Lunch: this + chicken
I created a basic foundational way of eating for myself and stuck to it for a week.
My diet prior to this was already healthy and pretty devoid of processed junk food and added sugars. I try to fast for at least 12 hours, but usually do around 13 or 14 hours. I’m also active, attending a variety of classes at the gym such as BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyShred, Pilates, Yoga, Zumba, Barre…
So what I did was cut out sugar (including fruit and all sugar substitutes like stevia and erythritol), full fat plain organic cheese & yogurt from grass fed cows (I do not drink milk), grains, very dark chocolate (including unsweetened 100% chocolate; I only eat super dark chocolate), nut butters, all processed foods (even “healthier” versions like sugar free coconut ice cream).
Even when I am not on a specific “detox” I:
—Opt for the highest quality food available: organic, wild, grass fed, pasture raised
—Don’t eat a ton of heavy carbs like sweet potatoes or beans (I’m mindful of the amount, type, and quality of carbohydrates I do eat)
—Don’t eat lots of red meat (I’m mindful of the quality and quantity of animal products I eat, and do not eat processed meat like bacon)
—Don’t avoid fat but I also don’t treat it like a magical food to be consumed excessively (in general I prefer whole food sources of fats vs lots of oils)
—Choose nutrient dense real whole food as much as possible
My pumpkin coconut muffins were great to have on hand during the week: they contain no added sugar, sugar substitutes, or fruit.
I find that strict foods rules are very helpful to distinguish a physical need for food from cravings. I had someone to whom I was accountable; I found this to be really helpful during the times I wanted to reach for a piece of fruit (or something else not on plan), reasoning to myself “but fruit is healthy!”. Of course some fruit is healthy. But for the purposes of my experiment, it’s simply not part of the program right now, and my goal and intention is to follow my program and not the food demands of my mind (aka cravings, especially for sugar).
So that’s my week 1 and it went great. By day 7 I no longer had cravings for fruit (aka sugar) or “healthy” low sugar/sugar free processed foods. Today, in Week 2, I ended up fasting for about 20 hours.
In Week 2 I plan to add back some of the foods I cut out (if I even want them): unsweetened dark chocolate (100% chocolate), goat/sheep cheese, small amounts of fruit.
More on eating habits & awareness:
Using Low Carb Menu Planner to gain insight
Unsweetened chocolate!