I've discovered...

Warning: the next paragraph is a little graphic :)
I've been off the sugar detox for about 3 weeks. Not that long. And I've noticed a few things since then. I've taken Metformin for about 2 years now, off and on (mostly off, I'm not good at remembering to take medication). If I don't remember to take medicine though, I get pretty bad diarrhea for about 2 days until my body adjusts to it again. And then I'm fine! Until the next time I forget to take it for a few days. And the cycle repeats itself. Until I did the sugar detox last month. I hadn't remembered to take Metformin in a couple of weeks but I started up again on it the same day I went on the sugar detox. I wanted to make sure that I was controlling sugar levels from the beginning. What I was really afraid of was diabetic shock. That my blood sugar would crash dramatically when I took out all forms of sugar. So back on the pill I went. But this time, not diarrhea! I can't really explain scientifically why this happened.

What I think happened was something to do with the combination of this medicine and gluten. Because I've introduced wheat back into my diet (at times, A LOT of it) and I'm back to the diarrhea. I've not introduced soda, fast food, white sugar, or even much desserty type stuff back in so I don't think it's that. Any other ideas?

I've also discovered I need to stick to the food plan pretty closely. I lost 12 pounds in 3 weeks on 21dsd (that's short for 21 day Sugar Detox). I've lost 1.8 pounds since then. And I've been at the gym 4 days a week! Grrr. Not happy about this.

Last thing I've discovered. I love vegetables. No, like seriously. All kinds. Mushrooms are really the only ones I don't care for. Oh, and beets (although are they considered a vegetable? I'm not sure). I like vegetables more than fruit! But that makes sense to me because I've always craved salt over sugar. I'd rather a pickle than a Popsicle.

So, to wrap up, I'm going back on the 21dsd. It's the only thing that seemed to work. Plus, I'm going to do this 3-week exercise plan as well.  That'll take me to the night before Spring Break. And then, maybe, I'll be more motivated to eat right and go to the gym onboard ship. Oh, we're taking a 7-day cruise to the Caribbean for those who don't know. I know I'll cheat. But I hope I won't want to undo everything I've worked for in the last two months. At least that's the dream!

21 days on a sugar detox: The Finale

Wow, 3 weeks went by so quick! I've been back in school for a month, taken two tests, done multiple evenings of homework, and finished a sugar detox. I don't have a sense of, "Oh, now I'm done with this course, I can go back to how I was eating before". I think I'm going to just continue this way. I feel really good after 3 weeks. My blood sugar is more stable, I haven't had a migraine since day 3, and I've lost 12 pounds. Not bad for less than a month!

I've realized how much sugar had a grip on my health. Before, it would seem like at 2:30, I would zone out for the day. Any class, project, event, that happened after that time, I wasn't really present for. Until about 7:00pm when I had eaten dinner and my sugar levels would jump back up. Now, I'm clearheaded all day. Of course, by 5:00pm, I'm kinda done with school. I've been in class for 8 hours, what do you expect?! But it's not food related. I'm also sleeping better and more efficiently. I'd sleep 9-10 hours before and sometimes not feel energized. Now, I'm sleeping 7 1/2 to 8 hours and awake ready to face the day.

One thing though that I have noticed is I'm breaking out more. Odd. I'm not sure what's causing that. Maybe a diet higher in fat? I've never struggled with acne (I don't have acne now, it's not that bad), even during my teenage years. But right now is probably the worst it's been in many years. And the 6-7 spots I do have, I've had for about 2 weeks now. They don't seem to want to heal. Anybody heard anything about this? I'm not sure what to do about that.

So, I'm sure you're thinking, "what are you going to eat now?" I'm going to just continue on this way. I don't think I'll add other carb sources. Brown Rice and the occasional popcorn have been fine for me (I can't give up popcorn, I would die). I will add more fruits back in. There's a pineapple ripening on my counter as I speak that is calling to me. I won't be as strict about what goes into my mouth either. If I really want that bowl of pasta, then I'll eat it! But it won't be 3 times a week. I've gotten a lot more aware of what foods I eat and what ingredients I use and I hope to continue that. It's been eye opening to realize that what I eat affects not only long term health but day-to-day life as well. These 3 weeks have been at times challenging, but it's been a wonderful lesson in accountability and discipline as well. I've enjoyed doing this detox and I hope it's just the beginning to a different pattern in life.

