30 Days NoGluten/Sugar Challenge

I'm going to abstain from gluten for a while, starting from tomorrow.

I guess that I should dedicate one paragraph to giving reasons why I'm doing this whilst trying to convince you doing the same, but I'll keep it short. Gluten can impede your intestines from absorbing the essential minerals and vitamins that are crucial for optimal testosterone - and thus energy - levels (gluten kind of 'sticks' to your intestines, gluten is responsible for that elastic structure of bread).

On a more anecdotal note, when I eat bread, I tend to feel lethargic afterwards, craving a power nap. When I abstain from gluten and sugar for a while, I feel more energetic.

I want to see what happens when I abstain from gluten for 30 days. It's going to be hard but this thread has the purpose of motivating me and keeping myself accountable.

I'm also going to steer clear of products with refined sugar in it.

 

Yesterday was supposed to be day 1 but I failed tremendously.

There was bread in the house and the temptation was too appealing. Rationalizations took a hold on me, self-indulgence was the result.

Tonight my family cooks spaghetti, I will see that as a closing treat before embarking a 30 day 'detox'.

I abstained from alcohol, porn, coffee, cigarettes for some months now. Wasn't easy but I think this challenge is another level as the 'vice' aspect of eating bread/pasta isn't that acute as watching porn for example.

I'm avoiding dairy at all cost. I could have named the thread 'Paleo for 30 days' but seemingly I have the biggest problem with gluten products (it's not unusual that I binge on bread when I have access to it). It forms the gateway to more mediocre quality food. If I consume bread, that will be associated with consuming dairy products like cheese.

 

Day 1:

I made it through the first day. The psychological hurdle of day 1 is the highest because the willpower isn't established enough (i.e. no momentum). A previous marathon of self-indulgence makes it harder to get back on the horse. Indeed, this weekend I ate a lot of bread, cookies and chocolate. I came back to my home country on Friday, spoiling myself with some traditional snacks (a pastry dish) before leaving. Then a sandwich and a piece of cake in the airport. Another sandwich and a chocolate snack on the airplane. Then back in my country, a nation with a rich chocolate culture that mitigates the guilt of eating more chocolate than one should.

So yeah it's interesting how I can be pretty disciplined for weeks about my diet, and then slip up and suck up the temporary comfort that gluten and sugary products bring about. Crossing the threshold of day 1 is important. Today I did have the urge to eat some bread and I felt a strong temptation when I was walking through the cookie section of the supermarket ("Get behind me Satan!").

I made a soup (which is Godsent), the fiber was filling. The chicken broth I used "can contain traces of gluten" but I'm not going to seek insignificant grounds to give myself a hard time. Ate a lot of fruit... What else to say? It won't get necessarily easier the next days but once I get the momentum, it's just a matter of motivation and reminding myself of the existence of this thread and the reason why I started it.

 

Day 2-3

Steered clear of gluten products. Luckily, Coca-Cola doesn't contain gluten, because I'm drinking liters of that. Technically this doesn't debark me from this healthy journey. Take that grain industry!

Just kidding. I ate healthy. I made soups again. I ate a bunch of vegetables, some fish, olives, eggs... So yeah pretty paleolithic.

It's not that I can talk much about 'benefits' yet. This stuff takes patience. This thread is a good tool to keep myself accountable. I had some urges for cookies or bread but ate a lot of fruit instead. I guess that a challenge like this makes you more aware about your eating pattern.

 

Day 4:

No gluten. I did experience some urges for something sweet but I bought grapes instead.

 

Day 5:

No gluten. Had some very strong urges today. I was in the supermarket and I passed the bread and cookie section. The feeling was comparable with a very strong PMO urge. Dopamine is actually released in anticipation of a certain pleasurable activity or when there is a certain trigger like walking through a certain section in a supermarket (just like a drug addict can get a strong urge for cocaine when he walks through a neighborhood where he usually buys his fix).

I ate a lot of fruit again to suppress the urges. Some organic honey works too. Soup is a convenient and healthy way to make me feel full. It also gives me a boost in hydration.

 

Day 6:

The cravings were colossal (apparently gluten binds to the same receptors as heroin or morphine does, hence that feeling of 'euphoria' when you're chewing on that bread) but I didn't give in (my brain was really trying to rationalize buying some cookies or something).

I'm now replacing the comfort that bread brings about with the comfort of fruit. I'm eating a lot of fruit but I don't see the catch though, it doesn't make me lethargic/sluggish at all, unlike like bread/pasta/cookies. Eating a lot of fruit is also a temporary coping mechanism to mitigate the cravings.

I had a steak with some potatoes in the evening.

 

Day 7-8:

Still on the wagon. I felt pretty good yesterday in terms of mood and energy.

I see that my skin is looking a little bit better already. One could argue the causation vs. correlation as I upped my vegetable intake (eating a lot of home made soup with tomatoes, broccoli, etc.), but that's kind of inevitable when you go gluten free. The urges are less intense, or barely even there anymore.

 

Day 9-11:

Didn't touch any bread or the like. The cravings are less intense but today I did feel some strong impulses to indulge as there was bread, chocolate, etc. in the house.

Through this elimination diet, I realize how much I can't eat of the foods that are very convenient. The flip side of the coin is that it's a bit easier when shopping in the supermarket because most of the isles have to fall under the radar.

I have added a staple that I'm now eating everyday: sweet potatoes. It fills you up and it actually tastes good. I'm still consuming a lot of fruit.

 

Well, it's sad to say that I relapsed around Easter (so pretty much after my last post in the beginning of April). I think I ate a pastry dish (just one I said to myself) but this opened the door to more cravings for sugar/gluten products... The cravings came back and I was back into the sugar cycle. For the past 2 months I basically have made the habit of indulging in cookies and regularly going to the bakery to buy some local pastries...

