Okay today I start my challenge: going 10 days all sugar free, so no sugar of any kind. To make sure I get sufficient minerals and vitamins, I start each day with a glass of water with Himalayan salt and a multivitamin Omnium. I’m allowed to drink as much water, tea (coffee or coconut water) and eat some nuts (Brazil (in Dutch: paranoot), cashew, almonds and hazelnuts) as snack. I don’t drink coffee or coconut water, so have to stick to water and tea. That might become real boring….I’m going to keep a diary 10 days all sugar free. I cannot imagine giving up sugar for a week will have that much impact.
Day 1: Wednesday June 3rd 2015
My weight: 53,8 kg. I’m hesitant about this challenge. Just today my menstrual cycle started and already I’m craving for different tastes and want to snack whatever is available. Must be my mind playing games with me already. At 7.30 I start my day with one boiled egg and some salmon. I run 7 km in an easy pace and at 11.00 I eat 4 Brazil nuts and I can feel a light headache coming up and the feeling of depression. At 12.45 I have arugula, smoked trout and a teaspoon homemade mayonaise (oil, eggs, vinegar) for lunch. Apparently arugula is the only type of lettuce I’m allowed to eat, all the others contain sugar. Have to be better prepared and I am getting a bit worried now!
Around 16.00 I have 3 chicken breast cubes, spiced up with some homemade sambal. For dinner I have sashimi salmon with some sesame seeds and go to tennis practice for an hour. Nothing special. After practice I felt like drinking a cola, but I don’t. Around 21.30 I feel nauseous and tired and go to bed at 22.30. I’m done.
Day 2: Thursday June 4th 2015
In general I don’t eat breakfast so this time I skip it as well. Preparing curd cheese with fresh strawberries for my daughters is a real challenge! Every fiber in my body wants to put that spoon into my mouth. I can resist and at noon I eat scrambled eggs with parsley and sesame seeds for lunch. I consider myself lucky not to have to go to work this week. But on the other hand distraction might have been helpful. Dinner is served early today at 17.15 tuna with some mayonaise and capers. During the day I have been active in my garden; pruning, mowing and cleaning up. Early in the afternoon I felt a slight headache, but at night I woke up feeling nauseous again (like a had a hangover). The entire day I crave for fruit, I love to eat an apple or grapes or anything else…
Day 3: Friday June 5th 2015
I want to update my diary and notice I can hardly remember what I ate yesterday. My weight is now 51,9 kg. I have 2 boiled eggs for breakfast and I make a long stroll (7km). Afterwards I feel tired and could take a nap. But instead of napping I cycle with my daughter to the riding school in Loosdrecht and back. At noon we have lunch scrambled eggs with salmon and arugula. I the afternoon I sit in the garden and enjoy the sun, but 29 degrees is too much for me. I take a 45 minutes nap on the couch. An ice-cream is something I would kill for at this moment. But today it is more quiet in my head. There is less craving for snacks or fruit. Might be good to mention that sometimes I take 1 or 2 chicken breast cubes instead of nuts. Due to a school activity dinner (half a trout with mushrooms and arugula) is served late this time.
Day 4: Saturday June 6th 2015
I have breakfast at 7.45. At 8.00 I go for a 9km run, this time I bring a bottle water along. Running was hard, I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, I felt nauseous again and was almost in tears of the effort. At 10.00 I treat myself with 2 boiled eggs. And at 13.30 I eat half a avocado. For lunch I have arugula (I can’t stand the taste anymore!) with tuna, mayonaise and capers. This food gets so boring, it is depressing! I enjoy a 90-minute Thai-massage, have some cod and find myself holding a bag of chips at 21.30. Before I give in into this temptation I decide to go to bed.
Day 5: Sunday June 7th 2015
Weight: 51,4 kg. After a good night sleep I wake up at 7.00 feeling fresh. My breakfast consists of a boiled egg and salmon and than I get ready for my 6km morning run. My warming up is 300 rope jumps and than I begin to run. However after 2.5 km, I’m done. No energy left. I continue to walk the rest of the distance. I don’t feel disappointed or beaten, I enjoy being in nature and take some beautiful pictures. At 12.30 it is lunchtime (3 scrambled eggs with mushrooms and sesame seeds). I don’t enjoy the food anymore, it has become stuffing for my belly. For dinner I have chicken breast cubes with mushrooms and sambal. I end the day with a 8km walk and go to bed at 21.45.
Today I felt like my blood sugar stabilized and my energy was constant. Felt good!! Tomorrow day 6, half way there.
Day 6: Monday June 8th 2015
Yeah, day six! Most important takeaway till now: I’m able to reset my blood sugar. While getting up I feel a bit strange, but after breakfast (egg with salmon) I feel better. The last couple of days I do crave for something cold, either ice-cream, popsicles or just ice water. It’s more the need for a sensation or a taste than hunger. Lunch consists of arugula, trout, mayonaise and some cashew nuts. In the afternoon some grocery shopping and reading in the sun. Early dinner with cod fillet from the oven and ending the day with a long evening walk of 15 km. In general a steady day with no heavy emotions. Just a little bit tired in the afternoon.
Day 7: Tuesday June 9th 2015
This day starts with a boiled egg and a piece of salmon. Than I do my morning routine and I’m able to run 8,5 km within the hour. But I could sense my body was struggling to find the energy and I had problems focusing my eyes and realized this had happened as well in the past two days. The rest of the day I lack energy and feel almost depressed, apparently I asked too much of my body. After my job interview I eat a piece of salmon with a handful of nuts. And for dinner halibut with ??? (I really can’t recall; short term brain doesn’t work anymore). To prevent depression I go outside for a 2 hour walk with my husband. And that’s when I realize what an impact this challenge has on my brain: I’m not able to focus on the conversation and have problems focussing my eyes. I just walk…
Day 8: Wednesday June 10th 2015
Weight: 51,2 kg. This morning I skip breakfast, I cannot stand the smell or sight of nuts, eggs, arugula, salmon, any fish or mushrooms any more. I’m fed up with this monotonous diet. Although I don’t have mood swings I feel I’m lacking energy. It can be I do too much or eat too little. My mouth and mind are eager for ‘sensations’. I struggle myself through the day and cannot recall at all what I ate today. And I feel that I don’t want to waste my energy on this. I go to bed early, almost in tears.
Day 9: Thursday June 11th 2015
Although I had a good night’s sleep, I wake up without energy and preferably stay in bed. But with two children that’s not an option. This day is a complete battle for me. I’m pushing myself to eat, although everything in my body resists. I lack energy and I’m depressed. I’m sitting and just staring. I can’t do anything which requires concentration or focus. I’m just not able to. After a conversation with Matthias I decide to stop the challenge.
Day 10: Friday June 12th 2015
Today I added vegetables and fruit to my diet. Immediately my energy went up and I could laugh again about the last days. The decision to shorten this challenge with one day was a good one.
If this blog inspires you to take up the same challenge. I recommend to read two other blogs I have written on this same topic; ‘Going 100% all sugar free for 10 days. What’s the impact?‘ and ‘6 tips all sugar free‘.
♥, Cherryl
PS For the ones being worried. My 2 daughters didn’t participate in this challenge, so I cooked a regular meal for them.