The 21 Day Sugar Detox

About the age of 22, I began running.  It must be noted that I have never in my life been an athletic person.  It wasn't an easy process.  I was never fast.  I was never very good.  But, with each mile that I logged and each race that I ran, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment.  When my body ached at night after a long run, I relished in the delicious soreness that enveloped my body... And I felt proud.    

The running made me realize that I didn't just want to have a healthy body, I wanted to get my mind and soul healthy, as well.  I wanted to feel true happiness and peace.  So, each new year, I made a list of (achievable) goals that I could work toward in an attempt to be better than I was the year before.

And that's what I love about new years.  It's a time for reflection.  A time to reboot and start fresh.  

I've been a mom for almost two years now and I am constantly learning and finding myself in this role.  Every time I think that I have something figured out, things completely change.  After 18 months, we had finally gotten into a smooth routine with Adaline and then our sweet Gus arrived and the dynamics of our family changed!  I would never in a million years trade our crazy, beautiful, and often chaotic life but it's not always easy.  I realize that now is the time that I want to be my very best self.  I also realize that this is probably going to be harder than ever before.  

I want my kids to be proud that I am their mom.  I want Addie and Gus to know that I did everything I could to give them a happy and healthy childhood.  And I want them to see that despite the fact that I took care of them, Joe, the dog, and the house (and whatever else comes along the way), I also took the time to take care of myself.  (Am I totally spewing crazy talk, right now?!?  I'm no Wonder Woman and it could be the lack of sleep talking but this truly is my goal!)

I'm sure that many moms can attest to the fact that when you have kids (one or a dozen), there's not a whole lot of time of "Me-time".  The needs of your kids and family usually come first and you're lucky if you have ten minutes to squeeze in a shower at 10 o'clock at night.  I don't know where the balance is or how to find it but I have plenty of goals this year to help me figure it out.  

One of these goals (because I know that ya'll don't want to hear me talk about my knitting!) is to get my family eating healthier than ever before.  This, of course, has to start with me.  I am the one that does all of the grocery shopping and I cook the majority of our meals.  I have eaten "healthy" for years... but let's be honest, I'm a Southern girl from Louisiana.  Our veggies are smothered, we go through a ton of butter, and if rice isn't in nearly every meal then it's not a real meal.  I need to relearn how to cook and what to cook (and, of course, still have my family boast that I am the best cook around!).

I recently started following Chalene Johnson on FB.  If you don't know who she is, look her up!  She is the inventor of Beachbody's PiYo.  Not only is she insanely fit but she is incredibly positive and motivating.  I could talk about her for days and how she inspires me but that's neither here nor there.  One of the posts that she made recently was about sugar.  Her post still stands out so vividly in my mind.  She said that studies show that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine (if I could find her exact post, I would link it.  I promise to keep an eye out for it!).          

I remember reading this and feeling completely repulsed.  The idea of sugar being more addictive than cocaine is disgusting to me.  And then, I started looking at all of the crap that we eat in our house.  Like I said before, I have worked on eating healthy for years.  We eat a ton of salad and grilled chicken... but, I will also be the first to tell you that I am most definitely addicted to sugar.  Chocolate, wine, bread, pasta, etc. <--- Love it all.  If I were alone and it were just me, maybe I could justify it with the fact that I don't have any health problems and work out.  But, I started thinking about my kids and my husband.  I'm in charge of their diets and ultimately, their health.  Am I setting the best example for my kids?  And, am I giving them the best foundation for when they leave my house and have to make their own nutritional choices?  

I started doing more research and found The 21 Day Sugar Detox by Diane Sanfillipo.  I'm not going to give the breakdown of her diet because there is a ton of online literature about it if you are interested.  I am hoping, however, to document this little experiment (obviously depending on how much mommy time I can find).  I found that the bloggers that talked about their detox to be incredibly helpful.  I also wouldn't mind seeing my own progress and I definitely need some accountability.  21 days isn't a lifetime but Day 1 is tomorrow and I am nervous and excited and I would love a successful outcome.

I have been prepping for this for a couple of weeks now.  I definitely had to wrap my brain around the idea of cutting all sugar out of my diet and knowing that there may be actual detox symptoms.  I have read the book and followed her list of suggestions to prep.  I have a meal plan for Week One and I cleaned out the pantry.     

I don't plan on this to be easy but I am motivated and ready to see positive results that can only come from following the plan!  So, wish me luck, ya'll... I'm going to need it!