Sugar... You Are Evil!!

I know we've all seen and heard the stories and we all know the truths about a lot of foods - soda is bad for your health, too much junk food makes you gain weight and damages your health, this food and that can cause cancer, etc. etc. There really is an overwhelming amount of, let's admit it, contradictory information. But as children we learned the basics. Too many sweets are bad. Fruits and vegetables are good. And then we learn how wonderful the naughty food tastes, right?

After a weekend of indulgence, I've paid the price. I enjoyed far too many of those naughty foods - a few beers, some chips and dip, cookies, Halloween candy and some awful, scrumptious drizzled popcorn stuff that I would like to choke my sister-in-law for for bringing it into my house! Three days of not eating at regular intervals and not eating healthy foods. I still have a headache today. It feels like a massive hangover that lasts for a few days! No, it is not a true hangover. I had a total of five beers in two days, so they are not the culprit. Although, they are... just not the alcohol in them. I have a sugar/carb hangover!!

It is crazy how different you feel after binging on sugar and bad carbs for a few days when you aren't used to it. Both the hubby and I have complained of nagging headaches, sometimes they get pretty bad, while other times they are just there and annoying. We end up with horrible gut rot - the fumes we release are just short of deadly, just ask the kids! The bloating is insane, I feel like a swollen tick for at least two days after getting back on track. I'm beyond overly tired, like I just can't catch up on sleep. I have to drag my stinky butt out of bed - which I do every day, but it seems harder after a binge. and I spend at least a full day with a brain fog where I cannot come up with the words I'm looking for. It's exasperating, but after keeping this journal, I realize that it doesn't happen all the time, just sometimes... usually after eating too much junk! Hmmmm....

I was a cynic for a long time. People just say that to get you to eat healthy, or try their product, or sell this pill, right? I didn't buy the stories about sugar and bad carbs and the effect they have on your body. Heck, I still didn't believe it after I started to experience it myself. I had all kinds of excuses, so I didn't have to admit I was wrong... It was a fluke. I'm just having a bad day. I'm coming down with something. Funny thing... I have been pretty darn healthy since starting this. The only time I feel crummy, have bad headaches, or feel like I'm coming down with the flu are the days following a binge - even a one-day or one-meal binge. Even funnier than that is that I pretty much "get better" after a day or two. Don't mind that those two days I've been chugging water like I may be stranded in the dessert tomorrow, or that I am eating clean again.

Coincidence? I think not! The thing is... I see it in The Hubby too. I have pointed out a few of his "complaints" in how they relate to a change in eating habits and after he started paying attention, he agreed that I was onto something. Will this stop us from having our moments of insanity and enjoying ourselves and off-plan foods from time to time? Heck no! I'm definitely a glutton for punishment. Although, I'm more aware of how far I go off plan and make choices - do I really need that piece of cake?

Anyway... I still find the changes I'm seeing in my body and health amazing. {{Guys, if you're reading, skip this paragraph if you don't want to read girlie info.}} I'm shocked each month when my monthly visitor shows up. I'm on three months straight of regular, clockwork cycles. I even pinpointed the dates for this one and was spot on. How's that for crazy?!? After 24 years of either not cycling at all, cycling 1-2 times a year or only having medically induced cycles my body has figured out how to be girly. I can't say I'm super excited about this particular development, but it is a huge health improvement. It lowers my chances of female cancers (which are heightened by PCOS) and it proves that my diet is balancing out my hormones!

{{Guys, feel free to start reading again.}} So, I'm still learning a lot - about food, about how my body handles certain foods and about how to feed my body for fuel instead of fun and still enjoy what I'm eating. Like tonight for instance... We settled on Pesto Grilled Shrimp Skewers and Dreamfields pasta. My mouth waters just thinking about it! Then The Hubby and I have a date night at the local dojo. I consider that a pretty perfect date night! Oh and for those who don't know what a dojo is... that's the karate academy.

It's very daunting, but if you have headaches, body aches, hives, IBS, sensitive stomach, or some other ailment that you are frustrated with... I dare you to give up sugar for just 30 days. It takes 1-2 weeks to detox from the sugar, but the results afterward are insane. If you suffer from daily pain, it may be worth it just to see. I know that's the point I got to with my PCOS. Desperation drove me to read Trim Healthy Mama and give it a try, but the way I feel now has kept me eating that way!

I want to wrap up by saying that I'm not trying to be preachy. I've been on both sides of this. I'm just sharing in hopes that I can help others with what I've learned. It's okay to be a skeptic. I completely understand and don't fault you one bit! Plus, I'm so not perfect!! There are days where I give in to the simplicity of grabbing a small roast beef sandwich at Arby's because it sounds good and, let's face it, there's not one fast food restaurant that caters to clean eating! My willpower fails and some days I don't give a damn, but that's okay. That's life!