Sugar Detox: Day 30… The End

Day 30: It’s all over… was it worth it?

That’s the question I’ve been hearing from nearly every person who has been following my progress.

Without hesitation, my answer has been YES.

Not only have I gone from nearly 160 grams of sugar per day, to less than 40 grams, for the first time in my life I’ve gained control of my diet.

When I started this diet, my hunger controlled me. I was constantly thinking about sweets and food. I had lost the ability to tell myself “no” which resulted in 15 pounds of weight gained in just four months.

One of my biggest successes has been going from three cans of soda per day, to one can per week. I don’t drink coffee, so living without caffeine while being in the news business has been a rough adjustment.

After three weeks, I no longer need sugar and the caffeine to keep me going. I have more energy without caffeine than ever did with with it.

I used to be so sluggish. It’s hard to put into words the difference in how I feel. It’s like I was constantly trying to walk in four feet of water.

I feel like I’m free.

What I’ve learned If you decide to embark on this challenge, here’s what you need to know. Most of these things I learned along the way and I think I could have had a lot more success if had I started doing all these things from the beginning.

Purge your kitchen of everything that has more than 15 grams of sugar per serving. There are very few things that are genuinely good for you that contain more than 15 grams of sugar.

Check nutrition labels while you’re shopping. I can be an obsessive person, so I made a rule that I could ONLY check the nutrition labels at the grocery store. I also forbid myself from counting calories. I was trying to break my obsession with food, not start a new one.

Stay away from ANYTHING sugary in the morning. Eating things like sugary cereals or having a can of soda before lunch tells your body it can expect the same kind of sugar-filled diet all day. Staying away from these foods drastically reduces cravings later in the afternoon.

Check to see what your daily intake of water should be given your climate, age, and activity level. Now drink it. Seriously, I bet 95 percent of you don’t drink as much water as you should. My daily intake is 80-ounces. Here is where you can find out yours.

Buy a slow cooker/crock pot. I use it three to five times a week. There are so many easy recipes that I’ve listed over the past month that you have no excuse not to do this. Wal-Mart has a two person slow cooker for less than $20 and Sun Harvest constantly has sales on chicken. You can use anything from marinara to pineapple peach salsa to cook the chicken in, and it’s always delicious.

Prepare yourself for some serious cravings and irritability. It’s going to be really difficult. I would have shaved my head for a Klondike Bar by day two. Don’t give up, it gets easier by day three and it’s all downhill after a week.

Control your portions. Limit yourself to a fist-sized amount of fruit, grain, bread, and meats. This is where you’ll cut out a ton of your calorie intake if you’re like me. After you drink enough water, you’ll find this is a piece of cake … no pun intended.

Find snacks that are nutritious and delicious that you will actually eat. Stretch Island makes an amazing fruit strip that takes like a Fruit Roll-Up and is made only of fruit puree. I also love Special K Strawberry Breakfast Bars. I kept one in my purse for any sudden urges to visit the candy machine.

Don’t watch food pornography. Shows like Cupcake Wars will only make the cravings worse.

Stop weighing yourself. Most of the results I saw were in inches, not pounds. My stomach and waist are much flatter now. I still don’t have a six-pack, but if I started working out I bet you could see it since it wouldn’t be covered in fat.

Beware of foods you might think are low in sugar, but aren’t. Orange juice is one of these… a glass can have nearly as much sugar as a can of soda. Yogurt can also masquerade as a healthy snack, but many flavored options are sweet for a reason.

Don’t use a day of cheating to fall off the wagon. If you don’t get back on, then you’re wasting your time and effort. Focus on how cheating made your body feel after the initial sugar rush. Feeling sluggish after a Big Mac isn’t your guilt talking, it’s your body begging for mercy.

You might get sick. I got the flu two weeks after starting my new diet. After all the feedback I got from readers about similar experiences with new workout or diet routines getting them sick, I’m starting to wonder if it might be a normal reaction. Don’t let this stop you. You’ll want to reach for comfort foods, but that will only send you back to square one.

Don’t quit eating fast-food. Plan your meal and check nutrition values before you even get in your car. This can keep you on-track even when you don’t have time to cook. Day 17 has links for some really neat nutrition calculators for many popular fast-food restaurants. You’ll be surprised how much sugar, sodium and calories your favorite meals really have.

Drink more water. I know, I already said this, but I can’t stress enough how much my mind misinterpreted hunger for thirst. Now that I can tell the difference, I’ll reach for a bottle of water instead of a snack. It also curbed my cravings so much that I wish I would have started on my first day with drinking the proper amount of water because I think I wouldn’t have cheated so much.

Last, but not least, accountability is everything. One of the reasons I shared my 30-day experience with everyone is to help me stay accountable. I’ve never stuck with a diet more than a week in my whole life. Knowing that anyone I came in contact with in my daily life could have read my blog or watched my news updates kept me from making mistakes at the grocery story or at restaurants. Get a family member or friend to make the change with you. You’ll be far more likely to stick with your choices.

Wow, this was a long blog. Hopefully you learned something to make your time worth it.

Tomorrow is my last weigh-in and measurement with my nutritionist. Come back for the final story to see just how much weight and inches I have lost.

Thanks again for all your support. I couldn’t have done it without your supportive comments and emails. You guys rock.