Day 13 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Let's Get Creative!

So it's day 13 and I've lost 3lbs. 

I actually lost those 3 lbs in the first week. But then I plateaued. 

I think this is because although I haven't been eating sugar, I HAVE been eating everything else that's not healthy.

I've been eating pizza, pastas, chips, tortillas or rice at practically every meal.

Although for now it's okay to enjoy these fun foods every now and then, the point here is to gradually begin to work towards making healthier choices. 

I'm not going back on my rules, I just think I've been over doing it. 

I want to have fun with this, but if I don't start making healthier choices more often it's going to be pretty hard to give up refined carbs next month. 

So we need to get creative and find ways to eat more meets and veggies in a dish that we'll enjoy! 

So the lesson today is: enjoy yourself but don't over do it. 

This week let's find ways that we'll enjoy making healthy choices! 

Let's get creative! 

This looks like it could be fun and yummy to try out! 

This is the Thia Shrimp with Coconut, Lemongrass and Red Curry. 

Here's the recipe: 

10 oz of shrimp 

1 bunch cilantro 

2 cloves of garlic 

1 small peice of ginger

2 stalks of lemongrass (what is that? I'll have to look it up.) 

1 lime

1 red bell pepper 

1 scallion (?????... Google) 

1 13.5 canned coconut milk unsweetened

2 tbsp red curry paste 

1/2 cub of brown rice (or your choice of rice) 

2 tbsp of honey (I'm substituting sugar with honey)

Enjoy! 

Joyful in all things,

                  Daisy Julia 

Day 12 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Rest is My New Wrench

What do you do when you're sleep deprived?!

I spent the day trying not to pass out from being so tired. 

I had band rehearsal in the evening and the drive was pretty far. 

I wasn't sure how I was going to make it... I was so tired. 

My band mate was drinking a Red Bull and even though I HATE that stuff, I was seriously considering drinking it. 

I picked up the can and read the ingredients and of course... sugar added. 

Ugh 

I couldn't find anything that would give me energy that didn't contain sugar. 

It didn't help that sugar was all my body was asking me for... 

I've learned from experience that whenever I'm tired I need to eat all day long. 

This is because I need more fuel to get me through the day. 

Mainly though, the kind of fuel my body wants is the kind that comes from sugar infested foods.  

When I eat healthy it actually burns faster so I was getting hungry more often throughout the day. 

To be clear, because I was tired my body needed more energy. 

In order to get more energy I had to eat more food but the food that I was eating, because it was healthy, was burning off really fast. As a result I was getting hungry faster. 

Sleep is really important when you're trying to eat right. 

The reason is obvious. 

If you're tired, you're body is going to require food energy and the temptation to eat sugary foods will be great. 

I'm happy to say I didn't cave and I didn't pass out. 

I did however knock out when my head hit the pillow, despite my little brother trying to talk my ear off. 

Like his sister, he's a little chatter box. 

Sleep is not only important so that, as we said before, one can have a more a productive day, it is also important so that we don't feel forced to eat whatever will give us the most amount of energy therefore causing us to cheat. 

More simply explained, being well rested will lower the possibility that you will crave sugar. 

Give yourself the gift of rest. 

So many things in this life seem more important but the night was made for sleeping. 

I think if we can trust that being well rested will actually help us be more efficient throughout our day, then we will have an advantage in every area of our lives. 

I find that to be more and more true every time I experience sleep dipravity.  

Sleep is not something that has been easy for me to do but it's also something I know has slowed me down in all areas of my life.  

So if you think that you're alone in this, you're not. However we can overcome this and achieve success!  

It's exciting to do this! 

It's exciting to be so well rested that you accomplish more in one day then you thought you could, experience more focus and have less cravings because your body doesn't need that extra sugar powered energy. 

Therefore you'll feel more accomplished and healthier. 

We all use many tools to achieve this. 

Let's add rest to our tool box. 

Rest is my new wrench. 

Yesterday's band practice. I love these guys! They bring energy to my life with their music and talent. 

We have a gig this Saturday at La Caridad. Come check us out! 

Address: 

2619 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles CA 90026

See you there! 

Joyful in all things,

               Daisy Julia 

Day 11 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Support and Encouragement

I had the great joy of being reunited with all of my friends today at Spaghetti Factory. 

