I can't drink coffee with sugar in it -- too sweet! Only took me a couple of days to adapt to/learn to love the new style.
lhamo
It's great to have so much company! :) Thanks for the support and encouragement everyone. I really admire all of you who have been able to stay off sugar for several years. I've been working on it for several years myself but seem to relapse about once a year and that relapse lasts several months. And of course it's so hard to get back on course. Last year I was doing really great for most of the year but then a series of events hit (minor surgery, etc.) and then the holidays. So here we go again!
Yesterday was mostly a success. We had a new year's party and had a bunch of leftovers so I threw them out: french bread, cherry pie, carrot cake, etc. On the negative side, I had a good-sized piece of dark-chocolate covered toffee. But it was the last one in the box so no more temptation. Right now my sugar cravings are pretty high (that time of month as well). My goal is to get thru today without buying one of those Panera cranberry muffins. :|(
Thanks for the reminder that I can use xylitol in my coffee! I forgot about that. I'm going to do that tomorrow. I mainly use Splenda because it does not cause sugar cravings for me but I know it's not a good thing either. I am really sensitive to sugar in any form. Here is a great article that confirmed what I had already discovered:
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/08/modifying-paleo-for-fodmap-intolerance.html
I can't really do dairy either. I notice a negative reaction almost as soon as I eat it and I always break out too. So really, my top three offenders are sugar, wheat and dairy. I feel amazing when I cut those out. I don't know why I keep allowing them back in. Crazy human! :0!
Right now I won't worry about restricting fruit or other grains because I want to get the top three off, but eventually I want to get back to my low-carb paleo. I do best on that.
How's everyone doing today?
Maria527 - I just saw that you are also doing low-carb paleo. Fantastic! And you have inspired me to get in the 30-mins of exercise. I think I'll go for a walk right now. Thanks!
That paleomom site is terrific, watergoddess. Thank you for that. She offers lots of well supported information and useful links to other resources.
Reporting on yesterday: Fail at the no-sugar part. But success if I count generally improving my nutrition. So I had lots of vegetables, good quality meat and fish, and then when I hit the chocolate it was after dinner (but not planned and pretty impulsive/binge-ey).
I am not giving myself a hard time about it, though, and today I have upped the veggies even more, plus made sure I fed myself enough so far today.
Also, DH took a pile of sweets out of the house and into the office today. What doesn't leave over the weekend will leave in the trash or compost on Monday, so we'll be clear of that.
I roasted sweet potatoes and have to say that when I am off "sugar" those sweet potatoes taste like candy to me. Delicious.
Tussiemussies
1-4-13, 2:17pm
After hubby's heart troubles, the doc put him on a low glycemic diet - similar to a diabetic diet. It can be low carb but is definately low to no sugar. I have joined him in this dietary change, and have to say I feel so much more energetic!
We went off the program the other day with pasta for lunch and then a cinnabon for snack. It was good at the moment but we both suffered afterwards - me with a nauseous feeling and dh with headache and racing heart. I have to say that sugar is addicting and the removal of it will cause symptoms and then slipping up is "self -correcting ", at least in our case.
Hubby has been allowed dark chocolate as long as the cacoa content is over 70 percent. It is a small treat that is really worthwilhile, so for the poster with chocolate cravings (all of us, lol) check into the GOOD stuff.
Hi, DH and I also follow a no refined sugar diet which I feel so much better just as you do. For a treat my DH makes a dark chocolate cake made with black beans, eggs and stevia and dark cocoa. Stevia is a totally safe sweetener that comes from a plant. Truvia in the grocery store is made from stevia. Anyway the cake comes out nice and DK takes Dark cocoa and mixes it with olive oil and stevia and it makes a great thin topping. It is more like a snack cake but at least a little treat! Just FYI
Tussiemussies
1-4-13, 2:20pm
PS. For all of us following this diet just FYI, any sugar alcohol in food is very toxic to the body. Artificial sweeteners are also very toxic to the body, just FYI for better health...:)
I also had a major fail yesterday. Note to self: A box of chocolate covered almonds in the desk drawer is not conducive to reducing one's daily sugar intake! Moment of weakness at a point in the day where I was feeling rather stressed. It made me feel rather sick, actually, which I knew mentally would happen but it is always funny how your cravings/stress responses can outweigh the careful thinking of your frontal cortex.
Anyhoo, that is over and done with and I have promised myself NO MORE CHOCOLATE IN THE DESK DRAWER! I do have nuts and other things, so if I need a snack there is something there.
Now to make it through the weekend.
lhamo
Glad to see I wasn't the only one who struggled yesterday! I did fine until about 8 pm when we were watching a movie and I remembered I still had choc chip cookie dough in the fridge. I did throw it out, but not until after I had made and eaten a batch of it. I felt really yucky physically, and was pretty disappointed in myself.
