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THE 21-DAY SUGAR DETOX DAY 8 RECAP

I was thinking of taking a break from these updates today, and then last night I hit what I think (hope) was the worst of the withdrawal process. I’ve said that I don’t feel like my withdrawal symptoms have been very noticeable. I’m experiencing some fatigue and woke up headachy a few mornings, but otherwise, it’s not been bad at all.

The Turning Point (I HOPE)

Then last night after dinner, I suddenly had this attack if irritability and unreasonable frustration with just about every. little. thing. The kitchen was a mess and I just didn’t have the wherewithal to deal with it. My husband was out with my son, so it was just me at home with the girls. Had he been there, he would have whipped the kids (and the kitchen) into shape and I probably would have been okay. But I just kind of lost my marbles. I didn’t yell or get mad or anything, I just had to walk away.

I left it and took the girls upstairs to get ready for bed, and then I couldn’t find my phone charger to charge the iPad. It’s been lost since our vacation, and I’ve been annoyed but just dealing with it by trying to remember to plug it into the charging station downstairs, but last night it was completely dead, and I wanted to use it in bed as is my habit before I go to sleep. But there was no charger to be had in a house with FOUR Apple devices that use this same charger, except the one downstairs that is permanently tethered to the charging station that we are now all sharing. Suddenly the situation seemed completely overwhelming and infuriating, especially considering the big boot on my foot and how cumbersome it is to walk around the house with it, looking for some elusive charger.

My daughter took pity on me and brought me hers to borrow (bless her), but I had trouble getting it hooked up. It was so weird, I just kept trying to push the charger into the iPad and it kept slipping so my daughter took over for me. It was bizarre. I felt like some kind of drug addict on withdrawal.

Of course that is exactly what I am. Some say sugar is a drug and meets the criteria for a substance of abuse. That may sound extreme, and it probably is, but I will tell you, that is certainly how I felt last night.

Then I went to take off my boot and the velcro got all mucked up and it suddenly felt so hot and claustrophobic. (Did I mention the house was hot? We had shut our windows and turned on the air but it hadn’t caught up yet.) I felt totally irrational as I ripped the thing off. Finally I just lay down in bed to try to settle myself.

I knew it was the detox making me feel that way. I told my girls this, and just explaining it helped me settle down a bit.

I lay there under the ceiling fan and took deep breaths and just tried to let it all go. I knew it would pass, and I knew I needed to get over this hump. In a way, I was relieved because I think THIS IS IT. This is the turning point.

Funny thing, this is when everyone tells me just to eat some sugar and get it over with.

People, don’t do that if you have a friend who is doing a detox or something like this. Giving in and eating sugar at a time like that is the ABSOLUTE WORST THING I could have possibly done. This is the big hump. I get past this, and I’m home free! My body is learning to burn fat, not sugar. This is THE POINT OF THIS WHOLE THING.

I know some people don’t get it, and that’s okay. But let me be clear. I’m not doing this to lose a few pounds and go back to my old eating habits. I’m doing this to retrain my body to be a fat burning machine and no longer conditioned to burn sugar, which causes energy highs and lows and overtaxes our bodies. See more about fat burning vs sugar burning if you’re interested. I want to feel better and be healthier for the long term, and this is part of the journey.

I lay in bed and looked at the 21-day detox forum on my iPhone and found other people who reported feeling extreme irritability on Day 8 and 9, confirming my suspicions that what I was experiencing is totally normal and just part of the process.

I just need to hang tight. The worst is almost over. I can do this.

I woke this morning feeling okay, just a little over-stimulated. I can definitely tell that my nerves are still on edge. We are taking a day trip to the beach, so this will either be a nice reprieve or a huge challenge. I’m not sure what I’m going to eat or how I’m going to manage the boot. But I’m looking forward to getting away with the family one last time before school starts.

What I Ate

As for what I ate yesterday, I had my 2 cups of coffee with heavy cream and then I whipped up a pan of scrambled eggs with zucchini and bacon. I’m posting the recipe later today. Not that it’s much of a recipe, but I want to add it to my popular healthy breakfast ideas post, and perhaps it will inspire some who are looking for more variations on the basic scrambled egg.

Scrambled Eggs with Grated Zucchini

I spent the morning at a routine doctor appointment for one of my kids and then came home and hosted a Twitter Party. It was 2:30 before I had a chance to eat, and I was feeling hungry, but not really craving food, if that makes sense?

