Nira81 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I am just so exhausted this time of year that all my intentions to keep mainly on-plan just went out the window these past three days. It started with a sip of hot chocolate. The next day, a full mug. Yesterday, another mug - or two! Today I bought cookies at the market; I haven't bought cookies in such a long time, not even for a holiday. Well I ate four of them for breakfast, with a bite of egg and my black coffee. I just feel myself spinning out of control! However I put the rest of the bag of cookies down the garbage disposal (a desperate strange thing for me to do. They were a little stale, honestly). Today at home I will reach for an orange if my sugar cravings get that bad. I think I have to gear up for the January Whole 30. It's not even the eating and slight weight gain, but the feeling that I have no control over the cravings, and nothing bright on the horizon except a little bit of sugar, until spring returns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjcaron Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 So - I am having a similar experience. My thought is, if you go a little crazy at Christmas with a few extra sweets and some wine (that's what I did)... isn't that part of food freedom? You wait for the things that you really want, eat them, then go back to your best food plan the next day? I definitely felt a little out of control today after indulging in sweets and wine last night. I even allowed myself a few extra sweets today but I also ate the best foods i,e.eggs, greens, ham, sweet potato, and fruit. After I get a good nights sleep tonight my sugar dragon will calm down. I don't feel I need to do another whole30.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Badda Boom. I don't need to do another one either. If you do it right the first time with a proper reintro for diagnostic testing, you've got your food reset right in your corner pocket. By jove, mjcaron, you've got it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatriciaNY Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 @Nira81 I feel your pain, but I'm starting another w30 after the 1st, I know that's against the rules but starting from scratch is the only way for me to get back on track, still drinking coffee black with nutpods (reminder to self order more lol). For the most part I did good on Christmas, but drank wine and sat in front of the fireplace to relax with my sister. So will most likely do the same on New Years! but making my bone broth this weekend and prepping for the beginning of w30 again with a positive attitude that I can do this, did it before can do it again! Sugar dragon be gone again!!! Happy New Year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guestdvp Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I'm struggling with the same things as you Nira81. I was feeling absolutely FABULOUS on christmas eve...and then a couple of bites of sugar turned in to 9 days of a tailspin. I feel so defeated...it's very frustrating!! i haven't quite figured out how to have a food freedom moment and get right back on the horse. and when i do get back to my plan, which i started yesterday, it's such a rotten week of going through withdrawl. i'd love to hear from others how you avoid a few bites turning in to day of bad eating, any tricks for quickly motivating to get back on track, and how long it takes for your sugar dragon to tame once it's roaring. i really do want to live "food freedom" and not have to do a full reset every few months. would love to learn from others who are walking the path!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjcaron Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 This is what I did to calm my sugar dragon. Let me start off by saying I had company stay at my house for 2 weeks over Christmas and they were the "let's get donuts" at least 3 days per week and the "let's have ice cream" at least 2 times per week. We had many treats laying around. My house was over stuffed with junk while they were here. AND, I have a serious sweet tooth. Nobody loves sweets more than me. Christmas holidays went something like this: I allow myself a special Christmas treat several days over Christmas and New Years. I knew this was going to happened and I wasn't going to fight it. Maybe just a bite on some days but an entire desert on other days or a glass of wine. By the time the first week was over I knew I had to get back in control. The first day was so hard that I decided, instead, to wean myself back to calm. So - each day I had less and less sweets. It took about 3 days before I could go one whole day without sweets and feel that my sugar dragon was under control. The next week I did the exact same thing. So here I am. Not feeling to bad but still fighting off the sugar dragon a tad bit today, I will allow myself a small sweet today but tomorrow even less. Eventually, I'll be back in control and I'll stay there for 2 weeks until my birthday when I will want to have another awesome desert and wine. So for me, I like to wean myself off the sugar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjcaron Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Another thing that helps me during the weaning off of sugar is to increase my fruit consumption. I especially like bananas with almond butter, handfuls of raisins and nut, It may not be perfect but it gets me there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieP757 Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 There is no weaning myself off sugar for me. I ate all sugary treats and lots of them over the holidays. I quit cold