Day 21: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

When I was a kid, we used to count to 100 by saying, "1, 2, skip a few, 99, 100." Was that a thing lots of kids did? I don't know, but that's how I thought this whole "posting every day" thing was supposed to go: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, skip a few, 21." It's my mom's fault. She never taught me how to count. Seriously, though, I think it was quite the effort on my part. Completing 12 posts in 21 days ain't too shabby. Maybe you thought since I skipped posts 13 through 20 that I died from lack of sugar.

Well here I am, folks. I'm very much alive. Rich too. He's half alive and half sleeping. Either way, we both survived 21 whole days with no added sugar, and we're better off for it. What's next, you ask? We're not 100 percent sure. We did this half on a whim and half because we wanted to kick start ourselves into a healthier lifestyle. We are now transitioning into a more "clean" style of eating, continuing to leave things white things (sugar, bread, rice, pasta) out of our diet most of the time. I can't pretend that we will never eat pasta, pizza, or a delicious sub ever again. That's just silly. We plan on keeping our diets high in healthy protein and low in bad carbohydrates. Basically, we're  trying to steer clear of processed foods. It's almost identical to what we've been doing for the last 21 days, except now we can add things like pure maple syrup in place of refined white sugar. I seriously can't wait for that because I tried to concoct some "desserts" in the last week or so, and let's just say they were...savory. While I'm not craving anything sweet, I would love a little sweetness in my life.

If you recall, I did hope to lose weight throughout this process. I'm happy-ish to report that I lost about 4 pounds. I can hear you all now: "Oh, wow! That's WONDERFUL!" Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wonderful, schmonderful. Seriously, I would be totally happy with that if I hadn't lost it all within the first week! To know that little tidbit is to know that I did weigh myself through the process. I weighed myself a couple times each week -- I wasn't obsessive or anything. I maintained almost the exact weight (give or take .2 pounds) from day 7 to day 21! That was a bit frustrating, but I will take it. Rich, on the other hand (get ready ladies), lost about 15 pounds. FIF. TEEN. I will say, he had just been on a golfing trip with his buddies before we started this, so I'm sure some of that was "water weight," but still! Like I said before, he was very successful losing weight when on a low-carb diet, so this seemed to be a good "marriage" for both of us. Imagine that! I'm very happy for him.

We actually went grocery shopping together last night which doesn't happen often. As we walked through, we educated ourselves on things we could eat and add to our diets now that the 21 DSD is over. It was a good experience. Overall, the entire 21 days has been a good experience. I would say we definitely had more highs than lows, and it was only really tough in the first few days. I'm glad we did it! We're hoping for many of these habits to stick as we move forward.

Thanks to anyone who followed along while we felt our way through this! You can see the other posts in this series here:

Day 1: The 21 Day Sugar Detox 

Day 2: The 21 Day Sugar Detox 

Day 3: The 21 Day Sugar Detox 

Day 4: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 5: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 6: The 21 Day Sugar Detox 

Day 7: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 8: The 21 Day Sugar Detox  

Day 9: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 10: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 12: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 12: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

I didn't post last night since Rich finally got home from his fishing trip. Yahoooo!! Instead of spending time in front of the computer, I spent time in front of his face because I love his face. Going forward, I guess I'll be posting in "real time" instead of being a day late (and definitely a dollar short).

So I feel like this is getting booooring! Blogging is definitely keeping me accountable on the 21DSD, but at this point, all the days are feeling the same. It's still a bit of a struggle, as I deal with some cravings here and there, but overall, there's nothing super extraordinary to report. Therefore, this post's new title will be:

"And I will walk 500 miles, and I will walk 500 more..."

We got our Fit Bit-like walking gadgety things in the mail a couple days ago! Actually, so that I'm giving the company credit, it's called the WalkingSpree Inspire Wireless Activity Tracker. As I explained about a week ago, we were able to purchase these cool little doodads through Rich's company for a discounted rate ($25), and if we walk a certain number of steps per day, he gets a small amount of money tacked on to his paycheck at the end of the month. It's a great concept, especially in terms of keeping heath care costs low.

Here's what the device looks like:

Obviously, it's not the most attractive thing on the planet, but heck, neither am I. You have the choice of either wearing it in a wristband like I am there, wearing it in a clip, or putting it in your pocket naked. I've tried the clip-on pedometer thing before, and it just doesn't work for me. I move around quite a bit at work, so there's just not a good spot for it. Plus, I wear a lot of dresses, so there's really nowhere to put it. Also, I'm certain that if I threw it in my pocket instead of somehow attaching it to my body, I'm sure I'd lose it.

