21 DSD Days 1-5

Hey guys!

I made it! The first five days on the 21-Day Sugar Detox are done!

Day One
This day was actually pretty easy. Mostly because I was super motivated and had prepped a lot on Sunday. For breakfast I had the Tomato Basil Quiche with bacon and avocado. I didn't pack a mid-morning snack, but wished I would have. For lunch I packed the Ginger Garlic Beef and Broccoli plus about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of quinoa since I planned on going to crossfit that night. I did feel like I "needed" a mid afternoon coffee pick-me-up, but my determination to not eat sugar never really wavered. I also had a mid afternoon snack of the Cinnilla Nut Mix. Dinner was again the beef and broccoli with a "dessert" of  1/3 to 1/2 cup of sweet potatoes roasted in cinnamon and coconut oil with a homemade coconut butter on top. 

Day Two
Day two ended up being a little bit tougher energy-wise. I actually had the day off of work and continued to do some more meal prep at home in the morning. Then I was super productive around the house ... i.e. I finally took down the Christmas decorations! But by early evening, I had nothing left. I'm talking to the point where I just didn't even feel like going to Crossfit, which is rare for me. But lets get to the food! Basically, since I was at home all day, I was a lot more snacky and less 3-square-meals-a-day. But I had the same breakfast as Monday, but since one of the things I prepped that morning was the green apple sausage, I had one of those instead of the bacon. Lunch was another meal I had prepped that morning: Mexi Meatloaf. Snacks throughout the day included more of the Cinnilla Nut Mix, plus just random scoops of homemade almond butter or coconut butter. Not a TON at any one time, but I think this was just me trying to figure out what to do with a sugar craving, which resulted in straight-up almond butter face-stuffing. Dinner was the Balsamic Braised Beef with steamed cauliflower. 

Day Three
Day three was another looooonnng day at work, so that helps deter some of the cravings. Breakfast was the quiche, again. This time with two of the green apple sausage patties and 1/2 of an avocado. Mid-morning snack was the Cinnilla Nut Mix. Lunch was the Balsamic Beef with steamed cauliflower. I also brought two of the chocolate almond coconut bites from The Food Lover's Kitchen/Primal Palate. Those little guys have been a lifesaver! They make it feel like I'm getting a treat or a dessert. I had enough energy, even after a long day at work, to go to Crossfit that night. Afterward, I destroyed a couple of slices of meatloaf for dinner and a scoop of almond butter for "dessert!" I'm finding now that hot tea or some sort of hot drink helps to reduce my cravings for sugar. It lasts longer than a treat would, and it's soothing. I guess it's something I can maybe try to replace the habit of dessert with. Instead of always needing something sweet after a meal, maybe I just look forward to a nice hot cup of coffee, tea or lemon water. I know it sounds kind of boring, but it's working for me so far! 

Day Four
This day began with another breakfast just like day three. I'm talking the exact.same.thing. But I'm kind of a creature of habit, so I look forward to a meal if I know what it is going to be rather than dread it. It's kinda like if Sunday is pancake day. You look forward to it because you know what it's going to be ... well, and also because it's freaking pancakes. But you get the idea. I had the last of the beef with broccoli for lunch, then went to work and crossfit and didn't eat again until 8:30 that night. I was starving by then, but luckily we had some of the balsamic braised beef left. I dominated a giant bowl of that (again with the steamed cauliflower ... I know, it's all getting a little old to me, too). I'm actually writing this on Day 6, so I'll just have to assume I had yet another chocolate coconut almond butter bite (or 2) for dessert. 

Day Five
Day 5 began exactly like the days before. Quiche. Sausage. Avocado. Delicious. Brought some nuts with me to snack on mid-morning. This time I made the Spicy Nut Mix, but with a few variations based on what I had (or didn't have) on hand. Lunch was actually a spinach salad with tomato, green pepper and bacon. I made simple dressing using olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. I also packed carrots and homemade almond butter for dipping. Dinner was again after a long afternoon at work and an evening crossfit class where we've been doing a pretty gnarly squat cycle, so I was really wanting to just come home a crush a ton of pizza. But we didn't have pizza. We had sausage. And eggs. Basically I had what I had for breakfast (AGAIN!) because it's all we had on hand that would be ready in .5 seconds.

How I'm Feeling
Well, I am definitely feeling the importance of preparation. I think I did a pretty good job of it as what I made lasted me through Friday night, even if it wasn't exactly what I wanted at the time. However, I also feel like I've sort of been a slave to the kitchen this week. It requires a lot of time and effort. But because of my recent diagnosis, I really want to complete this challenge. And besides, I don't really have a solid idea of what I can and can't have when it comes to convenience-type foods, so I figure why risk it? And most fast food is out anyway, so I've kinda just gotta get used to this. 

I'm also feeling the cravings kind of start to kick in. The first five days were work days, so it helped that I was out of the house, but I could definitely tell that by Friday, I just wanted to let loose. But I've stayed strong so far! Here's to 16 more days.