The Break-Up

Today, I broke up… with my sugar cravings. I decided to start the 21 Day Sugar Detox (21DSD) and Whole 30. What this means is that I’m cutting out ALL added sugars AND limiting my intake of natural sugars. In other words, no fruit allowed.

The theory behind this program is that we consume more sugars and carbs than is ideal for our bodies. You know that afternoon post-lunch crash that you and your co-workers experience, especially after a big pasta lunch? That results from your body’s reaction to carbs. When you consume carbs and sugars, your blood sugar (glucose) level increases. Insulin is released by the pancreas to remove the glucose from the blood stream by causing glucose uptake into the cells. This in turn leads to the blood sugar level stabilizing at its “happy” level of about 1 tsp of glucose. So when you eat a TON of carbs, your body releases a TON of insulin (“insulin spike”), which drops your blood sugar level quickly (reactive hypoglycemia). Hence the terms “sugar high” and “sugar crash." The latter of which can include side effects of light-headedness, fatigue, confusion, difficulty concentrating, headaches, irritability, and anxiety. Doesn’t sound like much fun if you ask me.

Okay, so I’ve already cut out most carbs and sugars thanks to following the Paleo lifestyle. Why in the world would I want to cut out fruits? Well, there are a couple parts to that answer.

First off, I’ve noticed that I don’t really feel like a meal is complete unless I have something sweet at the end of it. I’m sure this has resulted from the ingrained notion that I always had to eat the healthy stuff before I could eat dessert. Alas, that means that I find myself eating more at meals when I don’t finish off the meal with a sweet.

Secondly, I’m a mood eater. When I’m stressed or sad or even bored, I eat. And if I’m stressed or sad, the food I’m going for is probably going to be some sort of sweet. This has become a bit of an issue for me lately. With my family’s current experience with leukemia, I’ve found myself getting angry because I’ve been feeling helpless. Not only have I been upset that someone in my family has to go through brutal sessions of chemo, but I’m also over 800 miles away from my parents and therefore feel even more helpless. Because of this combination, my mood hasn’t been great. What I’ve noticed since the diagnosis is that my chocolate and alcohol intake has increased significantly, which has led to roughly 10 extra pounds around my middle in the past three months. Cue the vicious cycle. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to break this emotional dependency on food (and alcohol).

Thirdly, my body just feels better when I follow a strict Paleo diet. I’ve been experiencing more and more negative effects from eating dairy and/or grains and consuming alcohol. For instance, last Thursday I decided that I wanted to try some cheese, so I ate some Brie with gluten-free crackers for dinner. The result? My body violently reacted, waking me up at 2 am to rush to the bathroom just before the cheese came back to visit. There are times that if I have gluten, I end up sleeping it off on my couch for hours. And then I’m worthless for the rest of the day and part of the next day. As for alcohol… even if I just have one drink I tend to feel terrible for hours after I finish the drink: headachey, nauseous, and completely wiped-out. It makes it somewhat difficult to enjoy going out with friends when I know that I’m going to pay for it with my next two days’ productivity.

And finally, the fact that this happens to coincide with my workplace weight loss challenge is pure coincidence… If my other reasons aren’t enough, there’s $120 in the mix for whoever loses the highest percentage of their weight. It’s a good motivator to stay on track.

Tell me more about 21DSD…

The 21DSD has three levels of detox that you can do. Level One is for beginners: those who still eat grains and refined foods and low-fat dairy (basically the typical American diet) and have never done the sugar detox before. Level Two basically has the same criteria, except that you have done the sugar detox before. And the last and most intense level is Level Three is for us Paleo-ites, who lead a grain-free life, eat full-fat dairy products (or none at all), and feel that our carb/sugar cravings are just moderate (not as strong as someone doing Level One or Two).

There aren’t a ton of differences among the three options. Level Two requires the elimination of legumes, and Level Three means you also need to eliminate dairy, except for ghee (clarified butter).

I’ll give you one guess as to which level I’m doing.

If you chose Three you are correct! But that’s not surprising. I’m an all-or-nothing sort of gal.

Here’s what I plan on eating for the week:

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Monday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad	Lemon-Basil Chicken with Roasted Brussels sprouts	Carrots, Celery, Pistachios, Roasted Broccoli
Tuesday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Paleo Chili with salad and Brussels sprouts	Paleo Chili with Mashed Parsnips and Roasted Broccoli	Carrots, Celery, Almonds
Wednesday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad and Roasted Broccoli	Dinner Out: Italian Chicken	Carrots, Celery, Almonds
Thursday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Paleo Chili with salad	Dinner Out: Ahi Tuna	Carrots, Celery, Almonds
Friday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad	Paleo Chili	Carrots, Celery, Pistachios
Saturday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Paleo Chili with salad	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad	Carrots, Celery, Almonds, Walnuts