Day 19

Wow! So close to the end - only Saturday and Sunday to go! I don't know why I am so excited - I think it is a mixture of wanting to achieve something that I didn't think that I could do, and having a glass of wine! The boyfriend and I are going to be having wine and cheese on Sunday night to celebrate our anniversary, and then I can get back to the healthy eating on Monday.

Dinner tonight was fantastic - some of it cooked by my boyfriend, and it was 21 DSD friendly! Beautifully cooked salmon (baked in lemon and rosemary, this was the boyfriend's doing), wilted spinach with mushroom, and some kumara chips. I will admit, I did eat a few of the chips feeling a bit guilty, although I am definitely allowed to have some with the exercise that I have been doing over the past few weeks (next time I would make it closer to a work out!).

My delish dinner!

However, today I did a silly thing and ran in the school cross country. This can be seen as silly in a number of ways:

1. Why are you a 23 year old running in the school cross country?
2. Why are you running when you have a crapped out knee?

Well the first answer is I am a teacher at the school, and we need at least one teacher per group.

Second answer - because I am an idiot. Over the last month or so, my knee has been hurting more and more, yet I keep on exercising on it because I don't want to lose the fitness. I am now seeing the error of my ways! I had it strapped up today and was fine for the majority of the course (I was coming in fifth, would you believe it?!), but as soon I go onto the grass on the field my knee went 'kaput!' and I had to go and ice it. I definitely think a rest day is in need!

Two more days!

Day 17

Wow - I have been so useless with this blog! It was so easy when I was on school holidays and not having to go to work every day, however I am so tired at night now that I am working again that I completely forget to do anything!

Well - what has been going on in the past week? Not a lot really, just working through the days and making sure that I am not accidentally eating the wrong foods! I am actually incredibly impressed with how I have been doing - no slip ups, although I have definitely wanted to!

My hardest day was Day 14 - my friend and I managed to score tickets to the Food Show, and that did make me realise how restrictive this detox is, and how happy I am that I am only doing this for 21 days. There were so many amazing pastries, gourmet breads and, the hardest of all for me, the most amazing looking cheeses. Luckily there were some lovely raw food companies there, so I was able to try some things from here. It also helped that the friend that I was there with was a vegan, so we both had a range of restrictions. I did manage to spend up well though - a litre of coconut oil, three bottles of the best tasting kombucha I have ever found, and some delicious avocado dip that was completely 21DSD friendy!

Here are some more examples of the food that has been pretty much staple over the past few weeks:

A particular favourite for morning tea at school - Coconut Savoury Muffins (from the 21DSD e-book)

A pretty good example of my lunch most days - I took this to a conference, and people were jealous of how nice my lunch looked compared to the food at the conference!

So - where to next? Four days to go, and I know that my last meal on Day 21 will be a cheat meal because it my anniversary, and I am expecting something pretty spectacular from the boyfriend!

I'm going to answer the questions that I have been asked quite a bit over the past two weeks.

Why are you doing this?
Because lately I have been eating horrifically, a lot of sweet treats at night time, and generally not paying attention to what I was eating. Because of this, I was feeling run down, bloated, and overall crap. I decided that I needed to do something to try and combat what was happening in my body.

What side effects have you had?
The worst side effect that I had was on Day 3, when I had horrific nausea all day. After reading through my 21 Day Sugar Detox book, I realised that this was a die off effect of Candida (http://www.thecandidadiet.com/how-to-avoid-candida-die-off/). I actually felt like I was going to be sick for a whole day, and was really worried that this was how I would feel for the rest of the detox. Luckily, it only lasted one day!
Other side effects have been headaches in the first week, feeling light headed, and fatigue. None of these were extreme, and only the fatigue has lasted the whole time.

What benefits have you found from this?
So many! I have lost weight (down from 58.5 to 55.1 in 16 days), which was not an initial reason for doing the detox but has definitely been a bonus, prolonged energy at the gym, deeper sleeps, overall, I just feel really great!
A main benefit is that I know now that I should be maintaining a diet that is similar to this anyway, at least through the majority of the week.
People have also been commenting about how good I look - my skin has cleared up, my clothes fit me better, I have a smile on my face all the time - it doesn't get any better than that!

