WIAW and I Quit Sugar Week #8

According to the I Quit Sugar book, I have completed the 8 week detox, quitting, cementing new habits practice, and ridding my system of sugar. Yay me, yay me, happy dance, it's not my birthday, but almost as good or maybe better since I don't feel like crap...(sing a happy tune.)

Source: skinnyms.com via Allie on Pinterest

Eliminating sugar has not been the overwhelmingly difficult part for me. Call it will-power or maybe it is more like eating it was making me VERY sick. And no one likes being sick. So I don't eat it. Simple.

Maintaining day to day isn't that hard either. In truth, I feel much better, but there has not been as huge a difference as I expected. I thought I'd be seeing rainbows and glitter showers at every turn. Nope, I just feel a bit more even keeled and not sick before, during, and especially after eating sugar. So that's good.

But here's the thing... as for my emotional attachment and relationship with sugar, it has certainly been more of a process and a matter of parsing out actual physical hunger and something else entirely. A beast of sorts dwells within me offers unbidden messages like, you really deserve that cookie or it's cold today and you're bored, turn on the oven and bake up something sweet, or this sucks, into your mouth goes the sweets.

So it's been tricky and I think that's the piece that it comes down to for a lot of people, eating sweets for emotional reasons - positive and negative. If they wanted to, they could give up sugar, no problem, but letting go of all the emotions we associate with eating sweets and treats is another issue entirely- for better or worse, celebration or depression. This is one that I'm not quite sure how to breach. Without the clouded thinking that sugar tends to cause in me, I am better able to see clearly the moments during which I'm having a craving for emotional reasons. Since sugar isn't a part of my diet anymore I don't give in and ride the wild roller coaster that ensued, but instead I am forced to confront issues I don't always want to.

It can be an unpleasant business and more to come as I continue to sort it out, but in the meantime, here's a bit of what I have been eating.

Brekkie/Lunchie

Stay with me...Yes, it is green, but we're over being squeamish about that, right?

I am a huge fan of smoothies. Big. As in daily. Some days the schedule is such that breakfast and lunch get combined. Or shifted a bit...or I just want a bit more veg in my drink. Here's my "process" since it really isn't a recipe because it's a toss everything in but the kitchen sink kind of thing or a little bit of this and a little bit of that...here goes:

1 ripe Banana

Fruit: an apple, pear, couple strawberries, a kiwi)

A handful of Greens (Spinach, Kale...)

1/2 an Avocado

A squeeze of Lemon Juice

Veg: A 1/2 cup of cauliflower, carrot, parsnip...

1 tablespoon Creamy: yogurt, cottage cheese (dairy or non)

1 tablespoon Nuts (I like cashews, walnuts or almonds)

A generous sprinkle of Cinnamon and Turmeric

1/4 cup Oatmeal

1 tablespoon ground Flax

1 cup Milk (almond, coconut, hemp, etc.) - In the cooler months I warm this up a bit.

BLITZ!

So no lunch...that was brunch up there...it makes a lot - two servings at least so you can go back for seconds.

Snackie

 

Spinach and cheese muffins. omg, omg, omg. Oh my great green goodness! These are soooo good! No sugar. You hear that? Veggie goodness. The recipe is here from Creactive Blog, but I fiddled with it a bit. Aim close, but you don't have to be exact- the recipe is forgiving. The other thing is really use the sparkling water, 'kay?

Dinner

Spicy Thai Coconut Soup. This was the third win of the day- so delish. My dearly beloved made it and I have no idea- it was just such a treat that he cookied, but it involves- potato, carrot, cilantro, red peppers, coconut milk...and ??? The mystery remains in the goodness.

Curious about quitting sugar? Check out my previous posts and the amazing ebook- of which I am an affiliate- check it out over on your right.

What treats, sweets, tummy yummies and wacky snackies have you been eating? I'd also like to hear about emotional eating, especially in relationship to the sweet stuff. 

Please do share.