But today is a new day! I used xylitol in my coffee instead of sugar and I'm going to go thru my fridge and pantry and toss out anything else that I find. It's hard to throw out perfectly good food but I know how harmful it is to me.
leslieann - I'm glad you like The Paleo Mom blog. She's terrific. I love how she delves into subjects and really tries to understand what's going on; and the fact that she always stresses listening to your own body. Even though I follow a mostly paleo diet I make changes based on how I respond to foods. I don't do fermented foods at all and I don't do gluten substitutes or paleo baking. I would rather just eliminate foods that my body doesn't handle well than do all that work to find substitutes which might come with their own set of problems. I also like these two blogs - although Paleo Parents sometimes do focus a bit too much on desserty type things, but that's probably because they have kids:
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/
http://paleoparents.com/blog/
Good luck everyone!
chocolate again last night but a good day for veggies, as I posted earlier.
My coffee treat is coffee with coconut milk. Otherwise I try to take coffee black, which is possible if the coffee is very good (homemade, of course).
Enough fat, enough protein, enough vegetables and enough exercise...by Monday I'll be thru with all the nonsense for awhile. I noticed NO interest in a glass of wine last night which was a good thing. I don't drink very much but I do notice that it takes a toll of some sort on me.
I also don't mess around with "gluten-free" substitutes. I do best with no grains. But it isn't easy to stay that way in this house.
My doctor has me giving "Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution" a try, after I expressed concern about my long term health. I'm 46 now, and my father had a heart attack in his mid-fifties, (and my mother had type 2 diabetes, and I was by her bedside as she went through a painful death last year). My doctor is not as worried about me as I am. My blood pressure has been a little high when I get my yearly physical, (150/90), but the doctor put a 24 hour monitor on me, and my pressure is fairly normal to low most of the time, dropping to (90/48) in the middle of my sleep.
Anyway, Dr. Gundry isn't really paleo. He starts on a similar footing, getting rid of grain products and sugars, including fruits, but he transitions into two other phases, adding back up to 1/2 cup of grains and beans a day in phase 2, along with his list of "good" fruits, and then moving into a more raw foods diet that eliminates most animal proteins. Admittedly, I like him better than a lot of lifestyle change writers because he's all for coffee and red wine, and he allows a little square of dark chocolate. He's also not that into specific amounts or counting calories.
To a certain extent, I think all these diets are a little kooky, but I thought I would give it a try for a year. I particularly want to see if my weight drops back down, (I weighed 165 in my twenties, 185 in my thirties, and I peaked around 205 in my forties), and if my allergies and asthma are better.
I'd like to think that moderation makes all things fine, but the truth is, if I eat a cookie, I end up eating eight cookies. If I eat a bowl of spaghetti, I go back for one or two more. When it comes right down to it, if you're going to have three bowls of something, it's better if it's leafy greens.
Quitting sugar isn't really that difficult, though my children keep making chocolate chip cookies. I'm finding what I really miss are bagels and toast. Oh for one little piece of whole wheat toast with some butter on it! And there are my daughter's cinnamon raisin bagels sitting on the counter! I could eat a little cream cheese, but it's not the same without the bagel.
After a month, my weight is about the same, but I look better somehow. (It doesn't make sense. If my belly seems to be shrinking, why does my weight stay the same?) I also have more energy, but it feels like nervous energy - it doesn't really feel like feeling better yet - though maybe that's because it's been icy on the roads so we haven't been out on our bicycles much, and we're on vacation, so there's just a lot of sitting around the house waiting for the weather to warm. (I'm not much of a winter outdoors person).
leslieann, I generally skip the grains as well. In most cases I view them as ingredients that dilute flavor, e.g. stir fry over rice is improved by skipping the rice. I do eat legumes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Most gluten-free recipes focus on replacing wheat with other grains and starches... I focus on just eating more vegetables.
Paul, is the toast w/ butter really about the toast, or is it about the butter? -- might be something to ask yourself. Maybe some butter on some sliced, roasted vegetables would serve as well? Cream cheese is good on sliced, roasted beets, sliced cucumbers, and other vegetables.
After 3 days off sugar and flour I can always tell the difference, particularly around my midsection. And when I focus on eating more fruits & veggies, my energy soars.
It's the combination of the toast and the butter. I've been using butter on spinach, etc. I miss the texture of breads, and I think there's a physical reaction to breads that I can only sum up as satisfying. I feel full after eating a salad or omelette, etc., but I don't have the same feeling of satiety. It probably has something to do with the addictive nature of carbs.