What have you found hard?
I am still getting cravings for sugar, in particular chocolate. Originally, I hoped that this would be an end to the sweet craving, but they are still there, but now I know that I don't need to have sugar to curb this.
Wine has also been severely missed during this process. I can't think how long it has been since I have not had at least one glass of wine in the weekend (which is a bit scary!), and I do miss having one after particularly stressful days at work.
The backlash of some of my friends was pretty uncalled for as well. A lot of negativity was thrown my way, but I believe that it is a lack of understanding, and something that has come about because they don't think that they can do it.

How do you find the time?
When I cook, I cook for more than one meal. For example, if I am having grilled chicken for dinner, I grill enough so that I can have some for lunch the next day. Don't just boil two eggs - boil five or six! You don't have to eat them all at once! The recipes in the 21 Day Sugar Detox book are great, and are quick and easy.

Do you have to exercise?
I don't think there is any rule saying that you have to, but I would definitely suggest it! I have tried to work out five to six times a week, but that has varied from running, boot camps, spin classes, to netball, or a walk.

Hopefully this will answer a few questions that you have!

Day Ten

Not a big post today - so much to do! I feel like I have spent the whole afternoon prepping food for my parent interviews tomorrow (look at the lunchbox picture), so I needed to be prepared for breakfast, lunch AND dinner! There are all sorts going on - muffins, cookies, chickens, carrots, spinach, almond butter, apples, eggs AND an iced coffee!! Whoa mama!!

There is also a picture of my paleo frappe that I had on the way to work - yum!

Because my knee is sore at the moment, I've been doing some work on my upper body. I am concerned that I won't be able to lift my arms!

Wish me luck!

Day Nine

Ooops - I have definitely been a bit useless over the past two days! To be fair, I started back at work and haven't really had the time to be blogging, but I have found five minutes to fill you in on what I have been eating and how I have been feeling!

Food has been quite similar - a lot of chicken, a lot of vegetables, stupid amounts of almond butter (so much so that I have to give myself a ban again tomorrow - I don't know what I'm going to do!), and heaps of carrot sticks! Herbal tea consumption has also been rather extreme! Exercise has been steady as well - Sunday was my day off (I really needed it!), and since then I have done a spin class, a seven kilometre run (four of the ks were interval training), and some boxing.

A great breakfast that I had yesterday, and that I have ready for tomorrow, is a Paleo Mocha Frappo, which I found on the 21 DSD Facebook page, with a link to Paleo Parents. This has been a delicious pick me up to start off the day - not only giving me my caffeine fix, but I also got to go and buy a pretty pink cup for it!

http://paleoparents.com/2011/paleo-mocha-frappo-a-guest-post-for-life-as-a-plate/

As you can see, I REALLY enjoyed that drink, and my pretty pink cup. It helped me get through the initial depression that hits on the first day of term after the school holidays.

I also started packing my lunch properly! Now that I am back at work, I have to be very prepared! I have Monday and tomorrow's lunches down below (today's was identical to yesterday).

Monday (and Tuesday's) lunch. Crustless quiche with salad, coconut muffin, carrot sticks and almonds.

Tomorrow's lunch - Zucchini pancakes (leftover from tonight's dinner), carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, coconut muffin and almonds.

I swear the best part of this detox has been the awesome new containers!

I am feeling good, energy levels are generally high, and being at work has made my cravings a lot easier as we all eat pretty healthy. I miss chocolate and wine most of all, and watching my boyfriend eat an entire caramel slice has been depressing.

12 days to go!

Day Six

Woohoo - a week down tomorrow! Although I am obviously not going to be able to celebrate with a glass of wine or a nice, thick piece of the caramel slice I just made, it is going to be exciting to know I am a third of the way through. Maybe I will celebrate with a nice big glass of coconut water...

So, my eating has become pretty routine. Both breakfast and dinner were exactly the same (I missed lunch because I was just wasn't feeling it), with my snacks being the same except for no almond butter! I somehow made it through the day without it! Definitely an extra cup of peppermint tea was needed though!

Exercise was unexpected and ended up being a run! My partner and his son wanted to go for a bike ride, so we organsied to meet up with a friend who has a daughter around the same age as my niece. The idea was that I would drop the boys off, drive closer to KiwiYo (amazingly delicious frozen yoghurt) and walk with my niece in the pram. When I dropped the boys off, I decided that  I would walk that little bit further pushing the stroller. However, once we got started I automatically started running, pushing the stroller with the heavy toddler in it! I ran to KiwiYo and back, which ended up being around seven kilometres - not bad for my day off exercise!

