Week 2

I made it!

This week I switched to full fat milk and yoghurt (natural).  Having been a skinny milk girl for so long, this change has been the most challenging so far.  Don't get me wrong, my coffee tastes sooo good now and my yoghurt portions have decreased because my appetite doesn't want much more than a couple of dollops.

The challenge has been getting over the feeling of guilt when I'm about to eat full fat products, not to mention stopping myself from saying "skinny" latte.  Its automatic.

Activated walnuts have been a new discovery and they're great.  Walnuts have typically left a funny taste in my mouth but not these ones.  My appetite is good so I find a handful is enough.

I love fruit but I'm avoiding it because next week it is off the list entirely.  I have been missing it on the odd occasion but I've worked out that its because I'm thirsty so I'll drink water or make myself a herbal tea instead.  I'm tuning in to my body which has also served as a great distraction.

My favourite herbal teas have been lemon & ginger and spearmint & camomile.



I'm finding my taste buds have come alive and I'm appreciating the taste and smell of real food.  I can appreciate the sugar content of carrots now!  I've ditched the cereals that I thought were ok and had my first egg and bacon roll - I wasn't hungry until 2pm - love it!  I'm also working in veggies each day to keep things balanced.

By the weekend I started having my first pangs of sugar cravings.  By now, I've had so much self talk and have read so much that I'm able flick those thoughts away and if the feelings came back, I'd grab a handful of nuts - and drink water.

I've notice my body feeling firmer.  I had read someone else commenting on this somewhere.  Jeans are a little looser but no shift in weight by the end of the week.  But that's ok.  I didn't take this on to lose weight.  If it happens, bonus.

To keep the motivation levels up, I planned a big healthy grocery shop.  I prepared my list (very important), based on some meal planning for the following "detox" week.  It took a while to find my way around the grocery store in search of my new foods but it was fun, especially in the cheese section.  Haloumi cheese is my new chocolate.

To top off the week, our new bikes were delivered on Sunday.  Bike riding is also my new chocolate - so beautiful and addictive!  I haven't had that much fun and felt so freeeee in a long time.  Hubby and I couldn't stop laughing.  Our grins were frozen to our faces.  Next weekend can't come quick enough.

In typical fashion, my week ended in the bathtub with a beautiful...

detox blend

• 3 drops tea tree
• 3 drops lavender

... enjoyed with a glass of coconut water and a squeeze of fresh lime and wedges on ice.

HH
x

Day 7

I did it!

I've committed to Sarah Wilson's 8 week "I quit sugar" plan and have ordered David Gillespie's Sweet Poison. Both Sarah and David have inspired me with their common sense approach and their research makes so much sense!

I'm on track with my sugar culling and realise there's some bumps in the road ahead so this is a good week for some strategic planning. Good news is, I discovered that coconuts will become my new friend - I loooove coconuts. They remind me of tropical holidays, the beach, warm weather, harmony and happiness - very me!



Speaking of happiness, yesterday I went shopping for a new bike. Hubby and I have talked about it for weeks and we have a great track nearby which we use partly on our weekend walks. We didn't end up making a purchase but we've narrowed it down and now know (or think we know) what we'd like to get. I'll be spending some time shopping around for a good deal this week.

Scales are NOT something I stand on too often. I have been obsessed with my weight in the past and found that visiting the scales too frequently can be bad for my head (more on that another time). For my "experiment" however, I decided to check-in yesterday and I weighed in at 64.5 kgs. When I put my jeans on (for the first time since last weekend), they weren't as snug so I'm tipping I was heavier than I thought. Better still, the simple adjustments seem to be making a difference already - tick!

To celebrate my induction week, I ran a bath, lit a candle and dropped a blend of essential oils in the "not too hot" tub - heaven!  I chose...

evening bath blend

• ylang ylang, 
• rose 
• lavender 

2 drops of each in a tablespoon of carrier oil

It's a perfect blend to relax into and will encourage the onset of a good sleep.  Don't use essential oils if you're pregnant and try not to soak for longer than 20 minutes - 15 minutes is perfect.  Close your eyes, take a deep inhale and take some time out - for you!

HH
x

Days 4, 5 & 6!

The sugar cravings finally showed up last night!  This is when experiments get interesting and my curiosity motivates me to keep going. 

