21 Day Sugar Detox - Days 6, 7 and 8

So...this week blew up a bit.  I fully admit - I fell off the wagon a bit.  50% of my office is sick with the flu (it might even be more) and on Wednesday, I totally thought I had it.  That morning around 11ish, I started feeling really tired, congested, sore throat, itchy eyes - I thought I was dead man walking.  I could see my next week, laying on the couch watching horrible daytime TV.

Turns out, it was just sinuses.  I felt like a world-class schmuck for overreacting.  I got myself so stressed out and paranoid that I gave into a bit of temptation.  I had some crackers and dark chocolate.  Wednesday night I was still feeling kind of poopy so I didn't prepare any food for Thursday, so I had a rough day yesterday.  I tried to make the most of it when I got to work.  I had a salad and soup for lunch and a protein bar (as natural as I could find) for a snacky.

I'm BACK today.  I didn't like how I felt yesterday - I felt lethargic, tired, lack of focus.  It could have been the sinuses (which are still bothering me), but it also was probably my diet.  I gained a little back, but not too much (thank GOD!).  I'll re-group this weekend and will make sure this doesn't happen again.

I'm going on a cooking/baking binge this weekend, since I have Monday off.  So far, the plans are to make:

• Slow Cooker Short Ribs (I'm making these for dinner tonight)
• Chicken Bacon Alfredo
• A couple loaves of Paleo Bread
• Kale Chips
• Assorted other goodies I haven't identified yet.  I'd love to do some Apple Pumpkin Butter and Pumpkin Butter Cups

For workouts, I want to get in 1.5 hour a day of 'stuff'.  I'm not using Training Peaks to track my workouts anymore because I realized it was making me crazy.  Too many numbers, too many red, green or yellow workouts.  Instead (since this is the year of weight control), I'm keeping track on Strava and on a Google Doc.  I'll start adding my workouts to my daily-ish summaries starting tomorrow.

21 Day Sugar Detox - Day 5

Today was the closest I've come yet to cheating (although...I might have anyway).  I was doing ok until around 3 p.m. and then I was dying for something sweet.  I was hungry, tired and sinusy, all of which normally drives me downstairs to the cafe for a scone (or mini Reeses peanut butter cups).  However, in my mini-victory today, I took a step back and instead got my smoothie (which I know everyone in the office assumes is a science experiment. It's not - it's my saving grace at 3 p.m. in the afternoon) and had that.  I told myself to wait 15 minutes and if I still wanted something, I could get it then.  Fortunately, I got distracted and before I knew it, it was time to go home.  Will power prevails!!

I was zonked today, though.  I didn't sleep well last night.  I wrote yesterday about how meal timing is a big deal, and I think sleep is just as big a deal.  I need 7-8 hours a night otherwise I get the sugar cravings and I start slowly deteriorating.  My body just does not function as well with little sleep.  I can't skimp on it.  In fact, I was going to get up to do a ride, but I slept in instead because I knew I didn't sleep well.  I did manage to pull myself together (partly in thanks to an Americano from downstairs) and I got a 30 minute ride in after work.  I wanted to 45 minutes, but the boyfriend was hungry so I had to feed him.

Which gets me to my 'I think I cheated'.  I made pasta for dinner tonight (he had pasta, I had spaghetti squash), but I used store-bought meatballs and sauce.  I totally forgot to look at the ingredients, but I'm pretty sure there was sugar at least in the sauce (it was Whole Foods Organic 365 marinara sauce).  I was upset when I realized this.

My boyfriend helped me put it in perspective.  I'm doing this thing to help me get a grip on my sugar intake/cravings, not to totally sign-off of sugar.  I'm going to have to have sugar eventually - the trick is to do it in moderation and not binge.  Which, I'm doing, as evidenced by my willpower/resistance at 3 p.m.  If some sugar snuck into my spaghetti squash pasta, then so be it.  I'm doing far more good for myself in the long run than harm that little bit of sugar will do.  I'm developing the will power and trust in myself to know that I can live without it without anything horrible happening.

I'm down nine pounds since the beginning of January.  Yea me!

Food for today (this is going to look very familiar all week long):

• Butternut squash, avocado and cinnamon smoothie
• Egg muffins
• Hard boiled egg
• Chicken tenders (i overcooked these...they are kind of dry.  It's going to be tough getting them down all week)
• Smokey bacon chili on roasted/shredded cauliflower
• Spinach, almond butter, flax seed and banana smoothie
• Spaghetti squash, marinana and turkey meatballs

21 Day Sugar Detox - Day 4

Today was a bit of a struggle, I'm not going to lie.  I really wanted both a glass of wine and something sweet - fruit, chocolate, anything.  I didn't want to pig out, I really just wanted a little slice.  But, I withheld and stayed the course.  I had a banana and almond butter around 4 p.m. and that seemed to do the trick.  I am a bit sad that the Golden Globe red carpet is on and I will be sans my normal glasses of wine, but...it's only three weeks.  I can get through anything for three weeks.  Plus, it'll be over by Oscar time, so I can look forward to that.

