Sugar Detox - Days 3-4

Highlight of my day: MILK in my coffee!!!  It was AMAZING!  My original plan was to keep drinking black coffee and have cheese in my salad, but since I was going to a coffee shop with a friend this morning, I decided to splurge on a latte.  It was incredible.  Before the sugar detox, I would've put a packet of sugar in a latte, but it was SO GOOD to me with just the coffee and milk.  Since I can have one cup of milk per day, I've decided to spread it out to my usual three cups of coffee throughout the day for the rest of the week.  I really do not like black coffee, but I think I might be able to live with just milk in my coffee and no sugar.  The guy at the coffee shop said the latte had a shot of espresso and 200 ml of milk, so I put 50 ml of milk in my coffee this afternoon.  It wasn't as good as the latte (which was almost all milk), but it was a definite improvement.  I'm hoping that 1/3 cup of milk in my coffee will be perfect for me.

So, we had the same breakfast (which is tasting better and better and getting more filling each day) and almost the same lunch.  The only change to our lunch salad is that we added grated carrots and Cameron also added shredded cheese.  It was interesting how I didn't necessarily taste the carrots, but the salad overall tasted much better to me with them.  It really did taste sweeter. 

For dinner we made a stir-fry, which was pretty good.  It had chicken, broccoli, carrots, peas, sesame oil, soy sauce, and ginger.  It was surprising how good it tasted without added sugar.  Normally when we would make Chinese, we would include noodles/rice, teriyaki sauce (lots of sugar), and honey.  I could still taste that it wasn't super sweet, but it was really good.  It was funny that I had been looking forward to my first fruit, but after I ate dinner I was feeling full.  I decided to eat the apple anyway, but it wasn't as good as I had anticipated.  I think maybe tomorrow we will try having the apple as an afternoon snack instead.  It does get a little old eating only cashews for our snack.  I'm also thinking about getting some hummus, since we can eat it with carrot sticks now.  I've also considered making my own peanut butter to eat with carrot sticks, but we'll see.

Overall on day 4, I'm feeling pretty good.  I am looking forward to adding more dairy and fruit options.


Day 3

I was too tired last night to update the blog, but it wasn't too different from days 1 & 2.  The main difference is that I ran with my C25K plan for the first time since starting the sugar detox.  I was worried that I may feel lightheaded, so I even kept a granola bar in my fanny pack, but I was fine.  It was about as difficult as it usually is for me to run, so I thought that was pretty good.  I did eat a few more cashews at my next snack after the run, because I was feeling more hungry, but it wasn't overpowering.

Sugar Detox - Day 2

Today was much better.  I ate exactly the same things as yesterday, so I didn't take any pictures.  I still felt somewhat unsatisfied with my meals, but not as bad.  We took Sara for a routine check up today, and I was concerned that I might have trouble speaking in Romanian (we always speak to our pediatrician in Romanian), but actually it was fine.  The chicken lentil soup was a lot better, since I actually followed the recipe this time.  I still don't like it that much, but it was better.  Black coffee is still disgusting to me.  Overall, I feel pretty ok, just a little bored with the food.

An important note from a friend of mine: make sure that if you follow a diet like this that you don't forget to include HEALTHY FATS.  I ate an entire avocado in my lunch salad, a ton of cashews for a snack, and also the egg yolks have fat in them.  Without the healthy fats, you can have major health problems.  But if you are wanting to try this diet, please read the actual article with the details to make sure you follow it properly.  http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/09/health/sugar-detox-food-drayer/index.html I'm not a nutritionist - I'm just writing about my experience.

We made a menu for days 4-7.  Starting day 4, you can eat one apple and one serving of dairy (full fat) per day.  You can also add sweet vegetables, such as carrots and sugar snap peas, and you can add one serving of high fiber crackers.  Lean meats other than chicken are a little hard to come by here, but I found a sirloin steak that doesn't look too fatty, so I'm super excited to have that.  That also goes with some advice I received from friends to make sure to include foods I can get excited about.  Here is our menu:

Days 4 and 5 (Friday and Saturday):
     Breakfast: Eggs w/ spinach, tomato, black coffee (same as days 1-3)
     Snack: Cashews, black coffee (same as days 1-3)
     Lunch: Salad with lettuce, tomato, avocado, black beans, CHEESE, CARROTS, chicken, olive oil, and Italian seasoning
     Snack: Cashews (if needed), black coffee
     Dinner: Stir-fry with chicken, CARROTS, PEAS, broccoli, eggs, sesame oil, soy sauce, and maybe cinnamon.  APPLE for dessert and black tea to drink.

