Done and done! {21DSD}

Yesterday marked the end of our 21DSD, see this post for more info.  I am so glad I took the challenge of the 21 Day Sugar Detox. I really enjoyed this detox and love having a buddy to do it with.   It was definitely work, more mentally than physically.  If you have been reading our post from the detox, it is clear that biggest thing we both gained over the past three weeks was the mindfulness in eating and being present with our bodies.  Here is Sarah's reflection on the past 21 days.  I will share mine later in the week.

Sarah's two cents{more like four or five cents}

"21 days of extremely little sugar and clean eating, done and done!  And awareness to keep it going.  I would consider this detox successful.  Though it is not something highly or easily sustainable for long term living as strictly as set as set forth in the rules of the detox, but the awareness gained, and lessons about one's body, eating habits and general reality check at least for me, provide the basis and foundation for some positive changes and points for improvement that have stemmed from some concrete observations the rigidity of the detox rules provided.  

In these last three weeks, I have not only paid more attention to the food items going in my mouth, but also how I have felt before and after, and making some fairly significant observations about how I have felt during and after eating certain foods.  I found myself contemplating the psychological aspects of the foods we eat, how we eat them, and attempting to explore why they make us feel a certain way.  (Less in the physical aspects and more in the mental aspects).  Like what foods leave you feeling physically sated, but not fully satisfied, and what plays into with a greater overall feeling satisfaction.  Why do we feel psychological, or psycho-chemically sated with some foods and not others?  My scientific explanation would be that certain foods (particularly sugar and fat) cause a release of endorphins in the brain.  Since sugar is and easy flavor to distinguish it causes a very quick chemical response in the brain.  Ok, but we know that some people react more to sweets than others, and that you can also get these feelings from other foods.  Can you condition your brain to react pleasurably to healthy foods?  My answer would be yes.  I have seen it over the past months of eating Paleo, as well as within the last three weeks of the 21DSD.  So much is actually about mindset.  Not to say it is easy; it has required a great deal of consciousness and let me tell you, maintaining consciousness takes a lot of energy, especially from a sleep deprived, stressed out, right-in-the-middle-of-finals grad student.  BUT placing some energy there, was actually calming and stress-relieving. 

Small time investment in- much greater benefit out.  That benefit being a greater awareness of when I actually need that cupcake to feel satisfied, or when I can reach that feeling of satisfaction with half of Leah's Ah-mazing Green Smoothie (if you freeze it, and eat it when its beginning to thaw, it's a fairly good substitute for ice cream (yeah, really. I was surprised too). I discovered I CAN eat less fruit and be fine.  I don't NEED 2+ servings of fruit a day, and a green apple provides the same effect as a fuji apple, that I'm actually looking for something juicy and crunchy rather than the sugar content.  

So before I ramble on and on, the biggest things I have gotten out of these three weeks, is the conviction I don't need that much sugar, and have some more ways to stay in tune with my body and cravings, and implement some of the changes from the detox into my day to day life going forward. "