Sara C. Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 My name is Sara and I am a sugar addict. It's sad but it is true. The sugar addiction became vastly more apparent when I texted my husband last night saying, "I need sugar. I ate some carrots for a snack and I feel empty inside." Normally I adore carrots and their sweet, crisp flavor. Last night I just wanted them to taste like chocolate. I have kicked the sugar cravings before and I can do it again. Last summer was my first attempt at a Whole30 after many months of 80/20 primal and paleo eating. I made it to day 22 before I caved in and had a beer. I am weak for the fermented grain drinks... we can get into that later when I find it hard to resist alcohol. I am sure to be tempted by that foul beast again, too. This post is about sugar. My husband is joining in on the Whole30 this time around (which I hope will help me get past day 22 since he handed me the beer last time) and we both had a tough time watching our favorite show last night because they kept talking about frozen yogurt. He stood up and hollared "I WANT ICE CREAM AND CAKE. OR ICE CREAM CAKE!" We had lemon water and went to bed. I know that I am allowed to have some fruit and I have some in my snack drawer. Today I am being smart by saving that small banana or small apple for the afternoon, rather than caving in to my sweet tooth in the morning. The morning is for celery and almonds today. Today I defeat this evil, lurking sucrose monster that truly got its hooks into me over the holiday, along with the gluten cheating. YOU WILL NOT WIN, SUGAR!!! How do you all resist the darn sugar temptation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara C. Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 It's Day 12 and so far I have not cheated. On purpose. On Day 6 there was a snafu where I called ahead to a restaraunt to verify that they could make my meal grain and sugar free and I ordered accordingly when I arrived. The protein arrived grilled with a glaze that contained a "negligible" amount of honey. Darn it! I had to eat the protein as it was or risk eating no protein until I got home several hours later. That was a learning experience - absolutely no eating out until Day 31 is over unless I have a backup plan in my purse ready to eat. I can't trust people who don't understand. I have had really great urges to cheat with a beer or a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate or macaroons that I ordered for a VIP visit to my animation studio. There have been points where I have thought, "If I cheat just a little, I will be the only one who knows." Then I remind myself that the thought is correct, I am the only one who would know, and I am the only persont that I would be cheating by sneaking a bit of sugar, grains, cheese, white potato. With my 3-4 days per week of strength training and running or swimming, I had already been feeling great with my old primal diet at 80/20 (80% strict, 20% max leeway). Over the past 12 days, I feel *way* more energetic, less bloated, stronger. My body has shed some fat already. The only thing I need to figure out is how to make that evil voice in my head shut up about having a porter ale. Also, my digestion has been a little bit wiggy. Hopefully my guts will get with the program and heal any leak I may have so that my supplements can take over and regualate my life as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara C. Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 It's Summit Day - Day 15 and I feel AMAZING!!! Whew. I'm psyched about days 13- 31 and my gentle reintroduction. Thank goodness for slow cooking on Saturday (pumkin chili with grass-fed beef - I'll use a less ground meat next time), plus breakfast and dinner prep (yam/sausage/kale soup, roasted winter squashes, brussels sprouts w/ bacon) last night. I even forgot about some chicken soup I had made last week while cleaning the fridge last night for the new roasted veggies - that was lunch, along with some homemade yam chips and coconut water. Yesssssss. I am so looking forward to leftover brussels sprouts and yam mash tonight with a dutch oven roasted chicken and pan juices. Mmmmm, Whole30! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara C. Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 Day 16 was rough. It was easy to eat well since I had prepared properly on the weekend. However, I woke up feeling oddly fat and my pants flt tight after two weeks of them feeling really loose. I chalked the tight pants to their time in the dryer but my legs generally felt huge and bloated and I was unhappy. Perhaps it was pre-menstrual water retention? I don't normally get these issues after ovulation.... then again ovulation could just be late. I also decided to nab an extra 10-15 minutes of sleep and to prep for the day at home rather than hitting the gym before work. Day 17 is starting out GREAT! I hit the gym on time this morning for a 30 minute power play of walk/run warmup for 10 minutes, followed by kettle bell squats, swings, planks, superwoman, pushups, etc for 20 minutes, with 5-10 of cooling down. I made sure to stagger my breakfast for a pre- and post-workout meal plan. I'll definitely need a snack by 11:00 - 11:30 and I am really looking forward to either sardines or some chicken and walnuts with a few blueberries and some carrots. Yum. I have *finally* gotten into the proper routine of ensuring a full meal structure, albeit smaller, for snacks that include fats/protein/veggie carb... I kept forgetting added protein for days. Asking myself if I am "hungry enough for steamed fish & broccoli" is a great technique. I'm 5 days away from where I gave in last time. I can do this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCow Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 My name is Sara and I am a sugar addict. It's sad but it is true. The sugar addiction became vastly more apparent when I texted my husband last night saying, "I need sugar. I ate some carrots for a snack and I feel empty inside." Normally I adore carrots and their sweet, crisp flavor. Last night I just wanted them to taste like chocolate. That is too, too funny Sara C! I understand the empty, and it's hit me at odd times. I also understand the beer/lager/bitter/amber/porter issue too (okay so I added a few of my own there)--I do miss them, too. But it's becoming more of a offhanded sort of miss--not an active longing and pining for. At the moment, anyway! Good luck as you approach Day 22, you can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara C. Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 I have kicked the longing for sugar for weeks now. It's pretty great. And guess what? IT'S DAY 23!!! I made it past that old hump and I am 100% set to finish out my Whole30 and reintroduction phase without a hitch. YAY! It really does help that my husband is on board. He hopped off the wagon before I did last time but he is in it to win it this go 'round. I think he loves the weight loss without adding in exercise (naughty boy!) and he has been encouraged by my emerging 4-6 pack of abs and my muscle gain. It helps that energy levels and grass-fed beef consumption are up in the household. I will admit that I had been thinking really heavily last week about my first food reintroduction. The beer or super high-quality, local ice cream were my precioussssssessssss. I thought hard about the fact that either beer or ice cream would mean reintroducing more than one element at one time - beer would be grains, sugar, alcohol and ice cream would be dairy, sugar. I decided that I want to stick heartily to reintroducing elements separately so I can truly recognize how I process each foot or element. I don't want to have hard work and progress trashed by diving in to the deep end just to end up bloated and sick! Now I am thinking more realistically that I will celebrate my Whole30 success with a bunless gress-fed burger and possibly tallow-cooked white potatoes at this local gastropub. Or with a dairy-free French macaron (just sugar). Or even just enjoy an afternoon apple or date with a slice of amazing, raw milk cheese. The "cheat" or reintro may just wait until day 34 or 35... I'm actually in no hurry now. Day 23 and holding strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCow Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 BRAVO! You sound like you've got this! I had to laugh--our local ice cream shop (where my eldest daughter WORKS!) was originally stop number one, where I would have blasted through diary, sugar, grains (brownie in the ice cream!), and no doubt something evil lurks in those ruby red maraschino cherries, too (which I can't just skip--I've been trying to tie a knot in the stem with my tongue since twin peaks!). I agree with you though. Let's just see where the reintroductions go, one naughty food at a time--at least those that I miss... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara C. Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 One day at a time! It's Day 25! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara C. Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Day 29!!! I have tomorrow's dinner already planned, with grass-fed filets mignons, sweet potato mash, and sauteed spinach w/ garlic. It will be a glorious end to my Whole30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernBeth Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Congrats on getting to Day 30!! How are your sugar cravings? My husband and I finished on the 30th. This weekend I bought a 86% cacoa bar and ate a square (we're on Paleo now-- evidently this is allowed?). I felt nothing. It was a VERY ODD sensation-- not wanting more chocolate!! I still find myself wanting fruit a lot, especially dried fruit, so whenever I feel like that I try and eat almonds or something. Your celebratory dinner sounds amaze. I'm jelly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara C. Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 Hooray for Day 30! I am actually saving my planned Day 30 dinner for Day 31 so I can make a cabernet portobello sauce with my filets. It just feels right to wait for a good sauce. I don't want to be tempted to cheat tonight so I can get a good pan deglaze. Tonight I shall enjoy Tom Kha from Paleo Comfort Foods using my own bone broth. Easy fix. The sugar cravings are more or less under control. My boss brought chocolate back from his trip to Europe for me to enjoy - a big box of chocolates that has been sitting unopened for a week! Seriously. A week. I promised my co-workers that I will open the box tomorrow and I will indulge in the 70% cocoa truffle. They can have the rest. I have the same fruit issue. I have tried to ensure that I have balanced snack options at work with protein/fat/veggies but there is only so much chicken breast meat that I can eat in a day - I've been rocking mostly chicken/ratatouille w/ olives, grapeseed oil, or nuts for fat. I'm bored but trying to stay balanced. I just need to find solutions. I haven't found any bulk jerky that doesn't contain sugar and the paleo packs are quite pricy and tend to contain dried fruit. That doesn't help. A small banana with almond butter has been my emergency go to. I keep sardines in my drawer at work for a good snack option but they're so smelly that I can't eat them at my desk. Producing a movie can create certain food schedule challenges but I am meeting those consistently, I just need to keep searching for the variety to make it more enjoyable to avoid things that hurt me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCow Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Homemade jerky is great--you can put what you want in it. Easy, too--I made it in the oven before I got a dehydrator. It really is a great go-to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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