Meals for this last week are listed below if you're interested :) Thanks for reading and the support many of you have extended throughout these past few weeks!

Day 15
Breakfast: Atkins Shake, Apple and Almond Butter
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Soup
Dinner: Salisbury Steak, Brown Rice, and Broccoli

Day 16
Breakfast: Atkins Shake, Coffee
Lunch: Leftover Garlic Pork and Broccoli
Dinner: Spanakopita Chicken Meatballs, Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Day 17
Breakfast: Paleo Breakfast Casserole  (this was wonderful! I added cheese, green peppers,
                                             and onions)
                                            Lunch: Leftover Meatballs
                                            Dinner: Taco Salad

Day 18
Breakfast: Leftover Breakfast Casserole
Lunch: Hamburger with Cheese, Zucchini and Onions sauteed
Dinner: Coconut Curry Lentil Soup 

Day 19
Breakfast: Carrot Pumpkin Muffin
Lunch: Chicken Caesar Salad
Dinner: Chili

Day 20
Breakfast: Carrot Pumpkin Muffin
Lunch: Chicken and Broccoli
Dinner: Eggplant Parmesan, Spaghetti Squash

Day 21
Breakfast: Banana, Cheese Stick, Salami
Lunch: Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets, Spaghetti Squash
Dinner: Out for dinner

My cravings for bread

I woke up this morning and NEEDED baked goods. It's a gorgeous, snowy day and what's better than that? A snowy day with a cup of hot cocoa, a muffin, and a blazing fire, that's what. And so I jumped on Pinterest to find a 21 day sugar detox approved bread recipe. I didn't care what kind of bread it was. Muffins, cookies, quick bread (like banana bread). Any of them would work. And I stumbled upon this recipe: Sugar Detox Carrot Cupcakes. So, I decided to try it! But unfortunately, I had few of the ingredients that are needed for this recipe. Don't worry though, I am my mother's child and so I modified practically everything about this recipe. And they came out great! These are paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian, low in carbs, delicious. I've yet to eat a gluten free muffin with a better texture. The only thing I don't like about them is they are not sweet at all. Once I'm off this sugar detox, I'll add honey to them (or on top of them, or both) to sweeten them up. Adding raisins and/or nuts would be good too! But seriously, try these! They are wonderful!

P.S. The secret I've learned to good gluten free baking is using a mixture of flours. The original recipe called for just coconut flour but I used almond, a gluten free flour mixture from trader joe's, and tapioca flour.

21DSD Carrot (Pumpkin) Cupcakes

Author: TGIPaleo.com with huge modifications by me 

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  25 mins

Total time:  40 mins

Serves: 12-15

Ingredients

• ½ c Almond Flour
• 3/4 c gluten free baking mix (I used Trader Joe's)
• 1/4 c tapioca flour 
• ½ t Salt
• ½ t Baking Soda
• ½ t Baking Powder
• 5 Eggs
• 1/3 c Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/4 c raw honey (omit if on 21 DSD) 
• 1/2 c canned pumpkin 
• ½ c Coconut Cream (I got this at the asian store) 
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1 t Pumpkin Pie Spice (didn't have this either, subbed cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg) 
• 4 Medium Carrots, grated (I ended up with ~1½ cups)

Instructions

1. Combine all your dry ingredients.
2. Beat the eggs with the applesauce, pumpkin, coconut cream, and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine.
4. Beat with an electric mixer on HIGH for 2 minutes (this step is key to a good, fluffy texture).
5. Spoon into your lined cupcake tins to about ¾ full.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, until the cupcakes are lightly browned and pass the toothpick test.
7. Makes about 1 dozen cupcakes.