My Unintentional Sugar Experiment

I have been really struggling with getting my monthly update written. Not sure why. Life is busy but that’s not necessarily it. I find that my mind is wandering onto so many different topics; like I just cannot focus on one idea long enough to develop something. Perhaps it’s that I’m putting too much thought into it. Or, maybe it’s that I’m incredibly UN-focused!?!? I’d put money on the latter, personally!

But, it’s the end of the month and that means I need to check in with my progress.  So, for my progress update, check HERE.

I apologize in advance if this seems to go off on a tangent. Certainly not what I started out to do.

So, October has literally FLOWN by. Don’t you agree? It seems like just yesterday the kids were starting school and now Halloween is upon us. This is crazy!

As you may have read in my check-in from last month, I lost 9 pounds and 10 inches. Pretty good. I do attribute much of that to the 21 Day Sugar Detox I was working on for most of the month.

Well, then October happened. And, it hasn’t been good. It starts with a birthday (mine) and ends with running around house-to-house asking for candy. What good can happen in this month? Seriously?

I looked back at some of my documentation from previous years – not only last year but past attempts at weight loss. And, I’ve noticed something. October Sucks. Something happens to me this month and things either just stall out or they go downhill.

Can you guess what happens then? Well, look at your calendar for a good clue. HOLIDAYS! Remember my post about balancing life and keeping an eye on the goals ahead? Oh, and the one about perfectionism?

I’ll go eat some of my own dog food now.

WHAT HAPPENED? Seriously, you want to know?

Well, my birthday included a glass of wine. A single glass. Literally – just one. (If you really know me, you know that isn’t an easy feat!)

Then, another weekend came and I had some wine with dinner. Next thing I know, we polished off the bottle. (Again, if you really know me, you realize that’s “normal” for us.)

Another night came and a hard cider was calling my name. I drank it.

Chocolate cravings happened. I succumbed to them. I’d grab a handful of chocolate chips plus a handful of almonds for a quick snack.

And then the changes began.

Changes I did not like. At ALL!

I developed a rash under my arms. I felt bloated. My skin was itchy and dry. My ambition to get out the door to go swimming began to dwindle. I started getting those 3:00pm yawns. Excuses were easier to come by. I’d spend my lunches doing more dish washing and laundry than working out. Again – excuses were way easier to come by.

And, this week – to top it all off: I started to get sick. Remember, I didn’t get sick last time it hit my house!!?!? But, I went to bed on Sunday feeling nauseous and woke up Monday with a terrible headache. I left work early and by evening thought I was doing better. Tuesday morning it was like a steam roller found me as I slept. My body ached. My head was sore.My stomach turned. I was exhausted. No fever. No sniffles. No coughing. Just felt … well, like shit.

So, as I chilled out for the day and tried to lay low to keep my immune system fighting this bug that was obviously trying to attack me, it hit me.



SUGAR IS MAKING ME FEEL LIKE THIS!

OK, are you just a little curious about how much sugar I’m talking about? I make it sound like I devoured candy bars and cans of Mountain Dew, don’t I?

The truth is: I probably ate less sugar than the average person. And, I do not say that to be cocky or arrogant. I just do not [knowingly] eat foods which contain sugar. Eating sugar makes me feel like crap!

People ask me all the time: What do you EAT? (followed usually by something like “…without bread, pasta, crackers…”) They start to gloss over when I say simply: Meat. Vegetables. Nuts and seeds. Healthy fats. Fruits on occasion.

But, in all honesty – that’s what I eat. I do rarely eat some organic, grass-fed dairy (come on, I’m from Wisconsin!).

A typical day looks like this for me:

Breakfast: veggie & egg scramble (greens, leftover veggies, etc) with 2 eggs, a piece or two of homemade bacon OR a ½ avocado with a cup of coffee that has coconut milk stirred in. I liberally use garlic and onions in my breakfasts – they actually smell like dinners!

Lunch: Leftovers from dinner the night before (meat + veggies x2)

Dinner: A generous portion of meat (6 oz at least) and at least 2 veggies – like roasted carrots and broccoli or squash, steamed beets and mashed cauliflower…

Where does the sugar come in? I know … It doesn’t! (See, I told you!) Unless there is sneaky sweet stuff in a seasoning. I’m not a saucy kinda person nor do I buy store-bought barbecue sauces so that takes care of that possibility.

When I eat enough fat with my meals, I don’t get cravings. When I eat enough protein, I don’t get big dips in my energy. And, when I eat at least two servings of vegetables with every meal (yes, including breakfast), I don’t get hungry for a snack. I do not typically snack during the day nor do I plan for it.

This has become my template; my model for eating. Yes, you noticed no fruit (never a big fruit eater). The trick then is to ensure I get enough fat at breakfast to keep me going until lunch. Then, to have my lunch already prepared so that I can do my 30-min workout. Lastly, eating ENOUGH food throughout the day in total ensures I don’t get the 8:00pm chocolate cravings.

If I follow this template, I don’t crave sugar because I don’t add sugar into anything that I cook.

But, did you catch that last part: eating ENOUGH food!?!?!

