Girly Goodness

I just have to say that sometimes I could do without the hormones. I began my sugar-free journey almost two weeks ago. It started out surprisingly easy for me. I was so motivated after doing some research and finding out the obscene amount of sugar in a lot of foods I was eating, not to mention the damage that was potentially doing to my body. I braced myself for the worst and just stopped cold turkey...

And it was great! I felt amazing after just a couple of days. I had a lot more energy and I actually wanted to use that energy at the gym. I even nixed my typical half-marathon fuel foods and drinks for some sugar free substitutes. Specifically: I typically would have alternated between the water and the Gatorade/Cytomax at each hydration stop. But realizing how much sugar is in the sports drink, I filled my water belt with Powerade Zero and took only water from the stations. I also usually used one GU gel about halfway through, but yet again: it's full of sugar! So I packed a tiny bag of almonds and munched on a few of those instead. I finished the 13.1 mile trek feeling great - and I did it without getting off track! I also passed up on the finish line treats (Snickers Marathon bars, bananas, & cinnamon raisin bagels) and instead ate the wheat crackers with sugar-free peanut butter I had packed.

After my first week, I hopped on the scale to find *drumroll please* I lost 2.8 pounds! For any of you familiar with Weight Watchers, I still had all of my weekly points remaining and most of my activity points. I was shocked, but ecstatic. I've been gaining and losing and gaining and losing the same 2-3 pounds for over a month. So a significant loss boosted my morale and my drive to keep going.

Then, a certain hormonal visitor showed up. And now I feel like I sprinted head-first into a wall. Giving up sugar was a really easy transition for me and my body took it surprisingly well. Until now. I've always gotten cravings when my hormones are raging like this, but right now they are the worst I've experienced. I want anything sweet or salty - and I want it now! TV commercials, Pinterest, even my WW Online friends - everything triggers a new "need" and I confess... I gave in. I didn't go crazy, but I had ice cream *eeek* twice this week. I have to face facts: I ate sugar, and I ate a lot of it.

So it's back to the beginning for me. It's Day One all over again. I know it's an addiction because having ice cream one night made me "need" it even more the next night. So I'm reluctantly throwing away the remaining carton in the freezer. I'm downing detox tea like it's my job and revisiting my meal plans from those first days I was adjusting to the change. This was just a bump in the road, and hopefully by next month I'll have this better under control. The rest buton has been hit. Here we go (again)!