Reflections On My Month Without Sugar

The experience of going a month without sugar exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. I knew the experience would help me regain influence over my habits, and although I was hoping for a new level of empowerment around my food and beverage choices, I never thought I would feel THIS empowered.

The last impetus to deciding I needed a change occurred just after I finished eating 5 of my children’s Halloween Reese’s minis. I had already formed the habit of drinking soy latte’s regularly and every time I went to the coop, which was pretty much daily, I would buy myself some sort of sweet chocolaty treat. As I looked at my habits I knew that I had strayed uncomfortably far from the standard I expected of myself.

Fresh off of my “No-Vember No-Sugar” experiment, I am excited to share the insights gleaned, starting with some of the biggest surprises.

The Biggest Surprises

1. How easy it was after the first 2 days.

2. How hard it was the second 2 weeks when I lowered the standard after the more rigorous standard I started with.

3. How much my body- probably physical, mental and emotional bodies - craved sweets especially at night.

4. How many nuts I had to eat to stay sane and beat the cravings.

(photo sourced from www.nuts.com)

Now that it is over its easy to see the rewards of my effort and I’m inspired to keep a regular "reset" in my yearly game plan.

The Biggest Rewards

(photo sourced from www.julianbakery.com)

1. Feeling like my body got back to a more sustainable energy source.

2. Being able to walk into a store and avoid even the healthiest dark chocolate.

3. Feeling more in control of my eating and my emotions that I didn’t think were as intimately involved in so many of my choices as they truly were.

4. The feeling of accomplishment by not putting off the change until the beginning of the year, as could be expected, and the opportunity it afforded me to build stronger habits through the normally lax holiday season.

Looking at the rewards and what I’m most excited about reminds me of the fact that I’ve always been driven toward sustainability and efficiency on many fronts in my life. If I were a super hero I think I’d be Mr. Sufficiency (That’s a not so clever combination of sustainability and efficiency), not because I’m the best proponent of either, but more-so because I’m so naturally drawn to both values and I have a strong eagerness to learn and implement the next most sustainable or efficient practice to add value to my life. 

Sugar Is Not Sustainable

From what I’ve learned, our bodies can do wonders without a drop of added sweetener, and even the naturally occurring sweetener in fruits and vegetables can be overdone, and give us more than our bodies need on a regular basis.  As I started wrapping my mind around revamping my nutrition, I had started to feel like my body was addicted to the quick boost of energy I would get with a soy latte, heavily honey sweetened tea or oatmeal, or a couple spoonful’s of Justin’s Hazelnut Butter.  Also, every time I ate a regular meal, that energy wasn’t quick enough so I would end up always feeling unsatisfied.

Being somewhat conscious of my unconscious problem I had developed, I was alternating between the sugar high I’d get from my “Salty Chips” as me and my kids refer to our favorite vinegar and sea salt chips, and some sort of sweet so I would feel like I wasn’t completely out of control with my “treats.”

A couple of days in, I came around to realizing that my body was craving energy and the fat from the nuts was helping a little, but I also needed a lot of spice and flavor to overcome the cravings. I wasn’t sure if it was physical or emotional, but it was at this point that I started finding ways to put more fat in my food by way of olive oil, avocados, nuts, and coconut oil. This was also around the time I started to settle into the new routine, which helped me realize where my habits had went so far astray.

(photo sourced from www.healthrevolutionfitness.com)

I had originally blamed my less strict eating habits on living with my brother in Atlanta with his different style of eating for a few months coupled with the added strain of trying to make ends meet in the big city, and I blamed my ex-girlfriend for getting me hooked on soy latte’s. The more I thought about it, however, I realized that Crossfit had a hand in all of the areas I was struggling in.

