January Sugar Detox Diaries (Week 2)

Hey there, friends!

Here is the second update on how things are going for me on the sugar detox and Whole30. Overall I would say things are going great! There were much more ups and downs this week than last week, but the sugar cravings are decreasing. I was still traveling days 8-12 and am happy to report I stayed on track despite not being in my own element. I'm happy to be back home and using my own kitchen and pantry to prepare some super delicious meals that fit into my plan, but a lot of these meals are super random! I mainly wanted to share them to let you know that it is possible to stay on track with your goals even while traveling, but sometimes you might be eating a salad with hot dogs and saurkraut if that's all that's left in the fridge. And that's totally cool! Random lunches that nourish you are always winners. 

Also, not necessarily Whole30 or sugar detox related other than the intense effect it has had on my attitude, I am currently struggling with an unknown hand pain issue that has made it very difficult for me to do every day tasks like dress myself or cut up vegetables. I am hoping to get more answers on that this week, but in the meantime I have modified my activity level to do some lower body exercises at home and go on some walks outside rather than heading to an orange theory workout (which generally requires lots of hand use). If you know me, you know I HATE sitting still so being restricted on my ability to move as I please has elevated my stress level, which would normally lead me to seek comfort in food. However, knowing I am on the Whole30 and sugar detox I have to find another outlet to ease that stress. I hope that this encourages you all to keep going, even when random health issues pop up and to not seek comfort in food (especially sugar!). Almost halfway there guys! We've got this. 

HOW I'M FEELING

Day 8 - I had a major energy low this afternoon. I picked up some more stuff from trader joe's to try to keep meals interesting though. Hoping this low energy thing doesn't continue because it's hard to get anything done when you're exhausted! I managed to make it to an orange theory class and felt like I got a good workout in. 

Day 9 - I went for a long walk because I wasn’t really feeling the gym. It's only noon and I am so tired.  I felt super snacky and sleepy all afternoon. Tried to move around a lot, but I ended up grabbing an afternoon cold brew coffee to keep myself awake. I know managing caffeine is not necessarily apart of the sugar detox or whole 30, but I definitely don’t want to cut off some unhealthy food relationships only to create others, so I am trying to stay in tune with any potential increased caffeine dependency. 

Day 10  - This is the day that most people quit so I am really trying to set myself up for success today.  I pulled my groin muscle yesterday so I’m feeling super bummed about not being able to workout like I normally would. I did a modified weight workout for like 30 minutes to at least get a sweat in, but i was bummed that I couldn’t do what I normally do. I felt like I had good energy all morning, but the afternoon was an energy rollercoaster and I ended up getting coffee in the afternoon again. Partially because I love having iced coffee on the beach and partially because I so needed caffeine. Making the choice to eat a whole30 compliant meal is becoming easier for me most of the time. (Although I totally wanted some of my nephew’s pizza tonight once I smelled it.) Randomly my hands have suddenly started hurting to the point of not being able to pick things up. I don’t know if this is related to my Whole30 or sugar detox in any way, but it is freaking me out. I took some ibuprofen, iced them, and am hoping to sleep it off. 

Day 11  - My hands are still hurting really badly. My anxiety level is at like a 7 because of it. I’ll be the first to admit that I might be a little hypochondriac-ish, but this is reaaaally freaking me out. This is the second most likely day that people quite so I am trying to keep my head in the game.  I feel like I’m thinking about food less and less, but that could be mostly because I’m thinking about my hands potentially having to be cut off. (I always assume the worst!) Good news though, the groin injury has resolved itself completely and I am no longer walking like a duck. 

Day 12 - I ended up flying home early from Tampa to go to the doctor and get my hand situation figured out because I couldn’t use my right hand at all. I didn’t hardly think about food, but manage to keep things compliant with a bunless turkey burger and fruit at the airport. Turns out my hands really needed the medical attention to manage the insane swelling, redness and pain. The cause is undetermined, but they’re thinking an allergy or an autoimmune disorder. I’m getting lab work done this week to get more answers. Praying it was kind of a fluke because an autoimmune disease would be awful. A reminder that even when life happens, it’s still possible to stay on track with your goals and not use food as comfort.  There were multiple times in the evening that I really wanted to use food as comfort, but managed to withstand those cravings. And I feel super good about that! It was eye opening to see how easy it would have been to convince myself to reach for a candy bar or bowl of ice cream had I not been committed to the whole30 reset and sugar detox. The emotional attachment I have with food was very evident in those moments. 

