Clean Eating, Week 2

Week 2 of our eating cleanse is done. 

If I thought week one was hard, week 2 was rough. I really struggled this week with sugar cravings, and side effects.

I can definitely say that this week, I began to detox from sugar. I have never gone this long without sugar before and my body was fighting back, hard. Saturday through Wednesday was pretty rough for me. I had a low grade headache, I was exhausted, I was getting aches in my joints, and I was freezing all the time. I thought I was getting sick with the flu, but, after some research and consulting with a friend who has been off sugar for years, I discovered that I was in detox.  On Saturday and Sunday I ended up having to lay down for about an hour both days. I came home from work and was in bed by 8:00 each night.  I woke up about 5:00 every morning, and I just laid in bed or on the couch and watched t.v. rather than go to the gym. Finally, I started to feel better about Thursday, but still listened to my body and rested.

My sugar cravings have decreased significantly. I am not jonesing nearly as hard. P and I have cheated twice though. On Friday night we decided to pop some popcorn, and I put a small bag of M&M's in the mix for a hint of sweetness. I was surprised to find they tasted almost sickeningly sweet to me.

I don't want to get too graphic, but things in the restroom have started to change as well. Again, thanks to some research, I found out that I was suffering from something called "leaky gut." Lets just say, things have normalized.

Because we have cut out the heavy foods, and are focusing on quality meats, veggies, and fruit, I am finding that I am getting full much more quickly, and the fullness is not a heavy feeling, more of a satisfied feeling.

There have been other side effects as well. Our meals take much longer to prep, but P and I have been working as a team.  P has made me breakfast every single morning before I go to work. It is so nice to have a hot meal, made by my loving husband before I walk out the door each day.

During this challenge, we have also decided to refrain from eating out. We are spending a lot more money on food this month for several reasons. First, we are buying higher quality foods. Second, we are not eating out an cheap restaurants during the week (Chipolte, Jason's Deli, Freebirds, etc.). 

The last side effect, DISHES. We are cooking all of our meals, so we are going through so many dishes. We are both using Tupperware to take our food to work, and we are cooking all of our meals at home, and as a result, we are running the dishwasher every other day.

So far, this cleanse has been great. I am feeling better, P has lost quite a bit of weight, and I think I have dropped a pound or two as well. I feel my energy returning, and I feel healthier.