That is exactly what has been happening to me lately. We seem to have very few leftovers when I make dinner. Perhaps it’s the weather change – I think it’s pretty normal for our bodies to require more calories as we are approaching colder, winter months than when it’s hot in the summer. Perhaps my kids are going through a growth spurt (again!) and are just eating more at dinner. Or, it could be that I’m not making enough food.

So, my October food has been more like:

Breakfast: same but with only one veggie (usually greens)
Problem: I need another veggie.
Resolution going forward: Have veggies cut up & ready for the week.

Lunch: Picking at some leftover chicken, handful almonds, maybe one veggie, a piece of fruit (apple)
Problem: Not preparing.
Resolution: Need to make my lunch the night before (or more) and have it ready.

<get hungry in afternoon>

Dinner: Same template as above but I’m starving while making dinner. And, maybe craving a little something. Maybe I’ll grab a handful of chocolate chips or find that we have some chips left from the game on Sunday. Mindless eating & noshing on crunchy stuff. And, it’s not usually carrots. On a few occasions, I have a drink with dinner or shortly thereafter.
Problem: Not eating enough leaves me famished while preparing dinner.
Resolution: Eat bigger lunch!

Hungry again around 8:00pm and I live with sugar addicts and chocoholics so they are of no use to deter a primal craving for chocolate! If I didn’t grab chocolate earlier, this is when I do almonds + chocolate (divine)! Even sunbutter + chocolate chips (hello, candy!). Or, if we have some coconut ice cream in the freezer, maybe a big ol’ scoop.
Problem: Not good to eat late at night much less sugar & crap.
Resolution: Once a week permitted but ONLY if I have eaten enough throughout the day and truly have a craving AND if it’s a 21DSD approved treat. (I mean, seriously, there are those monthly cravings – ya women get it!)

I can see why I’ve struggled with losing weight this month. Empty calories. Sugar. Not following my template. It makes so much sense once I write it down.

I don’t count calories. I’ve tried that and it only leads me down a destructive path of constant data entry into MyFitnessPal logging every morsel of food. And, since I don’t eat anything processed anymore, it seems like I have to build everything I eat by the components – adding a great deal of time to the task. (Where’s those Lean Cuisine meals of my yesteryear when I need them!?!?)

Back to my sugar link… Hope you’re still with me on this one.

When you’re not feeding yourself enough of the right food, your body will start craving other things. Everything will start to look good to you. Watch prime time television without seeing a McDonald’s commercial; I’ll admit – sometimes it looks good (but usually reality hits me smack in the face and I get grossed out again!).

Ever hit the grocery store when hungry? Yup, it’s like that! You KNOW not to do that. (Right? I sure hope so!) And, when you do go in hungry, how often do you end up with at least one thing in your cart that you did not intend? And, is it carrots or broccoli? Nope, I’m willing to bet is something that will comfort you or provide you with a quick satisfaction. When it happens to me, I’ll grab a KIND bar but that, too, is loaded up with sugar.

This is then where I start to get a little ticked off at myself. Some days I just wish I never knew what I know about how sugar affects the human body. But, if I didn’t know it before today, it’s all over the news now so it’s hard to avoid.

I need to plan action

Logically, one may say to just cut back, right? Or, get it out of the house? Well, as much as I’d like to get all chocolate out of the house, I don’t think that’s entirely reasonable. And, how many times have you ever seen an alcoholic or junkie recover by just “cutting back”?

Yup, I’m a full-fledged ADDICT!

Don’t believe me that SUGAR is addictive? Or, that you “have it under control” and don’t need to consider how much sugar you have in your diet? Well, if you eat anything processed, my friend, think AGAIN!! So, here’s a few resources for you to check out HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

What I need

I need structure. Like a 12-step program has been known to help people recover from drug and alcohol addictions, I need a program to help me. Not a step-by-step but one with boundaries. And, I need to be accountable for those boundaries.

And, that is – for me – the 21 Day Sugar Detox works so well. It’s the boundaries I need and the accountability required for me to stay on my template and be successful.
Wow, only took me 1,646 words to come up with that! Not bad…Yes, I know I’m long-winded.



This is a big revelation for me. And, as much as I know it sucks to think about the reality of it, it’s liberating to not only know what to do, but to know it will be successful.
But, do I engage in such a strict program heading into the holidays? After reading this article the other day about starting a Whole30 during the holidays, I figured I’d power through the last two months of 2014. But, as I continue to mull this over, I think a 21 Day Sugar Detox carefully timed in November and December is just what I need.

[Note: I have done a Whole30 before and, while it’s very similar to the 21 Day Sugar Detox, it’s the small variances that keep pulling me back to 21 Day Sugar Detox. That’s why you don’t read much about Whole30 from me. It’s an amazing program! And, I had great success, too. But, not being able to have occasional treats like Moo-less Chocolate Mousse or making some amazing Banana Bread that do not contain any sugar is just too much for me.]

So, I’m starting MONDAY with my sugar detox; already signed up for the daily emails! I’ll give myself a break starting with Thanksgiving. I’ll re-evaluate what I need to do for December. After all, this girl’s got GOALS to be met before the end of this year!!

Thanks for listening to my rant here. All 2,000 words! I do appreciate it!



Take care!
~Anne