It was basically all couples and of course the night started with segregation. 

Boys on one end of the table and girls on the other. Each talking about what interests them the most. 

Shopping, life, relationships, dieting and .... Well who know what guys talk about.

Obviously by the name of the restaurant you know I had pasta, but as we've said before, that is being allowed for this month. 

As the night went on, I thought I would be fine.... Then the waiter came and said everyone gets ice cream with their meals!!! 

I burst out "Hold my ice cream! I don't want it!"  

Everyone around me was enjoying ice cream and cake. Detour was an understatement. 

All I wanted to do was throw in the towel and join my friends in enjoying the sweets. 

On top of that, my girlfriends were making those oh so convincing arguments: "one time won't hurt" and "I'm going to quit sugar on Monday." 

For them these things were true!

One friend can afford to indulge every once in a while (like I said before, once I reach my desired weight I'll be able to enjoy a treat every now and then) and the other is actually quitting sugar on Monday. 

My "Monday" was 11 days ago.  So I had no excuse.  

Truly, the accountability of this blog helped keep me from caving in. 

Accountability is really important. 

I have to say my friends were incredibly supportive and tried to keep the sweet talk to a minimum around me. 

It's also important to have supportive people around you. 

There are some really important factors that go into dieting that most people are not aware of. 

Have you ever noticed that the second you decide to diet people start saying things like, "you're fine", "a little bit won't hurt", "what do you mean you want to lose weight?!", "You need a little bit of sugar, it's not good to cut out all sugar..." Huh? 

I could be wrong about this but I think subconsciously some people don't want you to start dieting because that means they have to start as well. 

If you're responsible they'll have no excuse for being irresponsible. 

If you do it, that means they can do it too, and they may not be ready to make a change so they try to stop you from making a change because your change will only make them feel like they failed. 

But we all love each other, it's not like your friends and family are purposefully trying to sabotage you.

So because we aren't aware of what's going on we allow ourselves to be convinced to give in to temptation. 

Also, someone else isn't going to care if you cheat because they have responsibilities of their own to think about. 

This is why it is so important to surround yourself with supportive, encouraging, understanding people and have a few friends that will keep you accountable, helping you put spoon full of ice cream down!

I was so happy to discover that my friends were so supportive. 

They were the main reason why I didn't cave. 

Their excitement for me excited me! 

It has been the case far to many times where I am surrounded by people who love me but discourage me from getting fit because they themselves did not find health a priority. 

The support and accountability of my friends last night was incredibly refreshing and made me feel genuinely cared for. 

I'm encouraged to continue and stay strong! 

Support and accountability will get you to the finish line. 

Thank you so much my friends for encouraging me and being so supportive. You really make this journey I'm taking  seem more like a joy and less like a depravity. 

Love you all so much! 

Joyful in all things,

                   Daisy Julia 

Day 10 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Proud, Satisfied and Happy!

Looking in the mirror, and putting on my pants, I can see and feel the layers of fat falling off of my body! 

Jeans are always the ultimate determiner. 

If you fit into your favorite jeans, that's how you know you're diet is working! 

It's only been 10 days and I impressed with how well my body is responding to not eating sugar. 

My skin looks better, I feel more energized and alive and with all this water I've been drinking to keep myself away from temptation, my skin is more hydrated! 

I have to say, the detour method has proven to be the strongest and most effective tool I have. 

I haven't worked out a single day since I stopped eating sugar because I could feel my body saying "Hold up! No way, one things at a time Chiquita" 

That's how my body talks to me... 

However, today I felt excited and motivated at the thought of exercising! 

yyyaaa boy!!! 

My body is getting use to not eating sugar and is at peace with the idea of doing more to improve. 

I know it sounds a little weird to say "my body is at peace with the idea of..." But the truth is sometimes you just need to improve one step at a time. And it's okay to be proud of yourself for taking things slowly. 

As a matter of fact, it's more than okay! It's admirable. 

Remember what we talked about a few days ago; the tortoise might move slowly, but he is consistent and doesn't give up. 

That's a sure way to get the results you're looking for! 

So I guess today's lesson is: be proud, satisfied and happy for yourself! 

A compilation of the things that have helped us these past 10 days. 

