And with all this extra free time that I have since I started fasting Netflix and our PS3, I have managed to learn quite a few things.
I have learned that I feel a billion times better when the house is clean..or at least picked up. I could never put my finger on what made me so nervous and edgy in the house until this past week. All the dust bunnies and the dirt under the couch, the endless laundry and the dishes in the sink all equate to a very uncomfortable Sam. So needless to say I personally have been feeling so much more relaxed and at ease in our home.
And during the peak of my withdrawals I hopped online and found a TON of information about refined sugar. Everything from its lack of nutrition to how it affects to body in many, many negative ways shocked me and kind of bumped me over that withdrawal. While sifting through all of this new information I stumbled upon a few really awesome blogs.
- This blog called I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson chronicles her experiences as she quit sugar as an experiment and how it has helped her get her auto-immune disease called Hashimoto's under control. She also has a more personal blog that focuses more on her story here.
- Against All Grain is another blog that I stumbled upon. It isn't just about quitting sugar, as she also has stopped eating grains and dairy and has managed to make a huge impact on her own auto-immune disease. She brings healthy meals and recipes on her blog to those who want to try this lifestyle.
Along with those two blogs I ran into this article from the New York Times called "Is Sugar Toxic?". I must warn you though that reading these may potentially send you on a journey exploring their links to studies, lectures and other articles concerning the troubles and harms of sugar.
And it may hurt to read it...hurt a lot.
It felt like a low blow as I was reading through these articles. Hearing how my sugar and sweet habits have been negatively affecting me.
I wanted to throw my hands up in the air. I was somewhere between yelling Mercy and giving up on sugar all together or getting defensive and unwilling to give up my habit, ready to dive into a little debbie sweet as soon as this fast was over.
But now... I'm not so sure. I will definitely be doing more study and research on this idea. Yet from my own experience over this last week, I don't think I will have a problem changing my diet and what I eat.
For example, I have felt better in the last week than I have most of my life. I have lost that afternoon slump, my head feels clear and focused, and I have a very even keel day with no highs or lows, just a sustainable energy.
And get this...
I lost 2-3lbs just this week. I'm not starving myself, and I'm not working out for hours a day. I have simply stopped eating sweets and am eating when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm full. Yet I'm amazed at the wonderful things that have been happening since this fast.
I can't wait to see and share what happens in these next few weeks.
xoxo,
Samantha
That sounds so great, Sam! Katie Nelson and I were doing a sugar fast a couple weeks ago and it was really hard at first for me too. I know at least I have gone back (not completely) to eating sugar but after reading this I am encouraged to stop (or cut back a lot) again! Thanks =]
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading your blog and being encouraged as I do so!