I've decided to follow Sarah Wilson's "I Quit Sugar" E-Book on Amazon. It's actually an 8-week detox program that follows a very gentle, gradual approach. For this first week, I just have to cut out the obvious stuff: cookies, candy, cake, muffins, sodas, syrups, etc. That's totally doable, right?
I've quit sugar cold turkey before, and it was incredibly painful. Dr. Mark Hyman has an awesome book called The Blood Sugar Solution that I've read, and although I love some of his recipes, he is all about cutting sugar cold turkey. He cuts all sugar, all carbs, dairy products, fruit, and any and all sugar substitutes. And yes, it worked. I quit sugar, but as I mentioned on my last blog, I went right back to eating unhealthy amounts of white poison after the 60 days were up.
I stayed super busy today. That was a conscious decision, for sure. I didn't want to get caught having extra time to think about what was lurking in my cupboards. By the way, all these detox programs say the first step is to get all the items with sugar in them out of the house. Well I just plain can't do that. The kids and Danny are still allowed their sweets, and so I did get rid of the ones I crave so much it hurts, i.e. the bag of chocolate chips. Those had to take the long walk to the trash.
So, right after I woke up, I raced to the kitchen to start scrambling some eggs. I'm one of those people who have to eat right away. And I mean right away! I've always struggled with hypoglycemia, and when my blood sugar is super low, like in the morning, I've got to get something in there fast before I get sick. Hmmmmm….. I guess that's why my dad always bought me a Snickers bar to eat before every basketball game in high school.
Anyway, for breakfast I scrambled a whole bunch of eggs, thinking the kids and I would share. We did. I ate mine with a bit of shredded cheese on top and a large side of chunky salsa. Then I had a cup of black coffee. Wait, let me rephrase that. I choked down a sip of black coffee. Yeah, I don't think I'm going to be able to make the transition from coffee with flavored creamer to black coffee in one day. And I ate one small apple. Eventually I will have to eliminate fruit, but not yet. Yay!
A couple of hours later, on my way down to our little Valley's brand new trampoline jump center, I nibbled on a handful of squash seeds and cashews. I know that sounds weird, but salted squash seeds are so delicious! I buy them in bulk from a cool little market in Julian. While at the trampoline place, I drank a ton of water, two big jugs. This is an order from my new accountability coach. I hired an amazing friend to help me get through this journey and finish it. She's super-crazy fit, like so fit, that when she jumps on the trampoline, nothing jiggles, nothing moves. Actually her muscles just bust out of her legs, but hey, no need to compare, right? Right.
By lunch time I was ravenous. And I could feel the sugar demons screaming at me as the all encompassing headache came on. So I ran to the grocery store, and stayed on the perimeter, as my coach directed. I bought all kinds of beautiful veggies, cheeses, and meats. So for lunch, I made a gorgeous plate of turkey with jalapeños, half an avocado, two slices of cheddar cheese, a handful of carrots and four cherries. I'm going to try not to binge on fruit, since they are obviously a sugar, and I'll have to cut them later.
After lunch I went to my mom's for our Bible study, and while there I had my 3:00 snack. Now 3:00 is when my cravings are at their absolute peak. Mid-afternoon is when it all goes downhill for me on most diets. It is at this time when I will eat almost anything in sight. So after our study, which was on prayerfully giving control over to God, who is more than sufficiently able to handle our problems, I reached for a cheesestick and some more cashews instead of a graham cracker slathered in peanut butter. Thank you, Jesus, every meal is a victory!
For dinner I made some delicious almond meal covered chicken, straight from Dr. Hyman's Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook. I ran out of olive oil, so I had to make it with coconut oil, giving it a coconutty flavor….so yummy!!!! I just steamed some broccoli for the side. I made some tortellini with butter for Danny and the kids, while I just had the protein and veggie. It was good, very tasty. The kids loved the chicken and tortellini, and ate their "dinosaur trees"also. Would it be weird/gross to post a picture of my dinner? Oh well, here you go:
As the evening approaches, I know this could be a tough go for me, since it's when the kids are in bed that the snacks come out. I'm going to let myself have a spoonful of almond butter, since fat is not the culprit today and some hot tea. And then I'll wake up and be ready for day 2!