I Kinda’ Blame Crossfit

Before jumping head first into Crossfit I was running 12 miles over Transmountain – a route that was 6-miles in one direction which passes through the end of the Organ mountains on the Texas - New Mexico border - and back on a whim just having finished a 36 hour juice fast. My eating was on point and I felt like I had energy for days. The first couple of weeks of really “crossfitting” I noticed how hard it was to run. We were doing a four-mile med-ball Indian run and my lower back was “Blown The F Up” like never before.  I was feeling every bit of the unfamiliar workload of consecutive days of deadlifts cleans and squats, and my running hasn’t been the same since.

I originally thought that once I got my weight back down and started running regularly again I’d be able to get back to my previous mileage. But a year after Crossfit I’m still struggling with 4 mile runs. So how can I blame Crossfit now that extreme exercise routines aren’t to blame? Well, another result of the extreme nature of Crossfit was that the more deeply I got into competing, the tougher and longer the training got, and the more incentive I needed to get up the next day and do it again, or I needed a great reward to make all the punishment worth it.

Summer 2011- 190lbs

Spring 2013 - 205lbs

And… when your 10lbs heavier while still at your leanest ever, who’s going to say you can’t eat a couple of gluten free, no-hormone or antibiotic sausage and egg sandwiches every afternoon, or have some organic dark chocolate before each “WOD”?

YOUR ALWAYS AWARE LIFESTYLE COACH CONSCIENCE, THAT’S WHO. Well that’s who was gnawing at the back of my mind every day, but after committing to being my ex’s training partner for the 2013 season I wouldn’t allow myself to complain, or miss a workout, but boy was I relieved when she decided to drop out of the Games and work on healing. I don’t think I could have lasted another week.

During the course of this no-sugar process I realized my energy had been coming from such an unsustainable source for quite some time now, and though my weight is back to normal and my training regiment is more balanced, like it used to be, I just haven’t gotten back to where I feel I should be. As I increased my fat intake and started feeling more satiated after meals, I came up with the hypothesis that; where I used to feel a second wind at the 2 mile turnaround mark, with the aid of that slow metabolizing energy from fat and protein and vegetables, I was now completely depleted from this unsustainable inefficient source of energy that is quick to burn and needs consistent replenishing. I found this awesome blog post that gives great detail to what I was feeling intrinsically. This month long process has given me a deeper experience and UNDERSTANDING of why sugar is so unsustainable for my goals.

Soy Latte – A Whole Other Beast

 

Part of this process was also to get away from my newfound love for soy-latte’s which, though I love, I don’t particularly enjoy the idea of it’s high acidity and all the honey I need to really make it enjoyable.

My first effort was to substitute coffee with Pero, the non-coffee barley and ginger root, and whatever else, replacement I had gotten my mom years ago when I wanted to help her break the habit. I knew there was comfort in the warmth as the days were getting colder, but I wasn’t craving tea, so that wasn’t all it was. I added lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and I even tried to get some hazelnut flavor to add to it, but all in all it wasn’t very tasty.

The next trial was to make it a latte with some unsweetened almond milk, which still didn’t work. Then I got the idea that I could make it like my all-time favorite mocha latte by adding some chocolate, so off to the co-op I went.  They didn’t have the unsweetened chocolate nibs I was looking for, thinking I would be able to add to other foods when I was feeling really deprived.  So as I kept searching, I came around to the carob chips, which I had tried before but didn’t really like, and now thought it would be perfect since it didn’t have any sugar in the ingredients.

I got them and was barely out the door when I was snacking on them and thinking I had beaten the system. I got home and made my mocha latte, and it did the trick, it tasted pretty okay and I felt GOOD. By the time I went to make my next mocha latte I realized I was too excited about these carob chips and something must be off. So I revisited the ingredients when I realized it’s main ingredient was malted barley, I dug a little deeper and realized this wasn’t a part of my gluten free, sugar free process. Then I looked back at the Pero ingredients which also had some sort of barley, I think it was malted as well so I threw them away with a bit of hopeless feeling in my heart.

Next I thought I’d try the cold-brew coffee I saw people drinking. I thought maybe real coffee with less acidity would be a better alternative than Pero but I was wrong. I actually started to like the cold-brew by itself, but it was so concentrated I felt I wasn’t doing myself any good sipping on that. So, it was back to the drawing board.

