Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Sugar Detox Day 4, Workout Day 29

Hello chickens. 

So I told you last time that I signed up for this Restart program at the kickboxing/crossfit gym I love. The way I read it, it was a weekly nutrition class/support group and two boot camps each week. I thought it was a restart - like people get together to learn a little more about nutrition, support each other and make some healthy habits at the beginning of the year. I did not realize it was Restart™, a program incorporating "education about nutrition and digestion" with a sugar "detox" in order to "eliminate toxins" and "reduce inflammation." If I sound a little cynical, it's because I've done something very similar to this with the Whole 30, and I'm sure many of you have read about the unscientific basis for that particular program. A lot of rules about what I can and can't eat, a lot of jargon about toxins and inflammation, not much science. It was developed by a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, which is a lot like a "health coach" in that they cannot diagnose anyone or give medical advice, and they seem to be very focused on whole foods and how they can help to bring your body into balance. The first week of the program is about preparation, then you do a three week sugar detox together, and then learning to reintegrate what makes you feel good etc. Each individual class is run by a Nutritional Therapist, who has taken classes through this program to learn how to facilitate, I guess. The woman running my particular has individualized it a bit - the original is a 5 week program, and doesn't incorporate exercise. For this program, she integrated two Inbody scans - one at the beginning, and one at the end. She increased the program to 6 weeks, and includes two trainer-led boot camps a week. I was excited about the support component, and disappointed when I arrived to find 3 tall, slender, fit people sitting there. Obviously not there for weight loss support, these people had been working out and doing crossfit, and whatnot. They're nice enough, and not judgy, but I'm still not getting that support.

Anyway, why, Missy, is your cynical ass going ahead with the program, you ask? A few reasons:
1. I already paid for it before I knew what it really was. 
2. The boot camps are totally worth it. Really great workouts, and while I'm not exactly having "fun", I'm enjoying the challenge. And the trainer brings her dog sometimes, and he's a good boy!
3. I actually do eat way too much sugar, and doing this with other people helps. 
4. It's only 3 weeks.

So I'm 4 days in to the detox, and the first 2 1/2 days sucked so hard - the headaches alone made me want to cry. I prepped all my food for the week on Sunday, which was a crapton of work, and I hate cooking anyway, so I'll have to adjust a bit for that so I actually feel like I have a weekend. I am eating soup every day for breakfast. If you know a good healthy soup full of protein and veggies, with no sugar added, and no soy of any kind, and no noodles or gluten...please let me know. Bonus points if it's easy. Extra extra bonus points if you make it for me. 

Other than the food thing, I've been working out every day, and that feels pretty good. I promised myself a massage at the end of every 30 days, so I have to get on finding and booking one because I have SWT and Pound classes tonight, and boot camp tomorrow, and that will be 30 days in a row...woot woot! 

I'll post some of the food I'm making in the upcoming days. One happy thing about this program is it's not as strict as some of the others. She says if you choose to indulge in something during the detox, do so, as long as you mindfully choose to eat that item. For instance, this Friday night, I have a Girl's Night Out at a new, and possibly very good, restaurant. If I see something on the menu that is really calling out to me, I may mindfully choose to order it. Perhaps. we'll see what they have. 

Ok, so this is kind of a breakdown of what I'm doing, and I will come back this weekend and give you updates. See you soon. Wish me luck.

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