Detour

Water 

Tea (hot or iced)

Honey

Raisins 

Nuts and Seeds 

Berries 

And consistency! 

Joyful in all things, 

                   Daisy Julia 

Day 9 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Just a Spoon Full Of Honey

Honey I love your honey!! 

I had a pretty sweet day at my favorite caffe, Urth Caffe, over in Santa Monica just off the beach. 

I sat in their garden area and did lots and lots of school reading. 

I ordered my usual Chai Tea Latte there but because we're being sugar conscious I asked if they put sugar in it. 

Sure enough they said yes. 

I actually always thought that I was drinking a no calorie drink because I would get fat free milk with it. I had no idea it had added sugar! 

I guess chai tea isn't naturally that sweet after all. Darn. 

It's astonishing how vigilant we have to be about added sugar in drinks and foods we normally wouldn't expect to contain sugar. 

Well I obviously told her to hold the sugar.

I ordered one latte to drink there and another to go. I told them I'd pick up the to go latte on the way out.

As I was getting ready to leave I remembered... I can use honey!!!

So I walked up to the guy making the latte's and told him to please add some honey and voilà!

Delish! 

Today's lesson isn't too difficult. When you want to sweeten something, a spoon full of honey will do the trick! 

It's totally natural which is TOTALLY allowed. 

No need to spaz out and think nothing will ever be sweet again. 

Making life simple one spoon full of honey at a time! 

 

"Just a spoon full of honey makes the medicine go down!" 

(I revised the song) 

Went to Santa Monica beach to get some reading done and breath in some fresh air. 

Looking at all the beauty around me today reminded me that there is so much to be thankful for in all times. 

We are incredibly loved. 

Joyful in all things,

                    Daisy Julia 

Day 8 of my NO SUGAR Journey: The Tortoise and The Hare

The rules of this game are very simple... 1.) no sugar 2.) fruits (which contain natural sugar) are acceptable 3.) everything else is okay to eat. 

Again I had just my meals, tea and water today. 

Not because I forced myself to be limited to eating my meals and only that, but because I didn't get hungry in between meals. 

However I did drink lots of water and tea in between meals. 

My last meal of the day was pizza from an authentic pizza restaurant. 

SHE DID WHAT?!?!!! 

That's right, I had pizza! 

Again I state, this month is ONLY about not eating sugar. 

Next month I plan on moving on to refined carbs, but this month it's all about sugar. 

I bring up the pizza I had for dinner today because I want to remind everyone that we are taking this one step at a time. 

Some people are really good at cutting out unhealthy foods like sugar, carbs, dairy, and whatever other rules come with dieting, all at once and other people just can't bring themselves to imagine skipping on desert even one night.  

I believe it is because they think about dieting and their brain short circuits. 

For these people, I think it's best to take it one step at a time. 

I may not be allowed to have ice cream but I ate that pizza good! I ate it real good! 

Like I said a few days ago, being sugar free forced me to explore other fun foods I could eat that didn't contain sugar. 

I have realized there is a lot of good stuff out there. 

There are more fish in the sea! 

I don't have to feel like I'm depriving myself completely. 

Slowly I will begin to eliminate more bad foods and as I go I'll continue exploring the different snacks and meals I can enjoy instead. 

And when I say enjoy, I mean actually enjoy. 

Not pretend to enjoy it but really be thinking "Am I eating a piece of card board?? Is that what this is?" 

So yes, you can have a pizza this month, or pasta or bread. 

Enjoy it. 

Obviously don't eat one everyday cause not only is that boring, but you're kind of abusing your rights. 

Remember, the rabbit may have taken off faster, but the tortoise won in the end, because of consistency. 

One step at a time. 

The tortoise and the hare! Who will get there first? 

My brother and I with Walter Jones who played Zack the first Black Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers tonight. Such a sweet hearted and fun person! 

My brothers and I were absolute Power Rangers fanatics as kiddos! 

Obviously I was always the Pink Ranger, but I would sometimes venture off and invent my own ranger. 

The Purple Ranger!! 

Always inventing my own rules. 

Joyful in all things, 

                   Daisy the Purple Ranger! 

Day 7 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Seven Hip Hip Hoorays!

It's day seven which means it's officially been a week since I last ate sugar! 

Congratulations me!! 