Ironically, out of the blue my friend hit me with the “London Fog,” An earl grey tea with milk almost like a latte. I didn’t think it sounded like it was up my alley as I really don’t enjoy earl grey, black, green, or any of the caffeinated tea’s that seem more like something a grandparent would drink at a tea party. But again, by this time I was desperate. When I finally tried it, I felt I had found my cheat-code, but I couldn’t be sure until I tried it at home without the cane sugar sweetened soy milk they use at Starbucks.

 I bought some earl grey, got home and made my tea, and BAM! It tasted good. Plus it was some serious caffeine. So much so, that I didn’t want to drink it just like I didn’t want to drink coffee. The only difference was, I could forego it when the thought came to mind without that deprived feeling when I wanted a coffee. Without the honey, without the acid, I had found something I could choose to have that wouldn’t bring me back down that slippery slope.

Every food choice I’ve made now that I’m in December, I stop and wonder if it’s going to be the choice that sends me back into the unscrupulous place I’d just clawed myself out from. It reminded me that I had committed to a new approach and that I would now be aware of the higher glycemic choices I was making, and it wouldn’t be acceptable to have those things more than once in a week. This mindset has helped me get away from the feeling that; ‘in moderation I can have my cake and eat it too,’ while my mind, emotions, and energy stores weren’t nearly in accord.

The Big Realization

I realized that I, and maybe we all are, am a creature of habit. I need a policy of scheduled awakening practices to lift the veil of complacency and to create a more clear and realistic picture of the true effects of the habits I’ve fallen in to by nature. I don’t think it’s necessary to do a master cleanse, or a full on colonoscopy on a regular basis, that might be extreme, but to be able to take your habits off the tracks every few months, maybe once a quarter, get a real good look at them, so as to reassess their efficacy, their impact, and their sustainability. That’s what I realized will work for me, maybe it can help you as well. I would love to have you join me the next time I do a similar exercise, but next on the calendar will be an exercise in socializing without ALCOHOL for a period of time…any takers?

No-Vember, No-Sugar Nov 24 Final Week!

Learning and Growing
Through this process of cutting sugars out of my diet I have learned quite a bit more about myself than I initially anticipated. It's been a while since I've really been accountable to living out my ideal eating lifestyle, and my body, both physical and emotional, have really let me know. If for nothing else, this has been a worthwhile exercise for the increased awareness.

I think there is a huge distinction to be made between knowledge, understanding and awareness. The latter dealing with your relationship to some thing, while knowledge and understanding, in the context i'm using, has more to do with just the information and its comprehension. I knew that my habits were not up to par and that they were having an impact on my health, but by weening myself long enough, I was able to become more aware of just how emotional an experience eating has become in my life.

Excuses, Excuses
I don't take excuses from anyone so I'm not sharing this as an excuse, but just to let you in to my world a little further. Traveling on a tight budget proved to be more of a struggle than I anticipated it to be. I wasn't on my own time schedule and didn't have access to all the amenities that help me keep my integrity around food choices. The funny thing is, I made healthy choices or just went longer periods of time between meals while I was waiting for my companions or a vehicle, and it wasn't until I got back home that I let my habits really slip.

I had decided to depart earlier than scheduled to make my daughters Thanksgiving lunch, which I normally don't eat. I knew I'd be hungry when I got there so I brought my avocado and sardines I travel with for emergencies. But for some reason, I'm thinking that "reward for good behavior" mentality possibly, I decided to give in and eat some of their pumpkin pie. I ate some that day and then again Saturday at my buddies tailgate. That coupled with the cravings generated when I decided I was going to turn my homegrown sweet potatoes into pie for Thanksgiving really weakened my mental constitution. (I love pumpkin and sweet potato pie!)

