21DSD: Day 12

B and I were catching up on reboot of 24: Live Another Day, so I didn't get around to posting my Day 12 recap last night, so here it is.

My energy seems to be back on the upswing, and I felt good all day.  I'm sure the fact that it was Friday was a positive little boost.  Plus, I ordered Diane Sanfilippo's 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook, and it arrived today, so I'm looking forward to flipping through it and discovering some tasty treats. I've started to think ahead to what I will do once the detox is officially over, and once my first order of business is complete (a glass of wine in the evening), I plan to keep sticking to this low sugar, nutrient dense way of eating that I've learned, so I'll need to keep looking for recipes to help keep me engaged and motivated. Sanfilippo's cookbook oughtta help!

I'm anxious to see how I'm progressing on the scale, but I'm planning to wait until after I complete the detox to uncover that result.  I stepped on the scale last week (to see if I was actually losing weight.  answer = yes!), but now plan to wait until the end for the final detox #. I'm excited to see what I've accomplished!  In just these two weeks, I feel like my clothes are fitting better, and that's a better indicator of how my body is changing than the scale anyway.

Here's the day 12 run down -- 

Time Went to Bed Last night: 12:00 am. I was lost in a book - I just ordered Laura Sobiech's spiritual memoir on Kindle.  She's the mother of the incredibly brave, positive and inspiring Zach Sobiech, a Twin Cities local teenager and musician who passed away a year ago of Osteosarcoma.  Fave Zach quote - "You don't have to find out you're dying to start living."  You can learn more about the incredible Sobiech family via this Soul Pancake YouTube video.
Time got up this morning: 7:00 am 
How I felt when I woke up (excellent, good, fair, poor):  Good.  I love the great sleep I continue to get without sugar to interfere!
General Mood/Energy throughout the day (excellent, good, fair, poor):  Excellent/ Excellent - I'm back on the up and up!
Exercise (type/duration):  1 hour of Yoga.  I felt incredible at yoga today!  For me, yoga is always a good decision.  My intention today was "patience" with myself, with others, with life.  I'm not a patient person, but I know that as I reshape my body and mind, patience is essential to the plan.
Breakfast:  Coffee with cream, banana, pumpkin seeds
Lunch:  The last of my leftover Chicken, artichoke and olive dish.  B doesn't like artichokes or olives, so that means lots of fantastic leftovers for me.
Dinner:  Steak and green beans.
Water Intake: 8 glasses

21DSD: Day 11 (Half way there!)

Technically, I made it through day 11, and technically I'm officially OVER half way through the detox! Technically.   Even though I didn't cheat (much), I kind of feel like I did.

First, I ate the entire batch of Apple Streusel egg muffins I made last night (which is 6 muffins and equivalent to 3 servings).  These are from the 21DSD book, so all ingredients are approved, but it probably totaled just under 2 apples consumed, when I really should have only eaten one apple today (that's my cheat. I don't feel too bad about it).  At least I did not eat all of the muffin at once! I had three of the muffins for breakfast and the remaining for a snack.  Needless to say, the muffins were pretty good.

Then, for dinner, Brian and I were both craving pizza, which is obviously NOT allowed on the detox.  So, B went for the loophole and got a little creative in the kitchen and invented his version of "Meatza"  -- a weaved bacon "crust" topped with ground beef, tomato, cheese, onions, peppers and oregano.  It was oh, so wrong, and yet oh, so right!  And, gluten/sugar/soy free! All of those items are allowed...but man that's a lot of fat.  I had two pieces.  there.  I've confessed!  I even posted photos below.

Let's just move to the day 11 rundown, shall we?!?-

Time Went to Bed Last night: 11:00 pm

Time I Got Up This Morning: 6:30 am 

How I felt when I woke up (excellent, good, fair, poor):  Good

General Mood/Energy throughout the day (excellent, good, fair, poor):  Good/good, though energy in the evening kind of low

Exercise (type/duration):  None.

Breakfast:  Coffee with cream, and 3 apple streusel egg muffins from the 21DSD book.

Lunch:  Salad with veggies and lemon pepper chicken that I prepped at the start of the week

Dinner:  "Meatza" as discussed in the paragraph above. I do not wish to discuss further!

Snacks:  The remaining 2 apple streusel egg muffins (and confession - I tried one last night right before bed, after I already published my update.  Technically not cheating except for eating a few additional slices of apple when the limit is technically one apple a day).

Water Intake: 6 glasses

"Bacon Weave Crust"

The full on "Meatza"

21DSD: Day 10

My energy is still a little bit low as I near the halfway point. I was riding a high after making it through week one, and while I wouldn't say I'm feeling 'low' (my sleep quality is still good and my mood is still better overall), I guess I've been feeling reflective. I absolutely love to eat, and am an emotional eater to a tee.  As excited as I am about my progress, the thought of having to significantly restrict some of my favorite foods (pasta! pizza! cream cheese wantons! sammys!  ice cream! chocolate chip cookies! nachos! cheddar and sour cream potato chips! booze! so many oms and noms!)...it's kind of depressing.  Even if I can kill the physical addiction and cravings I experience, my emotional addiction to these comforting foods is separate issue I need to face.  

Yes, I realize it's all of those carby/sugary foods that have been making me feel awful and wreaking havoc on my body and mind for so long.  But...they've also made me feel good, they've been a part of happy memories, and they've been a crutch to help me get through hard times.  It's hard to say goodbye to these good friends, even if they are "toxic" friends. Still, I know that I can enjoy treats on occasion, but I also know I can easily turn an everyday thing into an "occasion",  and I will need to be very mindful of this. This detox is just one of many steps I need to improve my relationship with the foods I eat.

Here's the day 10 rundown--

Time Went to Bed Last night: 11:00 pm
Time I Got Up This Morning: 6:30 am 
How I felt when I woke up (excellent, good, fair, poor):  Good
General Mood/Energy throughout the day (excellent, good, fair, poor):  Good/good-fair.  Mood has been much  more on the "up" side than the "down" side.  My energy has been a little bit down though.  All I wanted to do today was eat Cookies & Cream Ice cream (my favorite flavor) -- I have not caved into that craving
Exercise (type/duration):  None.
Breakfast:  Coffee with cream, and 3 egg white muffins with spinach, sausage, and feta
Lunch:  I went to Chipotle today and got a salad - lettuce, steak, onions, peppers, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese.  Seriously, being able to have as much full fat dairy as I want on my detox, acceptable for level one, has been a life saver.  I'm thankful that I don't have a dairy intolerance.  I wonder if I could feel *even better* if I limited dairy....but that's for a different day.  Cutting out sugar/gluten/soy is a big step, and author Diane Sanfilippo advocates starting where you are - no need to be a daredevil or a hero!
Dinner:   Leftover Chicken with artichokes and olives, a recipe I found in the detox book.  Photo below.  I'm pleased with this dish.  B is more of the cook in our household, though I dabble a bit.  While sometimes I enjoy cooking and baking, it's not my favorite thing to do.  This detox is forcing me to spend a lot more time in the kitchen prepping food and actually cooking.  If my food choices seem a little bland, it's because I want to make sure I always have something to eat and don't starve as a result of getting over my head and failing to make something more complicated or time consuming than I realized.  Over time, I'm sure I will get better at this.  Again, it's important to "start where you are" - and I'm at a more basic level.  I'm motivated to keep experimenting as much as I can, so that I don't get bored and take a misstep as a result.  It's been tough, but I'll get there!
Snacks:  Apple, pumpkin seeds
Water Intake: 6 glasses

Chicken with artichokes and olives