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