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. "

Mindful Eating and a Green Smoothie {21DSD wk 2}

woot woot. One week down! Sarah and I have been rockin' it. We both had a great weekend with the 21DSD.  We also had a wonderful 2-hour phone date on Sunday night - I just love our phone dates!  It was filled with the normal girly chit-chat but also some great conversation around food and nutrition.  We had a great discussion about being mindful while eating, which we had both touch on last week in all of our check-ins with each other. As a result of our marvelous conversation, we both decided to have a few goals for week 2 of the 21DSD.

21 Day Sugar Detox {day 5 recap}

{day 5 recap}

We made it, yahoo! This has been much easier than my first attempt at the 21DSD.  I feel like Iw as a little more prepared mentally for this round.  It really isn't that hard.  What is great about this detox is that there are three different levels to choose from based on what your current diet is.  

Leah and Sarah's 5 day recap:

• We both struggled the first three days with the mid-afternoon slump!  Like many people, we would get the typical mid-afternoon slump and have a little sugar kick by eating fruit or dried fruit -essentially candy!  We both were feeling the effects of the this "slump" and not being able to satisfy our sugar craving with some, well, sugar.   

• We both found that you have to be more reflective and mindful on what you eat all day and how it effects your energy level.  What you eat for lunch is definitely going to affect how you feel later in the day.  You really start to be mindful of what you are craving, what your eating, why your eating it and how it will make you feel. (Sarah will be doing a guest post on mindful eating soon.)

• In regards to cravings, Sarah put it well: "It’s like reasoning with a two year old, except that two year old is your own body, and your brain is the stressed out, over-worked, sleep deprived parent." This is so true- you can feed that two year old what they are craving - sugar - and within 60 minutes the two year old will be having another craving or a mental breakdown. OR you can wait 10-20 minutes, if that two year old is still hungry then give them something that will really sustain them - a protein and/or fat-rich snack!

• Sustaining snacks- I quickly realized that I needed to have some convenient snacks around for me.  My go-to snack this week has been a bag of baby carrots, celery, bell peppers (all about planning ahead!).  I eat this with either a few pieces of meat or 1-2 tablespoons of walnut butter, which I have ready-to-go snack containers. Another obsession this week for me as been bell large slices of peppers spread with almond butter and sprinkled with cinnamon. OMG - it is like having cinnamon toast!! Sarah's snacks have typically been baby carrots and half of a chicken sausage, a green apple with walnut butter, or almonds and unsweetened flaked coconut, also trying to drink lots of water, or decaf green tea! Hydration helps ward off munchies!

• Less snacking!!!  I found that once I wasn't eating tons of sugary carbs throughout the day, I am not snacking as much because I was being more mindful of having protein and fat-rich meals, which again, sustain you for much lover. 

• I definitely noticed the effect of no caffeine. My goodness!  I didn't think I really needed it that much...boy was I wrong.  I persevered and pushed through the sluggishness, with a lot of tea and water, and now I can make it through the day without feeling like I am going to keel over from lack of energy AND I am sleeping so much better. It really feels good to not need that cup of joe - I do however miss it!

• Breaking habits! Both Sarah and I had a few slip-ups.  We weren't purposely cheating, but out of habit, we would grab a piece of dark chocolate, add honey to nut butter or grab a piece of dried mango. Again, it goes back to be mindful! 

• Lastly, we have an new member of our 21DSD, Meredith from WOD-MOD. It is so nice having another buddy to do this with, especially one in Seattle (Sarah lives in Santa Barbara).

All three of us feel much better on day 5 than we did on day 3.  It is breaking through those cravings and letting your body adjust- just like someone detoxing from a drug- because our body does crave carbs/sugars like a drug!!  Once you make it through the initial detox, it feels so good! 

Happy Friday!! I will leave you with a little WOD and now I am off to do a WOD in my living room! 

{a little WOD for the weekend}

Yesterday after I got off work I had a nice little mental dialogue with myself (I do this often) about why I should or shouldn't go to the gym. I was dog tired....but I dragged myself there and had a fantastic workout and helped boost my energy.

Here's what I did:

25 minutes of intervals on the eliptical

3 rounds AFAP (AsFastAsPossible)

250m row

25 sit-ups

25 walking lunges w/ 20# DBs in each hand

25 DB swings 35# 

Variations:

• You could substitute a 250 m run
• Modify weights to your level. Maybe10# weights would be fine for the lunges and 15-20# would be good for the swings. 

21 Day Sugar Detox {take 2}

A while back I started Balance Bites' 21 Day Sugar Detox...it lasted a week but not much more than that. Even though I eat super clean, I still have those sugar and carb cravings and satisfy them by eating far too much fruit.  Yes, fruit is good for you, but it is still sweet and eating too much can cause higher blood sugar levels than we want, which is no bueno. 

Soooo, my best friend Sarah and I are going to take on the 21DSD together!  I love having a buddy that is game for these things.   We are going to check-in with each other every other day or so.  We will keep you up to date on how we are feeling, etc.

Simply put, on the 21 Day Sugar Detox Sarah and I will be limiting our sugar/carb intake - this will help increase our insulin sensitivity, which is important for maintaining blood sugar levels and as a result we will be eating more nutrient dense foods.

Because we both workout quit a bit, we will add a nutrient dense carbohydrates, like sweet potatoes, on days we workout.  Since you have to buy the guide from 21daysugardetox.com, I wont be able to give you toooo much detail on the exact outline of the detox.

In addition to this little detox, I am going to limit my coffee intake to the weekends.  

Here is to day 1. So far so good.