Final Push
This Friday will be exactly 4 weeks since I started this exercise and besides the first weekend and a couple of breaks from my intention, I didn't expect it to come this quickly and effortlessly. After those hiccups last week I noticed I had to remind myself of the overall goal of getting back to my higher standard of eating and the game plan I wrote about in my first blog; basically only one healthy sweet alternative weekly as opposed to indulging daily in honey, dark chocolate, gluten free flour and potato chips (The main culprits). Something I just thought of; I'm not a fan of the saying; "Everything in moderation," its a little too inclusive, but "some things," I can vibe with.

I'm excited about the feeling of success with the pending final days of my commitment and the momentum it's created in a new, old direction. I hope you have a great week, and a Happy Thanksgiving!

No-vember, No-sugar Nov 17th

Phase 2: Sustainability + Accountability

The mind and emotions are delicate things to balance especially when trying to break habits that seem to soothe them when they are at their most vulnerable point. Its been interesting to watch myself want to choose certain unhealthy foods when I’m tired and experiencing a little stress, and how I would typically excuse the behavior for the circumstances without hesitation. This commitment to such a precise standard for the first weeks and a more broad but sustainable plan for the last 2 weeks has proven to be just what I needed to get back on track.

Trials

Saturday I was faced with my first real trial of my resolve. It was the first day after 2 weeks of not allowing myself any wiggle room, and my mind was trying to play that typical game of “come on, live a little” as I wanted to “reward” myself for making it through. I was aware of my habit of wanting a reward for "good behavior" while also feeling like I had finally done enough to feel the true empowerment of eating food mostly for it’s health benefits, as opposed to emotional eating.

The shift was evident when I was able to start preparing more robust foods with veggies, and sprouts, and avocados; which had been missed lately, substituted with the satisfaction of my favorite brand of malt vinegar and sea salt chips.

I noticed my mind trying to drift to all the options I wanted to make available, while forgetting that the commitment was to still only have low-glycemic alternatives for another strict 2 weeks, and then to only allow for one higher-glycemic, gluten, dairy, sugar-free alternative per week after I get through November.

It was decided that we would eat at Dion’s (a first for me) for the team post game meal, and I had made my mind up before the trip that I would let my son enjoy more of the things his teammates would be having than if it were just he and I. So, after watching several wonderful smelling pizzas pass by and finding out they don’t do gluten-free, and not having anyone to split his pizza with, I bought him a medium pepperoni pizza with jalapenos on the half I might eat if I gave in.

As I sat watching the boys eat their pizza and eat handfuls of chilli peppers on dares, I got hungrier and started to pick off pepperoni’s and jalapenos as I decided if I was going to eat pizza or not. I had some nuts and these pea snacks in the car but I really wanted something warm to eat. I finally gave in and went to the car, got my snacks and was happy to have not given in. I knew that the rest of the 2 weeks would have been over if I had given in so early, especially with such a divergent quality of food compared to the standard I was working on getting back to. I also knew that this choice wouldn’t end here, but would be the start of a ripple made even worst when I got to Newport Sunday night where I would be facing even more temptations hanging out with my old college buddy living that So-Cal bachelor lifestyle.

Moving Forward

As I wrap up this entry I am also wrapping up a tasty “Pure Greens” juice at a spot right behind my buddies apartment complex, which also just happened to be in the same business park as the office I came out here to visit. The spot is KRISP Fresh Living

and they sell cold pressed juice, raw smoothies, Acai & Pitaya Bowls, and Vegan Ice Cream (I might have to endulge in some of that before I leave, it will be ten times better than the Cronught – croissant doughnut - I was craving from my last visit out here which is right around the corner from the Bar my buddy runs. My mouth kind of watered thinking about it :-/).

With a start to my travel eating this healthy I have a feeling the rest of the trip will be successful, and will further empower me to have the healthiest November of my life as I rework my nutrition and re-establish a standard of nutrition that serves my picture of a healthy, balanced eating lifestyle.