The first time I went gluten-free, as a month-long experiment, I felt hungry for the entire first week, even though I wasn't restricting calories or anything other than gluten-containing foods. Eventually I found that potatoes helped a lot. Now that I have more experience, I am generally happy with mostly fruits and vegetables, with some legumes, nuts, and small amounts of poultry and fish. I don't eat a lot of dairy but sometimes add some feta cheese to salads. For me, the fullness feeling is different on this diet - I feel less bloated, generally lighter, after meals. This is a positive result for me as it gives me more energy.
Before I discovered clarified butter, I was not using butter at all...no dairy, no wheat. I was eating rice, oats, dried fruits, etc. I got rid of a lot of symptoms but didn't lose much weight until I dropped the carbs a lot. VERY limited fruit, berries mostly and infrequently; no grains and no dairy EXCEPT this clarified butter, which, by the way, is also unsalted. My satiety increased when I started using this butter; I think that I was feeling pretty out of sorts with the no-bread stuff until I found a way to add butter back into my life. I also have been using celtic sea salt on my food as the butter is unsalted, and I was surprised to find that the salt helped me feel okay, too.
Of course I am still just leaning into a full return to my plan but thinking and remembering about what works is part of getting the mind in mode. Great leftovers today: sweet potatoes, a pumpkin (what will I do with THAT?), pulled pork, and leftover taco meat....lots of possibilities!
I can relate, Paul, to that feeling of yep, just had my bread..aaahhhhhh...but the desire for it is a craving. Cravings pass if we don't feed them; they get bigger when we DO feed them. (I KNOW this stuff but it sometimes doesn't actually make it into my behaviour). Wheat or bread is an easier craving for me than the chocolate one, partly because I have had significant crummy feelings after eating wheat and not so much (or not so obvious) with the chocolate. Or maybe I just haven't been "clean" of chocolate long enough.
Hi everyone,
Yesterday was a good day. The only hiccup was that I got a headache and a bit of a stomach ache after I had the xylitol in my coffee. Maybe I had too much of it and my body is not used to it. Today I will abstain and then try again tomorrow and see if the same thing happens. I munched on fruit in the evening - that's when my sugar cravings are the strongest.
Paul, muscle is denser than fat so that may explain your shrinking physique while the weight is staying more or less the same. I have the opposite problem -- when I slack off on exercise (and especially weight training), the fat is very quick to recolonize but I don't necessarily see it on the scale. Feel it in my clothes, though.
lhamo
How's everyone doing?
I did really well this weekend. No slip-ups for two days. I've been comping for the sugar with fruits and sweet potatoes - 3 pieces of fruit per day. That's too much sugar & carbs for me so today I'm going to start cutting back on that. No grains or dairy over the weekend either so that's good too.
I agree that the scale is not the best measure of progress.
I did well over the weekend, somehow, but slipped up last night. Was feeling jetlagged/a bit stressed and the Kona Coffee Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nuts were calling out to me from the cupboard. I had 6. Felt kind of sick afterwards.
I'm doing really well with fruits and veg though. With all the cooking I did over the weekend, I'm getting in plenty.
lhamo
Ahh, today is good. I weighed in; the is my day one of 21...have been "leaning in" since last week,and today it is okay. After work I went out into the COLD and walked for half an hour and then just finished half an hour of my latest version of yin yoga (I took two classes so I am trying to work from there). Have rehearsal tonight so I am not too worried about slips; probably will be ready for sleep when I get home.
Feels so much better.....even though I know I haven't gotten the sugar out of my system yet, I still feel better. the power of the mind.....
Isn't it interesting how we keep doing things that we know will make us feel sick? I've been thinking about this quite a bit. I'm determined to break that pattern!!!
Yesterday was good for the sugar intake and I did reduce my fruit by one piece but I still ate a bit too much sweet potato. I notice that about once a day I feel either a dull headache or a slight tummy ache. And I've been feeling a bit congested too. Don't know if that is my body dealing with a cold/flu or if it's carb & sugar withdrawal. But I do notice that it's when I'm feeling yucky that I reach for a bite of sweet potato. Today I'm going to see if I can stop and choose something else to make myself feel better when that happens.
On the plus side, yesterday I had a great deal of energy! I got a ton done and I felt really good most of the day. Hope today is also a good day, although my congested nose is trying to tell me otherwise!
I resisted the call of the chocolate covered macadamias last night! It was a close call, but I had some celery with cream cheese instead, and then went to bed soon after.
Today is DD's birthday, so I may have a little bit of cake. Trying to figure out how to handle that.
lhamo
Congrats Ihamo!
Leslieann - how are you doing?
Yesterday turned out to be a great day. I met all my diet goals and the congestion I felt faded out pretty quick. I ended up spending a good chunk of the day outside, it was a gorgeous day, sunny and in the 60's. I did gardening, visited with neighbors and walked for about an hour in the park looking at the hills.
