Thanks to the holidays and my sheer lack of will power, I’ve developed quite the sweet tooth over the last couple of months. I’ve done a more mild “let’s cut out processed sugars” for a few days before, but this time I am doing something a little more severe. This article popped up in my Facebook feed last week:

Your Easy Guide to the Sugar Detox Diet

It got me thinking about doing another sugar detox, but doing it right this time….or at least cutting out all sugars, not just the processed kind. Once I decided to actually do this, I did what I always do when I want more information on something, I spent way too much time on Pinterest. After reading through countless pins about doing a sugar detox I decided to cut out all sugar, carbs and dairy for three days then slowly add them back in.

So here’s how it went…

Day 1 (Tuesday):

I packed a completely ridiculous amount of food for my breakfast and lunch the night before. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t get hungry at any point during my work day. I tend to eat absentmindedly at work and I really need to start planning ahead for when hunger strikes.

Since I get up even before the crack of dawn (4:30 am) I eat breakfast at work and I always spend the majority of my calories on this meal. I hard boiled three eggs and had about a quarter cup of pecans. I also had some hot water with lemon in it to drink. I’m surprised at how full I felt after this. Breakfast was the meal I was most worried about since I tend to get migraines if my blood sugar gets too low.

Lunch and dinner went well and I had plenty of veggies prepared to snack on. Did I mention I was also giving up my beloved Diet Dr Pepper? That was the hardest part of my day. I didn’t get any “withdrawal” headaches, but I missed my fizzy drink.

Day 2 (Wednesday):

I planned basically the same food for all three days. I’m a creature of habit and eating the same thing every day doesn’t bother me the way it does my husband.

Mid-morning I started to get an odd headache, not a migraine, but I just couldn’t shake it. I ended up succumbing to a carb, I had half of an English muffin. It seemed to satisfy whatever craving my body was having and the headache magically went away.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. No sugar, carbs or dairy for the rest of the day and the headache never came back. Yay!

Day 3 (Thursday):

Day 3 was a little different. I took an extended weekend so I didn’t have the routine of work to keep me in check. I got up and took my daughter to school and she asked if we could go to McDonald’s for breakfast before she went in. She was so excited about going in later than usual, I couldn’t say no. Just look at how stinkin’ cute she is

Anywho, we went to McDonald’s and I ordered an Egg White Delight without cheese. Let me tell you, it was a little difficult to choke that sandwich down without the cheese. Bleck! The rest of the day went well, even though I did give into temptation and had a small Diet Dr Pepper. I swear the rest of the day was sugar, carb, dairy and Diet Dr Pepper free!!

By the end of day three I felt really good and I felt even better the next morning when I stepped on the scale and I had lost three pounds since the prior week. Woohoo!!

What I learned from all of this:

1. I heart Diet Dr Pepper, it is honestly my version of crack. It was by far the most difficult thing to try and give up.

2. Dairy really is not my friend. I split a chocolate milkshake with Robert after my three days were up and was reminded that while I love dairy, it only mildly tolerates me.

3. It was actually not as horrible and unpleasant as I thought it would be. I think I could do this a couple days a week.

4. I felt so much better after this little detox that I even started running, ok more like jogging, again.

5. Water, unlike dairy, really is my friend. I had forgotten how filling it is. There were were many occasions during this little detox where I thought I was hungry and it turned out I was just thirsty.

All in all, I would call it a success. Since the three days have been up, I have had virtually no cravings for sugar. I have added back fruit and, of course, Diet Dr Pepper, but in moderation. I am at least trying to limit myself to one soda a day. As for dairy, this whole thing made me realize that I’m better off without it. I may still eat cheese occasionally, but certainly not as frequently as I used to. I have a serious love for über sharp cheddar, so if I do splurge I will make sure it’s worth my while.

Farewell cheese, I will miss you!!!