One thing I did notice today was that I was very fatigued by the afternoon, and that I lose my appetite for a good portion of the day (I did take a pack of almonds with me when I went for my run, but I fed them  to my niece to stop her from talking), only eating breakfast and dinner. Because of this, I ate a few of the kumara chips that I made with the kids for dinner - I have been exercising a lot this week and think I am in need of something to fuel me.

I have found something very exciting that I am going to make tomorrow - I will keep you posted on the results!

Day Five

Wow oh wow! Woke up today falling awesome, went and did a power class (and yes, I did up my weights, but only on the leg tracks) with my friend from work. It felt good to up nice and early on a Friday when I didn't have a lot else planned for the day.

Food was pretty normal.

Breakfast Coconut muffin and a hard boiled egg. I am really learning to love hard boiled eggs! My mum was hassling me, thinking that I didn't know how to make them - sheesh! I've been going through a ridiculous amount of eggs, and I think that hard boiled eggs were the first way I learnt to cook them!

Lunch Chopped vegetables wrapped in nori. Although not the most exciting meal, it was very fulfilling and looked very pretty. Next time I am definitely amping up the avocado, and adding some form of protein into it.

Pretty rice-less sushi!

Dinner I used a recipe for the 21 Day Sugar Detox book, grilled chicken marinated in lemon and garlic. A large grilled chicken consumer, it was nice to add a bit of flavour to it for once. Served with a very green plate, it made me feel like I was finishing the day on a high!

Very green looking dinner

Snacks The usual, carrot sticks and stupid amounts of almond butter. Tomorrow, I am not letting myself near that stuff. It has become an addiction - every time I walk anywhere near the kitchen I need some! I haven't eaten any fruit in three days so I thought that I could have one for a night time snack, while my boyfriend munched on cupcakes.

My snack (notice that almond butter made it on to the plate) and the boyfriend's...

The worst part about today was that I picked up my niece for the weekend. No, it is not unfortunate because I have to spend time with her, but she is my baking buddy. At three years old, she has baked a stupid amount of cupcakes, slices, cakes, cookies....(you get it) with myself, and she expected the same today. She asked for cupcakes that looked like her skirt - orange cake, dark pink icing with light pink spots. So, even though I knew I would regret it, I got out all the baking gear and we got started. Resisting tasting the batter, icing and finished cupcakes was like torture. I felt physically ill not being able to taste the sugary goodness, and it didn't help that my niece sat there saying how yummy it all was. However, I did resist, and I am very proud. The disappointing part is that I was hoping I wouldn't want to eat the treats by now, by I definitely do. Sigh.

Day Four

Well, today was a lot better than yesterday! My nausea was completely gone, and I had an amazing sleep. My legs were killing me from yesterday, so I decided to give them a rest and go and get my hair done instead! I was a bit rushed for time so I wolfed down a coconut muffin with some almond butter, and ran out the door. It was interesting talking to my hairdresser about the detox (she was curious as to why I wanted a black coffee instead of my normal flat white), and it was great to have such a positive reaction. I gave her the website that I found the detox on, and she is excited to start as well.

Lunch was more stew! I love this stuff, and it seems to have got spicier over the last couple of days. It was particularly nice with some chopped avocado and some lettuce leaves chucked in.

Now, my dinner. Talk about the ultimate fail. I made these incredibly yummy salmon cakes. At least, that was the aim. Although they were delicious, they fell apart in the pan and became a crumpled mess. I have renamed it "Salmon Mush", as it really was just a mush! There are no photos - I am far too embarrassed to even attempt to take a photo!

Now, that bottle of almond butter that I have in my fridge. Oh my freaking god. I am ADDICTED. Every time I go to the fridge, it takes all of my willpower to not eat the whole thing! I let myself have a few teaspoons over the day for a treat, but that was as far as it went. Carrot sticks have to do instead!

Off to indoor netball now - stupid late games! As much as I love the sport, the game times are ridiculous, varying from 6pm until as late as 9.35pm! That is past my bedtime! Tonight it is 8.25pm (which is bad enough!), and I now have to try and conjure up the energy to go play. Eugh.

