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