Day 13 -  Still having hand pains and feeling super bummed about it. All I want to do is go to an orange theory class and get a good sweat in, but I can’t zip up my coat much less get on a rower or do a push up. I’m going to do some modified lower body things tonight to try to stay in a rhythm. The meds that I am on now have really left me without an appetite, but I’m making sure I eat and keep things compliant. I ended up having an evening snack of stewed apples with chia seeds and almond butter and it was so tasty. Crawling into bed feeling satisfied by my choices today not to mention the accomplishment of getting a gallery wall hung without my husband and I killing each other.  I haven’t had any of the junk food dreams that I’ve been warned about, but there are two more potential days for that to occur. The doctor prescribed me some steroids, which can make you super bloated and I am really feeling that today. Knowing that it’s the meds and not my food choices is keeping me continuing on but gosh this feeling suck especially when I know all the food choices I made were good! 

Day 14 - Being home has been so nice! It's been great to have my own coffee, collagen, ghee, and creamer in the morning. I am very attached to my morning routine and it's been so nice to find my way back into it after being gone. Even while I am away from home though I always stick to routine during the time I am gone, even if it is different than the one I have when I am home. It keeps me grounded and eases the transition between traveling and being home. Today I had a constant energy level. My hands are still hurting, but I have been able to do most things for myself today with the exception of cutting up some of the vegetables we used for breakfast. My sugar cravings are under control which is a very welcomed change from my normal daily life. Josiah and I are going on a date to the movies, which will be a fun reward for making it almost halfway through the sugar detox and whole30. 

WHAT I'M EATING

bacon + scrambled eggs + spicy guac from Trader Joe's  

golden butternut squash soup with toasted squash seeds (recipe coming soon!) 

Apples and almond butter  

Spring greens with primal kitchen ranch  + taco meat + plantain chips (compliant ingredients, but not necessarily in the spirit of Whole30, but you do you) + guac from Trader Joe's

roasted sweet potatoes + bacon + sunny eggs   

buffalo chicken + spaghetti squash + spring greens with ranch   

Applegate grass fed hot dog + sauerkraut + spring greens + tahini + sweet potatoes  

Sausage + scrambled eggs + sundried tomatoes  

Jimmy Johns turkey unwich with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and mayo (which I would have to guess is not whole30 compliant, but I'm not 100% perfect and mayo is hella good so I don't super much care!) + bare cinnamon banana chips (picked these up at target before we picked up our Jimmy John's order) 

chicken, green peppers, bacon, and spinach omelet with Hot sauce and avocado. This might be one of the most delicious, random dinners I have ever had! 

airport lunch of bunless turkey burger with sundries tomato aoli and avocado with fresh fruit  

Korean bibimbap (a mix of raw and fermented veggies with beef) no rice. This is one of Josiah and I's favorite cheap date night meals! It's like $10 for a gigantic bowl of delicious veggies and meat. It's typically served over a bed of rice, but we opted to go without. The restaurant is called En Hakkore in Chicago and I will probably go there until the day I die. I will also happily sport at "I <3 Bibimbap" t-shirt if I ever find one. 

First lunch back home! Swai fish with a mustard glaze + cabbage with tahini sauce  

blueberry balsamic glazed salmon, kale salad (lemon juice + olive oil + salt) , and roasted garlic potatoes 

pork belly + green pepper hash with sunny side up eggs. Trader Joe's sells pre-cooked pork belly that is whole30 complaint and it is changing my life! 

Trader joe’s Turkey burger with sautéed peppers, mushrooms, and onions on a bed of lettuce with tahini sauce. One of the more random lunches from this week. 

A bunless burger with bacon, tomato, onion, and an amazing garlic aoli from a little place in our neighborhood. They were so accommodating and made eating out and pursuing goals feel attainable! 

January Sugar Detox Diaries (Week 1)

This month I'm giving up sugar (along with a lot of you!) and also doing a Whole30. Which you can check out the specifics of on their website. To both keep myself accountable and motivate anyone joining in, I wanted to give you all an honest, daily recollection each week of how I'm feeling as well as share some of the things that I am eating. This week I was traveling three out of the seven days so I had to be more strategic in my planning, but it definitely ended up being easier than I thought it would be. I stayed with my sister in Tampa, which gave me full access to a kitchen and that made things simple. Without further ado, I give you the first installment of the"January Sugar Detox Diaries". 

