What I learned on my sugar detox

  I know I've been away for a while but...life. So I did a 21 day sugar cleanse. The idea of the cleanse is that there is an overabundance of the naturally occurring yeast in your gut. By cutting out sugar for 21 days, you stop feeding the yeast and bring it down to normal levels. My friend told me about this cleanse a couple of years ago (she had gotten it from her primary care physician) but I was not in a mental space to do it. She is super fit and her dietary willpower is just... Anyway, I saw her mom a few weeks ago and she had lost a dramatic amount of weight and she said that it was from the cleanse so my vanity motivated me to try it :-). It was an interesting 3 weeks and I would just like to say: sugar is a hating ass bitch. Here are some of the things I learned on this cleanse:


1. Nutrition really is the most important part of fitness.
    We keep hearing it's 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. IT IS TRUE and I want to yell it from the mountain top. I've been working out on and off since college and been doing so consistently for the last 2+ years. While I feel better and more in shape than when I don't work out, I always find that I hit a plateau in terms of my weight loss that I thought was going to be impossible to overcome. At the end of this cleanse, I lost a total of 9 pounds, 1.5 inches off of my waist, and went down a dress size in 3 weeks. I didn't increase exercise (I exercise 4-5 days a week). I was never hungry. I just had to be smart about what I chose both in content and portion size. Which brings me to #2.

2. Sugar is in EVERYTHING.
    I basically had to give up any alcoholic beverages in the last 3 weeks because they are loaded with sugar; that wasn't a big deal. What was challenging was giving up my oatmeal breakfast and 2 pieces of fruit daily. Not to mention my treat meals and the random goodies at work I tend to find in my vicinity and eat without thinking. This cleanse really forced me to sit down and read/research/think about what I am putting into my body and I realized what a big part of the general diet sugar is.

3. I'M an all or nothing person.
    Although in general I eat pretty well, I let my cheat meals get out of hand sometimes. A cheat meal becomes a cheat day becomes a cheat week and on and on (i.e., my birthday month binge). I always felt like there were some foods that I would just NEVER be able to totally cut out. This cleanse made me realize that if I'm committing to a healthier lifestyle I have to REALLY committ. This may not be true for everyone, I'm just speaking for myself because a) I gain weight really easily and 2) I've got willpower issues. I don't buy large containers of cashews because they are my favorite and I'll inhale it all in 1-2 days. I don't keep cheese in the house very much because I will put it on everything. I don't make my comfort foods in large batches because my portion control goes out the door. When it comes to sugar, I'm going to have to be creative in how I satisfy my craving for it and that brings me to #4.

4. There are lots of healthy alternatives to the foods I love.
    Sometimes I want a sandwich. Hello coconut flour! I learned to make bread using coconut flour and it pretty much changed the bread game for me. I'm going to be doing a lot of experimenting with it in my future. I love cheese. See #5. I also love fruit. See #7. The crux of what I'm trying to say is that there is always a better version of that favorite food of yours. You just have to look for it. (sidebar: found a delicious recipe for an almost sugar free alcoholic beverage and I'm working on paleo mac and cheese.)

5. Avocados FTW!
   I love cheese. No, I LOVE cheese. Specifically cheddar and bleu cheese. Unfortunately these were off the menu for the cleanse. Too much saturated fat. Then in walks avocado. I've always loved avocado but it is a really great way to substitute for cheese. It's creamy and has lots of healthy fats and is just all around delicious. But I'm not a fan of slimcados. They may be bigger but not as delicious as regular avocados.

6. Fat isn't bad for you!
   I keep track of most of my food intake on My Fitness Pal. I usually try to keep my fat intake to a minimum and consider it a victory if I'm a couple of grams under my daily sugar intake. During this 3 week cleanse, my fat intake was over what the program said I should be taking in while cutting out most* of the sugar and I lost a significant amount of weight in a pretty short amount of time. The key is to take in good fats from things like avocados and nuts and limiting your intake of saturated fats (i.e., take the skin off your chicken and go light on the bacon)

7. Fruit extracts: get into them
   I love citrus fruits. This cleanse cut out any fruit intake for 21 days. I learned to satisfy my desire for tasty tasty fruit by flavoring cottage cheese with orange and lemon extracts and a non-sugar sweetener. Delicious. I'll be looking more to berries for my fruit intake in the future. Citrus fruits will have to be a sometimes treat.

8. Stevia is gross.
   I don't know what that nasty aftertaste is but keep it away from me. I finished out my stevia stash and started using Splenda even though that isn't too great for you either. I'm going to be switching over to Xylitol and hopefully I have better luck with it. BTW if anyone wants a bag of Coconut Palm Sugar and one of brown sugar, they're yours.

