In Serious Need of a Sugar Detox!!

A couple weeks ago I stated to feel sick.  My body just didn't feel right.  I was extremely exhausted and without energy.  My allergies were going crazy and I was sneezing all over the place.  I had a headache and sinus pressure all throughout the day. 

Something was up and my immune system was definitely down.

I didn't know what was going on.  Since I started my fitness journey my health has been amazing!  I rarely if ever get colds, my allergies hardly ever act up, and I usually have so much energy.  I haven't felt like this in a while.

I even took a pregnancy test;  that's how tired I was!!  Don't worry it was negative!!

Then my wonderfully observant husband made the comment, "Maybe because you've been eating like crap."

***LIGHT BULB****

As much as I didn't want to admit that he was right... he was right.  It was the week of the 4th of July;  lots of picnics, eating out, pies, and ice cream.

Sure I said I wanted to enjoy my summer, but I was taught a huge lesson on over-doing-it. 

It is amazing what sugar does to the body.  The more I ate it, the more I craved it, despite the effects it was having on my body.  It's just like a drug!!  There have even been studies on how the chemicals and hormones in our brain trigger some of the same responses to sugars as it does with heroine and other drugs. 

So I decided I was in serious need of a sugar detox!!  I was not going to ingest any kind of artificial sugar for 5 days (mon-fri).  I have cut a lot of sugary foods out of my normal diet anyways, but I did still nibble on my dark chocolate and I would nibble on the kids' foods, like fruit snacks, nilla wafers, and teddy grahams.  Just the mindlessly munching on snacks left behind.  But for 5 days I was not going to let anything past my lips that contained sugar, aside from whole fresh fruit.

And let me tell you... it was hard, especially after the binge I'd had the week before!!

Monday was the easiest.  After dinner I thought about my dark chocolate, but I had the freshly motivated determination in my mind that got me through it.

Tuesday was a little harder.  I was doing ok with will power and determination and I wasn't experiencing any sinus problems, but I was a huge grump.

Wednesday I was exhausted!!  As soon as my husband got home from work I fell asleep on the couch with two kids jumping on top of me.

Thursday started getting better.  I felt my energy was renewed and my body felt great.  Cravings were still there, but I was doing good.  A short trip to Walmart and walking through the pastry section seemed suffocating, but knowing that I was going to be much healthier by passing it by made it easy.

Friday I was fine.  I felt great and looked even better!!   Just from getting the artificial stuff out I didn't have hardly any of the common bloat in my lower abdomen and my muscles showed more definition. 

This detox was amazing and gave me a renewed strength and boosted a slightly faded motivation.  Again, I'm usually very limited on the amount of sugars I consume, but this is the first time I totally removed EVERYTHING, and I loved it, how it made me feel, and how it healed my body that was going into sugar shock.  If you're in need of a new boost, or jump start, I encourage you to try cutting out the sugars.

Now, on Saturday we had a family picnic with a huge desert table, and you bet your bottom I had me some sugar.  But I didn't over consume and stuck mostly with the healthier brownies that I brought and shared my desert plate with my kiddos.  But that was my reward for doing well, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  After that, it's back to sugar free living... until my next reward.

 

 

References:

Jacky Warner, This is Why You're Fat
Fitness Rx For Women

MAKE (IT) YOURSELF: Italian Shrimp & Pasta

Haven't posted a new recipe in while, sorry!  This one is actually already on my recipe page, but it's one of my favorites so I wanted to highlight it.  It has so many great flavors and textures and the shrimp brings good variety to the sometimes boring chicken or fish.  It's a bit heavy on carbs so be careful with portion sizes and make sure you use whole wheat pasta.

Italian Shrimp & Pasta:

Ingredients:

1 medium bag cooked/peeled shrimp
1 1/2 (cooked) whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 C broccoli florets - fresh
1 small-medium red pepper, cut into 1 inch strips
1/3 C Lite Italian Dressing - divided

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed.
Peel shrimp if needed and rinse.
Sauté shrimp, pepper, and broccoli in 2-3 tbls Italian dressing for 5-7 min.
After pasta is cooked and strained, pour in remaining Italian dressing and mix well.
Divide pasta out on plates and top with shrimp mixture.

Viola!!  A healthy Italian masterpiece in just minutes!!  Enjoy!!

My new summer goal: to not make any new summer goals!!

About a month ago BodyBuilding.com announced a new 6 week summer challenge.  It was a challenge to go from 'good' to 'great'; to really bust your butt for 6 weeks during the summer to get ripped and look your best, plus, grand prize winner gets $10,000 and more prizes. 

I was ready to go.  You had a two week window to get prepared for the challenge before the actual start date.  I immediately started to strategically plan out the next 6 weeks on paper.  Designing a new workout routine, making menu plans that had every meal plus snacks mapped out, as well as complete back up plans... just in case.

I was going to win this one!!

However, the more I planned the more intense I got.  I looked at the calendar and focused on all the upcoming events:  camping trip, birthday party, family cookout, work picnic, 4th of July, and anniversary.  I could do it.  Those would be my cheat days.

I started doing morning cardio and got a jump start on my new strength training routine.  Even designed a more elaborate menu plan that had me carb cycling so that my cheat days wouldn't affect me as much.  I had every day, every hour planned to make sure I would completely dominate this challenge.

The official start date was June 17 and I got up and didn't have the urge to do anything.  I had already stressed myself out enough in just the planning and preparing that I was already burnt out.  Then I thought:  what is this for?  I'd already been asked the question if it was for the transformation or for the money and I immediately had the response:  for the money.  I was very happy with my body and health.  Sure I definitely still have some trouble spots that need work, don't yet have my 6-pack abs, and still need a lot of discipline in the kitchen, but overall, I was more than happy with me.

It is so easy to get obsessed with you fitness goals that it takes over your entire life.  And some people can handle that and make it a top priority.  I myself can't let that happen.

I didn't want to completely waste my entire summer stressing over some challenge that boiled down to a final picture and the very, very small chance that I might win some money.  I decided there that I was going to enjoy my summer, enjoy my family, and enjoy some good food.

Does that mean I'm going to completely let myself go for the next 2 months - shoot no!!  I'm going to continue to practice living a healthy lifestyle because that's what it is a lifestyle, not a quick fix or super intense regimen to get ready for one single event.  I am still going to exercise regularly and work on those trouble spots.  I am still going to eat a healthy diet 80-90% of the time (well, maybe even 60% sometimes).

But what I'm not going to do is freak out over missing a workout because I'd rather have a little extra snuggle time with my babies or because I stayed up too late the night before watching movies with my husband.  I'm not going to obsess over everything I eat, or get anxiety from a picnic that offers nothing but horrible carbs and fats.  I'm not going to go camping and not eat Smores, or not go all out for my anniversary. 

It's good to have goals.  They can motivate us to get to the next level or push ourselves beyond our comfort zones.  Goals are what keeps us on track for who or what we want to become, so it's very important that your goals reflect that and don't turn you into something else.

My goal is to not make any goals, but just to live a healthy life and enjoy my summer.  Does that mean I'm not going to get that 6-pack I am so close to achieving?  Maybe...  but maybe not.