HOW I'M FEELING

Day 1 - Hot chocolate never sounded so good, but otherwise still feeling motivated. 

Day 2 - I would have killed for any sort of snack literally ALL day!!! I could almost give a limb for a cinnamon roll. By the time bedtime rolled around I had to snack on some almonds and leftover chicken alfredo because I was starving, but I managed to make it through the day by eating only compliant things.   

Day 3 - Feeling super moody and unproductive. I went to the gym at noon though and a lot of my cravings decreased significantly. 

Day 4 - Feeling slightly nauseas, but I have had high energy all day. Tried to keep busy all day to avoid snacking, which worked well! 

Day 5 - Major headache when I got off the airplane in Tampa (at 11am), but I got coffee and felt MUCH better. Sticking to my Whole30 and sugar detox while traveling wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I had a big breakfast, brought some snacks in case I needed them, and went immediately to Whole Foods when I landed so I could stick up on things I knew I would want to have.  I picked up random items I wasn't sure my sister would have (complaint salad dressing, almond butter, kombucha, a giant container of spring greens, and a few other things.) I also ended up grabbing some grilled chicken and roasted green beans to eat for lunch right then. 

Day 6 - Feeling real good! We went to a farmer's market today that had a lot of really fun food things I wanted to try, but unfortunately had to pass up because they didn't fit into my Whole30 or sugar detox. Right before bed I possibly ODed on the pecans and almond butter, but I was really hungry. Managing evening hunger and cravings is definitely proving to be a struggle. 

Day 7 - Felt super good all day! I kept meals super simple and went to my first OrangeTheory workout down here which helped me feel like I was back in my normal routine. 

WHAT I'M EATING

Sunny Side Up Eggs and sweet potatoes seasoned with Trader joe’s Chili lime seasoning  

Avocado + Chicken + lettuce with tahini suave  

Whole30 Chicken Alfredo  

Carrots + potatoes with everything but the bagel seasoning and sunny eggs  

chicken, roasted carrots + potatoes, lettuce with tahini sauce, and an avocado  

chicken and zoodle soup  

Sautéed cabbage with tahini and sunny side up eggs  

chicken with bagel seasoning + sunflower seeds + spinach + primal kitchen ranch  

chipotle chicken salad with veggies, mild salsa, and guacamole  

sautéed zucchini and chicken breast with everything but the bagel seasoning with yummy creamy almond based green garlic sauce  (not pictured) 

golden butternut squash soup  + Whole30 Chicken Alfredo

Trader Joe's chicken sausage + sun-dried tomatoes + spinach + eggs  

sautéed cabbage + tahini and chicken sauasage omelet with guacamole  

zoodles + marinara

Avocado + sunny eggs + crisped up sweet potato noodles + sausage patties  

chicken, spring greens, + tahini sauce. 

spring greens with primal kitchen ranch + crispy spiraled sweet potatoes with an egg + avocado  

oranges, pecans, spring greens, chicken, and tahini sauce 

Spiced Coconut Butter Fat Bites

Let's talk about fat. Fat is good. Have I lost you already? Fat helps our bodies do all the things bodies are supposed to do and the 90's fad of keeping thing low-fat actually took a turn for the worst for our nation's health, but we don't need to get into all of that now. Just know, fat is good and you should feel good about consuming it frequently, especially from plant based sources. 

These fat bites are packed full of, you guessed it, FAT, and are super great at helping you control those mid-morning and mid-afternoon hangry feelings. There are only three dates used to sweeten the entire batch so they're not overly sweet, which I am a big fan of! Ridding these bites of large amount of sweetness (even natural sweetness) lets the fats work to manage hunger and level out blood sugar levels. I love the flavor of these fat bites and I know you will too! Basically these should be in your purse at all times. Because having food in your purse is totally normal, right? 

