What's Next?

I definitely learned a lot about myself during that sugar detox.  So I'm trying to keep some of that in mind as the weeks go on.  I've looked for some less sugar sweets in the evening (dark chocolate!)  And try hard to avoid treats during the day as well.  I'm still toying with gluten, and so far gluten seems to win ever time.  I had gluten-free mac & cheese, no problem.  I had a regular pasta dinner from my favorite restaurant and felt super sick after dinner.  I am slowly coming to terms with the idea that I should just stay gluten-free.  After many years of being a baked-goods-aholic this is a scary notion to me.

As for the rest of it.  I am making a commitment to myself that I am going to do the One Helena Hundred Century Ride in July.  It will be my first century, so I have a few months to get ready.  Two weeks after that is the NAMI Ride which I've supported for a few years now at the 5 or 10 mile ride.  This year I'm doing the 33 mile loop.  Those are my big goals for this summer.  I'd look at more, but with the wedding in September I don't want to put to much on my plate.  

And I know it's kind of far out to be planning, but that's how I role, I definitely want to stay up with training through the winter so I can either do several centuries next summer, or MAYBE even try my hand at triathlons (gasp!).  We'll see as we get through this summer, but I am friends with some amazingly inspiring people (one in particular) and I find myself drawn to the challenge of a triathlon.

So tonight I get my new bike computer set up and a few tweets to my fit on the bike.  And tomorrow it's game on!

21 Day Sugar Detox - Mission Accomplished!

Today is day 21, and I am done!  I did have a few slips/cheats through out the weeks, and by the last week I went back to having a glass of red wine in the evening, and I won't lie I am looking forward to a sweet treat tonight, but I definitely learned a lot:  

• I learned that I feel better emotionally and physically without grain or sugar.  
• I better tolerate being tired.
• I don't have blood sugar crashes that leave me starving, shaky, and annoyed.  
• I sleep great (though that wasn't a huge issue before)
• I feel that I have more stamina for my workouts, and am getting better performance.
• I am an emotional eater.  When I was tired, upset, or just kind of blue I wanted junk food, especially bakery type goods.

I lost 5 pounds, 2 inches off my waist and 1/2 inch off my hips.  I definitely feel leaner and closer to where I like to be aesthetically.  I didn't have any bloated or "fat" days which was very nice.  The photo differences aren't huge, but considering it was only 21 days, I can't complain.

 

Going forward my goal is to stay more on the paleo end of things (90/10), and to stay away from wheat/gluten.  I'm also going to look into some allergy testing out of curiosity sake.  I had allergy attacks on days that I had slip ups which makes me curious if I have more of an allergy issue.  But I concluded that regardless I definitely am gluten intolerant.  When I want to eat for emotional reasons I need to pick fats and proteins instead of donuts and cupcakes, and I need to be more aware of the temptations and mindless eating throughout the day.  

It's not a surprise to most people that the standard American diet isn't very good for us, I just don't think many folks really see how bad things are, and the unhealthy habits and emotions we have around food and our bodies.  All-in-all it was a worth while experience that I would recommend to everyone and I'm glad I stuck it out.

 

Two Weeks DONE!

Ops, didn't realize I'd gone all week without a post…  Well, I'm 2/3 of the way through my detox and feeling good.  I haven't weighed myself, going to wait til the very end.  But I can tell I am leaning back out, especially in the tummy region.  My skin is healthier looking and feeling.  And my energy is great.  It's been a demanding and emotional week at work, and I've been tired, but I still feel like I can think straight and keep moving forward.  Used to be a week like this and I'd be so overwhelmed I'd cry myself to sleep every night.  I've managed to get in a crossfit workout and a bike ride.  Both were tough, but felt good, and my recovery/next day sore was much less than I expected.

This week was mostly uneventful, I didn't prep very good at the beginning of the week, so I was scrambling a bit every day which may things difficult.  Ended up eating lots of yogurt, almond butter, and eggs….  On Wednesday I had an interesting experience.  My whole day was completely thrown out of whack by a kiddo in crisis (as to be expected working in counseling with teenagers)  But the time I got them taken care of and got to my evening class I had not had a chance to get food (as I had previous planned to do) so I ate what was there, and it was all wheat based stuff.  About an hour after eating I had a huge allergy attack: itchy eyes and skin, sneezing, running nose, etc.  It got so bad I had to take some Benadryl to keep from clawing my eyes out.  I know I'm allergic to a bunch of things, but I can't think of any of those things that I was exposed to in that time frame…  So I'm wonder if now that my system is clear of wheat/gluten that's what triggered the reaction.  I'm going to test this theory again in a week or so.  Or maybe get the allergy testing that I've been planning on getting for the last 2 years...

Yesterday morning I flat out cheated and had some syrup on my detox friendly pumpkin spice pancakes.  I won't lie, it was so delicious!  And I don't feel guilty about it.  :)

The biggest realization I've had over the last week is just really how much crap I use to eat.  Every where I turn at work is a bucket of candy or a box of donuts, and I'd eat them. If I'm in a hurry or tired, I resort to junk food.  I am an emotional eater more than I truly realized.  When I'm dragging ass tired, or feeling depressed and frustrated, I grab a donut and a bottle of juice.  The sugar rush makes everything feel better for a minute, but ultimately I'm still exhausted and depressed at the end of the day.  But when I took the 2 extra seconds to stuff my face with protein and healthy fats, I felt better at that moment and had to energy to keep moving forward.  Water and good fat (mostly avocado's this week) almost always cleared up my headaches.

I am an impulsive and emotional eater and I am going to have to move forward being much more aware of that.

The only chocolate I need in life
....that's a lie, I need dark chocolate....
My favorite bit of milk chocolate!