When I started this blog, I wasn’t sure exactly what and where I wanted it to go. Simultanelously, in my personal life I’ve been working deeply and intently on releasing my attachment to sugar and refined carbs.
Well, truth be told, lately my commitment to being “off white” has been less than ideal. Okay, it sucks. I have some health issues (leaky gut and candida…..sexy,huh!) that really need me to be very low sugar and high veggies and protein. Sugar is seriously like crack for my brain and like a train wreck for my digestive system. It simply does not work. For a while I was rockin’….and slowly the white stuff began creeping back in. A slice of bread here, a piece of cheese there, etc.
This past week has been tough because my body has been hit hard again with what I know always happens when I eat lots of sugar, dairy, and grains. I feel like crap. I gain weight. I get constipated (TMI for some of you, and I’m sorry, but it’s true!)
And then last night, a cathartic moment: I can use my blog to share my journey as I recommitt to the off-white lifestyle, and maybe other people will get something out of my trials and tribulations. I mean, if I’m going to suffer through sugar detox yet again, at least maybe one of you can learn something or at least get a good laugh as I lament about the hardship of driving past the donut shop without the overwhelming urge to pull in and eat every cream puff and bismark bar available.
So, in addition to the other stuff I ramble about, I’m gonna ramble about me too, and about my off-white journey.
What I did to get started:
You know, when I start a new project, I like to begin with a clean slate. For me, this means having 2-days of very “light” eating, to give the ol’ GI system a rest. Lord knows I’ve been asking it to work double time lately with those extra bites of bread, the walnut pig-out earlier this week and the ever antagonizing junky hot chocolate.
To reset myself, for two days, I eat the following:
3 servings of veggies/day, with at least 2 being green (today was spinach mostly, with some tomatoes and carrots thrown in there)
2-3 servings of whole fruits, and maybe a few anti-oxidant rich dried fruits like dates. Yes, I know dates are high in sugar, but I’m trying to just reduce what I eat and keep things simple. I will focus on low sugar fruits soon. I don’t give up the sweet easy, you see.
2 servings of high quality protein powder/day, made into a shake. I like Whey Factors because I can’t have soy (allergy).
Tons of water and some herbal tea if I want. I choose to have some random cinnamon/cardamom tea at a local coffee shop. Good stuff.
What I noticed:
- Even in 24 hrs I have more mental energy than I have had in several weeks. In the course of the evening I went walking, called my mom, returned an item via UPS (required packaging it up – I’d been putting it off), gave my husband a mini-massage, cooked some sweet potato and spaghetti squash for the weekend, called a friend, vacuumed and am now blogging. And its only 9;15pm. This is more than I’ve done all week.
- My digestion is already better. That whole constipation issue…yeah, its gone. Enough said.
- I’m not hungry, despite the light foods I’m eating. I’m getting what I need. I’m not stuffing just a little more in. I feel good.
- I’m actually excited about the potential of being free of the sugar/white stuff bondage. It is so oppressive.
- I’m willing to share this with you. That is a big deal for me.
That’s it kids! More tomorrow.
Off White Living 
Always inspiring! Miss you and thank you so much for this! I will take note!
thank you so much for sharing these intimate details..it really does help those of us who struggle down the same path. Just reaffirms we are all in this together.
I myself was a complete BOTTOMLESS pit yesterday. Just one of those days I could not get satisfied. I finally just up and left the house and went to the gym early to workout before my class in order to get away from food….
Oh, thanks for that. (BTW I love the mushroom barley recipe – will be trying it out when I get back from travelling in May).
Question re: protein powder. I’m a big fan of avoiding ‘fake’ food (i.e. what you write about mostly – additives, msg etc) and will plump for, for example, butter over margarine. So I’ve always avoided protein powder – as it’s got to be heavily processed. But lots of diets and health kicks seem to opt for it. Am I missing out by avoiding it?
BTW – also can’t have soy – which is a pain when buying bread (they all have soy flour in, in UK) so I try to make my own when I’m at home (in a machine – not by hand!)
Hi Mel
good question re: protein powder. I use them strategically during certain cleansing/detox times in my life rather than daily. The trick is getting a good one, as many of them are junk. I prefer either a whey protein (without soy, not super easy to find), or a brown rice protein (very easily digested).
I did a little further investigation on whey protein (I want to know more too): The quality of the processing has a lot to do with the quality of the protein. Whey protein isolates are more ‘pure’ but miss some of the vital components that make whey protein anti-inflammatory and easy to digest. Whey protein concentrates have the good stuff, but may be ‘littered’ with lactose and other dairy bi-products.
I hopped on the Whey Factors site, and got this :
Whey Factors™ High Protein Formula
Natural Factors WheyFactors™ is a high quality, low carbohydrate protein powder with a high biological value and concentration of muscle-enhancing branched-chain amino acids (BCAA). Not just for athletes, Whey Factors is an excellent dietary source of protein for active adults, children, the elderly or anyone who needs to boost their intake.
Protein provides long term energy, helps build lean muscle and supports healing and recovery for the ill or injured.
Low in lactose, and with only 1 gram of digestible carbohydrates per serving, Whey Factors is 100 % Whey in a non-hydrolyzed, high quality concentrate and isolate protein blend. You get the highest percentage of protein per gram of whey. Anti-inflammatory bromelain and other enzymes make Whey Factors easy to digest.
This is why I choose this product versus others: it has good quality and is designed to be easily digested as well as still have the key enzymes. You also want high “biological value’ because this means your body can actually absorb and use the product, like “food”.
Good protein powders are easy to digest, which is why they are good for stressed immune systems or stressed GI systems. Meat is my preferred protein source (oh, and eggs) but for temporary times I want something less complex to break down and I go for a protein powder.
For a brown rice powder, I use Apex. It spendy : $50/canister. I don’t love the flavor, but it is extremely pure. It just doesn’t hold me like the whey stuff does.
Thanks for the question. If you have a good bread recipe, feel free to share it! I love to make bread 🙂
I am researching “cleansing” and detoxing myself. I appreciate your vulnerability here in hopes of helping someone else. thank you. as for the protein shakes. I use one from Arbonne which is made from yellow peas. Vegan endorsed. No dairy. Really good. Just thought I would share that info.
Thanks Dorothy. I like hearing about other unprocessed protein powders. I too hear good stuff about Arbonne from other nutritionists I know. Best of luck with the detox. Its a heck of a ride, as I’m sure you are experiencing.
Rebecca