DAY # 82

Okay, I know I have not blogged in awhile. I have been extremely busy this summer with the David Wolfe event, Matt & Angela Monarch, my wedding and immigration papers along with inventory and our business taxes, plus being a mom and a business owner, a chef, teaching classes and the list just goes on and on.

But I have been good, no sugar until yesterday on my wedding day. I had wedding cake and cookie.s And let me tell you, I went to bed on a real high yesterday. I have so many emotions going on about this cleanse and what has happened to me. I have so much to tell you, but not today. I will blog the whole story after the DW event. Until then be well!!

Day #29

My skin is on FIRE. Majoring purging of yeast today and last night. I'm so itchy especially in the lower area. I'm really miserable today, but I am sure I will get through it!

DAY #25- Still hanging in there!

All things are starting to settle down a little. It is so weird how I am losing weight, it feels so different from before. I still have zero energy but I am starting to feel better. My body is definitely taking on a new body shape and I can't believe how much I have lost in my breast. I started to take LOTS of L-Proline to rebuild my breast tissue and firm them up some. I completely forget how well it works firming up your breast until my hubby reminded me to start taking it again.

I lost my wedding ring the other day. It completely fell off my finger. I am 15 lbs heavier than I was last summer and had no problem wearing my size 5 wedding ring at 110 lbs but I am 125 now and my ring would not stay on. And its not water weight. I'm definitely losing weight really different, more evenly and my stomach is flattening. I am missing blueberries and all berries, but I know this cleanse will be well worth.

I am joining Elaina Love in her last two weeks of her juice feast, so I am going back to strictly green juices for the next two weeks! I'm actually relieved by it because I don't have to think about what to eat and what to prepare. I'm just too busy for that.

DAY# 22

I have been away for a week and spent a week at the store catching up. I started my period, and Oh MY!!! The sugar craving really HIT! I too am having a really tough time. I am still juicing but eating too. I gained weight for a week but now it is gone away and I am losing weight again. I feel very tired and no energy. I am usually a morning person and get right up with Abigail at 6 am but the last week I just could not do it!

Also, I made Abigail a pot of oat groats in the slow cooker with chopped apricots and cranberries, it was not very sweet at all. I took a tiny little taste and I got dizzy and felt my blood sugar level spike. I was really in shock on how I felt! It got me to thinking, I am feeding this to my daughter and thinking this is good and the more I am researching I find that grains are even worse than fruit sugar. I'll be including some articles on how bad grain products are and we will also talk about fruit sugars too.

Here is a great explanation on how I am feeling:

Conquering carbs offers a whole constellation of rewards, not the least of which is a steady, brisk energy unlike most people have known before (well, maybe since the whirling age of 10 or so…). People tell me constantly that they can finally make it through the day without being down for the count every midafternoon. They enjoy enough vigor and vitality to weather a whole day’s worth of activity. The busyness of life becomes easier to handle: the energy demands of daily work or business travel, the mayhem and constant commotion of kids, a weekend’s worth of chores and errands, etc. A skipped meal doesn’t suddenly change the agenda to including procuring a bagel or other false pick-me-up.

Nonetheless, for some folks, there’s a common, temporary but still bothersome bump in the road on the way to that Primal prize. Though it varies, it often means a couple weeks of mental fuzziness, fog and fatigue. Although your body might be off to the races, your brain can lag behind like a little brother in a stuffed snowsuit. It’s a game of “hey, wait up!” while the body’s mechanisms and metabolism align themselves. They call it “low carb flu,” and rest assured it’s just as temporary.

First off, I should mention that some folks experience the low carb flu, and others don’t. Overall, those who have been lower carb for some time seem to have fewer problems with the transition taking their carb intake down a notch. As rational as it sounds, this trend still isn’t a hard and fast rule. I know a number of Primal adherents who fit this profile and then went on to experience the symptoms Jessica describes. Others I know went from sky high sugars to low carb cold turkey and felt great from day one. Go figure. It might be due to the “sliding range of genetic variations”

Although the low carb flu isn’t universal, that doesn’t mean it’s abnormal. For many people, it takes about two to three weeks to move beyond the temporary fog and fatigue.Studies following the physical performance of low carbers showed that initial disadvantages were erased after this window of time. If your body is used to employing easy glucose carbs and now must create glucose from fats and protein (a slightly more complex but entirely natural mode of operation), it can take some time to get up to speed. Rest assured that our bodies can and are doing the job. It simply takes time to work efficiently. The transition actually shifts metabolic related gene expression, increasing fat oxidation pathways and decreasing fat storage pathways. (That’s nothing to shake a stick at!) Within a few weeks, the body should be fairly efficient at converting protein and fat for the liver’s glycogen stores, which provide all the glucose we need for the brain, red blood cells, muscles, etc. under regular circumstances.