Days 6 and 7 (Sunday and Monday)
     Breakfast: Eggs w/ spinach, tomato, black coffee (same as days 1-3)
     Snack: Cashews, black coffee (same as days 1-3)
     Lunch: Soup w/ chicken, CARROTS, PEAS, broccoli, CHEESE, and CRACKERS
     Snack: Cashews (if needed), black coffee
     Dinner: Sirloin steak w/ garlic, boiled CARROTS and broccoli.  APPLE  for dessert and black tea to drink.

Sugar Detox - Day 1

Overall, it was pretty much as miserable as I expected.  It was a really odd feeling of having a full belly, yet feeling lightheaded and unable to think clearly.  During my morning snack, I felt like I needed to eat, yet I wasn't hungry.  I felt the difference between hunger and a sugar craving.
Here are some pictures and comments about meals and how the day went:

For breakfast, we ended up putting spinach in the eggs and having the tomatoes on the side.  Although it tasted good, I felt very unsatisfied without my usual whole wheat bread and cream cheese.  Black coffee is really disgusting, but I drank it because I wanted to keep my caffeine intake the same as usual so the withdrawal wouldn't be doubled.  I also drank a glass of water.

Midmorning, we had a snack of cashews and black coffee.  This is when I felt the worst.  I felt very faint and was a big worried about watching Sara while Cameron did schoolwork, but I pushed through.  This was also when I felt the difference between being hungry and having a sugar craving.  I considered making myself another egg or cutting a tomato, but I told myself that my belly was full (which it was) and that I could make it without sugar. 

Lunch was salad with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, black beans, chicken, olive oil, and parsley.  We ended up adding Italian seasoning, which helped a lot.  I had pretty much the same feeling as breakfast that, yes it was good, but it just wasn't satisfying.  My belly was full, but I wanted more.  I drank just water with lunch.

I had planned another optional snack for the afternoon, but I could feel that it wasn't food that I needed - it was sugar that I wanted.  I ended up having a cup of coffee around 3:30PM, and I felt quite a bit better after that.  Those are my normal times for coffee: breakfast, midmorning, and midafternoon, so I wanted to keep that the same.  I still didn't feel good or normal, just not quite as woozy as earlier in the day.

For dinner was chicken lentil soup with added broccoli and black tea. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough lentils, so I decided to make a half-recipe that we would eat all tonight.  Then in my brain fog, I forgot to halve the recipe.  So it had half the lentils and chicken, but all the water and spices.  It was horrible.  But I didn't really have any other option, so I just ate it.  Plus, I normally put bread or crackers in my soup.  It was so watery.  Also, I don't even really like lentil soup that much.  It's just hard because I really like food, and I feel like I have eaten today, but I haven't liked any of it.  After dinner I said to Cameron, "I really want dessert."  He replied, "You can have some water."  Sigh.

Sugar Detox - Day 0

Day 0 "Fat Monday"

Tomorrow Cameron & I are starting a "Sugar Detox."  I had been thinking about cutting down sugar for a while, but now that I'm finished breastfeeding, I feel like I can.  A friend posted this article on Facebook a few days ago http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/09/health/sugar-detox-food-drayer/index.html and I decided it was time.  I've been running for 6 weeks now using a C25K program, but I haven't lost any weight at all, which is really disappointing.  But I have felt better and I have more energy, so I still feel it has been worth it.

Basically for the sugar detox, you have NOTHING sweet for 3 days.  No bread.  No dairy.  No fruit.  Not even sweet vegetables, like carrots.  No artificial sweeteners.  So then the question that follows is: what can you eat?  We made a list of acceptable foods and created a menu.  We ended up deciding to keep it simple by eating the same thing all three days.  Here is our menu:

Breakfast: Eggs with spinach and tomato, black coffee
Snack (optional): cashews/peanuts, black coffee
Lunch: Salad with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, black beans, chicken, olive oil, and parsley for flavor
Snack (optional): cashews/peanuts, black coffee
Dinner: Chicken Lentil soup, black tea

And of course we will drink plenty of water to stay well-hydrated.

So, since Monday is our sabbath day anyway, we decided to make it our last sugar hoorah.  We usually have pancakes and eggs on Mondays, and I wanted to keep the tradition.  :)

For lunch, we had leftover Subway sandwiches and leftover chocolate cupcakes I had made for church on Sunday.

I had my favorite my last cup of coffee (with milk and sugar) and cereal for an afternoon snack.

And for dinner was the ultimate grand finale: Pizza Hut!  I've only had pizza once since Sara was born, and it gave her horrible gas pain.  I wanted to have Pizza Hut as a celebration of being finished with breastfeeding/pumping, but then it worked out well to do it also right before the sugar detox.

"Clothing Purgatory" really works!

