Crash and Burn

So I made it half way through the 21 Day Sugar Detox and then fell off the wagon.  Had I done one thing before hand it would have made a big difference;  In the protocol she says to start with 1/2 a cup of sweet potato per meal if you are pregnant/nursing.  You are supposed to be getting around 40 grams of carbs per meal and you might need more.  First of all, 1/2 a cup of sweet potato is around 20 grams of carbs not 40 which I could have looked up.  But I didn't know that I wouldn't be ABLE to tell I needed more until it was too late.  I felt more or less okay the first week-- I was busy with houseguests and a sick baby and wasn't particularly hungry.  I got the sweet potato in mostly two meals out of three, and the one day I went to the gym I could tell I was dragging but when you are chronically sleep deprived and getting over a cold it's difficult to know the source of your fatigue.   I never had physical cravings for sugar.  On day 12 I hit rock bottom.  Not only was I EXHAUSTED but I also hit an emotional wall and started spiraling into an irrational depression.  Carbs = serotonin and I had been inadvertently on a probably less than 75grams of carbs a day diet, while feeding a sick baby who was doing a whole lot of nursing. Some people would probably be fine on this but I do not do well on very low carb even when I am not nursing.    I could have just eaten a bunch more sweet potato, but really how much sweet potato can you eat in one sitting?  So I not only ate carbs, but I ate (gluten-free) cookies.  And I am fine with it.  Less sugar is good, but when you are nursing and busy extra extreme programs can backfire.  I had a little gluten free bread today.  I still don't digest it well and do better off grains but after two days of basically carb loading I feel a lot better.  Lesson learned people.  I did break my excessive chocolate habit, so that was a good thing, and I found I like my coffee with just cream and no sweetener. 

Also, I did discover that grilled portobello mushrooms make the most amazing burger bun.  I like it better than bread.  Try it-- amazing.

21 Day Detox: 7 days in

I am a week into the 21 day sugar detox and things are going well.  I have not had any sweetener or grains at all, or really even any impulse to do so, in spite of a lot of stress, very little sleep and PMS.  First I had a bad cold, and then Max got it.  He was pretty sick last week, and thus having a lot of difficulty sleeping. Then my parents came for a week, which was great, but also busy.  I think actually having the distraction of guests helped keep me on track. 

I suspect I need to eat a lot more carbs.  I am not terribly hungry most of the time, though a couple times I haven't had a substantial lunch and then I'm starving.  But I feel like I am dragging a bit in a familiar, not enough carbs sort of way.  The 21DSD recommends starting with a 1/2 cup of starchy veggies per meal for breastfeeding moms and increasing from there-- I think I have had that two out of three meals most days, due more to convenience then specific carb avoidance.  I went to the gym for the first time in at least a month today and though I took it easy I did not have a lot of energy.  More sweet potatoes for me (Max and I already eat 3+ a day between us so I feel like I am constantly baking sweet potatoes/yams). 

Most frustrating was I made a giant pot of chili yesterday and even though I decreased the chili powder significantly it is still too spicy for me (I REALLY do not like spicy food). I was planning on eating that for lunch for several days and freezing some but now it's almost all going to be for Marc since I can hardly stand to eat it and don't dare give it to Max.

I haven't started trying to get off coffee yet, which is my next goal.  Maybe after the 21 days-- one thing at at time.

Happy New Year

I am kicking off the New Year doing the 21 Day Day Sugar Detox.  I am getting over a cold, which I suspect is blunting my appetite, so it's been so far fairly easy.  Sometime I would like to get off coffee for awhile too but I have a sick baby who is waking up every two hours and I had to get up for work at 4am, so coffee is helping me survive right now.

I know that later in the week things will get tough and I will miss my chocolate, but I can do it! It's just three weeks! Anyone else detoxing in the new year?