I think part of my congestion has been due to dry indoor air. Last two weeks were pretty cold and the heater has been on quite a bit. So yesterday morning I humidified the house and that seemed to really help. I also think I've been dehydrated these past few days. Yesterday when I started to reach for the sweet potato in the fridge I had a glass of water instead and it made me feel better. I made sure to drink lots of water throughout the day and that seemed to solve the munchies and the headache. I had not realized that I'd been drinking hardly no water at all.
Oh, today I'm trying out corn tortillas to see if I react to them or not. I think I might be ok with them. They're still carby but if my body doesn't have an issue with them it will be nice to know.
I've been doing great sticking to the diet, but I've been bicycling up to work, (partly on snow-covered trails), now that vacation is over, and I feel wiped out. I'm still trying to do phase one of Dr. Gundry's diet, so no fruit even. I think, with all the bicycling, my weight is starting to drop, but I can't say that I'm feeling zippy.
I hope your energy picks up, Paul. Watergoddess, thanks for asking. Today is day three of no sugar for me; I am doing well. I have some unpleasant cold symptoms so last night I went to bed really early and hope to do that tonight, too. I have had passing thoughts for the chocolate but I seem to be okay with letting it just be there. I know I'll feel better if I stay clear of it.
I have been eating sweet potato, though. I had some leftovers and did finish them. Even though I know sweet potato is high in carbohydrate, it is still a really nutritious vegetable and helps me feel satiated. I won't be cooking any more during this three weeks but I have also been eating cooked carrots. Back in the day when I did the Atkins diet, those veggies were not okay. But I have found that they are digestible, satisfying, and I know they are full of good nutrients. I am not eating any grains so I think I can tolerate the carbs. We'll see. One of the challenges for me in this three weeks is that I am NOT getting back on the scale until January 28th. I tend to obsess so just staying away is good.
Over on Mark's Daily Apple there was a thread about eating more vegetables than vegetarians. MDA is a site supporting the so-called Primal diet, on which one eats meat, fish, eggs, lots of vegetables, and good fats. And dairy if you tolerate it. Anyway, I found the thread funny but I could relate. When I am attending well to my diet, I eat WAY more vegetables than I did even during my vegetarian days (quite a few years ago now).
So....onward! I am impressed by riding a bike on snow covered trails....we have a LOT of snow here and I don't even like walking on our trails.
Foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and even waxy white potatoes in moderation are what make it feasible for me to maintain a very low-grain and no-wheat diet. They are high in fiber and other nutrients and I see no need to avoid them, personally. They certainly don't impact my weight. Did you see the press release about the potato-industry manager who ate a potato-only diet for 2 months? While maintaining his usual calorie intake (2200/day, I think?), he lost a fair amount of weight and improved his blood glucose and cholesterol. Also, waxy potatoes have a different nutritional profile than fluffy/baking potatoes (russets), and I prefer their taste and texture anyway.
Paul - you might need to increase the amount of food based on your new activity level. Feeling tired or low-energy is a sure sign for me that I'm not eating enough. I was having a really hard time controlling my evening munchies until a few days ago when I thought, "hmmm, maybe I'm so munchy because I'm hungry." Sure enough, as soon as I increased my portion size at dinner the munchies disappeared.
Leslieann - congrats on day three. The cold symptoms might be withdrawal, I went thru the same thing and now they're gone. It's so true about the veggies! I eat waaaay more veggies now than I ever did before. Most days (when I'm on my game) I eat veggies at every meal, including breakfast and I really enjoy it. I also didn't weigh myself on purpose. I'm thinking of doing a two-week Atkins-type induction at the end of the sugar detox. I like how quickly I lose the water bloat and I enjoy the resetting of my body. Would you be interested? I wouldn't be doing it till about the 23rd or so.
Rosemary - good for you that you're able to eat a good amount of starchy veggies and some grains without it affecting you. I'm finding that corn tortillas are ok for me - no cravings, no energy crashes. Not so with sweet potatoes though - it's hard for me to stop eating them once I start.
Yesterday was a good day. My sugar cravings have subsided dramatically, I don't think much about cheating anymore. I was even able to resist the temptation of my favorite bagel shop when I was next door buying coffee beans. But I had an orange yesterday and I had a strong reaction to it - a sharp headache, a short one but still. I know that I'm reactive to acids but I was surprised at the strong reaction. That's one benefit of a restricted diet, you really notice how your body reacts to different foods. Today I'm going to test out bananas.
