 Sooooo....I've been a little delayed in starting my sugar-free journey, and this is for a couple (good or not-so-good) reasons.
1- I knew when I started I really wanted to be ready. Up until this past weekend, I hadn't given myself adequate time to prep/plan meals. When doing something like quitting sugar, prep and planning is NOT something you want to skip! If you aren't equipped with good choices, you will be tempted to make not-so-good choices. 2-I wasn't feeling mentally "on board". I've done the research, and read a few times that if you aren't truly feeling ready to do something as significant as quit sugar, you shouldn't do it. It's not easy, and for most of us it takes a lot of adjusting. If you are in a mental state where you feel overwhelmed or overly anxious about quitting sugar, it may not be the right time. For a couple weeks I wasn't feeling mentally prepared, but now I am, so I realized it was the right time! Today was my first day going "all-in" and to be honest it wasn't bad at all! The only thing I would adjust with my eating today is eating a little more, as honestly I got a little hungry between lunch and dinner and should have had a little more food earlier in the day. Today my meal plan consisted of: -Bullet Proof Coffee (coffee blended with grass-fed butter, coconut oil & stevia) -Cottage cheese mixed with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Edamame, and garlic/salt -Shakeology (Greenberry flavor mixed with unsweetened vanilla almond milk & water) -Large handful of salted, roasted almonds -BBQ beef roast with twice baked sweet potatoes (recipe for potatoes here) I didn't give myself enough time to prep my bacon/egg/cheese "muffins" to have as a mid morning snack but I will be prepping those tonight to add more healthy fat/protein to my plan! I think one really important aspect of committing to a meal plan like this is making sure you have things in your plan you truly enjoy eating. For example, I really love my Shakeology and the twice baked sweet potatoes and roast were delicious! When I make sure things like that are a part of my meal plan I don't feel as deprived. So far it was a solid day 1! I am really looking forward to this journey and exploring how my body/mental clarity/energy will change as a result of this healthier nutrition plan. Definitely stay tuned for more updates, and if you want to JOIN me on this journey to feeling healthy, energized, and fit, shoot me an email at stephanie@stephaniepodgor.com and let's chat! There's no need to do this journey alone!
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 Yes, you read that right! I am choosing to give up sugar in 2017...and hopefully for the rest of my life!
Whyyyyyyy would I subject myself to such pain, you ask? Let me tell you! 1- I have been PAINFULLY addicted to sugar my ENTIRE life. By painfully I mean, it has been a true addiction. An addiction that at countless times in my life I felt powerless to and controlled by. If there is one thing I have learned in my research on personal growth and development, there are few emotions that make us feel crappier than feeling powerless. Feeling powerless means you feel stuck, out of control, and hopeless. I have felt this way for the last 31 years of my life...hopelessly addicted to food (primarily sugary foods!) When I consistently give in to sugar cravings and overeating, I don’t just feel physically uncomfortable and bloated, I feel shame, guilt, and disappointment. These are things I don’t want to feel anymore! I want to love myself and my body enough to stop inflicting pain on myself...I am finally choosing to feel good, both physically and emotionally! 2- I am the heaviest weight I have ever been in my life. Sadly, despite being more focused on health than I’ve ever been in my life, I’ve also reached the heaviest weight of my life. After about 2.5 years of really learning about nutrition and experiencing different types of workouts, I had to honestly ask myself, “What’s going wrong here? How is possible that I eat more healthy foods than ever before and work out more than ever before and I am heavier than ever before??” There are a couple answers to these questions: firstly, I have been seriously slacking on working out since about August of 2016. Of course less working out means less muscle building and calorie burning which means more fat production. Secondly, I have eaten (and OVER-eaten) more indulgent foods than ever before! After taking some time to examine my diet, I feel this weight gain is a combination of excess sugar/processed food intake and my body changing as I get older. I am 100% confident that cutting out sugar will help me start to learn when I am truly full (because I will be eating based on when I am truly hungry and less on cravings) and will help me cut out most processed foods...which will help trim my waistline as well! 3- I want to clear the mental fog and fatigue! If you dive into literally ANY research on sugar, you will hear how excess sugar intake causes fatigue (due to insulin spikes and crashes) and actually causes you to feel mentally foggy, forgetful, or unclear. I cannot count the number of times I’ve said, “I’m just so forgetful!” or “I’m so unorganized!” Even when I get enough sleep I experience “crashes” or excessive tiredness during the day. Sometimes I am shocked at how often I enter a room and forget why I’m there, or how I can write out extensive To-Do lists and forget to check them! I have had several friends and mentors cut out sugar for various lengths of time, and the first thing almost every person says about their experience is they cannot believe how clear and focused they felt after detoxing their bodies from sugar! This increased clarity is a BIG motivator for me! 4- I want to do something that’s tough. I have never committed to something this BIG before. I have never committed to something that most people admittedly won’t even try for fear they’d fail (or be miserable) quicker than you can say “Molten Lava Chocolate Cake”! Yes, I am a bit anxious about cutting sugar out of my diet. Yes, I do have some fear that it will be too hard and I might fail! But I am choosing not to listen to fear. I am choosing to listen to faith. I am choosing to focus on the benefits I will gain from removing sugar from my diet versus the perceived losses. Benefits such as: -A leaner and healthier body -Majorly increased energy -Looking and feeling younger -Feeling empowered by breaking an addiction -Finding ways to get more creative with food -Being able to empower others to take control of their health -A more clear, peaceful, and focused mind I am doing my research as I continue on this journey, and for now I will not be cutting out all fruit. I will continue to consume low-glycemic fruits such as berries, apples, and oranges because they don’t spike your sugar and have a plethora of other benefits such as necessary dietary fiber and antioxidants. I will also be experimenting with replacing sugar with natural sweeteners such as stevia and coconut sugar. Yes, this is a big undertaking and to be honest I am a little nervous! However, I feel I am being led by a force even bigger than me to quit sugar once and for all! Not only for my health, but so I can report back to you! I want to show you even a long-time sugar addict like me can break free from the confines of this physical (and mental!) addiction! Thank you for supporting me on this journey and I’ll keep you updated as to how things are going! I wish all of you a Happy & HEALTHY 2017! |
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