I started noticing the cravings on the evening of day 4 (Friday night).  I had met up with a girlfriend for lunch and enjoyed bruschetta with a glass of sparkling wine (probably not a good idea).  Arrived home from work in the mood for a couple more glasses of bubbly and some pretzels with cashews – such a delicious combination but again, probably not a good idea.  As a result of a couple more glasses of bubbly, I couldn’t be bothered cooking dinner (felt tired and a bit yuck) so had a steak sandwich for dinner (with slice of cheese, mustard and sauce – wholemeal bread and no butter).  Not good choices because from what I’ve discovered in my research so far, sauces will be off the food lists due to the sugar content and no doubt champagne is out of there too.  I flopped onto the couch and had my first pang for sugar.  I’m talking chocolate.  Fortunately there was no chocolate within reach so I snacked on yoghurt instead. 

Next morning, HEADACHE.  In fact both hubby and I woke with one.  I started wondering about the causes and knew it was diet related.  Hubby has mirrored my diet… almost.  Hubby is a sucker for sugar drinks but he has still cut back.  We got up, had a couple of headache tablets, ate cereal and forced ourselves to go for a long walk.  Hubby needed to be talked into it (and I could have quite easily slid back under the doona).  I promised him that we’d feel better afterwards.  Without trying to eek you out, I went to the “loo” and soon after, headache was gone and I was feeling much better.  As I said before, this motivates me and is part of my experiment – I’m learning! 

In the meantime, I’ve been researching but struggling to find “free” diet guides and “no sugar” lists so I’m currently tossing between a couple of options.  Being new to blogging, I also need to learn more about what can and can’t be said/quoted on here but whichever decision I make, it will cost money.  Not much though.  I’m happy to support someone else’s time and effort with cash – hey, they earn it!  I just need to decide which one.  Perhaps I’ll try both – good for my experiment!

nothing sweeter than an aromatherapy bath...

My other motivation in life is getting back to basics.  Sourcing better natural products such as skincare, essential oils (I’ve always been a huge fan) – the list goes on…  I have a great source for my essential oils and I’m happy with my current skincare but I’m keen to hear of recommendations you might have.  Genuine recommendations of course J

Anyhoo, I’m buying a bike today!  More on that in my next update…

HH x

Day 3

Well, this "no sugar" craze is not so crazy!   I'm still going strong.  It has seemed pretty effortless actually.

The team went out for lunch today and had sugar cavings afterwards.  Someone grabbed a massive bag of lollies on the way back to the office and everyone dived in, not me!  Its amazing what you notice everyone else doing, when you stop doing it yourself...

Today, I've realised just how much more there is for me to cut out of my diet.  So much more to learn!  That's ok, I'm curious now and can't wait to see how my body will respond without the obvious sugar foods first.  Baby steps.

I've read a large number of comments from some very happy people out there who have shed the kilos by simply cutting out sugar.

I encourage everyone to do some research on this.

Stay tuned!

HH x

Day 2

I feel like I've been living with my head in the sand. There's so much information out there and "poison" is mentioned... a lot!

"Poison" was the motivating word for me to stamp out the sugar. The messaging was clear and logical. We really are a world addicted to sugar! The more I think about it, the more determined I am to quit.

Today's diet was similar to yesterday but I switched pastissis for chicken and vegetable stir-fry. Lunch was a toasted cheese, tomato and salmon wholegrain sandwich. A proud moment for me today when a colleague announced that she'd brought in a packet of lamingtons and a packet of cookies for morning tea. I politely declined, explaining my new adventure and I didn't have a single pang! Interestingly, our dieters were straight in there, excusing it with reference to bonus points... I'm thinking, booby prize more like it!

My research has enticed me to seek out a book called "Sweet Poison Quit Plan" by David Gillespie.

The reviews are good. Have you read it?

HH x

Day 1

For some time now, I have noticed my old weight sneaking up on me alongside some unpleasant mood swings - not good.  Time for a change! 

Many of us wait for summer to appear on the horizon before taking action but I decided that now was as good a time as any - yesterday in fact.  I've been hearing more and more about the "no sugar" diet. It makes perfect sense to me. 

I dedided to start off by cutting out the intake of sugar and sugary (junk food) products.  By doing this, yesterday's diet diary looked like this:

Breakfast: bowl of Just Right cereal with a sliced banana and low fat milk
Snack: large skinny latte
Lunch: beef, lentil and vegetable soup (home made by the cafe next door to work) and a slice of rye bread
Snack: small skinny latte
Dinner: 6 x pastizzis - ooooh! (my hubby's idea of a quick meal - we were time poor)
Evening snack: cup of tea and a small tub of low fat vanilla yoghurt

Not a bad day I thought.  I know, I know, the pastizzis kind of ruined it BUT this is about cutting out sugar so baby steps.

I haven't weighed myself this week (and I try not to make a habit out of it) but I'm about 64kgs and 165cm tall.  Ideally, I'd like to get back to my 60kg weight.

I would love to hear about your "no sugar" success stories.

HH x