The 21-day sugar detox...

As I admitted in my last post, I am addicted to sugar.  I desperately need to do something to break myself of this addiction.  My sister-in-law completed The 21-Day Sugar Detox in January, and challenged me to try it myself.  She said it had a profound effect on her sugar addiction, and I am hoping that it will do the same for me.  This detox is not for the faint of heart.  I showed it to Rebecca, my friend/neighbor/sometimes training partner, and she promptly exclaimed, "I will NEVER do that!"  She acted as if I'd asked her to streak through our neighborhood.  It was hilarious! No, really it was... I guess you had to be there.

If you click the link above, you can see what the challenge is all about.  To someone else, even the idea of doing this may seem impossible and highly restrictive.  The reality is I am already gluten and dairy free, so all I'm cutting out is fruit, iced tea, corn products, and dark chocolate.  "Oh, that doesn't sound too bad," you say.  Just wait, on day three my husband will probably bury my whiny behind in the backyard.  This challenge is going to be hard!  I restrict my table sugar intake, not my fruit intake.  I am a fruit-a-holic.

For brevity, I am going to list the things I cannot have.  Remember, I already don't eat gluten or dairy, so those are obvious and I am not typing out every form of dairy and gluten.  I am lazy that way.  I cannot eat fruit of any kind (see below), corn and corn products, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, winter squash,  peanuts or peanut butter, cashews or cashew butter, barley, black beans, buckwheat, garbanzo beans, lentils, pinto beans, quinoa, red beans, rice of any kind, soy, alcohol, pre-sweetened coffee or tea drinks, juice, rice milk, soda (regular or diet), protein powder, soy sauce, bottled salad dressing, supplements that contain sugar, AND last but not least, anything diet or sugar free.  I know what you're thinking, "That's it?  Piece of cake!"  Thanks, now I want a piece of cake.

It is important to note that each day, I can consume one green apple or one green banana.  I am opting for the green apple, since those don't get sweeter as they ripen.  I am also allowed eight ounces of coconut water per day.  I've never had coconut water, but I figure it is worth a try.  I will probably cling to these two "sweet" products for dear life.  This challenge has an added level of difficulty for me because my husband and son are not participating.  I can deal with my husband not participating, but I have to feed my son and he loves fruit.  I guess I'll have to be careful not to steal food from my child.  Let's be honest, I sound insane.

I am intrigued to see what happens during these 21 days.  My sister-in-law told me that the first five days were really difficult.  I've also read that during the first few days, I should be prepared to exist with a constant headache.  Sounds like fun, doesn't it?  I plan to start on Sunday, April 7 and finish on Saturday, April 27.  I will keep you updated via my blog on how I am doing throughout the challenge.  Anyone care to join in on the craziness?  No?  I don't blame you.