After a week I've lost 3lbs and have developed a smaller appetite. 

I've been drinking a lot of water and I'm wondering if that is contributing to the glow people say I have. 

It's becoming easier to find snacks to eat that are fun and don't contain sugar. 

Overall I feel pretty good about myself. 

I'm proud that I've stayed away from sugar for a week and I'm happy that I feel so good! 

I think I deserve to treat myself to some cookies. 

Noooooo!!!! 

Isn't that the first thought we all have though after a week of dieting? 

"I've been really good for a week, I should reward myself with a goodie." 

That's probably the worst thing I could do for myself right now. It would be more of a punishment then a reward. 

Eating a goodie right now will only throw me back into my old habits and probably with more force. 

They always say that when you diet and then stop, it's hard to go back to dieting and the cravings return with a vengeance! 

I am going to reward myself by continuing to stay committed to not eating sugar for a month. 

This way, when I'm at my desired weight and my metabolism is working faster I'll actually be able to treat myself without having to worry about gaining weight. 

It's actually something I can look forward to!

Remember back when your metabolism was super fast and you could eat whatever you wanted without gaining weight?

Those were the good old days! 

The only way to get back to being able to enjoy a treat every now and again, without wanting to kill yourself, is to purge out all the sugar until you reach your desired weight. 

As a result your metabolism will speed up and you won't do as much damage on the scale when you have some brownies and ice cream. 

So keep it up! Don't lie to yourself and say it's just this once and tomorrow you'll continue on your diet. 

We all know that's just not true. 

You can do it! And pretty soon you're gonna look amazing and you'll be on that date sharing a chocolate cake with the cutie across the table while thinking "this is so much fun" and not "ugh why don't I have self control?!" 

There is a time to fast and there will be a time to enjoy! 

I look forward to that day! 

Seven Hip Hip Hoorays! 

These are my all time favorite cookies! But I am stronger than you cookies!! 

I served some to my mom today and I was strong enough to resist. 

I'm pretty proud of myself. 

7 days out of the way and 24 more days to go! 

Joyful in all things,

                   Daisy Julia 

Day 6 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Time to Consider Time

As I opened my eyes this morning, I was bombarded with the rememberance of all the homework I needed to get done before my 1:30pm philosophy class. 

I woke up later then I hoped and there were not enough hours to get the reading done. 

Because there was no time I had to skip breakfast and my precious morning glass of water. 

I did most of my reading and rushed off to class. 

The class is 3 hours long and we get a 15 minute break in the middle of class.  

On that break I picked up a small meal and a water bottle.

My goodness was that water amazing. 

I saw some cookies and began to think about what it would be like to eat it and HOW much better it sounded then a beef bowl. 

I realized in that moment that in my hunger I preferred sugary foods over healthy foods. 

Weird...

Why does the body do that? 

I'm not sure what the answer to that question is (if anyone knows please feel free to enlighten me) but it is true. 

I realized this is normally how I've felt in the past under the same circumstances. 

Whenever I don't eat breakfast or take a really long time before eating my first meal I start preferring cookies, donuts, muffins, candy bars, candy corn, teas with sugar in them and all kinds of sugar infested junk over salads, meet, veggies or even fruits. 

The only reason why I ever have to wait this long to eat is because I'm behind schedule. 

When I'm running late or have a lot to do the first thing I sacrifice is food.

I can only think of two solutions for this. 

1. Stop running late. 

              Or

2. Sacrifice something else. 

But everything is so important!  What do I sacrifice? 

I can't sacrifice school.  I can't sacrifice reading my bible. I CAN'T sacrifice practicing the songs I sing at my shows. I can't skip my classes. 

Sacrificing a meal is the only thing that won't have negative repercussions.  

Wrong!!!! 

If I sacrifice my meals then I crave sugar.

If I crave sugar then I eat sugar. 

If I eat sugar then I gain weight. 

If I gain wait then I feel bad about myself. 

If I feel bad about myself then I won't try as hard in life. 

If I don't try as hard in life then what's the point in filling up my schedule with all these to do's? 

If I'm not doing it to the best of my ability how much will it really benefit me? 

At the end of the day, eating poorly slows me down in life. 

I become unmotivated because subconsciously I don't feel like I deserve it. 

But I do deserve it! 

