Week One - No Sugar Programme

This pretty much sums it up! :)

I had some nervousness last week (okay, fear!) heading into this marathon as to whether or not I could actually do it. What the heck was I thinking, giving up my favourite food? For one, I don't cook (don't enjoy the fussiness of it), I'm fairly fussy about what I eat (green = veggie, right?!) and then there's all that cleaning up of dishes, pots, pans, etc. Which is worse than the actual cooking part.

And then there are all those withdrawal symptoms that are supposed to knock you for six as you come off the sweet stuff: headaches, exhaustion, cravings, etc. Who wants that?

But...

BUT...!

This week was cutting down/out sugar, so we can go a bit more gently into this week. We were still allowed some fruit, a sweetner in coffee or tea, that sort of thing. I did okay with this and probably have had (including today) just over a dozen tsps of sugar all week! Considering I can double or triple that amount on a regular day with just one cookie, that's incredible progress in a very short period of time.

While I can't admit to loving the prepping & cooking part of it, I can absolutely appreciate how all the hard work on Sunday makes a difference to how the rest of the week pans out. It's all measured out and set up to make the week as easy as possible. So there's some fussing that happens on Sunday (chopping, measuring, baking, blending, pureeing, etc.), but it means consistent, tasty, well-balanced, veggie-heavy food for every meal of the day. It means I'm less hungry as I fill up three times a day instead of grazing and choosing quick, sugary snacks to get me through that 3 pm slump. Lots of protein, fats, and veggies to ensure you're filled right up and don't need to eat between meals.

If you do feel hungry, however, there's a list of approved snacks (nuts, nut butter & celery sticks, carrots & hummous, that sort of thing). I've only snacked twice this week! :)

Drink lots of water to keep everything moving and stay hydrated (working on this).

The meals are easy to prepare and delicious (for the most part - I had a pizza crust disaster the other night, but lesson learned! Coconut flour is 'vampiric' so you need lots of liquid and it's a bit sweet for pizza dough. Next attempt I'll be using what I know). I'm personally finding the portions a bit big, so am adjusting as necessary, but chatter on the Forums shows I'm in a minority and most people are finding them too small!

The week started off badly with a hot flash Sunday night, keeping me up past midnight (fun!) and my period arriving AGAIN on Monday. I felt utterly wretched Monday and Tuesday: bloated, headachy, frustrated, achy, tired, and wiped out. I took some Paracetemol on Monday and felt mildly better on Tuesday, but by Wednesday things were going a bit better fortunately.

It's early days yet, so the differences I'm feeling are small, but they're definitely there and I hope it's just the start.

1)  I'm noticeaby less bloated and my legs less tingly.

2)  I'm eating less over the course of the day and taking more time eating my meals (being more conscious).

3)  I feel 'lighter' (cleaner) although I think I've only lost about a pound, if anything. My clothes are not fitting much differently, but I feel different.

4)  Feeling much less achy around my neck & shoulder area.

5)  Regular and frequent...elmination! ;)

6)  Sleeping soundly and waking up feeling more alert.

Possible withdrawal symptoms (some may seem a bit contrary to the above):

1)  Some sneezing & sniffling.

2)  Mild headaches on Mon & Tues.

3)  Less tolerance for some things (Friday I came home from work feeling ridiculously frustrated).

4)  Feeling a bit slow & sluggish.

5)  Mild cravings mid-afternoon, but not nearly as bad as I was anticipating.

I'm still taking my iron supplement and I'm not sure how much of this can be attributed to that. I feel as though I could easily have more without issue, but of course that's not up to me. One more week of 400mg daily and then I can go down to 200mg daily. It will be interesting to see how I feel once that starts. I'm still struggling to catch my breath on occasion, but it's less than it was, so it appears that it is working, if slowly.

Week 2 starts tomorrow and it's a lovely looking (sugar & sweetner-free!) menu plan this week: halloumi, lamb (which I don't eat so have replaced with pork), prawns, and ham and pea soup amongst others. The plan that I'm on is very meat-heavy, which is fine, but even I'm finding it a bit much (processed meats which are processed with sugar and loads of sodium = bloating). Regardless, it lays out what's for dinner and lunch and breakfast every day and it's SO nice to have it all planned out for me and not have to worry about food on a daily basis.

I did a big shop yesterday and got loads of nice things and then got annoyed because my cousin ate my new halloumi (I have another pkg) for her lunch. I had specifically asked before I went out if she wanted to join me this week because I need to know how much stuff to get. I need to account for one person or two. Her sister and nephews are coming down on Wednesday for several days, too. She said she might go shopping for that today (but hasn't) or Monday or Tuesday...so does this mean I'm making enough for two for one night? Two nights? Three nights? I've certainly not got enough for 5 people (or 10, because...teenage boys). Anyway, it pissed me off because I bought this stuff specifically for my programme and she's chosen not to join me (but kind of, although not really...sort of...a bit...but not for every meal...sometimes) but is eating it anyway.

I've let it go (honest!), but will be asking for replacements if it happens again. I'm happy to share if I have enough stuff, but at least ask first. /vent

But there's a stack of dishes calling my name and I've been procrastinating about doing them.

Wish me luck for Week 2!!

PS: my food warmer? Best. Thing. Ever. I've used it every day and it's brilliant. You need to get one.