My scale is not very trustworthy, so I don't know what my weight really is, but it looks like I lost between 5 and 10 pounds over the past four days, (after not budging much in the first three weeks of trying this eating regimen), so maybe, with the bicycling thrown in, I should up my food intake a little more. The funny thing is that I have not been craving food, though I noticed that I've become both snappy at people (in my family) and a little spacey. Dr. Gundry's diet has a phase 2 where you can add back up to a half cup of brown rice or beans and his list of "good" fruits. His final stage is to largely eliminate the animal proteins. I'm not quite there yet. Tonight's dinner is tuna steak and a bag of greens stir fried with a little mushroom and garlic. I did notice today that my clothes are a little looser. I've dropped from around 205 to under 200. For my height, 5'9", the generic BMI tables say I should weigh around 165 to 170, so I have 25-30 pounds to go. I hope this way of eating will stick as a permanent lifestyle change and not be just a "diet." As soon as I start snacking on those quesadillas and eating spoons of sugary peanut butter, my weight creeps back up.
Yesterday was good. Found out bananas are ok for me! :) I'm still having a bit of sugar with my coffee and normally that's not a problem. But coffee is pretty acidic and I'd like to cut back on it, right now I'm at 3 cups a day. Last year when I cut out caffeine my skin looked amazing and it didn't affect my energy level at all. I'm still not back to my daily exercise so I'm using the caffeine for energy and it feels like it's going to be hard to cut it out. So I'm going to start by reducing the amount in chunks. But maybe I'll start tomorrow :|(... today is going to be in the low 50's... brrrrrrrr....it's so nice to curl up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee. I might try adding in some black tea as a transition, although I've found that for the long-term, tea is also too acidic for me.
How's everyone doing?
Hi, All.
I am starting day 6 and feeling pretty good. Cravings are pretty much managed. I did have a glass of red wine with dinner last night (steak and piles of broccoli and a few quarters of roasted potatoes) even though I originally planned to avoid it. I don't have a problem with alcohol; no craving for that...just chocolate....and DH gave me a little lecture on how deprivation can backfire. So I had one, very small, and noted that after dinner I wanted to eat something (dessert mind) but I was fine if not. Judith Beck calls that working your muscle....when you do NOT indulge a craving. Anyway this was just a mental craving, sort of a habit thing, but it was not hard to get past it.
My jeans are still tight but based on how much fluid is moving out of me, I am in some kind of de-bloating process. I am tempted to weigh but since I told myself I would give 21 days without the scale I'll do that.
I have been walking and doing some slow, deep yoga; nothing that would look like a cardio workout to anyone but good for me at this stage. The temps went up yesterday and I really feel like running so I may head out for my first slow careful run of the year today. The very fact that I feel like running indicates more energy to me!
I learned some time ago that I react pretty strongly to citrus; I still will cook with lemon juice but I almost immediately have a sneezing, running nose, clogged throat reaction that is brief in duration. But I figure anything my body reacts to that strongly should probably be very limited. I do miss my oranges and grapefruits, though. Good for you, watergoddess, that bananas are okay...they sure are high in carbs and sweet fruits tend to make me crave sugar (but maybe not once I got off far enough....there is always Hope!)
Happy weekend!
leslieann, I have that same reaction to citrus, and it's due to reflux in my case. The highly acidic juice from the fruit irritates my throat and esophagus, and cause a reflux episode that is instantaneous and results in that runny nose.
watergoddess, I am also able to eat bananas. For me they are more digestible once they begin to get brown spots. I find bananas to be extremely filling and so they don't cause any overeating on my part.
I've been really good about not eating sugar, but on Friday, (my day off alone), I ate most of a twelve once bag of roasted nuts. Yesterday, I did my hour and ten minute jog. I have no idea how far it is, but it's a nice circuit through the neighborhood and along a couple of the city's trails. I felt lighter, but also I did not feel like I had much get up and go. The person whose plan I'm supposed to be following doesn't like running, but I think I like to run more than I like sugar.
Every morning for breakfast, I've been sauteeing a handful of arugula, some garlic through the garlic press, and a chopped spring onion in grass-fed butter, and then adding one omega 3 egg and some Quattro Fromaggio from Trader Joe's. It's kind of like an omelette with a much higher greens to egg ratio than normal.
I usually have a salad or some miso soup for lunch.
For dinner, we've been having salmon or tuna or roast chicken with some steamed vegetables. Sometimes I just stir-fry some tempeh or tofu with some kale. My kids are actually eating more of what I cook than my usual brown rice and stir-fry meals. We're eating a lot more meat than I am used to, and I feel bad about that for environmental and ethical reasons. On this plan I'm following, you are supposed to back off the animal sources of protein until they're more of a garnish.
I'm facing the week's grocery shopping today, and I'm not sure if I want to repeat what I did last week or worry over trying something new.
My teen-age daughter made blueberry muffins for her breakfast yesterday, and I managed not to take a single nibble.
Paul - great job on resisting temptation!
Leslieann/Rosemary - interesting that you both have a reaction to oranges. I had never noticed a reaction before (probably wasn't paying attention) and I think the reaction was more noticeable because the air was really dry and I was already having sinus pressure. What I felt was a very sharp pain on my forehead right between the eyes. It went away pretty quickly but was pretty sharp while it lasted. I've since set up the humidifier but I won't be having any orange anytime soon!
