Fitness | Day 15 of my 30 Day Sugar Detox Program

Writing this post comes with pleasure and pain especially since today is my 56th birthday.  I'm currently on a 30 Day Sugar Detox Program where i'm substituting a delicious smoothie for one of my main meals. It's been hard cutting out sugar i'm not going to lie. It's hard to really know how much sugar we're consuming on a daily basis because sugar is in everything.... I mean everything!

 I have been consuming around 1000 to 1200 calories a day, I know that may seem low for some people but I am never hungry.  My body stabilizes at a certain weight and the weight won't budge unless I trick it in some way.  So fluctuating in calories is my way of tricking my body to burn the fat. On days that I lower my calorie intake, I only do a 32oz sugar detox protein shake for breakfast. I always add a scoop of protein powder to all my shakes.

As far as exercising, i've been hitting the gym everyday.  I'm retired so I have the time, but the trick is to stay consistent.  My workouts consist of weights and cardio while in the gym.  I use the stationery weight machines that mostly require sitting or laying. I don't use the free weights or barbells because I don't want to hurt my body.  I alternate between upper and lower, upper body is Tues & Thurs and lower body is Mon, Wed and Fri.  On Saturdays I do Yoga and Sunday's I rest.

 

I'm also wrapping with Albolene and saran wrap when I do cardio. Albolene is really great for melting away the fat or shrinking the fat cells... though people say it's not permanent, I feel as long as i'm not consuming sugar my fat cells will stay shrunken. I wrote a really great post on how Albolene is very effective for removing cellulite, you can read about it here.

For cardio, I use the elliptical machines while at the gym.  I do cardio after I finish my weights. I also do other types of cardio outside of the gym. I go roller skating at the beach two times a week in lieu of indoor cardio and I also have an exercise bike at home that I absolutely love.  I can burn 1000 calories sitting on that bike while using my laptop catching up on YT videos.

I think investing in a program that gives you a nutritional balance that creates a healthy way of living for the long term is the way to go if you can't do it on your own.  I sought counseling from Sharon Chavers, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach from Intuitive Wellness, LLC.  Her style is listening to your inner health guide and determining what is right for you by eliminating the products from your diet and customizing an eating plan based on your individual lifestyle.

All these years I did not know that Sugar was my enemy.... but it really is.  Sugar is in everything that I loved, bbq sauce, ketchup, salad dressing, yogurt and protein bars. Even the sugar in fruits should be consumed in moderation.  But the key is to replace these processed items with more healthier choices and learn to mix and make your own items from scratch.  I love making my own salad dressing.  I even carry a small container in my purse if i'm going to a restaurant where I know i'm going to have a salad. I ask them to put the dressing on the side, then I just use my own:) I have to do it if I want to get back to the size I was in the photo below when I weighed 138.0.

My goal weight is 138.0.  I took the photo below when I wrote this blog post back in August 2013 right before my 54th birthday.  I want to get back to this size again and the way to do it is to cut sugar completely from my diet, eat clean and healthy and to keep on exercising!