It was August 2015 when I went through my clothes and made my "clothing purgatory" suitcase of clothes I didn't think I would wear but I just couldn't bring myself to give away.  I also turned my hangers backwards, put a piece of paper around each of my sweaters, and put a bunch of skirts in a bag. 

The idea was to see what I was actually wearing.  My rule for the suitcase was that I could get anything out anytime I wanted - but I could only get out a specific item that I thought of sight unseen. Since then, I've gotten a few things out and put a few more things in the suitcase, but the majority remained in there. 

Since I've started my "self-care" hour every evening from 8-9PM (which I highly recommend!), I've started going through my clothes again.  Recently, I decided to go through the "clothing purgatory" suitcase again.  Most of the minimalist websites tell you to just donate whatever you put away without looking at it, but the packrat in me just can't do it.  But the separation really helped me to see that I don't need these items and gave me the peace of mind to give them away to someone who will actually use them.  I found myself willing to give away almost everything that had been in the suitcase.  I filled up two large bags of clothes to give away. 

 
I put one sweater and one pair of athletic shorts back with my regular clothes, and two pairs of pants that are just a little bit too small in my "too small" section.  I'm hoping that running the C25K again will help me get back into them soon.  I noticed another trend which goes along with my previous post: my former need to have things in every color.  I had a matching winter scarf/hat/gloves set in multiple colors, which I used to rotate and wear them all.  But in more recent years, I've just worn one set, which is the warmest one.  I'm still keeping another two sets for now.

I was just amazed at how easy I found it to get rid of some items that I had struggled with previously.  The separation made a huge difference for me.  I highly recommend it if you're struggling with giving away certain items. 

Giving Away 62% of my Jewelry

This is a really hard one for me.  You can look at my jewelry collection and see different colors, styles, patterns, etc., but I see memories.  I see special vacation memories, gifts from friends and family, even good times I had wearing certain items.  Some of them were my favorites for years!  But I'm changing.  I'd like to think that I'm growing.  Styles have changed, my tastes have changed - I no longer feel the need to have one of every color.  I used to pride myself on having a necklace and earring set (and of course Old Navy flip flops) in every color to match everything.  But I'm getting more comfortable with metallics and neutrals and just choosing a few colors to be my signature.  I'm almost afraid to post pictures with this post for fear that I will hurt people's feelings who gave me gifts.  Please don't be offended if I'm giving away something you gave me.  I have loved and worn all of the jewelry that I'm choosing to give away.  It doesn't do justice to keep it in a box or even hanging on my wall if I never wear them anymore.  My interest in minimalism is to reduce stress and decision fatigue.  The only way to do that is to have fewer options.

I'm experimenting with having a very very small amount of visible options currently in use.  I also  have jewelry I'm keeping that I think I may want to wear.  Then I'm giving away the rest in the hope that someone else will wear them and enjoy them.  Jewelry is made to be worn and enjoyed.

Here is the breakdown of the numbers:

In use:
1 set necklace with 2 earrings
2 sets necklace with earrings
1 watch
Total: 8 items (9.5 %)

Keeping:
4 sets necklace with earrings
1 watch
2 rings
3 necklaces
10 pairs of earrings
Total: 24 items (28.5%)
    (in use + keeping: 38%)

Giving away:
10 sets necklace with earrings
7 necklaces
21 pairs of earrings
4 bracelets
Total: 52 items (62%)

Total items: 84

Reducing my jewelry has been an ongoing process for me.  The first time I had to do it was before we moved overseas in 2012.  I got rid of a lot.  I also made a hanging jewelry organizer out of an old pair of jeans.  Gradually, as my tastes were changing, it got really crowded.  I don't remember when, but at some point, I sorted again.  I left only my favorites on the organizer and put away the rest on some scrap fabric.

I had chosen a few jewelry items as part of my current capsule wardrobe.  Just a few days ago, I decided it would help if I could only see the "available" jewelry.  I've always wanted a jewelry tree, but I've always had too much.  I chose my small amount, put them in a bowl, and ordered a jewelry tree online.  Btw I didn't count my wedding ring as part of the numbers, but I did count a necklace and earring set I ordered online (not pictured because it hasn't arrived yet).  I've been wanting a gold leaf set for a long time, and I finally found one I like. 

Current jewelry

Jewelry I'm keeping

Spring 2017 Postpartum Nursing Capsule Wardrobe - April/May

Pretty much after the trip to Geneva in January, I just kept those clothes/outfits as my "capsule" for February/March.  I made a few minor adjustments, but it worked well enough that it didn't merit the time and energy to make a new capsule.