I'm really happy with the safe treats that I've been able to identify. In the past I never did and I think that made it easier to fall of the wagon. So far I've found three treats that I can turn to when I need (or want) some sugar or carbs but that don't result in cravings and energy crashes. I've also changed out my coffee to Peet's Major Dickason (my favorite) - it's much smoother and lighter than the Starbucks French Roast so I can use much less sugar and hopefully it's less acidic too.
I'm really pleased with how much the sugar cravings have subsided. I hardly think about it and just over a week ago the thought of giving it up seemed so hard. I can tell the difference in my waist and face too - much less bloat!
Nothing new to report. Still hanging on and it gets easier every day. Haven't had any grains since last week either. Still doing my 3 cups of coffee everyday, it's been cold and I guess I'm not ready to reduce it yet. I do allow myself a small amount of sugar with it but in that quantity it does not create sugar cravings for me so I'm ok with it. I'm almost out of sugar though and I've promised I won't buy any more so that will push me to finally cut it out.
fidgiegirl
1-14-13, 10:16pm
You guys I really admire what you're doing! I had a long chat with a friend the other day who is Celiac, but also has not had sugar since 2005. (I'm sure she's had it IN things, but she said that now if it's in the top 3 ingredients on a label she does not have it). She said she had to go to Overeaters Anonymous to get over it and had decided that she's truly addicted! And when she was describing it, sadly, I can see the same things in myself . . . always wondering when I will have my next sweet treat, where I will get it, always having an "exception" - today I had a mocha in the morning, ice cream for dinner and half a cookie just now (a GF bakery cookie from such a yummy co-op in Mpls). I enjoyed all of it . . . but it leaves me feeling icky afterward . . . . . . . . . . argh. But my DH is such a dessert person . . . . . . I think if it were just me I could do it but not much confidence in being able to resist his nightly dessert offer. :( Well, will keep on trying, I guess I'm not quite there yet on the ladder of change but will keep watching you all with admiration.
I am a real dessert person, too, fidgiegirl (Cafe Latte is still my downfall), but have learned that sugar really does make me feel 'icky' as you stated. In very small quantities it does not - but well, those very small quantities are difficult for me to manage. Fruit sugars never make me feel icky, so when I want a small sweet, I eat a few dried apricots or dried figs with no guilt. I sometimes make 'raw cookies' - mostly dried fruit and nuts. Or a date-sweetened pudding. All of those leave me feeling like I've eaten real food.
When I slip up I get exactly back into the mode you've described, wondering when the next sweet will be or actively planning for it... I keep dried fruit and nuts in my purse so that I always have something if I get delayed between meals, to avoid the temptation of stopping at the bakery!
Also, it helps to cultivate the taste of unsweetened things. Your mocha, for instance, could be a treat that is sugar-free.
You guys I really admire what you're doing! I had a long chat with a friend the other day who is Celiac, but also has not had sugar since 2005. (I'm sure she's had it IN things, but she said that now if it's in the top 3 ingredients on a label she does not have it). She said she had to go to Overeaters Anonymous to get over it and had decided that she's truly addicted! And when she was describing it, sadly, I can see the same things in myself . . . always wondering when I will have my next sweet treat, where I will get it, always having an "exception" - today I had a mocha in the morning, ice cream for dinner and half a cookie just now (a GF bakery cookie from such a yummy co-op in Mpls). I enjoyed all of it . . . but it leaves me feeling icky afterward . . . . . . . . . . argh. But my DH is such a dessert person . . . . . . I think if it were just me I could do it but not much confidence in being able to resist his nightly dessert offer. :( Well, will keep on trying, I guess I'm not quite there yet on the ladder of change but will keep watching you all with admiration.
fidgie - It's a process for most of us. I've been working on this for 3 years!!! :|(:0! You should feel very proud of being gluten-free for so long. That's a real accomplishment!
This morning, as I used up my last 1/8 tsp of sugar, I felt a little panicky at the thought of cutting out ALL sugar. But then went ahead and used splenda and the panicky feeling went away when I tasted my coffee and saw that it was just fine. I noticed last night I was feeling a bit of sugar craving too. If I'd had sweets in the house I would have eaten them. But I had a banana instead. I think today might be a bit hard. I keep getting this slight feeling of panic at having NO sugar available to me. It's so interesting how hooked on sugar we are psychologically.
How are my sugar-free buddies doing?
Well, it's feeling kinda lonely here. What happened to all my fellow sugar detoxers? Since interest seems to have fallen off here, I've started an email accountability group with a couple of friends who decided to cut out sugar too when they heard what I'm doing. The support and camaraderie is really helpful for me - I was able to weather yesterday's temptations with minimal damage. And today I feel strong and energized again, ready to forge ahead! Good luck to everyone.
