No Sugar / No Flour 10-Day Challenge

Week 1, Monday, 10/5/15, Weight: 148.8 lbs.

Week 2, Monday, 10/12/15, Weight: 145.2 lbs.

Week 3, Tuesday, 10/20/15, Weight: 147.0 lbs.

Week 4, Monday, 10/26/15, Weight: 146.2 lbs.

Week 5, Monday, 11/2/15, Weight: 145.2 lbs.

Week 6, Monday, 11/9/15, Weight: 142.4 lbs.

Week 7, Monday, 11/16/15, Weight: 142.0 lbs.

Week 8, Monday, 11/23/15, Weight: 142.2 lbs.

Week 9, Monday, 11/30/15, Weight: 143.4 lbs.

Week 10, Monday, 12/7/15, Weight: 140.6 lbs.

Week 11, Monday, 12/14/15, Weight: 140.4 lbs.

Week 12, Monday, 12/21/15, Weight: 140.8 lbs.

Week 13, Monday, 12/28/15, Weight: 142.4 lbs.

Week 14, Monday, 1/4/16, Weight: 143.8 lbs.

Week 15, Monday, 1/11/16, Weight: 141.0 lbs.

Week 16, Monday, 1/18/16, Weight: 142.6 lbs.

Week 17, Monday, 1/25/16, Weight: 142.2 lbs.

Good news: yesterday, I started my “No Sugar / No Flour 10-Day Challenge”!  So, today is Day #2 already.  Yay!  Boy, this is not a "diet" by normal terms: I'm eating plenty of tasty foods and not limiting fat at all.  It feels so good and healthy to be eating "whole foods" instead of garbage.  Here are a couple of my first meals to whet your appetite:

Breakfast with sweet potatoes, bacon, and sautéed onions, wilted baby arugula/spinach, and fried eggs and cheese.  Smoothie with whole fruits and whole-milk plain yogurt.

Dinner with braised chicken thighs (bone-in/skin-on) and veggies in gravy, baked potato with real butter and full-fat sour cream, and steamed broccoli and carrots.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, and now I know why I can’t keep myself from eating so much sugar and (white) flour.  It’s addictive.  Glucose and fructose are released when these substances are broken down in the body, and this happens quite quickly since they are lacking in fiber (high glycemic index).  These sugar molecules make my brain happy…but only temporarily.  They also cause hormonal changes in my body (huge insulin spikes) that don’t last, and when they wane, my brain makes me crave more.  It’s a vicious cycle.  Not to mention, other than causing a happy (but temporary) emotional state, sugar has no nutritional value.  I would argue that white flour doesn’t have any either; rather, just fast “energy”, which means they break down quickly into sugar.  These elevated insulin levels keep my body from burning my own fat stores, so as long as I’m eating sugar/white flour, my insulin will be elevated, and I can’t burn my excess body fat.  Not only that, but over time, elevated insulin levels can lead to Type 2 Diabetes and other scary health outcomes (obesity, heart disease, etc).  Yikes!

Now, I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, or even an expert when it comes to eating for weight loss.  But I do know one thing: if I am eating something that isn’t helping my weight loss efforts, and in fact it may even be harming my body in addition to halting weight loss, then I need to STOP eating it (at least, temporarily, to see how I feel “off” of it).  I currently feel addicted to sugar and flour-products, and I don’t want to be.  Sugar and flour have hijacked my brain, but it’s time to take back control.

Enter my “No Sugar / No Flour 10-Day Challenge”.  Yes, I’m avoiding all forms of sugar for the duration of the challenge.  I will not be having any kinds of flour during this timeframe either (even whole wheat).  For some people, maybe this wouldn't be a big deal.  But I typically eat multiple flour-based products a day (usually homemade, but still too much: bread, pancakes, biscuits, tortillas) and also many sugary items a day (honey, syrup, jam, chocolate, dessert).  In addition, I am going to do my best to get a full 8 hours of sleep, and be in bed by 10PM or earlier every night, which is not what I normally do.  I am going to try to keep up my exercising: jogging 3x/week if possible.  So, this challenge is a BIG deal for me.  While avoiding the sugar and flour, I will be having “whole foods” from all categories, including lots of vegetables, and also fruit, fat, meat, dairy, eggs, and even whole white potatoes (with skin!) and whole grains (brown rice and steel-cut oats).  Here’s my food breakdown:

OFF-LIMITS (DO NOT eat)

Sugar (white, brown, raw, powdered, etc)

Maple Syrup, Honey, Stevia, Agave (all stimulate the brain, even if no calories)

Jam/Jelly

Desserts, candy, chocolate

Fruit juice, Beer, Soda (even diet!)

Dried and canned fruit (with sugar/sweeteners added)

Anything with Flour in it (bread, pasta, crackers, pancakes, bagels, biscuits, cookies, cake, etc)

Anything with Added Sugar in it (such as prepackaged ketchup, hotdogs, salad dressing, pasta sauce)

ALLOWED (Eat every day)

All veggies, especially lots of green ones and leafy ones!

Good fats (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, organic butter)

Meats (locally-farmed, unprocessed)

Bone and Vegetable Broths (homemade)

Legumes (beans, peas, peanuts)

Fruits (whole fresh, frozen)

Whole-fat, organic dairy (butter, cheese, heavy cream); I’m looking into raw and grass-fed/pastured

Nuts

Avocados

LESS OF (Try to eat only once a day)

Very starchy plants: bananas, potatoes, winter squash, sweet potatoes

Dried fruit with no sugar added: Medjool dates, raisins, apricots

Whole milk

Whole grains (steel-cut oats, brown rice, cornmeal)

Cornstarch: this is a stretch (almost like flour); I’m looking into arrowroot powder

Canola, corn, or other oils

Processed meats

VERY LITTLE OF (Not daily, try to avoid)

Alcohol/liquor (no beer!), Mineral Water

Processed foods / Eating out

Ideally, I’m hoping that during/right after the 10 days, I’ll have experiences such as:

Sleep better and wake more rested

Be less groggy/sleepy/weighed-down after eating

Have a better mood overall/more positive

Feel more energetic

Be more clearheaded/less foggy

Have fewer cravings for sweets/flour

Experience a little weight loss

So far, I’m doing OK.  I expected to have headaches and huge hunger cravings, and I don’t yet.  I haven’t even cried yet (haha!).  I have had some fleeting thoughts of wanting to eat things like bread, dessert, and chocolate, but I suppose that’s to be expected.  Unfortunately, after Day #1, I didn’t sleep well last night, but I’m hoping that’s completely unrelated, so I’m going to bed early tonight and hope I sleep like a log.  I still don’t have additional energy, but I’m forcing myself to jump on the treadmill shortly and at least walk if I can’t summon the energy for a jog.  I possibly feel a bit more clearheaded, and definitely not as groggy after eating, so that’s great!  I’m very motivated to stick with it for 10 days, and I hope to notice some good results.  Time will tell!  By the way, my loving husband JK is on-board and is doing the “challenge” with me.  I hope you all join up too!  Leave me some comments, even if it’s to tell me you think I’m crazy for doing this!

I’ll try to post my thoughts/feelings every couple of days during the challenge…

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