No-Vember - No Sugar Journal - Day 10

It's nice to see how much easier it gets every day. The first few days seemed almost impossible. I forgot to share my story of my Day 2 late night craving. This is when I would normally eat some organic dark chocolate 85% or something similar, my favorite are the Justin's Peanut Butter Cups.

I was really struggling with not feeling satisfied and wanting anything other than mean, vegetables, and nuts. I normally don't eat much peanut butter as I know I have a slight food allergy to it, but that had creeped into my routine as well. After fighting the sensation for hours I thought I'd try and make something happen. I figured the peanut butter in the pantry had some sort of sugar in it, but when I looked at the ingredients it was just peanuts, salt and oil. Nice.

I took a spoonful and it was pretty bland but helped a little, so I thought I'd get Ratatouille on it and make something delicious. I thought the more fat the better, so I added some coconut oil. Then I remembered how the little granules of salt in Justin's Peanut Butter cups make all the difference, so I added some sea salt. Then I remembered how I used to only need cinnamon to sweeten my oatmeal so I put a bunch of that. The last ingredient would be my new favorite oatmeal additive - sesame seeds. It was about 2 tablespoons of a not so pleasant looking mixture, and it tasted as bad as it sounds if not a little worst. I ended up eating it the rest of the evening anyways and it got me through what ended up being the toughest night of this process.

Sunday November 9th - Set-Backs and Breakthroughs 

Sunday was a day of set-backs and breakthroughs. I had my first championship experience in all my years involved with competitive football, and I got to experience it coaching my son's team. The outcome wasn't what we would have wanted, yet we were all able to learn so much from all of this seasons experiences culminating in this final game, that all in all it was a great success through to the end. 

I was excited to be coaching my son and to be a part of his mental, physical and emotional preparation, starting with his pre-game meal that day. Deeq wanted eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes so I volunteered to make it thinking I'd eat the sausage and bacon (which I hadn't been eating lately, preferring a more vegan + eggs diet) which would make watching them eat pancakes more feasible. I got everything prepared and was about to cook the bacon when I realized "there's probably sugar in the bacon." I reluctantly looked at the packaging and saw "cane syrup" as one of the ingredients, and then had to look at the sausage as well, which also had a similar sweetener. 

It was at this point that I decided I was too far in mentally and emotionally to back out, and I would take the little break in integrity to my commitment, eat the meat and eggs, and make a more informed decisions the rest of this journey. It was delicious with a little guilt/disappointment mixed in. 

The great thing was the rest of the day I didn't have those same cravings I had been having, especially in the evenings. I had added Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds to my diet to help with those craving's and my reliance on them was noticeablly diminished and instead of having to go to bed with food in my belly, I was able to manage without eating right before bed. 

On Track

Today I felt like I had kicked sugars a$$ and am now on top of my diet. I had some nuts this morning while I cracked some to add to my last batch of this seasons home grown basil pesto. Then had a smoothie of almond milk, spinach, ginger and coconut oil around 11am. I didn't need to eat again until 4pm when I had an egg lettuce wrap with avocado, delish!!!

No-vember No-sugar Journal Friday Nov.7th 1 Week!!!

Wednesday Nov. 5,

I am writing this blog today with a satisfied feeling in my stomach for the first time since enjoying 3 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Friday night (Oct. 31), after trick-or-treating through my kids stash, (I have a thing for chocolate and peanut butter!). I had been thinking I needed a change in some of my lifestyle habits for a while now and I guess Halloween was the last reminder I needed that there was a time when I didn't give in to such cheap indulgences. The new list of indulgences includes; coffee, oatmeal and tea loaded with honey, chips by the bag full, and a lot of gluten-free bread with "natural" jams and peanut butter.

(I originally had a picture of some chocolate and peanut butter combinations, 

but I salivated, got hungry and decided I'd save you the temptation!)

I think the main things I felt these habits were affecting were my long distance running, my stagnant weight, and a combination of lethargy and restless sleep. So, I made my commitment to myself and my children that after (Halloween) I was going to have no sugar all of November.