Just hanging in there, and focusing on what I want to eat, instead of the things I don't want to eat. A little mental game that works for me...
watergoddess: I've been busy, and so have not been weighing in, (so to speak). Also, while I'm not eating sugar, I don't really think of it as the main thing I'm doing. The sugar is not so hard, but I do miss the rice, pasta, and bread -- though more for convenience than craving. A sandwich is so easy, and often, if one of my kids doesn't eat their school lunch, I'll eat it. There's a ham sandwich my son didn't want that's been sitting in the refrigerator for days. It's pressing my "wasted food" button, but I'll just throw it out soon.
On Saturday, I got carried away with some leftover chicken and ate a lot of non-sweetened peanut butter. It looked like that bumped my weight up to 192 on Monday morning, but this morning, it was back down to 188, (I was 209 at the doctor's in mid-December). I never thought of my weight as being that variable. What takes discipline for me is to stop eating once I start, to have a handful of almonds and not a bag. I'm in a better mood this week.
My daughter made chocolate chip cookies again last night, and I didn't touch them.
I am still here. I am still okay with myself even though I have been into the chocolate. But only very low sugar, high cacao dark chocolate (so dark that other family members won't eat it) and not too much.
I have been enjoying the veggies though. Stir fried bok choy this evening; at lunch I pleased myself with half a plateful of broccoli and the rest of the plate had carrots, beets, and some ground meat...all left over except the broccoli, of course. Thank heaven for leftovers....I'd not make it otherwise.
This week has been ridiculously busy with work. In fact, I started before eight this morning and just faxed off my last report now at eight thirty pm. Days like that make it hard for me to NOT indulge my sweet tooth...so I did have some chocolate. But two evenings I have staved that off with a cup of herbal tea and I notice that I enjoy it just as much.
I did walk with difficulty for two days after my first run....tomorrow I take my first Pilates class (scary title of "Pilates for the Ultimate Core"....oooh). Overall I feel pretty good though I don't feel like I have dropped any weight. I suspect I'll have to take my carbs lower to drop weight but right now I am focused on those good vegetables even if they are higher in carbs. I have avoided weighing....January 28th is my three week date, when I can use the scales again.
Paul, I have to watch out for the almond butter. I overeat that stuff like crazy. It is okay on this current program but I am aware that I do overeat.
Also, that raises a question. Rosemary, do you know if "dry roasted" nuts are processed with oils? I read at the Bulk Barn that their dry roasted nuts have polyunsaturated oils....but the jars of almond butter only say they have "dry roasted almonds" and don't claim any additional oils. I am trying to avoid those PUFAs and so I wondered....yet another reason to avoid that yummy almond butter.
As far as I know, "dry roasted" means no oil. We buy dry roasted peanuts and almonds, but generally snack on raw nuts (well, unroasted, since most "raw" almonds are steam-pasteurized).
Here's a good summary of the impact of roasting nuts -- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-nut-based-baked-goods-healthy/
ApatheticNoMore
1-16-13, 9:18pm
Here's a good summary of the impact of roasting nuts -- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-nut-based-baked-goods-healthy/
From that he seems to think it's mostly harmless. I've also heard some say roasting reduces anti-nutrients like phytic acid. So maybe it's a wash, oils versus anti-nutrients. Dry roasted do seem to disgest easier than raw, and I prefer the taste.
fidgiegirl
1-16-13, 10:38pm
Well guys, I have had this on the mind. No progress to speak of, but consciousness is the first step, right?! :D Can't make a change if you don't even realize one needs to be made . . . I'll be happy when the rest of the Xmas crap is used up out of the house and we are back down to a bit of ice cream in the freezer and a dark chocolate bar in the fridge. I can pass on ice cream unless DH dishes it up for me and dark chocolate I can (usually) control myself.
In the past doing a "one sweet a day" rule helped me reduce, and I'm contemplating that. Not a detox, for sure, but baby steps . . .
As far as "using up" holiday sweets - if you really don't want them, pitch them or give them away. Or take them to work and let people there eat them. When they get "used up," they end up on someone's body. I tossed a bunch of stuff during and after the holidays. Better in the garbage than on my midsection.
fidgiegirl
1-17-13, 8:43am
As far as "using up" holiday sweets - if you really don't want them, pitch them or give them away. Or take them to work and let people there eat them. When they get "used up," they end up on someone's body. I tossed a bunch of stuff during and after the holidays. Better in the garbage than on my midsection.
I can know that intellectually, but I think it's too late - we polished off the last yesterday :(
More successes, all! You inspire me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I threw away Christmas sweets this year, too. It wasn't easy, particularly the ones I made (that should tell me something). I just saw dollars in butter and sugar going in the trash and I hope I can remember the feeling next year when I think I need to bake.