9. Preparation is key.
    This goes for the mental as well as the physical. During this cleanse I attended the wedding of two of my dearest friends. The reception was OPEN BAR with a NIGERIAN/SOUTHERN FOOD BUFFET. Satan get thee behind me! Perfect opportunity for me to slip up. But I was committed to seeing this cleanse out and I just had some chicken (I took the skin off) and collards. Plus I had my own stash of food in the car. Last weekend I went on a beach trip with my running group and there were boardwalk fries, ice cream, and funnel cakes oh my! But I had my trusty bag full of burger patties, avocado, and spinach, plus some no sugar treats and I stuck to it. You have to be willing to put in some prep work if you're going to stick to an eating plan. You don't know what people are putting in your food (I worked in a restaurant where they put sugar in the corn). Also you need something to lean on when you are tempted. I might look a little odd when I pull out my prepped food, but I've got goals to attain.

10. Eating clean isn't as hard as some people make it out to be.
    Halfway through the cleanse I got really lazy with cooking. So I went to the grocery store and I bought rotisserie chickens and veggies that required minimal prep. The hardest part was dividing the meat into appropriate portions (invest in a food scale; it is WORTH IT). While I do plan on trying out some fancier recipes, it's comforting to know that sticking to this style of eating isn't something that is going to have me constantly slaving in the kitchen.

   To sum it up, the cleanse wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and I am more than pleased with the results. I think I might keep it going a little longer. I'm definitely more aware of what kind of food I put in my body and how sugar affects me. I know that because of the way MY body works, I have to pay special attention to my sugar intake. If you want the meal sheet, send me your email and I'll be happy to share it. Let me know your experience!

*I had negligible sugar intake from some veggies and avocado.

Free Fitness Friday: App based challenges

    Accountability can be a real motivating factor in maintaining a fitness schedule. I meet up with groups and friends several times a week for different types of exercise and the fact that I have an appointment (even if it's only in my head) makes me schedule my workout into my day. But accountability doesn't necessarily have to be face to face. A few weeks ago I did a 10 mile running challenge through the Nike+ app started by @deactivatedfatgirl (check her out on IG and her blog on tumblr) that showed my progress with 100+ runners across the country.



I didn't finish first...but I finished!

   Seeing everyone's mileage go up kept me on task so I could finish the challenge. Since then I've added a few friends on the app and the competitor in me has kept up with running because I want to be at the top of the mileage list, or as close as possible.
   There are many free apps that will let you recruit your friends to muster up some motivation. Check some of them out here and here . If you know of any more please send them my way!


We all need help and it's out there

   Many people, particularly in communities of color, are reluctant to seek out mental health services because of stigma. It's getting better but it is still an issue. We don't want to be labeled as "crazy" or seen as weak. I grew up in the church and was always taught to "give all my problems to Jesus" and for many years I struggled with depression without diagnosis. I tried to power through my depression and for my troubles I suffered from thoughts of suicide, days of uncontrollable crying, and not eating for months at a time. No one noticed because I was still being a productive member of society. I was still doing well in school (during high school and college), going to the gym, holding down a job and paying my bills. A lot of times we have a pre-conceived notion of a depressed person being someone balled up on the couch under a blanket and not leaving the house. Depression takes many forms and while it can express itself that way, there is also functioning depression.
   After having multiple emotional blows happen to me within less than a year (one of my best friends died of cancer, the best relationship I had ever been in ended abruptly, I was having trouble finding steady work, and my car engine blew up and I had to buy a new one when I was going through financial difficulties), I had reached my breaking point. I would go to work and spent half the day in the bathroom trying to stop crying. I didn't enjoy doing anything fun. I stopped talking to my friends because I didn't want to have to pretend to be happy. The trigger that made me seek out professinal help was my uncontrollable crying at work. Maybe it's petty, but my problems were messing with my professionalism and that was something that I was not going to allow to continue.
   At this time I had no insurance and was not working steadily so paying for mental health services was a big road block but I knew I needed to do it. I researched low cost mental health services in my area and found a program that catered to people in my financial situation. They put me in contact with a program run by a local university and I saw a therapist for a few months.
   Let me be clear: I was not "cured" of my depression. I honestly don't think there is a cure. What did happen was that I was given coping mechanisms to get through my rough times. I had a place where I could unburden myself, cry as much as I needed to, and give voice to the feelings that I felt I couldn't admit to anyone. I learned to deal with and feel my emotions rather than push them aside and attempt to put on a brave face. I learned to express myself effectively to someone when they hurt me which was something I did not know how to do. It was a judgment free zone that helped me put some spackle on the cracks in the wall of my psyche. The wall isn't perfect, but when the cracks appear I know how to patch them up.
   I still struggle with being open about seeking professional help. While I have been able to tell some of my friends about it, I have never told anyone in my family. I'm not afraid of them thinking less of me, I just don't want to answer the questions that are sure to follow. But I am grateful for what I learned in my sessions. They saved my quality of life. I feel like I am living and not just existing. I'm able to try new things and meet new people.
   If any of what I have said resonates with you, please please please seek out help. It's there and it is one of the best things you can do for yourself. If you are in the Maryland area and are looking for low cost resources, please click here. Outside of Maryland, get some tips on where to find help here.  It's all confidential. If you know someone who this may help please pass it along. Cheers to your mental health.