turkey on Dec 27th. I felt like crap - tired, headachy - and had horrible sugar cravings. Three days of white knuckling it and I'm finally in control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I'm fruit loose but I follow the W30 trail. I reserve it for the end of meals or throw it in amongst the proteins, vege and greens. Blueberries in a meatloaf or berries in balsamic reduction, pomegranate with kale salads. The sky is not the limit. Melissa has shared ideas with fruit in omelettes. You can add fruit to your egg muffins with compliant bacon bits or other proteins. You can make fish cakes with all of a lemon or lime or grapefruit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guestdvp Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 thanks for your responses! i do like the idea of weaning myself off...but i'm not sure that i'm strong enough for that. one cookie makes me want three. but when i go cold turkey, like i've been trying to do since yesterday, i get so low - exhausted, depressed, unmotivated - and when i can white knuckle it through, you're right - i get to the other side...but today is one of those days were i'm losing my grip. it does help to talk with others about it though - so thanks for your feedback. and i welcome any additional input on coping strategies for the first few days of grieving the loss of my comfort crutches!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 8 minutes ago, guestdvp said: and i welcome any additional input on coping strategies for the first few days of grieving the loss of my comfort crutches!!! Increase your fat intake - particularly when a craving strikes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Some of this is establishing new sustainable ways of feeling good. If any type of sugar sends you on a 3 day bender, it might be something you need to avoid, it's a good reason to think about foods with no brakes, some things can be compliant or even healthy, but the way you interact with them might not be. If your blood sugar is quite sensitive, dried fruit (especially dates) and even fruit and some veggies can just be sugar dressed in fruit/veg clothing. Everyone is different and some of these things may not be forever. Over time our bodies heal and can be more tolerant of things, the reverse is true, when we're not feeling great, things can impact us a lot more. I used to have a lot of problems with dates, now I stick to only 1 max per day and I'm fine, but a while ago, even 1 was too many. The less I eat them, the less I miss them and the less I want them. This is my go-to comfort food, if I'm feeling under the weather or just having a food-grief moment, love this soup, made with chicken bone broth http://meljoulwan.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/ If someone had told me a few years ago I'd really enjoy zucchini soup, I'd have hit them in the face with a soup bowl (clearly I'm a much nicer person now lol but seriously, when you feel well, so many things are easier - and this soup is really good) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nira81 Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 I am not alone, then! (haha of course not!) Why does stress make this sugar dragon so strong? The holidays are thankfully over and I am reflecting on how ambiguity (How will these social scenes play out? Is my checklist checked off?) and stress (social scenes! checklists!) lead to cravings. Then my ability to brake for sugar become very weak. In times of stress I have to be all-or-nothing to support myself, it seems. In more calm seasons I think I can be like you, @mjcaron, and experience the food freedom of tasting a bit, having a serving here and there, then weaning off. @ guestdvp, what I did this time was to turn to a little bit of fruit when the stress response led to a sugar craving. I white-knuckled it a little bit (I feel you, JulieP757). By Christmas Eve, ys later, (my issue was worst on the 21st when I first posted) I didn't feel the need for any desserts at all. I was able to indulge at a party and then Christmas day, I had just an unsweetened cocktail and two chocolates. I've been kind of white-knuckling it since, like you, JulieP757. My process this time: the taste of citrus is so uplifting and just sweet enough to be satisfying sometimes, so lots of lemon water helped me when I had a stress craving. Then eating a little bit of fruit, helps me when I'm just feeling crazy for sugar. I might fix a green salad and put fruit on it, and get more greens in with my sweet. After a couple of days, I find I don't crave the fruit anymore and go back to using it mainly as a salad topping or side dish. Having some protein works too. I can't turn to fats such as nuts, they have no brakes for me on their own. I really like the soup suggestion, @praxisproject. I have to avoid the taste of sweet in the mornings and at lunch - it sets me up to crave sweet tastes all day. This means very plain eating in the mornings and saving sweeter veggies and fruit for dinnertime. For the mental side of it, I started repeating little mantras from It Starts With Food. This seems to help. Just the words "this food has no brakes" kind of snaps me into compliance. I've got to revisit the book and pick out more favorites. Also I have been thinking hard about the "tiger blood" feeling - that energized, clearheaded, invincible feeling that 10 days without sugar brings on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guestdvp Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 thanks for the support & ideas!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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