The Game Plan

You have to have a game plan if you want to succeed in any endeavor, especially when it's something as personal as changing the habits you've become comfortable with. My thought was I could go 2 weeks with nothing remotely related to sugar or that reacts like sugar in my body. (Here is an article I found that loosely explains what I mean) The following 2 weeks I would re-introduce the sugar from low-glycemic fruits and vegetables, as well as from sweet potatoes and brown rice, at a lower frequency than I had recently become accustomed to.

Why So Strict

This may seem extreme to some, but to me, it's closer to a "natural" way of eating, and anything less is me being permissive with my eating habits. I think it's one thing to not know what is healthy and struggle with choosing what works best nutritionally, versus knowing and making excuses. We've all heard the saying "excuses are like a-holes…", I like to think in terms of habits, and when you are in the habit of making excuses your probably also in the habit of settling for mediocrity or average.

“though each habit means relatively little on its own, over time, the meals we order, what we say to our kids each night, whether we save or spend, how often we exercise, and the way we organize our thoughts and our work routines have enormous impacts on our health, productivity, financial security, and happiness.” The Power of Habit

Not that anything is "wrong" with that, I'm just striving toward the most healthy life I could imagine, and I know first-hand how good can truly be the enemy of great, and in my opinion; nutrition is more important to health than exercise, and the mindset you make your choices from is of even greater import.

2 weeks with no sugar will allow my body to break the physical addiction, and the next two weeks will allow me to break the emotional/habitual addiction to sugar in all of its forms.

Friday Nov. 7,

Today  I felt even more in tune with this shift of habits as I broke through an old way of shopping and eating and ventured into unfamiliar but deliciously successful territory with my Nori wraps.

I also realized that I don't really like coffee, I had some black and it does nothing for me, so it's only the honey and almond milk that make it so enjoyable to me, so if I do make it a part of my lifestyle it will have to fall into that once a week category of "healthier" but still not what I am striving for. Which is where I now see I have gone astray. I used to eat clean every day and only allow myself the higher glycemic fruits (my favorite bananas) once a week like a healthy "cheat meal" but since I started cross fitting in 2012 I made a lot of exceptions to my rules. Well this November, I'm taking them all back! Let's go!!!

Tuna & Avocado Salad (Paleo) **Wellness Fréq Fave**

I adapted this recipe from one of my old favorite spots to eat in Las Cruces, The Big Chair. Very simple but the combination does something magical to my senses and my taste buds. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1. 1 pack Mixed Salad Greens (whatever you like, adding spinach is nice)

2. 1 Avocado cut in half

3. 1/4 Cup Walnut Pieces

4. 1 Pack of Wild Caught Tuna (I prefer MVM's)

5. 1/4 cup of onions (I've learned less is more in Tuna Salad so maybe less :))

6. 1/2 Tomato and 3 celery stalks diced

7. 1 Tsp of Mustard (to taste)

8. Sea salt to taste

9. Fresh dill in the veggie section chopped finely

10. Olive oil (or grape seed oil - this is the only time I like a different flavor of oil)

11. Veganaise ( or regular mayonnaise I like this better, i choose the "no soy" one)

12. Hard Boiled egg if you like...and actual pickles if you like (have fun with it)

13. Rasberry vinagerett (to taste- less is more) 

Directions:

1. Boil Tuna with a little onion approximately 20 minutes add a little oil and sea salt

2. Put tuna and water in a container and place in fridge to cool approximately 1 hour ( i use glass because unless it's bpa free the heat and plastic release carcinogens linked to cancer.)

3. Take the Fish out of water and add about a teaspoon of oil and the water from boiling to the consistency that you like.  Mix in the tomato, celery, onion, dill, mustard, and sea salt to taste.  

4. Place Mixed greens in a deep bowl.  

5. Put both halfes of the Avocado on top of the salad mix.

6. Place the tuna on the avocado. 

7. Add the balsamic vinaigrette, top with walnuts and enjoy!!! Thoroughly enjoy.