Week One Off Sugar

I'm on day seven of my first week off sugar, so I thought I'd give you a run down of how it's all going. It's going, much, much better than last time! Last time I had some ridiculous detox symptoms, including (but not limited to) incredibly bad breakouts, being exhausted all the time (and looking it!), nausea and dizzy spells. Not much fun. Of course, I also lowered my caffeine intake at this time, switching from black tea to green tea, and my usual green teas were switched to herbal. So that would have made things even more difficult. Well, after my work on detoxing my body in preparation for this, I have had much fewer issues this time round. I have only had one breakout, I'm only slightly more tired than usual (and look only slightly more tired, not utterly exhausted and wrecked), and the only time I've had any nausea is when my blood sugar levels have dropped too much. I have had a few new detox symptoms, but they weren't as unpleasant and they are apparently ones that you get towards the end of a detox, when things are going to clear up immensely. Of course, detox symptoms aren't the only thing that one deals with when one gives up sugar. There is the pysical adjustment to less sweetness in your diet, the emotional adjustments to less sugar in your diet, and the having to pull yourself up on old habits. For me, after the detox, the habit one was the hardest. There were two occasions where I really wanted to buy some sweets - both habit filled occasions. One was that it was warm when I was walking down Glenferrie rd, where I do a lot of my shopping, I saw Trampoline, and thought, "I want an ice-cream". The other was when I got lunch out at work, and after getting my lunch at one place I walk to another place to get a cake. After my lunch, I really wanted that cake. But again, I resisted. And in both cases, once I had resisted the cravings went away, in less than 5 minutes. This week will hopefully be even easier, because I'm planning to switch all my green teas to herbal teas this week. That's right, I'll be almost entirely caffeine free, and sugar sugar free! And hopefully, with this and my calcium supplements, my bones will be picking up some mass.

Detox Part Two: Toxins Out

I posted yesterday about how I was detoxing by limiting the amount of toxins that I was consuming through a source most people don't think about, their hygiene products.  Today I'm going to mention what most people think of as detoxing.

Now, in case you were wondering, I have not, and cannot ever see myself doing that cayenne pepper and lemon juice thing.  I get hungry, and hungry a LOT.  Plus, I actually need to have a fair amount of energy because of my metabolism problem.  So it's pretty much ruled out on medical grounds.

But here are the more conventional ways I am helping my body to detox in preparation to going off sugar again:

Dry Body Brushing: I don't have a brush, but I do have a loofah.  I just brush my skin one to two times a day and it removes dead skins and improves circulation.  It takes about 1-2 minutes each time.

Supplements: I prefer to get a big proportion of my nutrition through food, but I am taking supplements.  In terms of detoxing, I take a multi-vitamin with spirulina every morning, and probiotics (with my calcium tablets) in the evening.

Apple Cidear Vinegar Baths: I aim to have two to three baths a week with 1 cup of apple cidear vinegar in it.  I'm not a big fan of baths, but I'm slowly beginning to not hate this.  I save my magazines for this time, and my lighter books. 

Bikram: Bikram yoga is known for its detox potential.  You exercise in 40 degree heat, doing a variety of poses that help remove toxins from your system.  I didn't expect to like it, but I do, and for those who want a less 'spiritual' type of yoga (read, one that doesn't incorporate hindu or buddist philosophies into its practice) then Bikram is a great choice for you!

Fess: Fess is a saline spray that you can get at most chemists.  You spray it up your nose, then blow your nose.  It gets out a surpising amount of gunk.  I was actually put on fess for a while by my allergy specialist!  It has preservatives in it, but they are low allergen.  That said, I'm probably going to change formula soon to minimise any potential toxins.

Massage: I get a massage once a week.  I used to once a fortnight, as I work with kids and its tough on your back, but once a week seems to be working better.  That said, I had a killer reaction to my massage last week - one knot being released actually made me feel like vomitting for two days straight!  It had been a really sore point for the whole week, and I'm glad it was released and fixed!

Liquids:  I'm very mindful to drink plenty at this time.  I aim for two litres of water (I exercise a lot, so it's not as much as it sounds) plus several cups of green or herbal tea, and at least 3 glasses of juice and a smoothie.  It sounds like a lot, but as I said, I do exercise a fair bit, so it's not actually that much.  And it helps get toxins that are no longer being held in my fat cells (or other cells) out of my body completely.

So that's how I'm detoxing at the moment!

Detoxing Part One

One of the big things that happened when I came off sugar was a massive detox. It really was pretty bad - much worse than I would expect given that my only vice for years HAS been sugar (and tea, though that's much less of a vice).

As I need to come back off the sugar soon, I need to find a way of not going into such a massive detox all at once.  My solution is to detox more moderately now, while still on sugar.  It's still difficult, I'm having issues with my blood sugar levels, and I find it really hard to do anything after about 7pm. But it is much, much better than before.

So, how am I doing this detox?

Welcome to part one: o more toxins in!

Quite frankly, when i started reading about this, I was surprised at the extent of toxins in our daily life.  I may never have smoked, but I do put on two deodorants every day - roll-on AND spray.  I wash my hair (aren't you glad) and use body wash.  I wash my hands up to 20 times in an hour for work, with soap every time.

All of the conventional versions of these products contain lots and LOTS of toxins. Some are famous (like parabens and sulfates) but others are less so.

One of the things you realise as a coeliac is that you can absorb gluten through your skin every bit as much as through your mouth.  Sure, you may not get the terrible stomach pain, but other effects are still going to happen. For me, this includes panic attacks, general anxiety, and fatigue. That's right, play-dough gives me panic attacks!

Just as you absorb gluten through your skin, you can absorb the chemicals in hygiene products through your skin. And boys, don't think you've got off easy - you still use deodorants, shampoo and body wash on a regular basis, as well as other products (like sunscreen) occasionally. Most of these will contain some toxins.

So I replaced mine. I didn't try and work out which were the most toxic and therefore should be replaced first, I replaced the ones I use most often first, and am slowly working my way down the list.

So deodorant got replaced first, followed rapidly by body wash. (I've used herbal toothpaste for years, as if I use conventional ones I get sensitive teeth.)  I still have my old soap at home, but I have an organic soap at work. I have organic, natural hand creams, and an organic shampoo.

I do still have other stuff to replace. I still have all my old make-up, for example. But I wear make-up only once or twice a month, so it's nowhere near as big of a deal as deodorant.

I really advise that you read the ingredients on any products you put on your skin - and even what you wash your clothes with.  Some people ARE more sensitive than others, but no one does well with aluminium sprayed on their lymph nodes.

This has actually made a big difference to me.  The dry patches on my hands are now just dry, and not red and bleeding, I don't cough when I spray my deodorant, and I am slowly detoxing, without the sudden and horrid effects of the first time!

And incidentally - cost wise most of these products weren't any more expensive than the hypo-allergenic ones I had to use anyway.  Some were much cheaper, as I was able to get a good deal from my local organics store.  I bought my (organic and all natural) spray deodorant for $5 at chemist warehouse!  So it can cost more, but it doesn't have to.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll post part two of my slower detox!