The small amount of specifically targeted research on low carb diets and cognition are small and shoddy at best. A recent study, for example, showed minor memory delay during the first week of strict carbohydrate elimination (as opposed to reduction), but further measures were not taken until carbs were reintroduced. By the same token, those on a traditional American Dietetic Association diet exhibited more confusion during the study tests. I don’t think this study offers any legitimate, useful assessment on either diet.

Nonetheless, there’s the sense that we’re stressing the brain and causing damage by not bathing it in a steady supply of glucose. In fact, we may be doing our brains the ultimate favor. Recent research has pegged Alzheimer’s as a kind of “type 3” diabetes, a disease related to insulin resistance. Truth be told, our brains can function on ketones, fat-metabolism byproducts and key energy sources in low to very low carb diets, which some say may be even healthier yet for our noggins. Check out Jimmy Moore’s interview with Dr. Larry McCleary, a respected neurosurgeon and author of The Brain Trust Program: A Scientifically Based Three-Part Plan to Improve Memory, Elevate Mood, Enhance Attention, Alleviate Migraine and Menopausal Symptoms, and Boost Mental Energy.

Keep in mind also that people in low carb transition can genuinely shortchange their physical needs when they aren’t eating enough fat or when they’re pursuing high intensity exercise routines lasting over an hour, which send the body’s glycogen stores into a nosedive to the ground. I hear this from CrossFitters and P90Xers who insist on maintaining their daily high intensity while transitioning to Primal eating. This isn’t to say that you can’t exercise more intensely for longer on a Primal diet (although there’s no real need to for perfectly solid fitness), but more than an hour’s time for most folks requires some extra carbs whenglycogen is depleted. If you’re bothered by the mental fog even without intensive exercise, ease up on your carb restriction by adding 25 grams or so to see if it makes a difference. Listen to your body and gauge your sensitivity. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you’re not going to compromise your overall benefit by taking it slowly.

As any Primal buff would attest, this temporary setback pales in comparison to the benefits once the transition has passed. Without the persistent carb-induced peaks and crashes, you should enjoy a measurable boost in energy – steady and stable – in no time. Hang tight, and know you’ll be on the other side of the hill soon! In the meantime, take good care of yourself with a little extra shuteye and maybe some well-timed tea for a modest boost when you really need it.

Day #16

I am still on my no sugar cleanse. I am still juicing but have added some salads and raw crackers into my diet. I am also finally starting to feel a little better. The sugar cravings are going away. This has been an EXTREMELY hard cleanse. It is really difficult to eliminate all sugars and to be very conscious of it. I have not posted in awhile as I was away in Billings, MT for a conference. It took lots of preparation to make all my own food to bring plus we rented a hotel apartment so we would have access to a kitchen at all times.

I forgot my tamper and the local health food store let me use their high power juicer in their deli section. I can tell you, my Vita-Mix gets way more juice than the jucier they had. Cody and I was amazed on how effective the Vita-Mix really was. We used the exact same amount of veggies and got a little over half of what we normally get.

I have gained 4 lbs back from incorporating salads and crackers, Cody says it is because I'm eating tomatoes, so I am going to eliminate all nightshades from my diet and see how I do. It's really hard, no sugar, no nightshades. Argh!

DAY #8

Well, I still feel a little crappy. I did feel pretty good yesterday, but I think part of it is my little daughter does not want to sleep. She goes down at 8 pm and up about 4:40 am. So I am a little sleep deprived.

So the supplements I am taking our MSM ( lots of it), Udo's DHA caps, Wheat Grass tablets, probiotics, Ashwaganda, Chaste Tree and I take coconut oil.

I am teaching a class tonight, so I hope I make it through!

My Before 90 Day No Sugar Cleanse Picture

Here is the most recent picture of me prior to my cleanse. I can't believe I have lost 10 lbs in 10 days. I also can't believe how much I am craving sugar. Now both of my sides hurt really bad! I've got serious healing going on. I can definitely say that this cleanse is much deeper and more effective than just the 90 day all juice any juice cleanse. I am learning so much about food and my lovely little addictions to it. So here is my before cleanse picture and dare I say I weighed 134 lbs at 4'11. I am now 124 today. I don't have a goal weight because I plan to just get to the size my body naturally wants to go to. I was doen to 110 on my 90 day cleanse, but have maintained 115 for the last five years except being pregnant and now after all the stress and work I have been doing the last six months. You can eat a very healthy diet, but when your body is stressed, my body puts on weight, especially when I am loading up on all the raw desserts everyday. I'll talk about all the supplements I am taking while on this cleanse.