Quitting Sugar

Finally I have started the program to quit sugar. I know I've banged on about this all year and finally four months after I purchased Sarah Wilson's book I have begun. Totally by random. 

When ever I put a date on things like this it just doesn't work out. The whole "diet starts on Monday" is crap, I have major difficulty doing battle with my mind and will power when it comes to such major lifestyle changes.

So how did I start? It just happened. April was a pretty good month for my yoga practice. I got my butt whooped a few times. I knew deep down I could do so much better in the hot room if I clean up my act outside the room. i.e SUGAR. It reeks havoc on your muscles and digestive system, let alone makes your mind go doolally! Easter I binged like an out of control food-a-holic. Then suddenly I didn't feel like eating my usual daily chocolate fix. I was actually sick of it. So just like that I stopped eating it. 

Once I was over week one of no cakes, biscuits, chocolate, ice cream and sweets it was plain sailing. I didn't even want or crave any of the above. Don't get me wrong I didn't go totally cold turkey as sugar is lurking in everything. I still have the occasional small orange juice, especially on my 4am start mornings to give me a quick fix.

Kat Eden wrote this great piece on breaking addiction which I took note of. By not having a sweet treat at your usual time, mine is either after lunch or after my evening meal, you get out of the habit. I didn't want chocolate at 10am so I didn't have it & I wasn't allowing myself any after 12pm.

I have no idea what clicked in my head, it just happened. I no longer wanted sweet stuff. A belated birthday present from the UK landed a few weeks ago. A big bar of Galaxy chocolate, om nom nom. My favourite. I tucked it away in the fridge and decided to treat myself to a row to celebrate two weeks without it. It tasted funny. It did nothing for me. Totally shocked. I thought after abstaining it would taste like heaven, especially creamy UK stuff. No. My stomach started swelling, my digestive system gurgled, I had a high then a crash. Very weird. These gut feelings used to be normal for me, I thought it was the usual reaction to food in general. However I always followed a meal with chocolate or something sweet. Ah ha, breakthrough moment.

Ending week three now. The results; less bloating or weird gastric rumblings,  uncomfortable tight stomach feelings gone. My yoga practice is so, so much stronger, bow I no longer get cramps in my calves or toes. My head is clearer, as is my skin. (A yoga colleague commented on this) My clothes are looser, I have lost just over 1kg without changing anything else in my diet/lifestyle. (Another yoga colleague commented on this also = noticeable weight loss) I wasn't aiming for weight loss, it is a bonus as most of the shorts I wore at TT I didn't feel comfortable in & I'd stopped teaching in cropped tops. I felt out of shape & the scales showed it. 


Onwards I go. I have given away a bunch of unopened biscuits and chocolates. There are three unopened Easter eggs in the fridge which will be finding new homes if The Man doesn't hurry up & eat them! Finally, I am no longer climbing the walls at 3pm wanting a sugar fix. Hoorah!!

Quitting Sugar

I've banging on about this for a while now but this year I will do this. I have done it before & I will do it again. I will quit sugar. Only because I felt great last time I gave up. My days weren't a battle of cravings, followed by the guilt of giving in & of course the side effects - bloating, slumps, more cravings. My muscles loved me for it, my yoga practice was so much stronger when I wasn't battling the energy slumps. 

It's scary where sugar is lurking. The obvious places, chocolates, lollies, fruit etc. is easy to pin point. Sugar is in nearly everything we eat that is pre packaged; sauces, bread, white pasta, honey. This is why I bought a Thermomix so I can make my own sauces, bread etc. from scratch, making it as clean as possible. Like everything I lapsed. I have caught myself dumping a ready made pasta sauce into Thermomix, instead of taking the time (about 1 minute) to whiz up fresh tomatoes from my garden. What!!!?!!!

I need help and I found it via Kat Eden who is turning out to be a constant source recently for nutrition advice. A link on the side if Kat's blog lead me to another Aussie Women Sarah Wilson and her book 'I Quit Sugar.' Within two seconds I'd paid my $15 via pay pal and the e book was mine. Laid out in an easy to follow, no jargon manner Sarah outlines why we need to quit the white stuff, in every form to start with. The eight week program walks the reader through each part step by step. I was even not very environmentally friendly by printing myself out a copy and bound it with a nice protective cover for quick access. (I don't have a Kindle)

This week might be a write off as ice cream is a major feature in my post teeth surgery diet but I've gone three days without chocolate, white rice & pasta. Steadily cutting out sugars is part of week one. Realistically I can ditch the ice cream for soup now, home made in Thermomix.

What I am hoping to achieve by this sugar detox:

1. Get rid of that hideous afternoon slump after lunch when I want a sweet treat. I give in, get a sugar high, then slump again.
2. Bloating, I look pregnant by most evenings and a bloated stomach is hell to practice yoga with, it hurts.
3. I'm feeling podgy round the middle. Muffin top ahoy, I wish it gone. 
4. My teeth do not need drenching in sugar which = decay. 

Forwards we go. I shall kick this habit. Who knows I might even be able to enjoy the odd sweet treat now and again so I can actually appreciate it.