(I know it's lame and girly, but I love watching the dresses and seeing what everyone looks like all glammed up.  Its a guilty pleasure for someone who spends a lot of time covered in chlorine, sweat and dirt.)

Oh - the swim!  The swim was a painful reminder that I need to drag my ass to the pool more often.  It's seriously been two months since I've been in the water.  I was good for the first 1500 yards, but the lasat 600 were challenging.  My pace slowed way down as the time went on.  However, my suit fit and it will only get more loose from here on out!  Tomorrow will most likely be a short ride on the trainer (hopefully I don't wake the boyfriend up...).

Halfway through I realized that I probably should have had my egg muffins before my workout instead of my butternut squash smoothie because I would need the carbs after.  My suspicians were confirmed through a headache and the fact that I had no energy about an hour after the swim.  I had a baked yam (it was small) as soon as I could, and immediately after I ate that I felt so much better.  Lesson learned => need carbs to recover from workouts.

Another lesson I've learned from these four short days is nutrient timing.  It really makes a difference not only what you eat, but when you eat it.  I'm getting better at learning what my body needs when, and I imagine that by the end of this 21 day experiement I'll be much better at reading the signals.

Food for today:

• Butternut squash smoothie
• Egg muffins
• two chicken tenders
• Leftover pulled pork and bussel sprouts
• Beef stir fry with red pepper, green pepper, onion and mushrooms
• Probably my cucumber, avocado and lime smoothie sometime tonight

21 Day Sugar Detox - Day 3

I'm actually writing this on Sunday morning (day 4) because I was just zonked last night - yesterday was busy.  My boyfriend came in to visit yesterday afternoon (he lives about an hour away so comes when he has a break in his schedule), so I wanted to get all my 'stuff' done yesterday before he got here: cleaning, laundry, meal planning, etc.  He finally got in around 4 p.m. and then we treked up to PA to Whole Foods to go grocery shopping.  By the time we got home I was zonked.  (yes...we lead a very romatic and exciting life.  We were both asleep by 9 p.m. on Saturday night.  He did bring me a rose when he got in, which was very sweet.)

The BIG news - I'm down eight pounds since I started being 'sugar-free'!!  YEA ME!!!  The biggest thing I noticed yesterday is that I just wasn't that hungry, which is different for me.  To be honest, I've always been one of those people who didn't really get the 'eat more protein so you feel full'.  An egg always only kept me full for about 15 minutes, which I now attribute to my complete addiction to sugar.  Yesterday I 1600 calories all day (a record low), and althought I was a little hungry going to bed, it wasn't horrible (it was more I was too lazy to make anything so I went without!.  If I was really hungry, I would have done something about it.)  That was a major breakthrough for me.

I also feel a lot better - all the usual detox stuff: my brain feels clearer, my energy is consistent, I feel a little 'tigher' than normal.  Friday night I even stayed up until 9:30 without feeling too out of it (that's unheard of for me!).  I've been drinking a ton of smoothies, two or three a day, (I'm obsessed with this site) and drinking a big cup of tea every afternoon when a sugar craving comes on. Which means - Jess has been pottying a quite a bit.  I need to stock up on toiler paper. (TMI...but, it's part of it).

I did not ride yesterday, but I did do yoga.  I think I might swim today (if I can squeeze into my bathing suit).  Swimming is as low impact as it can get, which is why I'd like to start there.  I'm still nervous about the impact training will have on my sugar, so I am going to go slow and proceed with caution I'm going to keep moving forward, but at my own pace.

Food from 1/12:

• Egg fritatta muffin (egg, red pepper, spinach, mushroom and onions) and butternut squash smoothie
• Hard boiled egg
• Flank steak with leftover brussel sprouts, plus an onion and mushrooms (sauteed in coconut oil)
• Frappuccino smoothie (minus the honey)
• Smoothie of my own devising: Coconut milk from a can, spinach, yams, flax seed, ice (see- I'm addicted to smoothies!)
• Scrambled egg and Sweet Potato and Apple Hash (oops...this wasn't exactly 21DSD approved, but it was late and I was hungry and I did really well otherwise)

21 Day Sugar Detox - Day 2

Today is when the fun is supposed to start.  By fun I mean: headaches, grumpiness, extreme cravings and general 'stay away from me' stuff.  I've been dreading this but looking forward to it only because I know that once I'm past it I should be good for the next few weeks.

