21-Day Sugar Detox Wrap Up

Hey All-
You may remember from a few posts back that I have been doing a 21-Day Sugar Detox.  You can read that post through this link.  Well, I finished that this week and am so stoked on it that I am going for another round starting April 1st!

The eating style is basically a version of low-carb, strict Paleo and it's working for my body really well. I did have one slip and drank half of a Vodka and club soda one night but I was kind of bored by it and never finished the drink.  I also spilled a bunch of it on my pants while playing Christmas Music on the bar's jukebox.  It was a strange day.  Regarding the "slip", I didn't beat myself up about it which I may  have been inclined to do in the past.  I've learned that there is nothing wrong with striving for perfection, but that we must move on when a mistake is made.  I still felt great the next day and picked up where I left off.

After the 21 days were up, I continued eating detox style for a few days.  Then, I decided that I wanted to do what I guess we can call, "The Skittle Experiment".  Or we could call it, "Juni Convinces Herself to Ease up a bit, for Christ's Sake".  I wanted Skittles and I wanted them now.  So I bought a pack and ate them.
Then I waited.
Were they good?  Hell yeah, they were good.
Did they taste like synthetic yuckiness and upset my zen like state of body/mind connection?  Nope, they just tasted awesome.
As I suspected, however, about 40 minutes later I got really tired.  Hello, Insulin Surge! It wasn't too bad and I recovered with a cup of coffee.
That evening, Tommy and I went to the movies and I had some popcorn and a Diet Coke (oh the horror!).  I enjoyed both very much and didn't feel compelled to overeat.

I woke up the next day feeling fine but with a slight ramp up in my hunger.  I've heard that bringing back in carbs can increase appetite and I certainly experienced that.  I allowed myself to eat a bit more food but only Sugar Detox stuff and the hunger levels have returned to where they were.

This Sunday is Easter and my friend's mom is making a ham with pineapple so I am not going to stress about eating a little bit of fruit infused pork but I am going to avoid anything else that may have gluten, dairy or legumes.  I think I will be more than happy with ham and veggies.  I will start up the detox again on April 1st and would like to go the full 21 days with no slips.
Here are the major lessons I've learned:
1.  I think my body does best with a Low Carb Paleo approach.  Fruit should be an occasional treat and veggies should make up the majority of my carb intake.  This approach really balances my appetite in a way that I like.

2.  Sleep has a major effect on my craving levels.  With adequate sleep, cravings are quite easy to overcome.

3.  Sometimes I think I want to eat something but I really don't.  However, it is good for ME to cut loose sometimes.  The post detox indulgences were not as good as I anticipated they would be.  I mean, I enjoyed them but it wasn't like angels singing from the heavens or anything.  The best part was just easing up a little bit.  For whatever reason, giving myself a pass was more satisfying than the indulgence itself.

4.  There is a feeling I now recognize as being "in good health".  I got this around the end of my first Whole30 and I felt it during this detox too but didn't manage to stay in it.  The feeling is light, clear, effortlessly joyful and very clean.   Like a shining, golden light around me.  Kind of hard to describe but now that I recognize it, I can seek it out more easily and hopefully stay there longer.  It is my intuitive belief that staying in this zone will bring dramatic improvements to my health in ways I cannot even imagine.

5.  Eating a ton of vegetables is like ingesting Super Powers.  The more veggies I eat, without creating a feeling of being "full", the better I feel.  It really has a noticeable  effect on my energy!

6.  I should avoid gluten and dairy at all costs.  I really just have to look at those two things as Non-Foods cuz my body just hates them.

Improvements I saw:
1.  Skin looks more clear and bright.  Keratosis Pilaris on upper arms noticeably smoother.
2.  Body Composition improved.  I know I lost weight but I decided to go with a "no numbers approach".  I just get a little too obsessive when I do.  I measured my waist a few times and saw inches drop.  I can just tell though and Tommy says he really sees a difference which is good enough for me.  I  have a pair of jeans I really want to get back into so they are my marker.  I'm not there yet, and it's going to take some time, but I have no doubt I'll get there.
3.  Energy more even and clean.  NO ups and downs, just steady good energy.
4.  Feel in control of my food intake and I crave good foods.
5.  My creativity is up!  I want to write, to sing, to tell jokes and laugh.  It's amazing how much this is affected.
6. Slight depression lifted.  I don't know why I was a little down but I was.  I'm sure it was nutritionally and stress related.

Like I said, I feel like this way of eating is really easy for me and I'd like to continue to see the benefits.  I don't know how many times I'll do this in the form of a 21-day detox but I just want to continue to strive to not slip up for the 3 week period as a way of really solidifying these healthy habits.   This cycle, I hope to incorporate more exercise as I do feel fat-adapted now and have the energy.
My goals this round include:
-Continued fat loss
-Staying in the "good health" zone
-more complexion improvement.  Hoping some of the small broken capillaries on my cheeks magically disappear
-Continuing to get rid of carb cravings

If you aren't a nutrition nerd, sorry if this post was boring.  If you are a NN, I hope you try this Detox!  It was probably one of the best experiments I've ever done!
Thanks for reading.
Xo,
Juni