It doesn't seem to do quite as much as the Fit Bit, but I don't really have any first hand experience with the Fit Bit either. I did a small amount of research on the Fit Bit products this summer, and I never really wanted to spend $100 on what I was calling a "glorified pedometer." The Fit Bit claims to monitor your sleep patterns, which sounds really cool, but I don't know how much I'd really get into that. Like the Fit Bit, there's an app for this Walking Spree version, but it's only available for iPhone 4s and above. I still have the 4, but I'm hoping to change that when the 6 comes out. We'll see. On the website, users have access to an activity tracker, a food tracker, and a body tracker. For $25, I can't really complain. Today is my first full day wearing it, and so far, I've walked 5,705 steps. 10,000 is my goal per day.

 

I'm not too sure about these points and raffle tickets, but I'm sure it has something to do with prizes or money Rich can win if we can manage to rack up the right number. 

There's also a leader board. I spray painted the names to protect the innocent, but you can see how it might be motivating to compete against your co-workers. Check out that person in 1st place who has walked 240 miles in the month of August! I don't understand how the person in 5th place has covered more distance in less steps than the person in 4th place (maybe they take other types of workouts into consideration?), but I'm sure I'll figure it out as I go.

A friend from work asked me last night if I wanted to walk one or two days after work this Fall. I said 100% yes! This bracelet has magical powers. As soon as I put it on, I wanted to walk 500 miles and 500 more. It gets crazy busy the first few months of school, but hopefully we can get on a schedule of walking a day or two together so that we can help one another along. Walking with friends can be so beneficial: it's motivating, it's uplifting, and it's a chance to spend quality time with someone you care about. What more could you ask for?


Day 1: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 2: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 3: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 4: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 5: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 6: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 7: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 8: The 21 Day Sugar Detox 

Day 9: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 10: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 10: The 21 Day. Sugar Detox

As I explained, day 9 was the roughest one I've had yet. I'm grateful that I didn't eat an entire bag of chips, but it could have been baaaad! Today was better! I worked again, but I think since it was my third full day back in a row, I was less tired at the end of the day than I was the two days before. After work, I had enough energy to clean the house a bit, do some laundry, cut the grass, and cook dinner. Speaking of dinner, I made baked chicken strips! They were yummy!! I also had only one string cheese stick and one green apple as before/after dinner snacks. Baby steps, people.

Really, all I can look forward to is Rich coming home. He's been gone since last Friday and intermittently all August. I can't wait to spend some time with him before the madness starts. Also, I'm bored out of my mind. Even Carly is bored.

Day 1: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 2: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 3: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 4: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 5: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 6: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 7: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 8: The 21 Day Sugar Detox 

Day 9: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 9: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Nine rhymes with whine, and that's what I'm about to do. I was feeling snacky earlier. I know that's not  a word, but that's how I was feeling. I had a day about on par with what I have been having -- good, fine, eating, doing, fine. However, for the last two days, I have felt more tired than I have lately. I feel like it must be because I've been back to work this week. I guess I can't attribute it all to working, but I have worked two full days in a row. I know, I know, for all of you non-teachers out there that sounds terrible; but I'm not complaining. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. Am I tired because of my detox, or am I tired because I've been working? Honestly, I think it's the working. I'm aware that extended time off work sounds like heaven to many of you, but my point is that when you do have extended time off, working (even if it's light) tuckers ya out.

So the book suggests that on day 8, I might "want a cookie." That one made me laugh. If I knew I wouldn't sabotage what I've already accomplished, I would probably accept a cookie right now, but I could also probably (definitely) live without it. I'd really like a potato chip or two, though, and (ask my mom) I don't even really like potato chips. The book also says I may slip-up or have temptation to eat off-plan foods. Well I think (I know) I slipped up a little. Trust me, it was absolutely not intentional. On my recent grocery store trip, I picked up a packet of taco seasoning. There's your first clue. I read the ingredients as I knew I can't have "traditional" taco seasoning out of a packet. Cayenne pepper this, sea salt that...yep, we're good to go. Flash forward a couple days to moments after I sprinkled it on my ground beef. CANE SUGAR! What the heck? I swear I read the ingredients! At that point, I didn't care. I was hungry. So, I made my taco salad and I ate every last bite. Now, let's be clear. I ate a miniscule amount of the stuff. In fact, there's less than a gram of sugar in 1/12 of the packet, and I only used half of the packet on an entire pound of beef. I do feel guilty, but I'm not dying or anything.