I woke up with a bit of a headache, but then I had my smoothie (with some sweet potato) and it went away.  I actually felt pretty good while at work, although I did have to actively remind myself not to have any of the pita chips in the breakroom.  By the time 4 p.m. rolled around I still had some energy, although I blame my lack of focus on a case of the Friday afternoons.

One of the tips they really stress during this thing is to not try to cut calories AND give up sugar at the same time.  I had been trying to keep myself at 1200 net calories for the day, but I'm throwing that out the window for the first week (or so).  I want to give myself a good shot at sticking with this, and I know that if I'm both craving sugar and hungry, I won't make it.

For that reason as well, I haven't worked out for the past three days (gasp - the horror!!).  I'm worried about going too hard and digging myself into a glycogen hole.  Tomorrow, I'm going to start with a very light trainer ride to see how it goes.  I'd rather do this on a weekend when I have access to my kitchen with good foods instead of at work with the cafe downstairs (full of processed stuff).

No cheats at all for the past two days, but I did realize this morning that they whey protein I am using has a crapton of processed stuff in it.  So...that's gone.  I'm going to Whole Foods tomorrow so I'll see if their brand is more natural, but otherwise, I'm off whey for the next three weeks.  Which means....I need to find something to supplement my breakfast.  I'm going to try making egg muffins with peppers, mushrooms, turkey bacon and spinach to see if that helps.

I'm nervous about tomorrow.  I'm scared I won't be able to handle the effects of the workout, and I can't remember the last time I didn't have whey protein for a day.  But, this is why I'm doing this - I need some fundamental changes to my eating habits.  I need to push the boundaries.  This is doing that for me, fo shizzle.

Food for today:

• Morning smoothie (whey protein, flax seed, coconut milk, sweet potato, spinach)
• Hard boiled egg
• Chicken tenders (about 120 grams)
• Stuffed pepper (last one...thankfully.  I love them, but it's time to move on)
• Green smoothie (a ton of spinach, water, green-tipped banana, almond butter)
• Pulled pork (from the crockpot - YUM!) and brussel sprouts
• Probably some type of smoothie for a snack

21 Day Sugar Detox - Day 1

It's been awhile since I blogged, so while I'll catch everyone up later on what's happened (a lot), right now I want to share about a project I'm starting over the next three weeks.  I'm doing something BIG.  BOLD.  Exciting.

I'm giving up sugar for three weeks.

I honestly don't know if I can do this.  My family, God bless them, is not known for passing up a chocolate bar (or five), so the sugar cravings are embedded in my genes.  It's bad.  Really bad.  To the point where Gu's aren't really that sweet to me anymore.  It's a problem when liquid sugar isn't sweet to someone.

However, I am at the point of no return.  I need to lose weight and change my body's metabolism to burn FAT and not so much carbs.  I am the heaviest I have ever been, and I'm embarressed.  I'm ashamed and embarressed that I let go like this.  It's to the point where I literally can't put on a bathing suit because I can't fit into mine and I refuse to buy a bigger size.  So, it's either lose weight so I can swim or drown on July 28 at Ironman Lake Placid.

I struggled a bit with the decision to do this (BTW, I'm doing the 21 Day Sugar Detox, if anyone is interested in seeing what it's all about) because it does impact my training.  I can't really train any where above a 155 heart rate because it gets me into too deep of a glucose hole that I can't get out of unless I binge on carbs.  I decided the Detox was the right thing to do for three reasons:

1. My #1 priority, and really my only real goal in this training cycle, is to lose weight.  I think that if I lose 20-30 pounds, everything else will take care of itself.  I will be lighter on the bike and run, which means I can't help but go faster.  
2. It's January, and IMLP is in July.  I have six months after this to focus on going long.  I'll have plently of time to get in shape.  And, it's three weeks.  There is an end in sight.
3. I don't think I can do #1 without this.  I need to make some fundamental changes in the way I eat if I want to change my set point weight.  I am hoping that detoxing from sugar will teach my body to burn fat more easily, which will only help me in long-distance triathlon.

Today was day #1, and so far so good.  (although, they say the bad stuff happens between days 2-5)  I've had my normal food and although I have a slight headache, I'm feeling ok otherwise.  I have energy in the evening, I was alert at work and I kept my hunger managable all day.  Tomorrow is another day, but for now I'll celebrate today.

Daily menu:

• Breakfast smoothie (coconut milk, whey protein, flax seed, mashed yams and spinach)
• Hard boiled egg
• 1 ounce of mozzarella cheese
• Stuffed pepper (ground turkey, cauliflower and onion)
• chicken tenders (marinated in lemon juice, garlic and olive oil)
• Green-tipped banana
• Zucchinni and Squash spaghetti  

No workout today