Spiced Coconut Butter Fat Bites 

Makes 30 bites 

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut shreds
• 3 pitted medjool dates
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1" fresh organic ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons almond milk 
• 1/3 cup raw coconut butter

Combine all the ingredients except the almond milk and coconut butter in a food processor. Once you feel that all the ingredients have been ground together, add the coconut butter and almond milk. The mix will still be a little crumbly, but you should be able to roll them into balls. If you still feel like they are falling apart, add a little bit more coconut butter. I use a 1" inch cookie scoop to help me scoop them out, but if you want them to be different sizes there is nothing wrong with that! Once I've rolled them all into balls, place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer for about 1 hour. Then take the bites off of the cookie sheet and store them in a container in the freezer until hunger strikes. 

How to Thrive This Winter (Not Just Survive)

Here in the midwest, once the Holiday hustle starts to die down, the reality that three months (at minimum) of cold weather lie ahead is quite daunting. If you're like me, that makes you want to start calling it a night once the sun goes downs at 4pm. Practically every winter I find myself just pushing January-March and taking on this idea that I need to just survive. Although I probably won't start wearing an "I heart Winter" sweatshirt anytime soon, but this year I really wanted to focus on ways to make winter feel a little less like survival mode, and rather a time to thrive. Here are a few ways that I am going to be trying to embrace the cold, sloppy, beautiful, sometimes white, sometimes brown mess of the midwest winter this year. 

Light a Candle

There is something so cozy about the little glow that candles bring. As soon as it gets dark, which is basically 4pm now, I light a few candles to bring a little life to the house. Josiah and I also enjoy turning all the lights off at night, lighting a few candles and snuggling up with some hot cider or tea. 

Go for a winter hike

Who says hiking is only for summer? Hiking in the winter almost always guarantees the trails won't be overcrowded and you can see some places that you'd normally only visit in the summer, in a whole new way. Although you have to watch the temperatures because 15 degrees is probably way too to be trekking through the wilderness, if you're bundled appropriately 30 degree weather could be refreshing for a hike. If you aren't able to g somewhere that has a lot of nature, at least go outside for a little bit and take a walk around. The fresh air will make you feel better, promise! 

Make afternoon coffee

Last year I was listening to a podcast where one of the guests was talking about her LOVE for winter. She shared that during the winter she makes herself an additional cup of coffee in the afternoon. It's something she would't normally do during the summer months, but it gives her something to look forward to during the colder months. I love this idea so much! I started to implement this idea the moment temperatures dipped below 30. I generally alternate between coffee and tea, depending on my caffeine needs that day. 

Try out a new workout class 

You all know my LOVE for Orange Theory, but what you probably don't know is that I love it so much because it helped me out of my winter funk last year. In an attempt to gain some workout motivation I tried out a class for free and immediately knew the structured schedule and coaches' encouragement was what I needed to thrive during a difficult time. If Orange Theory isn't totally your thing then maybe you could try a pilates or yoga class. Having that set time and being forced to leave the house (for all my fellow work at homers) is so, so helpful. 

Explore a new coffee shop

This is pretty much an any-time-you-are-feeling-down remedy. Going out and trying a new coffee shop is one of my favorite things to do. Although finding a new coffee that I love is fun, it's always more about finding a new  atmosphere that I love. Getting out of the house and into a coffee shop, even for a few minutes, is 

Take time for that hobby 

If you're like me, summer is the time to be outside. Literally every free moment that I have during the warm months, I spend outside walking, running, or just hanging out. So during that time, all of those indoor hobbies that I would love to pursue: painting, ceramic making, piano playing, knitting, etc. get pushed to the side. Winter is a great time to either pick those things back up or try out a new indoor hobby! 

Take A Bubble Bath

I literally HATE feeling cold. In the winter I usually am bundled up in blankets, sweaters, and fuzzy socks and still occasionally will feel chilly. For times like this, or even if I just want a minute to relax, I'll take a bubble bath. When I was commuting to nursing school an hour away, during the winter months I would come home at 3pm some days and jump immediately into the bath. It gave me a minute to refresh my brain while simultaneously warming me up. If you can swing a bubble bath in the middle of the day, I high recommend, but if not, capping off the day with one works just as well.  

Embrace the Slowness 

This one is probably the hardest one for me to implement, but it's probably the most important. I'm a go-go-go person and the idea of slowing down sounds awful to me, but on another podcast I was listening too, the interviewee talked about the importance of recognizing that in the winter, things take longer and that the more we embrace that, the less frustrating it can be. My challenge to you (and myself), is to fully embrace the slowness of winter and enjoy the days ahead -- cold or warm-- and find space amidst a dreaded time a year to not just survive, but to thrive.