I promised that I’d keep everyone up to date on how things are going with my 21-Day Sugar Detox that I started Monday. It’s been interesting, to say the least.
The first thing I’m discovering is that I’ve let myself eke back into the world of carbohydrate-burning. At least I think I have. I have allowed myself to eat a lot more rice and potatoes, if not outright getting back into a few of the less-savory grains like wheat. And I’ve been paying for that a bit. I’ve had a bit of the “carb flu,” which has primarily been manifesting when I have to use the toilet. I’ll leave that one right there. It hasn’t been a pain thing – no headaches or “hangover” feelings, just some gastric issues. So I probably wasn’t so far gone, but much more than I want to be, for sure.
The other way I’ve noticed this is that my meals of meat and primarily vegetables haven’t felt quite as satisfying as they should. I’ve been a bit hungrier as I’ve avoided snacks and tried to eat as clean as possible. It’s getting better as I’m converting a bit more quickly back to being a fat-burner instead of a carb-burner. But a bit of hunger is still there. It may simply be a habitual hunger instead of an actual “I need nutrients” hunger. In fact, that’s exactly what I think it is. Drinking plenty of water has helped with that.
I’ve also noticed that what I thought was gluten-related arthritis in one of my hands may in fact not be that, but rather it could be related to my daily activities. As many of you know, my day job is IT – I’m a web developer. So I’m on the computer a LOT. And today, for example, when I’ve been doing this 21DSD for almost a week, and normally the slight pain in my hand is gone after such a period, it’s still there. It’s sort of along the metacarpal bone of my middle finger, on the ring-finger side of my right hand. My mouse hand, in other words. I saw this article from Robb Wolf’s website earlier this week that has me thinking differently about what might be going on. I am definitely a person who may be at risk for “technology hands…”
So what have I been eating? It’s been pretty good! I’ve been making an effort to include veggies in every meal, no matter what. I’m not a big breakfast person for the most part, but lunch and dinner have been veggie-intensive, for sure. I’ve eaten a lot of avocado and guacamole because that’s just awesome, naturally.
Zoodles!
And I’ve discovered some ways to cook foods that I previously haven’t cared for that makes me like them. The biggest example is the Zoodle! I am not a zucchini lover at all. I don’t care for the texture of those slimy things, not one iota. But… the Zoodle is different. I bought a Julienne Peeler
They’re even slightly better than spaghetti squash, I think, as they tend to take on more of the sauce and spices that you put into the mix as you’re sauteing them. I find that spaghetti squash tends to repel the flavors a bit more than regular spaghetti noodles do, and you basically are eating what really tastes like sauce of whatever sort is sitting on top of this mound of squash. Zoodles don’t do that. Give them a try.
I need to get some cauliflower to chop up for “rice.” I frequently will buy two or three heads and chop them up and freeze them in sandwich baggies, which is about a perfect meal size for me.
So all in all, I’m feeling pretty good about things now – I’ve gotten the message on how far I’d “let myself go” and learned some new foods to try. I call that a win.
What questions do you have about these sort of reset diets? Have you tried one yourself? Let’s chat about it in the forum, below!
