DAY #15 - NO SUGAR

Okay...so I am struggling through week numero #3 of eating absolutely NO SUGAR. 

Day 15 & going...grizzly.

Week #1, I was high on life (sugar free). 

I was traipsing around the office, telling the girls: "hell yes, I can do this - so easy! I very rarely eat sugar anyway, so this is going to be walking-on-easy-street business for me - no problemo".

My waist line was shrinking, kilos were dropping by day 4, I was fitting into jeans slightly better than before & all the while I was eating everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that contained no sugar. 

This included pasta, rice, certain types of bread & more. All of these foods were allowed & as much as you wanted/needed - anything to stop reaching for that sugar bowl. I could enjoy full cream everything, full fat anything, meat meat meat & carbs like no tomorrow. I was loving it.

This method of dieting was 'it for me'. 

I started this I Quit Sugar regime on a Monday.

Friday rolled around & it hit me like a tonne of bricks. 

I had terrible headaches, I had blurry vision, my body was achy & I basically just couldn't get my s@#t together. My body was literally purging god knows what & it was the weirdest feeling.

I have detoxed before, but not like this. 

I found I was sleeping far better than before, but I could NOT get out of bed in the morning (which is generally easy for me), I lacked energy & by around 3pm, I really found out what threethrity-itis was all about. Bad news.

By Sunday, my face had completely broken out & no matter what I did to clear my skin, it just wouldn't work. This got me angry & uptight.

I was drinking water like the worlds supply was about to run out - (I got real thirsty, a side affect of quitting sugar I am told), but still no luck or clear skin. The grumpies started. 

Week #2.

I started to feel rather sluggish.

I tried really hard to cut back on carbs & get more into porridge (although, bloody boring without brown sugar or honey etc), cans of tuna, soup (there's only so much soup one can have in a week!!) meat, fish, legumes and all the vegetables with minimal natural sugar. 

I was getting really bored with all of this & quickly.

Checking labels at the supermarket was taking up far too much time & I looked like a label Nazi.

 We made rice paper rolls one night when a friend came over, but of course mine were dry (sans the plum sauce, which is laden with bad bad sugar). So these rice paper rolls = bland/boring/dry.

Can you get the gist? My body was craving sugar! 

Nothing was tasting like it should. 

I had been munching on natural almonds throughout the day, everyday, to tide over my overwhelming need to eat (and to be honest, even almonds were boring/dry & doing NOTHING to satisfy my mid-morning munchies). This was getting out of control. It was mentally draining & I was thinking *what the hell am I doing this for? Why?* Questions were risen.

***

Prior and during this sugar-free time, I had read lots of material online & literature emailed to me about the dangers of processed foods and in particular the dangers of eating refined sugar. 

I read the amazing Jessica Ainscough's  Make Peace with your Plate (which initially got me back to basics and through the process of eliminating processed and preservative foods), and boy did it open my little peepers. I highly recommend buying this e-book if you are considering a healthy change of lifestyle & you genuinely want to commit to changing your diet for the better (and ultimately for life). 

I decided after week two of zero sugar, to download Sarah Wilson's 8-week I Quit Sugar program. 

I loitered my mouse over the 'purchase' button for a good week before committing to this book & I am really glad I did.

I guess I thought I could do the no sugar thing with the materials & new knowledge I already had, but after purchasing, reading and letting it all sink in, I now have that extra bit of 'support' I needed to get me through probably the toughest time so far during this journey. 

Although today is the beginning of week 3, I feel empowered and confident in myself that the next month or so will get easier. This diet/lifestyle change wasn't meant to be easy (and it isn't) & I am gradually starting to see the light. 

My skin has started to clear up, I am starting to make not only sugar free food choices, but choices that are healthy, nutritious, filling and above all else, wholesome & that make me glow.

I am listening to my body. 

Despite my L-O-V-E for all things savory & always reaching for the cheese & not the cake, 

I was in fact a sugar addict. 

- Ill update again soon -