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!!!