Day Three

Wow! Three days down already! And I am feeling........crap. I woke up to my 5am alarm this morning with horrific nausea. When I crawled out of bed and put on my gym gear, I was worried that I would need to run to the toilet and be sick so much that I ran there anyway. Luckily I wasn't sick, and I was able to make it to my spin class on time. Nausea isn't a mentioned side effect of the 21 DSD, but I am hoping it will pass by Day 5. The worst part was that it came in waves, and being in a car for two hours today was not a great place to be.

Spin class was a whole other story. It turns out the boot camp and power session yesterday took a lot out of my legs, to the point where I am still having trouble walking! However, I persevered, and I am dreading waking up tomorrow because I know how my legs are going to feel. Dead weight anyone?

Now, eating today. It was a bit of a muddle because:

1. I knew I was going to Hamilton with my Mum, which is an hour away. I prepacked food last night, including the Apple Streudel Muffins for breakfast, Enchilada Stew for lunch, carrot sticks for a snack, and a small box of coconut water.

2. I had no appetite at all in the morning. None whatsoever. The thought of consuming food made the nausea even worse.

Anyway, we drove down to Hamilton to see a friend who was in Waikato Hospital. He had a fall off a horse about four weeks ago, and although he wasn't looking great at first, he is doing much better now. That trip ended up lasting a lot longer than we anticipated, and during this time my appetite came back. I had eaten the muffins and the carrot sticks on the way down so was completely out of food. So, we ventured down the road to a yummy Japanese restaurant and I was able to order sashimi! I love sashimi so much, and was so excited to see that I could eat it while on the 21 DSD. It was very hard not to eat the rice that came with the meal, and not drink the miso (which is one of my all time favourites) but I was able to get through it.

Dinner time was awful - the nausea was back in full swing, and I was feeling absolutely crap. I was a bit worried that I hadn't eaten a whole lot today, so I had a salad with egg, avocado, tomatoes, mushrooms and mesculun. Thank god it was nice and light.

When the man and I got back from the supermarket (which, by the way, was pure torture), I got to making my all time favourite - almond butter! I love almond butter so much - it is so smooth and delicious, and stupidly easy to make.

How to Make Almond Butter

1. Put roasted almonds in a food processor. Roasted almonds are the best to use to make almond butter, as the roasting process brings out the natural oils, making them easier to process.

2. Turn on food processor, ensuring that you have the stainless steel blade on.
3. Let food processor do its thing! Here are some photos of what will happen:

4. When the almonds are at this stage, you will need to use a spatula to push the sides down. I had to repeat this about four or five times during the process.

And - voila! You have lovely, homemade almond butter! I like mine really smooth so I let it keep going until it is at that stage, however you can turn it off at any time depending on how crunchy you like it!

Almond butter definitely made my not-so-great day a lot better! In fact, I might go grab some now...

Day Two

Well, it is 7.32pm on Day Two of my detox and the detox itself is going fine, it is me that isn't! I have been holding onto a cold for the last five days, and unfortunately it has decided to flair its ugly head again! Luckily, it didn't flair up until this afternoon so I was able to have a productive day up until then!

So, what do I consider a productive day? I will basic timetable it out for you:
8.20am - Woke up
9am - Boot camp up on Mt Eden with some of my work colleagues. I love this so much - it is a great way for me to be guilted into exercising, and is 100% free. Today's work out was hard - a lot of hill sprints, kettle bell lifting, push ups, burpees and punching. We have been boot camping for the past nine months or so, and the change from the first boot camp to now is ridiculous.
10.15am - Finally go into work (it is the school holidays) and do a good hour and a half of work. I like to think of this as my mental stimulation for the day - although I am very side tracked by work mates. While I'm here, I eat two of my Apple Egg Streudle muffins that I made yesterday. Yum, yum, yum. I do notice that I am craving a Flat White while at work.
12.10 - Power class at my gym. I felt like I really should go to this, and was glad that I did. Was good to see that my weights didn't go down since the last class (which was MONTHS ago), and I could definitely have gone bigger. Next time!
1.30 - Lunch time! The Chicken Stew that I made yesterday is go good and I am so happy that I made a huge amount as it keeps me very satisfied! Am thinking some cauliflower rice would go well with it tomorrow.