The book suggests that on Day 9 (which is the day I'm actually on), I might feel like, "I'm getting tired of the food I'm eating." That's half true. I honestly feel like I've had a variety of foods throughout the last week and a half. I've had lamb, chicken, bacon, beef, eggs, loads of vegetables, some fruits, some delicious smoothies, and a nice amount of cheese. I can't exactly say I'm tired of the food I'm eating, but I can say that tonight, I wanted to add a couple foods into the mix. Like I said earlier, I would have welcomed a potato chip or two into my life. It was my husband who saved me. Sort of. I told him I was feeling snacky, and he told me to have some cheese or nuts (both of which I'd already had a bit of today). I heeded his advice, I sure did. I had 4 (four) -- F-O-U-R -- string cheeses! I almost couldn't stop myself. I might have gone for the fifth if I didn't know what was good for me. Instead, I ate a green apple. Four string cheeses and a green apple, people! I know, I know, it's not like I opened a bag of chips and ate the whole thing, but still! It was quite a binge and I didn't like it! Well, I liked the cheese, but not the binge.

Aiy yai yai...Is work stress already getting to me? I guess this is a taste of what life will be like for the next few months during my "busy season." Back to reality.

Crap

Day 1: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 2: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 3: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 4: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 5: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 6: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 7: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 8: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 8: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Hi, there! Face here! And you're watching Nick Jr.! Does anyone remember that from back in the day? Well, I do, and it seems like every time I'm beginning one of these detox posts, that's how I want to do it. Anywho, I am at the brink of the end of my 8th day on the 21 Day Sugar Detox, and I've lived to tell the tale. My tale is really boring. I'm so very lonely without Rich -- he's still on Lake Michigan fishin' for salmon -- that my life currently consists of waking, cooking/preparing and eating, working/cleaning/shopping/galavanting, cooking and eating, watching TV, cooking and eating, walking, blogging, and sleeping.  I put the "duh" in dull.

Today was my first kinda real day back to work. I went in around 7 a.m. and got next to nothing done before the new freshmen showed up for orientation. They are babies! Each year, I forget how tiny many of them are, and how much some of them change over the course of a school year. I saw one girl today (who is actually going to be a senior) who I had as a student for 2 years. I remarked how she looks different, but I just couldn't put my finger on why. After thinking about it, I realized it was just because she's maturing. She has the look of a young woman rather than a teenage girl. That's one of the cool parts about my job. Would you like me to tell you one of the sucky parts? I'll save that saga for later. But I digress.

I had a pumpkin spice smoothie for breakfast. I really like that one better than the apple pie one. It's got more umph, more flava. For lunch, I had leftover crustless quiche, some walnuts and almonds, and some cheese. For a snack before dinner, I ate a less-than-stellar grapefruit. I was so disappointed when I opened it because I could tell it was going to be crappy. It was light orange in color -- not ruby red like I was hoping for. Are there different types of grapefruit? Please don't judge me for asking that. I really just want to make sure I look out for the red kind next time I buy. Too bad I have a sack of em' sitting on my counter. Anyway, for dinner I made creamy mushroom soup using some of the leftover bone broth I made last week. I am so excited about that bone broth. It's already been used to make two meals, and I plan to use it for another later this week! The mushroom soup was delicious. I just ate half of an avocado with salt n' peppa on the side. Yum-o.

After dinner, I took a good walk with Carly -- just over 3 miles. Carly wasn't nearly as good tonight as she was yesterday. Shoo, doggie. Literally. On our walk we encountered 1 toad (that I had to jump over), 12 rabbits (ugh), and 1,000,001 dogs a' barkin'. My little girl was overstimulated to say the least. But, if her laying next to me half passed out is any indication, I tired her out. I plan to take over the world next.

Day 1: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 2: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 3: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 4: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 5: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 6: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 7: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 7: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Guess what! I'm still alive. Rich too. After 7 whole days with no sugar, I'm still standing. My skin is all still attached, my bones feel like they're in pretty good shape, and I can still see with my eyes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I survived an entire week with no added sugar whatsoever! I'm celebrating with an imaginary sugar-filled cake. With strawberries on top. And whipped cream. No peanuts, please.

The last week has been a bit of a roller coaster. As you may recall, I experienced a bit of a blood-sugar breakdown, and felt a little woozy poozy during a couple mornings this week. That, however, was the worst of it. I really haven't missed the sugar a whole lot. I can't say I don't have cravings. Do I get the occasional urge for some dark chocolate? Yup. Does my mouth water a little when I'm listening to a podcast about the origins of ice cream? Heck yeah. Does the thought of bread make me want to jump through the roof? Well, I wouldn't take it that far, but you get my point.