I went to the kitchen and reheated a bowl of chicken soup, the last of it, thankfully. I’m tired of that soup! While I waited for it to get hot, I quickly threw some salad greens in a bowl and poured my lemon vinaigrette over it and scarfed that down.

I made an espresso and returned to my desk to work some more.

While I made dinner, I snacked on raw cheddar and Mary’s Gone Crackers with a seltzer. For dinner, we had grilled shrimp and a side of tomato slices with fresh mozzarella and basil, drizzled with olive oil.

I knew I needed some serious greens, but I just didn’t want to take the time to cook them. At that point, I was already beginning to feel a bit unstrung. Now I know why . . . the worst was yet to come! LOL

I actually felt full after dinner, and the scale was up about a half a pound this morning. It’s the first day the scale has moved up since starting this detox. Which is fine. I’m not discouraged because I know our weight fluctuates and I know the continual weight loss has to stop at some point. (And I know I really shouldn’t even be getting on the scale at all.)

I think I needed more greens yesterday, like cooked greens that digest easily and help keep the system moving, if you get my drift. I also didn’t have enough water. I didn’t have any tea either, which I think has been keeping me hydrated. And that probably contributed to my crash last night as well.

Today my goal is to stay hydrated, and make sure to eat enough since I won’t have as much access to allowable foods. I plan to pack some tuna salad (made without mayo so as to be compliant with the 21DSD plan) and some veggies, crackers and cheese and lots of water.

So yeah, just when I thought these updates were getting boring and I could skip a day, all hell breaks loose! But I really do think I’m turning a corner, and I’m excited to see how I feel over the next few days.

Read all my The 21-Day Detox posts.

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6 Responses

  1. I enjoy reading these posts. On the exact same day you started your detox diet, I started the Atkins diet. Unlike you however, I cheated on Saturday and Sunday and each day had a shot of vodka (no carbs) in a glass of Diet Dr. Pepper. It was just as horrible as it sounds but I really missed having a couple of beers and thought this would hit the spot without derailing my efforts. I was wrong!

    I had lost several pounds in just 4 days (I know mostly water, but still so satisfying to see on the scale) and on Monday morning, they were all back. And the vodka was my only cheat. So, three days later of strictly following the rules, I have lost those pounds again and I. WILL. NOT. have any vodka this weekend.

    I followed the Atkins diet 10 years ago and lost crazy amounts of weight. Now that I’m in my mid 40’s I don’t expect such massive amounts, but I do hope following the plan for several months will give my weight loss efforts a nice kick start!

    Keep up the good work and don’t let anyone convince you to cheat. Just a little will blow all your hard work!

    1. WOW, how interesting! THanks for sharing. I wonder, too, if the soda could have influenced that weight gain. Or do you drink that often? I guess it’s allowed on Adkins, right?

  2. I have enjoyed following your detox posts. I have the book, but have not formally done the detox yet. I am ready to, but we have a few too many social functions coming up. One is a brewery tour with a catered dinner! :/ I don’t want to miss out on that, but feel like I am ready to give some things up. I eat probably 80-90% paleo, but enjoy my wine, chips and salsa far too much! On the weekends especially I drink more wine, and tend to eat things that I normally don’t, and I always pay for it. I don’t sleep well and don’t feel as good! I’m like you, wine is enjoyed in moderation, and it’s totally social for me! It seems that the older I get even 2 glasses will give me symptoms that I don’t enjoy. I am think I will jump in today. I want to make this more of a lifestyle than just 3 weeks anyway! 🙂 Keep posting!

    1. I also want to make this more of a lifestyle, and if you want to skip the detox and move right into the primal/paleo lifestyle, check out Mark’s Daily Apple. He basically says to try it for 21 days and see how you feel. That’s how I hope to eat when I’m done the detox. Same principles, but much less restrictive. I look forward to enjoying starchy veggies, fruit and wine again! Oh and dark chocolate . . . 🙂

  3. I have been encouraged to reduce carbs and sugar from your posts…but I can’t tell..are you getting any carbs? Your brain does need *some* carbs/simple sugar to function. (I’m not saying “go eat some sugar and get over it ! lol!).

    1. I have heard this and wanted to know the answer as well so I put it out in the 21 Day Detox forum and didn’t get an answer (annoying) so today I googled it and found this article on the site that I really like, and the one that I resource frequently.

      https://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-much-glucose-does-your-brain-really-need/#axzz3BmtpzLNj

      That is way too scientific for me, but you being a nurse can probably follow along.

      I do not count carbs or anything, and maybe I should to make sure I’m getting enough?

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