As you may already know from a previous post which you can read about here, hubby and I have begun Sarah Wilson's 8 week sugar detox program. I'll just mention that we are doing the program by following her book "I quit Sugar", not via her online program which is also available. You can purchase her book for $25 from Big W if you are interested in giving it a go.
Now I bet you're all wondering how I'm going after my first week (which ended on Monday) of starting the program? It's been surprisingly easy but also challenging.
What I learnt about sugar this week:
"its fructose that's the enemy, not sugar, per se". Some of the things that fructose does to are bodies are that it can raise our anxiety levels, mess with fertility and, it makes it harder for our immune system to fight off viruses and infections.
What I changed:
Although the program doesn't ask you to go cold turkey in the first couple of weeks I did decide to cut out all lollies and chocolate bars. We also stopped having muesli and cut out white breads, rice and pastas and swapped them for brown/wholemeal types.
New ingredients I introduced:
I stocked up on more nuts and bought coconut oil which is one of the 'staple' ingredients for a lot of the sugar-free recipes.
New recipes I tried:
I didn't really get into any of the recipes this week beside introducing eggs and avocado on toast for lunches. Our dinners are already mostly wholesome and healthy. Its the snacks I need sugar-free substitutes for.
What challenged me:
We went to a friends 80's birthday party and I had to resist some very yummy foods including the most delicious and amazing cake you've ever seen! I did have some white bread though.
The other challenge was going to the supermarket and noticing all the delicious foods such as donuts and alike!
Fitness:
A few days before starting the program I had started working out but, by the time I had gotten a few days into the detox I started to notice a significant decrease in my milk supply (still exclusively breastfeeding Samson). While I don't think the drop was solely caused by daily 30 min workouts, I do think it contributed. I have been working hard at increasing my supply and won't continue work outs until I feel it has stabilized.
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Congrats!! First week done and successful :).
ReplyDeleteOh the whole milk-supply thing... I feel you! The decrease in supply so noticeable when I haven't eaten enough or been too busy out of the house. When I did the 8 week detox, I didn't notice any decrease in supply (I was doing 30mins of exercise every second day) because I found I was eating more than ever! I still lost 3 kg in the first couple of weeks though, even with eating so much.
I think the reason I ate so much was because I was trying a new recipe or two per day lol, and there was so much to eat.
I really recommend the 'simply sweet biscuits', 'egg and bacon muffins' (for quick breakfasts or post workout hits), coconut butter (for when a craving hits! I just ate it straight from the icecube tray). Also natural yogurt with stevia and cinnamon really got me through Week 3 and 4 in particular.
Do you have a thermomix or a powerful food processor?
I think I'll have to do workouts every other day as well, or maybe just cut the time in half. I'm used to having an abundance of supply so it's been a real struggle getting it back up. I drink a ton of water daily and I eat like theres no tomoz... I'm also always hungry!
ReplyDeleteMmm, the egg and bacon muffins do look great! I don't have a food processor or a blender anymore. We're on the verge of moving (interstate) so I'm trying to avoid stocking up on too much pantry foods or buying new appliances/furniture. (my slow cooker died a lil while ago and I'm dying to buy a new one when we've moved).
I made the "Simply Sweet" biscuits the other day (although as you are approaching Week 3 you might not want to make them just now) with just a bowl and spoon (if you have ground almonds/almond meal already). Oh and I forgot to mention I loved the zucchini cheesecake in those first couple of weeks! That lemon twist really worked.
ReplyDeleteWhich state are you moving to?
To Adel. It's been a long time coming and we're still waiting on God to open doors for the move. We purchased our first home there and I'm dying to move out of this 2 bed unit and into our own house!
ReplyDeleteWk 3 begins today and I think this is where it gets hard :-/ No fruit even!
Adel? As in Adelaide? I hear its really nice there, and hubby and I are planning to roadtrip it sometime in the next 6 months to explore.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, we rented a two bedroom unit too before we bought a house, and that was squishy even with no babies!
Ooh Week 3! You will be ok if you keep up with the good fats. I think I lived on natural yogurt in this stage! And Sarah's Cheesy Biscuits! I'd forgotten about them till just then! If you don't have coconut flour, youcan make them with just extra almond flour. Very satisfying.