Live Well : Sugar Detox

I did the unthinkable a week ago today. I gave up refined sugar (cookies, sweets, cakes, donuts, etc). More than that, I gave up foods that the body processes as sugar.

Say what?!

The human body creates energy one of two ways – through sugar or fat. Are you exhausted? Mood Swings? Weight gain even with exercise? Adult Acne? If you said yes to these (I said yes to all) then you might be a sugar burner rather than a fat burner.

In short, you have to detoxify your body of all the sugar and toxins it produces and in turn teach your body to burn fat rather than sugar.

So that means for the month of April there will be zero sugar in my diet.

Yep. No carbs, No dairy, No fruit besides berries, No processed foods, No foods with added sugar, No artificial sweeteners.

It was overwhelming at first. All I could think about was how I wasn’t going to be able to eat ANYTHING I liked.

The first few days were hard. I wont lie to you. All I wanted was cheese and candy.

I NEVER felt full – in fact I felt like I was starving for four days straight. Nothing was satisfying my hunger and cravings. Even worse – I wasn’t able to really compete in the gym. I was weak and exhausted.

Those first few days I honestly wondered what I had gotten myself into. Hello detox.

Then, I turned a corner

I started finding foods and recipes that I liked and could fix without hours in the kitchen. I noticed I wasn’t needing to collapse onto the couch at 8:30p and fall asleep soon after but instead was up and around until 10:30 or 11 with… wait for it… energy!

I started making my own salad dressings (with no sugar) and packing salads in a mason jar thanks to Pinterest. Who knew it actually worked!!

I still have my coffee in the morning – only now I use stevia and almond milk instead of creamer and splenda.

Protein shakes have become my best friend. Breakfast and pre workout (afternoon) are the times I find they work the best for my hunger cravings.

Most everything in my fridge now is fresh, whole foods. They take some prep but surprisingly are really tasty.

Besides energy, I have lost 5lbs in a matter of a week. What? I also notice more definition in my arms and shoulders (thank you crossfit)

The best thing about all of this – I am allowed to cheat. Yep! One full cheat day filled with anything I want. Need that coke fix? Do it. Want chocolate or chips? Go for it.

My cheat day wasn’t that exciting and I didn’t cheat all that much but they are needed. Not only for your will power but also for your body. You need to trick you system. Don’t let it get content with processing certain foods.

All in all I am super excited about kicking the sugar bucket. Even after these 28 days I think it is safe to say I will keep my refined sugar intake and a very very minimum life without it is just too good.