Day 2 was well spent, although a bit more thought most certainly went into planning.  I had to spend all day away from my home on the ski hill and so it was important that I left the house prepared with fruit, nuts and ensuring that my lunch was sugar-free.  One theme, though, as I work through this detox most certainly has come in the way of trying to avoid sugar but not wanting to avoid the things with sugar.  It also can be quite amazing when you realize the habits we have that are all related to the addiction of sugar.

Abstaining from sugar is a change, and thus changing our habits is important so that we can break free from the patterns that create our addictions.  It is quite hard to just remove the sugar but not change any of the habits.  For instance, you are accustomed to getting a Vanilla-Soy Fat-Free Latte every morning or at least habitually.  Now you are ordering a Latte with Unsweetened Almond Milk and adding a package of Stevia.  While once could argue, “But I took out the vanilla and the two sugars I usually have” what you’re doing is trading one vice for another.   1) You do not have access to the ingredients in the ingredients of your latte (fyi: cane sugar often sneaks it’s way into unsweetened nut milks); 2) why do you feel Stevia is better than real sugar?  Unless you are processing the Stevia plant that you’re growing in your back yard you’re not doing yourself any favors.   Abstaining from sugar should also be about abstaining from fake sugars or sugar substitutes.

Another example is modifying the abstinence as you go.  Like I said in my first posts…this sugar detox is all about you and 100% commitment may not be in your cards, but it is interesting in that even after just 2 days our commitments can change so much.  What should be good about all of this is your awareness.  Are you aware of how hard it is for you?  Own it.  Because it’s not easy.  Did you begin with 100% commitment but are now making choices based on the difficulty?  “Well, I’ll start in a few days (when I’m ready).” Or, “I don’t think honey should count.”  Awareness, awareness, awareness.

Have you begun to realize how much sugar is in everything?  Yep, over 600,000 products in the grocery store have added sugar.  Have you realize how much of the cereal/grain aisle lists “enriched” or “vitamins and minerals” or a list of those vitamins and minerals (riboflavin, thiamin, etc.).  Those act like added sugars so stay away 🙂 So, it may seem overwhelming, but that’s the consequence of awareness.  The grocery store really should just be as big as it was in 1980.  Search your memory of what you’re cabinets looked like when you were a kid.  They should look the same now.  This amazing maze of grocery stores and choices is all part of the addiction to food.  The food industry makes TRILLIONS and thus now we find ourselves programmed to always need more choices.  Your body needs a variety of the 5 food groups and not one of them includes sugar or “enrichment” or fake sugars.  Anything beyond the 5 food groups is just a “treat”.  Back in the day, if you wanted something sweet someone had to actually make it.  That’s probably why it was a treat.  This is about finding and navigating your way through a melange of confusion to adopt a healthier lifestyle that we once had.  You may learn more about yourself than you ever thought….and that’s the point.

I cannot stress enough that any detox really is about behavior change.  It’s about developing a new pattern that leads you away from the before and into the future.

P.s. I feel like sh!t.  Granted, I skied all day and then went to bed at 8PM.  But, I am constipated and irritable and all I wanted at the end of the day after helping a gazillion beginners on the ski hill is a beer and a whiskey.  But, I’m commitment to changing my behaviors for the long-term.

P.P.S.  I’ll try to not be so grumpy in my next post 🙂