Damn. It’s been a while.
Where to even start…
Oh yeah, the no sugar bet. David and I both made it through the week without ingesting any added sugar. (We were still eating fruit and dairy though.) We even withheld at a party that had these treats laid out before us, begging to be taken like wanton lovers.
But we resisted! Honestly, the whole no sugar thing wasn’t really a big deal. I liked that I didn’t eat any sugar, but I can’t say I felt much of a difference. Maybe it’s because a week isn’t long enough to feel the effects, or maybe it was because we were still having a small amount of natural sugar. Interestingly, when I ate sweets again after that week was up, I didn’t feel any different either. Granted I didn’t eat a large amount. But still. A few chocolates here and there didn’t upset my stomach or change my energy level at all.
Although I will say that it felt really good to go to that party and not eat any sugar. In situations like that I usually go overboard, and as Louis Ck says, “the meal is not over when I’m full. The meal is over when I hate myself.” Yeah, that’s totally me at a party. David and I only ate shrimp and olives and drank wine.
For once I didn’t feel like a bloated whale at a party. I was happy and sated without being stuffed. I like that feeling. Perhaps I should adopt a strict no-sugar policy for social occasions only.
Then some stuff happened. I started up the boot camp again. These two were the only ones to show up. I didn’t have one this weekend because of Christmas and all, but plan to resume after the new year.
Speaking of Christmas…
Spent it with family.
Then I went home for a workout.
One of my gifts was this Jillian Michaels resistance band set. “Cool! I can use these today since the gym is closed,” I thought. I attempted to do shoulder raises with the lighter resistance band and it broke on the first rep. Great. Good thing I have dumbbells at home. I did the following shoulder workout:
One arm DB shoulder raise – 3×8 25 lbs
Arnold press – 4×8 20 lbs
DB upright row – 4×8 40 lbs (20 lb DB in each hand)
Deltoid lat raise – 4×10 with level 2 resistance band (I held the band instead of the handle so it wouldn’t break.)
Bent over rear delt raise – 4×8 with level 2 resistance band
Front raise – 4×10 level with level 2 resistance band.
I still prefer dumbbells over resistance bands, but they get the job done when your options are limited.
Then…I went for a run! I hate running!
Then…I went out for sushi! I love sushi!
So yeah. That’s a very abbreviated version of what’s been happening, and stuff. I will be back on the regular posting bandwagon soon. Until then, be good and have fun!
I must have missed this post!
Were you eating breads, starches, or any “white” carbs while on your no-sugar week? Most of these produce a higher insulin response in the body than sugar itself. If you ate these that week then that could be a reason why you didn’t feel any differently. I cut out all “whites” and fruit and sugars for almost an entire month a la 4-hour body and I felt completely different. It’s what drew and I were talking about at boot camp yesterday. We’re highly considering going back to a similar (but not quite as strict) meal plan.
(and that includes whole wheat and any grains!)
I cut out white starches a long time ago, so it definitely wasn’t that. As for bread, I only eat like 1 slice a day of Ezekiel lol. And that was pretty much it for grains and wheat. But I was still having 1 fruit a day and a serving or two of cheese. So I dunno! Maybe the fruit is what kept me feeling the same.
Ah, it’s possible it was the fruit? I used to love eating pineapples and berries all the time but lately I find that the only fruits I can enjoy are bananas and dates (and tomato and avocado if you’re on the fruit-side of the fence on those two). Very occasionally I’ll eat an apple or dried cranberries. Anything else is too sweet for me. I never thought I would say that, ever 😛
I commend you on the elimination of whites and starches. I’m still working on that, though I’ve been pretty good lately. I just completely cut out rice as of (maybe) 2 months ago, and I definitely feel less sluggish than when I used to include it almost every day. Pasta is almost totally gone, too. There is a vegetarian freezer lasagna (shudder) hanging out in my freezer that my mom bought me on a whim over a month ago with good intentions. Until that’s gone I can’t say pasta is out of my diet completely. Processed or not, I can’t let food go to waste!
I’m going to start eating as “clean” as possible, and considering going raw at some point, but I’m going to heavily research it first. I refuse to dive in and then wimp out within a few weeks because of a lack of knowledge on what I’m doing!
Allie, could you have possibly found a less flattering photo of your dad?
Enjoy your posts!