Thank you for the link, Rosemary. In Sally Fallon's cookbook, she recommends NOT eating raw nuts but eating nuts that have been soaked and lightly roasted: she refers to them as "crispy pecans" etc. Actually I found them quite delicious and they FELT lighter than the raw nuts (maybe they were more digestible as she claimed but I can't say from my n=1 experiment). I do like her book, though, for all the various information on foods, plus the recipes. It isn't wheat or dairy free but the emphasis is on traditional foods, so meat and veggies. I made lacto-fermented sauerkraut from this book, among other things.
Here's the book: http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358512167&sr=8-1&keywords=sally+fallon
I am so glad it is Friday! this week is the kind I was having every week before the holidays. I have to figure out some way to get my workload under control. I have more than a day's worth to do today if I want to actually have my weekend off. But diet is okay; I ate two squares of very dark chocolate last night but I noticed that I didn't want more, and maybe I could have just let that go, too...it wasn't a real craving, more like a habit. The days have been so busy I haven't sat for my meals and I know that's not good....scarfed down a big plate of broccoli and a little beefsteak for lunch yesterday but I was actually standing up at the kitchen counter, running between activities. If my digestion is off, it might not be due to the food!!!
Today is the 18th so in 10 more days I'll weigh in. I don't feel any lighter, smaller or thinner but my joints do NOT ache. I am sleeping pretty well. And I have a lot more energy than during the holidays.
Okay, now it is Sunday. I have fallen off the no sugar wagon. I am annoyed at myself that I can't even seem to stick with my OWN plan for three weeks. But this won't be a long decline. I just ate some stuff that should NOT have been in the house.
However, I am also making sure that there will be food this week (I am out on training all week and have to pack lunch and no time to cook in the evening). Crock pot beef stew, a pot of chicken stock soon to become soup, and I stocked up on meats and veggies and have a (hopeful, optimistic) list of things for DH to cook.
love that dog!!! Black lab or some combination of? My fav I had to put my Baxter down in2010 & it broke my heart!! Can't have a dog where I live now but I do have a cat who thinks she's a dog but shes also a diva with major cattitude:)
I'm getting tired of avoiding carbohydrates -- though I'm still sticking to it. I checked a copy of Gary Taubes's "Good Calories, Bad Calories" out of the library to keep myself motivated. We went out to celebrate my son's participation in the district spelling bee today. The kids had milkshakes they couldn't finish. Oh, but it was hard not to finish them for them, (and those fries they didn't eat too), but I managed to eat my kids' uneaten food.
Gary Taubes is always worth a read; GCBC is a valuable reference (if imposingly dense), and his Why We Get Fat is a pithy, much more concise, recap of his earlier work.
The dog is a Lab, goofy and lolloping and unremittingly food-motivated. Eats all sorts of garbage.
Today was the end of my three weeks (21 days). Yesterday was a carb-heavy day for me; I actually ate about two tablespoons of white rice with dinner mostly for my DH's approval (he says "carbs are fuel" and I don't argue. I just know that there are many sources of fuel). Also lots of cooked carrots and a couple of apples, so that is carb heavy. But then, the chocolate.....dark, dark stuff that is quite self limiting.
Anyway, even with all of that I am down three pounds in the three weeks. It would have been more if I dropped out those veggie carbs (and the rice) but I'll take it. This week is my birthday and I am planning (!) to eat cake. Real cake made with wheat flour, so we have to have a small one so that there are NO leftovers.
A couple of years ago I said "no cake" for my birthday and my beloved, who actually listens to me, didn't provide a cake. I found myself distraught at not having a cake for my birthday so I have decided that since it seems important to me, I will enjoy it thoroughly. But just ONE day.
The low-sugar, low carb way works well for me. We have had a thing at our house about there being "too much meat" so DH and DSD are having their pasta nights and their bean burrito nights but I am continuing to cook with lots of leftovers so there is food for me. Seems that a pot of chicken soup made on the weekend makes the week easier (for me). I had chicken soup for breakfast this morning, and the last of the beef stew for lunch.
Keep up the good work, Paul. I do think it gets easier but then I am not controlling my fat or protein intake. Those things are pretty much free food in this model....mostly because they are self limiting. You just don't binge on cocoanut milk, or olives, or avocado. Too much comes pretty soon.
Last summer when I went into this paleo-primal thing I bought Taubes' GFBF but have not yet mustered the wherewithal to actually READ it. Must do, though....should have gotten it from the library.
Jane, I think of you whenever I think about vitamin C...and your note that there is more in green pepper than in oranges....maybe I'll have some pepper strips with my chicken tonight....
...
Jane, I think of you whenever I think about vitamin C...and your note that there is more in green pepper than in oranges....maybe I'll have some pepper strips with my chicken tonight....
Red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers have even more. You can go wild!
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