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