So, this second sugar detox isn’t going quite as well as the first, but I set out about it a bit differently this time. I didn’t aim to be as strict as I was the first time, and I wasn’t looking at it so much as a 21-day thing to kick the sugar habit with the hopes of working into some type of paleo-ish lifestyle afterwards. Instead, this time I decided to consider it a lifestyle change from the get-go. That meant that I would allow myself an occasional deviation from the “rules,” but try to stick to them closely enough to lose a few pounds and kick the sugar cravings. I don’t have an end date this time, since I plan to keep going.

I’m not doing too bad with the sugary stuff, but because of my job, I had to make a few grain-heavy recipes this week that don’t fit into the detox protocol. While I didn’t overindulge (or I didn’t think I did), it has definitely set me back a bit in the weight-loss department, or at least slowed my progress. It’s disappointing, and yet, I just keep reminding myself that it’s a good lesson. I know what works and what doesn’t, and I need to do my best to stick to the program until I get where I want to be, and then I can loosen up a bit. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Or something like that. I hate running references now. They just depress me.

My other favorite mantra is, Just Keep Swimming.

So I will “keep swimming” and not let a little setback get me down.

That said, I prepared a super delicious riced-based dinner last night that I can’t wait to share with you! Unfortunately, I forgot to add a few components to the dish I plated and photographed, and now I have to make it AGAIN. I’ll wait till next week when I’ve hopefully had some success from this diet, and one dinner shouldn’t sabotage my progress. It’s pretty discouraging to have a set-back on Day 3.

Otherwise, I’m doing fine and feeling good.

A few have asked what I eat. I usually have eggs in some form for breakfast — fried or scrambled with some leftover dinner veggies thrown in. For lunch I’ve been having tuna salad or chicken salad. I actually buy those prepared from a local natural foods store. I know I should make my own, but it is so easy to pick them up when I’m there, and sometimes I just need easy. That’s my version of “fast food,” ha! Sometimes I will have it over a salad with my homemade lemon vinaigrette, and sometimes I just eat them right out of the container.

Dinners vary, but I’m trying to stick to paleo/primal meals. Next week’s meal plan will reflect that. I don’t snack much, but when I do, it’s usually raw cheddar cheese (Organic Valley) or that seasoned seaweed from Costco. I am still drinking 2 or 3 cups of coffee with heavy cream each day, but other than that, it’s mostly water. I had a glass of wine last night with a friend, but that’s not a daily thing anymore.

For those just tuning in, I did Diane Sanfilippino’s 21 Day Sugar Detox last summer, and I loved how I looked and felt afterwards. I had hoped to move into a primal way of eating, a la Mark Sisson, so I could maintain my new lease on life, but I gradually moved back to my old eating habits. Forty years of eating habits is hard to break, yo!

This time I’m doing it again, but more or less following Mark’s Primal Blueprint, which isn’t meant to last only 21 days. It’s meant to create new eating habits that you stick with long term, which is my ultimate goal. I want to look and feel good for years, not for three weeks. (That’s the goal of Diane’s plan too, and both are very similar, but I like the way his is laid out, and you don’t have to pay anything to get it.) If you’re wondering what his “rules” are, they are right here. I don’t get into the counting carbs and all that nonsense, though. I just am trying to reduce my consumption by cutting out the empty carbs.)

I created my own list of rules, based on his guidelines and what I know works for me. I posted this a few days ago, but here it is again.

What to Eat

OFTEN

• eggs (preferably from pastured chickens)
• good quality meat, chicken and fish
• good fats (EVOO, pastured lard, grass-fed butter, ghee)
• non-starchy vegetables & leafy greens (preferably organic)
• unsweetened yogurt (preferably organic)
• coconut
• nuts
• seeds
• coffee (I use heavy cream daily, but NO sugar)

SOMETIMES (two or three times a week)

• red wine (2 glasses max)
• bacon (preferably nitrate-free)
• good quality chocolate
• fruit
• cheese (preferably organic and raw)
• yams/sweet potatoes

RARELY (once or twice a month)

• small dessert, preferably homemade
• white wine
• white potatoes
• beans/legumes
• peanut butter
• rice
• oats/oatmeal

NEVER (or almost never)

• sugary snacks
• soda or other sweetened beverages
• artificial sweeteners
• processed food products
• wheat-based breads or crackers, even homemade (b/c I am gluten-free; I would put this in rarely for most people – if it’s organic and whole grain)

Those lists are not exhaustive, but they give you the general idea.