We all deserve it!!! 

So it seems that solution number 1 Is our best bet. 

Stop running late! 

Waking up early enough is important. 

There are some people that will say "Daisy, I already wake up pretty early". 

Well then go to sleep earlier and wake up even earlier. 

Realistically all you need to do is wake up 15-20 minutes earlier. 

I know someone who has to wake up at 5am to get to work so he wakes up at 4:45am to make his breakfast and then heads off to work at 5am. 

In order to wake up early you need to go to sleep early. 

My friend ALWAYS goes to sleep early. 

And the reason why he does this is specifically so he wakes up early enough to get that first meal in and still be as punctual as he intended to be when he planned out his schedule for the day. 

As a result, he is a VERY in shape guy... and sexy...... He's my boyfriend, and I'm one lucky girl! 

So the solution looks like this: 

Go to sleep early 

You need at least 7 hours of sleep. 

If you have stuff you need to do that you haven't finished that day, make a priority list, spread those things out on your schedule for the week and then, go to sleep.  

Dream about pretty things. 

Wake up 15 minutes before you need to wake up. 

Make yourself a quick breakfast. 

You don't have to get fancy about it, you just need to get something in that belly of yours that doesn't contain sugar. 

Check your agenda 

Paper or smartphone, whichever you prefer ... personally I like paper, but that's just me. 

Look over your day, see what you have to get to first and start working. 

Don't waist any time. It's not worth it. 

Have lunch. 

This shouldn't take more then 30 minutes out of your day. 

You may want to use this time to relax and breath in some fresh air. 

Get back to your schedule. 

I really like to check things off as I finish them. It makes me feel accomplished. 

Snack time 

if you need it. 

Make sure you're drinking water all day. 

At least 8 glasses a day. 

Dinner Time. 

Make this fun. It can be with friends, family or it can be alone, but make yourself feel special. 

It's your reward for all your hard work. 

Relax. Unwind. 

Check your agenda for the next day. 

If there are things you wanted to get done today that you didn't have time for, add them into the next day. 

Prioritize the next days to do's. 

Go to sleep early. 

Wake up. Repeat. 

I've been doing this for the past few weeks and it really is the most amazing feeling. 

Keep in mind  though that it doesn't happen over night. Habits take time to break. 

Be patient with yourself and encourage yourself, verbally out loud. Sounds funny but your brain only believes what it hears.

To hear more about encouraging yourself check this video out  http://youtu.be/QCnfAzAIhVw

It pretty much changed my outlook on how I treat myself. 

Start to tell yourself you can do it and you are an overcomer of all things, even time. 

And slowly you will start to readjust. 

Making this adjustment in your schedule will significantly reduce your chances of eating sugar. 

You have to give yourself your best chance if you're going to embark on making a true change in your health and life. 

Otherwise if you fail, it won't be because you couldn't do it, it'll be because you weren't fair to yourself. 

Give yourself your best chance and stop running late! 

It's Time to Consider Time! 

As you can see, it is almost 4 in the morning. 

We'll apply today's learned lesson to tomorrow's successful day together! 

Joyful in all things, 

                  Daisy Julia

Day 5 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Little Meals

Lots of little meals have been my salvation today! 

I had many long sittings today and normally I get pretty hungry during things like church and classes. 

I had a good small breakfast: chicken sausage and melon with a bottle of water. 

Probably the best part of my morning is that first drink of water! 

If you ask my boyfriend, who apparently thinks it's the funniest thing in the world, I have a very dramatic response to that first sip of water. 

Haaaaaaah!!! 

Man I get thirsty at night! 

I later had a little cup of ice tea and continued on to choir practice after church. 

After that I had a small lunch and bought a large iced green tea from coffee bean, which was so helpful while I was sitting in my next class! 

I think filling myself up with water not only helps keep my skin hydrated (my facialist, Brigitte Beauty, told me my skin was dehydrated and I needed to drink more water or tea) but it suppresses my appetite. 

I had some sushi (my fav) for dinner to celebrate a recent accomplishment and went home. 

I thought I was done for the night but I got to talking and hanging out with my mom, while wearing a detox mask on my face, and ended up staying up WAY past my bed time. 

Mother-Daughter time always goes late into the night. 