A moment of publicized insecurity...

   I've been chubby my whole life. My mom said when I was a baby I was shaped like a lime. By age 4, I was too heavy for her to carry me despite my many adorable pleas to be picked up. I can remember from a young age trying to exercise to lose weight. As I grew older I ran the gamut in diets trying to lose this gut o' mine: starvation, low calorie, no carb, fruit only, master cleanse (I only lasted 3 days); if it looked like it worked, I was trying it.
   As I've gotten older I've come to realize that the healthiest way to lose weight is proper nutrition and regular exercise and the last couple of years I've been pretty good about keeping it up. But this belly is stubborn! It's something that I know is going to take time to overcome and I'm taking it day by day but everybody has bad days. Today is one of mine.
   Some days I look in the mirror and I see how far I've come and I feel like the finest thing on this earth. Step aside Naomi! On days like today...I look at where I want to be and my lack of satisfaction with my physique has me researching weight loss surgeons in my area and feeling guilty about eating ANYTHING.
   So what do I do in those moments? I used to run to my nearest fast food place and seek momentary delicious solace which would lead to a binge that could run from days to weeks. These days I do my best to acknowledge what I'm feeling, cry if I need to, and use it as motivation to stay on my journey. No sense in sabotaging the work I've already done. It's like starting to build a skyscraper, wanting it to be finished and then knocking it all down in frustration. Madness. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. The point is that I'm trying and doing my best to stay on course. And that's all I can ask of myself. Maybe this will help someone who feels the same way. This is more a letter to myself than anyone else but if it applies to you, be encouraged. It's a long road to where I want to be but one I will gladly travel.

Free Fitness Friday: Running groups

   Running has never been my favorite activity but I've come to appreciate it over the last few months. It's free, it works your entire body, and you can do it anywhere. Lately I've run farther, longer, amd more often than I ever thought I could or would. I've increased my speed, and I feel a real sense of accomplishment once I've finished. Sometimes, however, I'm not that motivated and need a little encouragement/competition/accountability to keep me going. I do this with a running group here in DC. If you're interested in finding a running group of your own, on meetup.com there are tons of running groups ranging from beginner to advanced. Besides the exercise, these groups are a great way to meet new people.

   The group that I run with that is helping DC stay healthier and build community through running is the District Running Collective. They meet every Wednesday at The Coupe on 11th st NW. The runs are anywhere from 2-4 miles and incorporate calisthenics. At the end there is usually a physical challenge and the winners are awarded prizes (gift certificates, gym memberships, etc.) Everyone is really encouraging and they have pacers to make sure that no one gets left behind. I love this group because it's people of all backgrounds and body sizes engaging in a healthy activity that encourages bonding. Check them out on facebook and IG (@districtrunningcollective). If you're in the DC area, come join us! You won't regret it.


Photos are often taken during our runs. This was me last Wednesday running up the steps at Cardozo High School.

If you like what they're doing but don't happen to be in the DC area, start your own! Happy running!

Black Supergirl!

In my first post I posted an image of a Black Supergirl and I said that I did not know who drew it. After a little research, I found the illustrator! I want to give credit where credit is due so here is the full image with their watermark. Check out his work on his tumblr page and his blog at http://illuminatedarkness.blogspot.com. He's got some really cool illustrations :-)

I hate eating vegetables...

...so I drink them.

   I think vegetables are gross. If I had it my way it would be bacon cheeseburgers all day. I'm a meat and potatoes girl and prior to my mid-twenties, one would be hard-pressed to find anything green on my plate. I don't like salad dressing so covering my veggies in it gives a 1000% certainty that I won't be eating them. As I've gotten older I've become better about incorporating vegetables into my diet but by far the most enjoyable way for me to get them in is to throw them in a blender. I can get a large volume of them in quickly and sweeten it up with some fruit to make it more palatable for me.

   I've been experimenting with different smoothie recipes and I'm always looking for new ones. So what are some of your favorites? Any particular ingredients that kick your smoothies into high gear? I've been putting beets in mine lately and they're pretty tasty. Also how do you get your veggies in? Any tips to make those suckers taste good without smothering them in salt and butter?