Since then, one thing I did was put only 2 pairs of shoes in our entryway for me to choose from: low-heel ankle boots and navy slip-on sneakers.  If I needed to look nicer and didn't need to do much walking (ex. church), I wore the boots.  If I needed to do a lot of walking and could be more casual, I wore the sneakers.  I've worn only those two pairs of shoes for at least the past month.  It was so easy with limited choices.

For my Spring 2017 capsule, I added a 3rd pair of shoes, mostly for when it rains:

I made my April/May capsule a different way than I have in the past: I sat down with pencil and paper, writing my capsule without looking at my closet at all.  I did it completely from memory.  I ended up with 30 pieces.  After looking at my closet, I added a few extra options, but overall I was pretty happy with it.

I've stuck with my usual "uniform" of jeans, t-shirt, blazer, and scarf.  With my husband's help, I did an experiment that I will vulnerably share with you:

I was trying to determine whether my shirt looked better tucked in or left out and which way to tie my scarf.  I ended up deciding the bottom right picture was the most flattering right now.  One issue is that, because I wear curvy jeans, they are cut higher in the back than the front, which can accentuate a tummy.  But a blazer covers the back, so it's not as noticeable.

I made a small capsule for a trip we made last week, using navy and brown as my neutrals and teal and burnt orange as my main colors.  

I'm still not sold on wearing burnt orange in the spring, because it seems like such a fall color, but it is a good color on me and I like getting more wear out of my clothes, so it is staying so far.  I just can't bring myself to put it away until next fall.  I'm realizing that I'm wearing more navy than brown lately.  For example, I'm super excited about two new blanket scarves that I bought: one is brown/orange and the other is navy/teal.

I really really like them both, and I don't want to limit myself to only one per season.  But the brown/orange one screams "fall" and the blue one could work anytime.  So far I'm keeping burnt orange as an option year-round.

I've been wanting a blanket scarf for a long time, but I could never find one in my colors.  I'm so happy with these I found on AmazonUK.  They are also great at helping hide a tummy:

A side note regarding this picture is that I realized I am missing what could be a very helpful base item in my wardrobe: a long-sleeved navy t-shirt.  I have a brown one, but the closest thing I had that I could wear under the blue blanket scarf was this striped shirt.  I also have a poncho that would be awesome, but I never had anything I could wear under it except a teal dress.  A navy long-sleeve would be perfect for the poncho as well.

Of course, now that I'm getting around to writing this, it's starting to get too warm outside for such things, but hindsight is 20/20, as they say.  If I consider that I'm building a lifelong wardrobe, rather than just for the current season, it still merits buying a navy long-sleeve. 

Another postpartum problem I've had, and particularly regarding wearing navy, is that really only one pair of my jeans fit me right now.  They are supposed to be dark denim, but look a bit more like navy pants.  Because of that, I feel like I can't wear my navy tops as much.  I have a nice navy sweater and a new navy blazer, but I haven't worn them much lately.  I ordered a pair of medium-wash jeans in the same size and fit as the ones I have, but they were sadly too tight.  :(  I have since ordered a pair in a size larger, and I hope to be able to get them soon from the post office here.  One difficult thing for me living overseas is that I have to wait a month or more to get the clothes I want sometimes.  I either wait for a package from my mom or for someone to bring it to me with their luggage.  I had a pair of boots shipped once, and it was worth it, but it is expensive.  I can get some tops here, but not pants, because they just are too skinny for me.  I've considered having clothes radically tailored or even made from scratch, but I haven't tried it.  I have these ideas in my mind of clothes I would like to have, but finding them is the hard part.  The struggle is in being happy with what I have, though it's not ideal, but maybe adding a little if I can find what I want. 

Something I noticed last week (it's always interesting the things I learn when I have to live out of a suitcase) is that I wore my denim chambray shirt A LOT.  I didn't really like it at first, but it's really growing on me.  The snaps are super easy for nursing, it's semi-structured but not too form-fitting, and the color works with my dark denim jeans.  I really wish I could find a dress just like it, but with a defined waist, that I could wear as it gets warmer.

One problem that is only getting worse as it gets warmer is that the shirts that are easy for nursing are not the most flattering.  For example, the batwing t-shirts.  They are so easy to nurse in, because I can pull them down (instead of up, exposing my whole belly), but they really accentuate my belly. You can see it even in this picture with a blazer:

But that is the struggle of postpartum - looking pregnant when you're not anymore.  Now that the weather is getting nicer, I'm planning to do the couch to 5k again.  I really hate it, but I need to do something, and I'm too out of shape for Zumba right now.  I need a middle-of-the-road exercise where I can go at my own pace.

Maybe this will be my "before" picture, and in a few months I can show you an awesome "after" picture.