TODAY is the day. My very last day on The 21 Day Sugar Detox. Throughout this whole thing, I’ve dealt with a sick baby (RSV, double ear infection that keeps hanging on, fever, cough, rash, and more! Eek!), tons of Girl Scout obligations, house guests, going out to eat, and lazy days of not wanting to cook.
I have learned a LOT about nutrition. I’ve also learned a lot about cooking. If you can believe it, I’d never cooked a steak on the stovetop prior to this challenge. Now I’ve made several and I am pretty darn good at it! I was also a ketchup addict and haven’t had a drop in the past 21 days.
I was a calorie-counting weight loss success and thought that I would have to count calories forever. I ate cookies, crackers, cake, ice cream, candy, breads, and artificially sweetened goodies like there was no tomorrow. (As long as it fit in my calories, I called it good.)
While I do have a Paleo subscription to emeals, I didn’t use it for this challenge. I used a lot of online resources, mostly Pinterest, and came up with my own meal plans.
Foods we always had on hand in the past 3 weeks:
- lunch meat
- pepperoni
- bacon
- sweet potatoes
- zucchini
- baby carrots
- green apples
- lots and lots of bananas
- Larabars (for quick snacks for the kids, but never more than one in a day)
- spaghetti squash
- no sugar added red pasta sauces
- beef and turkey jerky
- dried fruit
- various different nuts for snacks and homemade cereals
- unsweetened coconut
- coconut milk
- almond milk
- lots of eggs
- beef, pork
- turkey
- chicken
- salt and pepper
- garlic
- onions
- broccoli
- green beans
- cauliflower
- berries for the family
- maple syrup for the family
- honey for the family
- pure protein powder for the hubby for breakfast shakes (no sweeteners or soy, etc)
- cottage cheese
- plain, full fat yogurt
- cheeses
- tilapia
- coconut flour
- almond flour
- spinach
- romaine lettuce
- olive oil
- coconut oil
- lemons
- coconut water
- full fat milk
- dark chocolate (70% and higher and only a few squares per day – and not every day! This was for the kids and the hubs.)
April says
My husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes, so we have really started changing our lifestyle of eating. Less sugar, fewer grains, and a lot smaller portion sizes. 🙂 I am proud of you for doing this. I know how tough it is. And I am very interested in learning more about how your children’s behavior changed.
Jenn says
That is awesome!! My kids act SO much better when they don’t have processed food or added sugars. Diabetes runs in my family, so I’m hoping to stave that away through eating this way!
Jana says
I’m impressed. I am doing WW so I get that eat whatever you want as long as it’s in your calories except mine is in my points. I really wanted a Dr. Pepper tonight and was about to sacrifice the points when I realized water would be much better for me.
Jenn says
I am no stranger to counting! For me, I loved using MyFitnessPal to calorie count. What I loved about the 21DSD was that I didn’t have to worry about counting – I just had to stick to the approved food list and could eat as much as I want….and still LOSE WEIGHT!!
Brandi says
Wow! I am a lover of all things healthy, but I have to admit that cutting out sugar completely would be SO hard!!
Jenn says
It was definitely a challenge, and I can say that I have regretfully re-introduced sugar into my diet since I completed this. However, I do limit it a LOT now, in comparison to before, and my weight has stayed off!
Westcoastmom says
Just stumbled across your blog. I am in day 4 of the 21DSD and am loving it!
Thanks for the encouragement!
Jenn says
Good for you!!! I know that you’ll end up loving how it makes you feel.