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