So...I wasn't quite sure what to expect today. Would it be harder in the beginning or get worse as time went along? I started the morning with an egg white omelet with cheese and strawberries--pretty dang tasty actually--followed by a turkey sandwich on fabulous HOMEMADE whole grain bread with lots of mustard for lunch. I actually wasn't craving anything sweet at all...so I thought maybe it's going to be easy in the beginning.
But then in the afternoon I had to make a trip to Walmart. Right in the door is a giant display of cupcakes but I was strong enough to sail right on past them and get what I came for. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but it seems someone at Walmart had the really funny idea to stock all the end caps with desserts. Everywhere I turned there was yummy, sugary goodness staring me in the face...it seemed to jump right off the shelf and do a jig in front of me...I even think I heard some cat calls as I passed...but I wasn't going to cave on day one. That would be just ridiculous.
I decided to start P90X again in conjunction with the no sugar thing...so I started with Chest & Back this morning and it was a lot harder than I remember.
True, bonafide cravings started after dinner. All I could think about was brownies...not sure why it was brownies...but I wanted a big, warm, gooey brownie with lots of frosting. I didn't have one, and it's a good thing because I would have eaten it for sure. Sorry, family...no desserts around here for awhile!
I hear people who give up sugar can drop quite a bit of weight very quickly so I weighed myself this morning so I would know.
Day Two!
I realized last night that I am feeling extremely low on energy. Every time I sit down I doze off (not that it isn't completely normal for me to do that anyway--just ask my kids...) I ate more eggs for breakfast and they were just as good as yesterday. For lunch I had a baked piece of chicken with some carrots and it was extremely satisfying. I started to think maybe this wasn't going to be so bad...maybe I'm not as addicted to sugar as I think I am.
The one thing I've noticed is terrible cotton mouth. I'm guzzling water by the jugful. I keep four 24 oz. water bottles in the fridge and this afternoon they were all warm because I emptied all four of them within about an hour and a half. I also have a headache coming on.
Went to Young Women's tonight and after our service project they were having rootbeer floats. I left before that happened. I like to think I'm strong enough to just say no but it would be a little like taking an alcoholic into a bar and expecting them to have a glass of water. Just generally not a good idea...
Day Three...
After getting home from Young Women's, my headache came roaring on like a hurricane. I took ibuprofen but it didn't help at all, so eventually I just went to bed, which is just as well because all I could think about were all the things I wanted to eat anyway and I couldn't concentrate. The cravings are killing me!
Woke up with a headache, although not as bad as before I went to bed. I ate more eggs for breakfast and another turkey sandwich for lunch. It was good but it's getting old so I started looking for something good I could cook for dinner and I've come to the conclusion that it's no wonder there is a growing diabetes problem in this country because there is sugar is EVERY FREAKING THING! Some of the things I found that I did not realize had sugar in them include: worcestershire sauce, enchilada sauce, canned corn, and Miracle Whip (not that I eat that--I think it's nasty--I was just surprised to find sugar in it). I am no longer just craving desserts--now I'm craving just normal dinner menu items, none of which I can cook because there is sugar lurking in the recesses of every single item in my pantry.
I went online to find out if headaches are a common side effect of sugar withdrawals...YES, yes, they are. And I have one. So is having a dry mouth, which would explain the exorbitant amount of water I am consuming. Other symptoms include flu-like body aches, nauseousness, depression, sleeplessness, and irritability (yes, I have this one too...especially after scouring for something to cook for dinner and finding nothing). Luckily I don't have the really bad ones.
I have to keep myself busy every waking minute because all I can think about is food. Apparently, things are still getting worse. I would give a limb for a gas station donut right about now.
Day Four...
Spoke too soon...I woke up with body aches and pains today. Headache but no fever so I know this is just the sugar thing doing a number on me. I decided to get right up and do my P90X yoga and amazingly, it made all my symptoms go away and I feel better. Unfortunately, irritability is stepping up now.
The bad news is, I ate eggs for breakfast and I'm starting to feel hostile towards chickens. Doesn't help that we've had chicken three nights in a row for dinner either. It's gonna be a long two weeks if I have to eat eggs every morning, but I can't really think of an alternative. I am finding that I seriously miss my morning oatmeal (I would cook it but I'm trying to live without artificial sweeteners too, and oatmeal without sweetener is nothing more than paste).
For lunch I decided to throw some cottage cheese in the blender (I can't STAND the texture of cottage cheese...blech) and try it with some fruit. Back in my college days when I lost a bunch of weight I made this super terrific dessert with cottage cheese and egg whites (and artificial sweetener, unfortunately), baked it and topped it with fruit. It was good...but this lunch was not. I paired the cottage cheese with raspberries, which just aren't sweet enough on their own. I gagged it down (I think I even pulled a throw up face once or twice) but it was nasty. Chased it with another turkey sandwich, which was not very good either.
Since the whole family is sick of chicken, I made my homemade whole wheat buns for dinner and made hamburgers. I even made bacon, which, surprisingly, if you buy the maple kind, has...you guessed it...SUGAR! Luckily I had the smoked kind too. I slathered my burger in mustard, skipped the sugar-laden ketchup and proceeded to weep as I ate because it just wasn't very good. By the way...Doritos have sugar in them. Just sayin'... By the time dinner was over I was seriously depressed. Patrick must be missing all the treats because he was about to resort to eating a pop tart after dinner but I think my death glare stopped him. I don't think I could stand the smell of a toasting chocolate pop tart right now.
Day Five
Good news! I have lost 5 pounds since Monday. Amazing, considering I have been on a plateau for about nine months. It has renewed my commitment (at least a little bit) to seeing this through for another...nine days. :(
Today I caved and made some oatmeal. I just couldn't do the eggs again. I was worried the Splenda I put in would open the flood gates and I would start a binge after breakfast, but actually I'm okay. And I don't feel guilty either, because I only used a teaspoon, I swapped out the sweetened cream cheese I usually use with cottage cheese, and I know that oatmeal was super good for me.
My headache is gone, and the flu-like symptoms have not come back. It's just the cravings that are terrible. A friend who just did this told me I should suck on two chocolate chips to help with the cravings, but I'm scared. The minute I cut the corner off the chocolate chips I might as well tip my head back and dump the whole bag in, because I don't know that I will be able to control myself and two will turn into four, which will turn into eight, which will turn into...a batch of chocolate chip cookies... I have horrible will power.
So now, here it is, time for lunch. The turkey is gone, which is probably a good thing because I don't think I could eat another sandwich anyway. I don't have a dinner plan. I am craving chicken enchiladas, but unless I make my own sauce without sugar I can't do those either. Woe is me.
No comments:
Post a Comment