Almost 3 hours later, and a super dry face mask that I forgot to take off, I was really hungry and really thirsty! 

We had some tea and I made chicken sausage for a snack. 

Don't worry, I eventually washed that mask off and now my face is REALLY soft.

I know the list of meals today might seem pretty boring but if you noticed, there was no sugar in there. 

I was perfectly fine walking by the donut table at choir practice because I used my detour tactic and I was pretty satisfied from what I had eaten before. 

The many little meals kept me satisfied and the teas kept me entertained and hydrated. 

Today's lesson: lots of small meals throughout the day. You don't need to get full, just satisfied. 

I seriously love Coffee Bean! They have almond milk for their chia teas which makes it way healthier, REALLY good ice teas that are so sweet on their own they don't need to be sweetened by any sugar at all and I have a gift certificate.... So it's basically free for me. 

Joyful in all things, 

               Daisy Julia 

Day 4 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Prepared and Committed

Music, good people and too many sweeties! That was my day. 

My band, Buena Onda, and I threw a party for family and friends to come check us out and it was definitely a hit. 

Of course, as with most parties, there were goodies and sodas EVERYWHERE. 

When I got to the party I realized that I wasn't going to be able to eat much food throughout the evening because most of it contained sugar, including the beverages. 

I had to make an effort to drink lots of water through out the night and stay away from the goodie table.  

I realized a bit too late that it would have been wise of me to have eating a good meal before the party so that I would not be hungry and HAVE to compromise my diet by eating the sugar filled snacks that were calling out my name. 

I have to admit that since I stopped eating sugar my appetite has diminished. 

I'm not sure if one has anything to do with the other, but this helped me not want to eat everything at the party, which is normally the case with me. 

When I attend a party I normally throw all my diet rules away and go crazy! 

I figure parties don't happen often so it's okay to eat whatever I want cause "it's just this once". 

The problem is it's not, and parties, or gatherings, happen quite frequently. 

It's always either someone's birthday, anniversary, wedding, another holiday, getting together with friends you haven't seen in a long time or a family party "just because". 

There will always be something that comes up that's a "good enough reason" to compromise my diet. 

Well today I made a change and decided to fully commit to my diet and make no acceptions.

I drank water and ate 2 small carnita tacos and a handful of pita chips later on in the evening. 

It may not sound like a lot, but it filled me up and that's all I needed. 

I learned today that if I am going to attend an event of any kind, eating a good meal before I go will help me not cave when the opportunity to cheat presents itself. 

I also learned that "just this once" is just a big fat lie. Every weekend there is something new. 

"Saturday cheat day!" "Oh well, we're having a nice dinner with our friends who we haven't seen in a month, pasta and desert is okay for tonight", "For your birthday I'll make an exception", "it's a family party and the pastries were there, what was I suppose to do", "this is a special occasion". 

There will always be a reason to cave, but don't! Stick to what you promised yourself you would do for YOU. 

Today's lesson: Eat before you go out and practice commitment. 

Prepared and Committed! 

This is Buena Onda performing live in uptown Whittier tonight! We have fun, spread joy and enjoy this beautiful life! 

When you see what you want, you can get what you want. 

Visualize your goal and commit to the discipline it takes to attain your desires. 

Joyful in all things, 

               Daisy Julia 

Day 3 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Buzzzzie Bee

I am posting today's experience to you very late today, but I have a good reason for this! 

My band and I had a gig tonight!

We played at a cute little Cuban restaurant called La Caridad in Eco Park. 

As always, we had a great time. 

Then when I got home I had to write a 300 word essay for my World Civilization class and submit it online. 

Then I had to finish up some more assigned reading. 

My band and I have another gig tomorrow and I won't have much time to get my reading done before the show, so I knew it would be smart to get it out of the way before going to bed. 

Then I remembered I had to write about not eating sugar today! 

You might be wondering why I just gave you a play by play of my evening and what it has to do with NOT EATING SUGAR. 

It has everything to do with it!

I was so busy today I didn't even have time to think about snacking, let alone sugar.

"Ain't no body got time fo dat!" 

Starbucks didn't even cross my mind, and if you've been around me for the past few months you know that's huge for me! 

From the moment I woke up I have been on the go. 

My lesson today is that the busier you are, the less time you have to think about sugar or other junk. 

