That's discouraging, but... (and Day 5 - 21 Day Sugar Detox)

Okay, it says in the 21 Day Sugar Detox book to not weigh yourself during this process.  I also know, from reading blogs, comments, and the book itself that people doing the detox may gain weight. 

That being said, I weigh in at my Thursday morning Weight Watcher meeting nearly every week.  I do this to keep myself accountable, to have an idea of how I'm doing, and because my husband removed the scale from house (I was getting obsessive about the number on the scale).

I debated on just doing a "No Weigh In" or stepping on the scale.  I figured it wouldn't be any big deal to step on the scale since I have been eating healthy meals for the last four days.  I'd probably maintained since my last weigh in (on the 4th, didn't weigh in last week).  No biggie, right?

Ummmm... wrong.  I was up 3.6 pounds.  That was a bit of shock.  And of course, my first reaction was, "well, this isn't working!"  Then I had to remind myself that it says in the book that the detox is not for losing weight, it's for curbing the sugar cravings and basically rebooting your taste buds. 

Plus, I was able to think of a bunch of reasons why I my weight may have been up this week:

• My eating was out of control the previous two weeks (hence my reasoning for doing the detox)
• I haven't been sleeping well, I've been having bouts of insomnia and restless nights
• I drank my normal 32 oz of water when I woke up (I usually forgo that on weigh in days)
• I have been exercising more this week as I get back into my walking and running routine
• I woke up feeling bloated and gassy this morning (a little TMI, sorry, but it's true)

Any of those, or any combination of those could have caused the weight gain.

So yes, it was very discouraging to see such a large gain (especially knowing how long it takes me to lose weight), but I am not giving up on the detox.  As I told Hubby this morning, my weight may be up, but I already feel better by eliminating the sugar.  I am not as moody, I have more energy, and I'm not hungry all the time.  So that's what I'm going to focus on.  The positives.

Will I weigh in next week?  Probably.  I've been weighing in for over 10 years and I've seen more gains than losses.  The number on the scale doesn't define my week.  How I feel, physically and emotionally does.  And this week, both have been positive.

As for Day 4 of the detox, I did well, but I did "snack" a bit more than usual.  I blame that on being tired.  When I'm tired, I tend to eat to stay awake.  But other than that, was another good day.  And dinner was awesome!  (Actually, all the meals have been awesome)  I even took a picture of it because it looked so good when we set everything on the table. 

My Day 5 is going well.  Had the Pumpkin Spice Smoothie (which tasted okay, but not great), and that has kept me satisfied for over 5 hours.  I'm just now starting to think about eating lunch.  Hubby and I are going out to dinner tonight (Thursday is our Dinner Date night) so that may be a challenge.  He's doing the 21 Day Sugar Detox as well, so he will be able to help me make a healthy choice.

And, my friend and I may have another friend join us on this challenge.  Yea!  The more the merrier!  Or, some days... misery loves company!