After a week with no sugar, I feel like I can do another week without sugar. I certainly don't want to live without it for the rest of my life, but I feel like I could maintain this as a regular thing with maybe a sweet treat here or there.

Rich? He's got this on lock. He's dabbled in low-carb diets before. I take that back. Rich has rocked the socks off some low-carb edibles in the past. He lost about 40 pounds at one point. While this certainly isn't a low-carb diet (far from it), some of the staples of the diet are very much the same. For example, one should really stay away from bread in both instances. Ice cream? Nuh uh. Can I offer you a handful of almonds? Sure, I'd love some! However, whilst away on his fishing trip, the guys have been fishing on and off with little sustinance along the way. Because of this, they stopped for Wendy's hamburgers at around 11 p.m. last night. He assured me it was out of necessity, and I believe him. He told me it tasted like there was sugar dumped on top of the burger! Whoa! This is totally because of the detox! Crazy, no? He said it got him to thinking that maybe sugar and salt are somehow connected. For example, his uncle adds lots of salt to everything he eats. Rich wondered if people add salt to counteract the amount of sugar in the processed foods we eat. I'm no expert (in fact, I really can't elaborate because I'm still twisting the idea around in my brain), but it seems to have some merit. What do you think?

As I mentioned, I completed my meal planning and grocery list last night. I made another trip to Trader Joe's today. I asked on Facebook for recommendations of good places to by good quality meats and produce. I got a ton of great suggestsions (thanks to everyone), but I decided to go to Joe's because I'm comfortable there. I know what I can get, and I know what I'm getting is good stuff. I'll have to do a little more research and a little more shopping around. I'd really like to stay a little closer to home.

I took 2 long walks today (about 2.5 miles each), so that was great for my mind and body. Carly can sometimes be a chore on walks. She loves her some bunnies. Because of that, I'm sometimes reluctant to go for walks which in turn holds me back. She was actually very good today! I was so pleased. I think my little girl is growing up! :)

I'm looking forward to week 2 to see what it brings! Student orientation is tomorrow and Tuesday, so I'll be getting my first look at the students I'll be seeing more than my family come September. As I get busier, it will become increasingly difficult to post my thoughts and feelings, but I'd really like to continue because it provides me with a lot of motivation. It's a great outlet, and knowing that I'm writing it down keeps me way more accountable.

Check out other posts in this series:

Day 1: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 2: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 3: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 4: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 5: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 6: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 6: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Here we are again, ladies and gentlemen. Day 6 of the 21 Day Detox is coming to a close. As I explained, yesterday turned out to be a pretty good day for both Rich and I. Today there is nothing too exciting to report because it has been very much the same. No moodiness, no low blood sugar, no "flu-like" symptoms. In fact, the book suggests that the cold and flu-like symptoms should begin to subside today. I'm happy to report that the book has been pretty accurate thus far. I struggled a tiny (very tiny) bit with snacking today. What I mean is I wanted to snack, but resisted as much as possible. I did munch on some almonds and a couple walnuts here and there, but that's about it. Breakfast today was another applie pie smoothie, lunch was a fresh salad and albacore tuna mixed with celery, jalepenos, and homemade mayonaise, and dinner will be wild caught salmon topped with a "no-honey mustard" sauce and pecans. I haven't tried it yet, but it sure sounds yummy. I haven't heard much from Rich today since he's on his fishing trip, but he did say he got to sleep in which was "glorious." I'm happy he's happy.

I think the biggest struggle today and tomorrow will be meal planning for next week. Many of you know that I hate, hate, hate to grocery shop, so the planning stages are always the toughest for me. Just like with any new diet, one has to be really on top of their game in order to make sure the right foods are ready when it's time to cook and eat. Otherwise, some serious downward spiraling can occur. I plan to sit down tonight or tomorrow morning to make a grocery list. It should be slightly easier this time around since I now know some of the things I really like, some of the things I really don't like, and what does and doesn't work for us. I'm feeling positive, so I hope to keep that up.

One thing I'd really like to accomplish before I get too deep into this is to type up or copy my favorite recipes and meal plans and put them in a "favorites" binder. That way, I won't have to carry around the books like they're made of gold anymore. It's just something I know will take a bit of time, so I continue to put it off. Gotta get on that.

I'm hoping to update daily, if for no other reason than to document my thoughts and feelings throughout the 21 days. I hope you'll come back and cheer for me along the way.

Check out other posts in this series:

Day 1: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 2: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 3: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 4: The 21 Day Sugar Detox

Day 5: The 21 Day Sugar Detox