21 Day Sugar Detox: Weeks 3 and 4

Hey guys! I realized the other day that I never finished out this post series... oops! I didn't quit and just not tell you guys, I finished it. I even lost a little bit of weight when it was all said and done (yay!). So... here it is, the last two weeks and review of the program.

The third, and what should have been the final, week was pretty easy. Sticking to the meal plan was pretty much second nature by this point so there really weren't any big issues. I did have a bad health day on one day but for the most part my energy level was pretty consistent and I wasn't getting hungry between meals at all. There were days I would easily forget about lunch altogether and end up eating pretty late in the afternoon even. I added a lot more red meat during this week for the iron and there were a few more carbs for energy as this was a week that I needed those things but this is consistent with my normal monthly cycle so it wasn't a side effect of the program.

For the final, fourth, week I decided to add back in strawberries in small quantities. There was a good sale on them and, to be honest, I missed them quite a bit during the first three weeks since I used to eat them nearly every day. I didn't eat many of them and I subbed them for the banana I was allowed to eat on the program so the sugar was limited but I did eat some and strawberries which are not on the program. Just for full disclosure. I ate quite a bit of chicken this week and lots of zucchini (which apparently I love) and ended the week feeling pretty good. At the end of the program I didn't go crazy and binge on sweets but I did get a frozen yogurt which is a super rare treat for me. It was too sweet to finish so my taste buds have definitely been affected in a good way by being on the program.

21 Day Sugar Detox states that it isn't a weight loss program and doesn't want you to limit your carbs or calories necessarily in order to complete the program successfully. With that being said, I ended up losing a little over 5 pounds during the month I was on the program. I'm not sure that it was the program though as I was trying to up my calorie expenditure gradually during this time span.

All in all I liked the program and would likely do a version of it again in the future if I find myself craving sweets or foods that have too many carbs for my body to handle. My digestion felt better by the end, my sugar and carb cravings had lessened considerably, and I felt pretty good energy-wise... I even saw a decrease in my insomnia during the later part of the program. Again, I can't guarantee that it was caused by the 21DSD but it was a welcome change nevertheless.

Podcast: Balanced Bites

I wanted to take a few minutes today to tell you about a podcast that I have been listening to lately... and by listening lately I mean that I have listed to all 200 and something episodes on my commutes over the past couple of months. Sooo... I like it. Obviously. If you like learning about health topics but also like talk radio and morning shows then this is the show for you. Diane and Liz are hilarious and don't take themselves too seriously but still offer great advise backed by research on health topics from prenatal care to eczema and everything in between. The show is called Balanced Bites.

On some episodes the two hosts will bring on individuals to interview from the Paleo and/or Real Food community at large. There have been doctors of all kinds, chiropractors, nutritionists, chefs, medical researchers, other scientist, cookbook and other authors, as well as others over the years. The interviews typically consist of a conversation with the interviewee and one of the hosts about the main area they work in followed by listener questions that have been submitted online beforehand. Oftentimes they will also offer a coupon code if they have a business as well which is nice.
The non-interview podcasts have varied in organization over the years but they typically have listener questions, kitchen tips, updates on any books or appearances by the hosts as well as life updates (such as funny goat stories from Liz who has a homestead or Diane's wedding plans), health topic discussions, and right now pregnancy information as Liz just had a baby and is about to launch a new product about fertility 'and beyond'.
They do have sponsors so you will listen to a few adds that they record themselves as well as mini-interviews with sponsors over the 4 years of episodes currently archived but those interviews are typically very interesting and they never stay completely related to the company's products rather the over-arching industry or problem they are trying to help with. Any podcast that has been going on for long will typically have sponsors though so that they can pay for hosting fees and recording equipment. I don't mind listening to a few 10 second ads mixed in with the hour of content that most episodes tend to be to be honest... and they only choose sponsors of products that they actually use themselves which is pretty awesome when you think about it.
Now on to how to find the podcast... search iTunes for "Balanced Bites" or go to one of the hosts' pages where they have links for their blogs, podcasts, and products (books, seminars, etc.).

Links:
iTunes
Liz Wolfe
Diane Sanfilippo


I regularly laugh out loud listening to these two chat on this free podcast and always learn something new so I give this podcast two thumbs up and suggest you check it out.

Sorry for a short post today everyone, my dog was in the hospital for a day and a half this week so it's been a little hectic around here as you can imagine. Hectic days aren't particularly good for my health so this week has been especially difficult for both of my pups as well as myself. Thankfully she is back home and doing much better now so we can get back to normal around here. Thanks for being understanding.