My very yummy Chicken Enchilada Stew. Eat it. Now.

 From here, I pottered around, watched a lot of junky television with my boyfriend, and enjoyed being on holidays.
4pm - Boom. Hit with an extreme wave of tiredness. Nose starts blocking, cough comes back. Oh crap. I am sent to bed with a glass of water and told to sleep (by the boyfriend). The next thing I know it is 6pm and I am feeling horrific. Bed for the rest of the night for me/ slave man boyfriend running around after me with constant text alerts. Poor guy.
7pm - Dinner in bed by my lovely. Very basic, but exactly what I am feeling like. Well, no, that's a lie. What I am really feeling like is ice cream and chocolate but soft boiled eggs, broccoli and cauliflower do just fine.

Not the chocolate and ice cream I am craving.

What I am now hoping is that, by having a stupid early night I will be more than capable of going to my spin class in the morning. Fingers crossed. Very tight.

Update on how I am coping with no sugar

As you may have guessed from my 7pm dinner update, I am having quite bad cravings for chocolate and ice cream. I think it is just sugar in general, it is just that I am automatically thinking of my absolute favourites that I always go to when in need of a sugar hit. I am drinking LOTS of water to try and curb any faux hunger pains that have been coming in waves. Pay day tomorrow so big trip to the supermarket to grab the essentials - I am in desperate need of almonds and almond butter to snack on when I get the craving.

Day One

Well, day one of the detox is pretty much done and has gone very well so far! The hardest part has been going to the pantry/fridge and not pulling out my normal victims - Diet Coke and a piece of cheese!  I spent some time today prepping meals so that I don't have any excuses for slipping. I've put some photos below to give you an idea of what I'm going to be eating over the next few days.

Chicken Enchilada Stew - Pile Up

Next phase - a whole heap of yums!

 

Apple Struesel Egg Muffins, courtesy of the 21 Day Sugar Detox Website (http://balancedbites.com/2013/01/easy-recipe-apple-streusel-egg-muffins-from-practical-paleo.html)

Dinner - Deconstructed Burger with Carrot and Parsnip Fries

The top recipe was my own version of the PaleOMG recipe Chicken Enchilada Stew. I really love this website, Juli is a fantastic writer. I particularly like that there is a recipe tab dedicated to the 21 DSD - this will be visited frequently! Check out her website here: www.paleomg.com

Although there is a long way to go, today was a great start and I am looking forward to seeing what us going to happen over the next few days!

Meal Number One

So, this morning I got up, when to my spin class at 6.15, came home and got back into bed...and woke up at 9.45. Whoops!
My boyfriend then had an appointment that I had to take him to, and it was 11.30 by the time we got home.
So, this is brunch.
My day is now about to consist of food prep - wish me luck!

The Night Before

Hello and welcome to my brand new blog! I have decided to start this blog to aid me on my journey that begins tomorrow - the 21 Day Sugar Detox (as I type those words, I am cringing on the inside and outside).

Now - the big question. Why would any sane 23 year old female decided to give up sugar? No more sweet treats? No more after work wine? No more CHEESE?!

As somebody who has spent the past 16 years of my life battling with my weight, I know when my body needs a break. An important thing to know about me is that I am not a tall person. I am exactly 159cm tall, and if I eat a cheeseburger you can tell. Over the past eight years, my weight has fluctuated between 57 - 72 kg, and I am finally sitting on the lower end of that scale. Last year, my work competed in a Biggest Loser competition, and although I was not the winner, I finally lost that final 5 kg that has been bugging me for the past two years. For me, this was a major change in my lifestyle. I began a combination of boot camps and running, as well as regular spin classes. I also changed my eating completely - cutting back on the carbs and upping the amount of protein. I finally felt positive about my figure, as well as my well being. However, lately I have been very slack. Long, stressful hours at work (I am a primary school teacher) combined with late night indoor netball games have meant I have been going back to the easy options - cue toasted sandwiches at 9pm with a lovely big glass of wine (or three)! Although I have been maintaining my weight, I can feel the flab coming back and I do not want to get back into my previous cycles.

So, this is where the detox begins. On here, I will be posting what I am eating, as well as workouts that I have been doing. Fingers crossed this will be the push in the right direction that I need!