So keep buzzing and you'll be a loser... of weight!... and a WINNER in life! 

Today's lesson: Keep busy, stay on that grind and be a winner! 

Singing with my awesome band mates! So lucky to have these guys. 

There was a point when I ran out of water and I was so close to grabbing the nearest drink to me out of habbit and sipping on it. 

As my hand approached the glass of soda I remembered NO SUGAR! 

Sometimes when we're hustling we go into auto pilot. 

Making sure I didn't unconsciously take in sugar because I was so distracted was a good mini lesson.

We may be busy, but we have to be mindful. 

Be A Buzzzzie Bee! 

Joyful in all things, 

               Daisy Julia 

Day 2 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Salvation by Water (or Tea)

So today was not the most eventful day but I did learn something valuable about how to reduce cravings! 

Drink more water!

It's usually on the least eventful days that we find ourselves reaching for the goodies, mainly because we're bored.

I have literally been drinking water all day. 

Sometimes I made tea and drank my water that way, to make it more interesting, but the point is I was sipping on water all day.  

Drinking tea and water all day helped keep me distracted from constantly eating out of boredom. 

So my knew thing is: If you're bored, drink water! (Or tea)  

I was once told by my old personal trainer that drinking lots of water actually helps you lose weight. If that's the case, I'm all in! 

I also practiced yesterday's lesson when I opened the pantry door and saw my favorite cookies in there. Detour!!! 

I reached for some raisens instead (which have no added sugar, just whatever fructose sugar it was naturally born with and, as I said yesterday, is totally acceptable on this journey) and some olives to snack on. 

H2O, here we go! 

Water, tea and raisens (and some roses for aesthetic purposes). I keep my raisens in a cute little jar on my desk so I can have something fun, but non threatening to my figure, to snack on as I work. 

I finished all the olives so they didn't make the photo shoot. Poor guys.

 Joyful in all things, 

               Daisy Julia 

Day 1 of my NO SUGAR Journey: Detour

Well today was the first day of my NO SUGAR Journey. 

I read some inspired writings that really helped me stay away from temptations. Keep your eyes forward and don't look to the left or right!

 I realized that the times when I most often give in to my temptation is when I've been staring at a sweety for a second too long.

 Our kitchen counter was filled with fall candies today (candy corn, yogurt covered raisins and almond candies) provided by yours truly...ironically. Actually it wasn't so ironic.

 What happened was I bought all this candy yesterday for my family and thought it would be just adorable to decorate the kitchen with jars full of candy, then I ate half the box of candy corn before I could even pronounce the "ca" in "candy".

 "Study snack" I thought. "Just a little won't hurt" I thought, but as I walked back and forth, passing my full length mirror to go get more candy, I started to notice my little pudge!!! 

Anyone who's ever been super close to me knows that I use to be able to eat whatever I wanted without having to worry about the pudge.  Clearly I've abused my metabolism and she is not very happy with me. I'm not really liking her attitude either (yes I'm referring to my metabolism as having her own identity because we are at odds with each other at the moment). 

But I take ownership of my body and realize that it's my responsibility to care for her and all her organs.  

My first step in doing that is cutting out sugar, which apparently is more addictive than cocane...what?!! 

As I stated before, when I heard this great advice about not letting my eyes wander I knew what my first move towards improvement would be! 

I didn't look at those candy jars for more then a second. 

Sometimes my eyes would just land there and immediately I'd look somewhere else. Not allowing myself to even ponder the existence of these little monsters for even a second. 

And then I went on with my life. 

Life is so beautiful! Why waste it on those little fake happy moments when I can have REAL happy moments?!

And there you go! 

That is how I got past my first day! Detouring my eyes! 

Today's message: detour your eyes from what you don't want and focus on what you do want, or just anything else that isn't what you don't want! 

Today's little outing. I went to my beautiful friend's birthday dinner (Happy Birthday Lili!) and as they enjoyed their ice cream, I enjoyed my passion ice tea sweetened with the little orange slice it came with. I asked the waitress for a bunch of those little guys and squeezed them in there. It was very refreshing. And no sugar!!! Other than what naturally comes in the orange fruit. But fruits are acceptable. 2 servings a day for me is good. Normally I just eat berries. 

Joyful in all things, 

               Daisy Julia