I was actually thinking about this thread and the fact how it reminded me how hard quitting sugar is (it's more addictive than cocaine apparently).

Now I'm currently on day 3 of Sugar/GlutenFree (yes, it's tough). So thank you for the reminder. We can suffer together by quitting this poison. I'm not going to post a detailed journal as I'm currently busy with exams but I can pop in from time to time to say if I'm still on the wagon.

Good luck!

Day 3

 

Good posts ^

Day 4-5

Currently on day 5. Yesterday (today also) was weird: I had insane cravings but they were more physicial than psychological in nature. What I mean by that is that I don't really have the desire to indulge in comfort food as such, but I am experiencing a pretty considerable amount of suffering. I feel like there is some sort of emptiness that my body is craving to fulfill (maybe it's the gut bacteria that are sending signals or something).

I'm drinking tons of water. It just feels like the right thing to do, as a way to help cleanse the system so to speak. Since yesterday, I'm smelling a certain odor that is coming from my pores (sweating has also increased). Apparently that's normal during a detox, the toxins are leaving the body (I also experienced this when I quit alcohol). A good sign.

I had an exam today and I really was thinking if this is the right time to quit sugar (headaches, couldn't really concentrate yesterday, the exam went fine luckily). But on the other hand, a daily routine of snacking isn't necessarily conducive to an elavated level of (sustainable) energy and concentration. If I eat bread/cookies, I will need a nap because of the insulin crash. Although I'm still in the first stage of Sugar/GlutenFree, i.e. withdrawal symptoms, suboptimal energy, etc., I already don't have these crashes anymore.

So your brain may fool you that getting that sugar fix will get rid off the suffering. Truth of the matter is, that when you're on sugar, you're actually suffering, but you're just anesthetizing the suffering with the very subtance that draws you from your vital energy in the first place. A vicious cycle that is hard to break indeed. When you quit sugar, the suffering that was already there suddenly becomes more clear because you cease to numb the suffering (the chickens are coming home to roost so to speak). So quitting sugar is hard to endure, but it's really allowing the reality of your current state to manifest itself in its purest form.

Although I have tried Paleo multiple times, I always slipped back. Sometimes I would 'survive' the suffering phase and reach like 10 days but then I would become complicit and forget the very reason why I started. I think I have had a shift of headspace for the last couple of days. Something clicked. I have always consumed too much sugar and I have a habit to over-indulge. It explains some things.

It also occured to me that there is a strong link between a PMO relapse and snacking. If I eat sugar/gluten products, I feel lethargic, I rest in bed. My discipline fades away and I will scrolling Twitter/Reddit. Next thing I know I'm seeking for something NSFW. Although not every instance where I snacked has led to a PMO lapse, I can say with confidence however that every PMO lapse stemmed from a lethargic state because of sugar. That I didn't realize this earlier!

Because of the exam, I also did intermittent fasting. My first meal was around 3-4 pm. I made a salad/mix of trout fillet, boiled eggs, a tomato and chickpeas (adding olive oil on top). This decent fat-protein-carb combo stabilizes the insulin in the blood and reduced the cravings. Had some blueberries and a teaspoon of organic honey and did some hill sprints. I think that IF/OMAD does enhance the process of detoxification @MindfulWarrior, smart move (albeit not the path of the least resistance)! Since I'm having exams, I will not be too preoccupied with adding the dimension of time intervals to the challenge, but I see its merits for sure (increased fat burning, boosting testosterone/growth hormones).

By the way, a good way to deal with cravings is drinking sparkling water (if you're not dry fasting at least). I personally add some fresh lemon juice (citrus is good against cravings). Cheers.

 

Day 6-8

So I passed the threshold of a week. I still feel like I'm 'detoxing'. I'm not really going to say that my energy is optimal but I don't have the crashes anymore that is accompanied with eating sugar or gluten products (although I did take a 15 min nap in the afternoon today).

Cravings are still there. Sometimes I think about a sandwich/chocolate and my body pulsates, kind of weird.

I'm living with my parents so there is bread and chocolate in the house, but it's not too much of a battle to resist the urge. It's pretty manageable.

I did some intermittent fasting today and yesterday (for about 16h I think).

So yeah, it's only the beginning really. Once you get through these first brutal days, then it's just a matter of daily reminding yourself why you do this. The benefits will come but this requires patience. Let time go by and the benefits will even deepen and life will come at you with its subtle surprises.

 

Day 9-10

I'm starting to feel a bit more energetic. Skin is also glowing a bit more. The weird smell coming from my pores seems to have subsided (I thought maybe it was related to my hay fever but I think it was the detox at last).

I had to opt-out from eating spaghetti with my famly today. I mean sure if I was able to keep it with one bowl of spaghetti, then that wouldn't hurt, but I don't think I have the self-control to be able to limit it (at least at this stage). For me, it would open to door to more cravings, so I just made a steak with broccoli and quinoa. I guess that eating more independently is inevitale in this challenge.

 

Good you had the self-control, very commendable. For me personally it would be a bit too risky, like an alcoholic taking a sip of a drink. I think that if I eat just one slice of bread or one bowl of spaghetti, my dopamine receptors would override my logical thinking and lose the self-control, happened everytime at some point I wanted to go full Paleo(ish).

Anyway...

Day 11

 

Day 12-13

The wagon is still rolling... There was bread (rolls), chocolate, quiche and the like in the house (again I had to opt out from eating cake with my family and grandmother). Must admist, I feel really uncomfortale when I pass the kitchen and I see the bag of bread, it's an urge that isn't even comparable with a PMO urge, it's really a physical temptation, but I'm able to manage it nonetheless.

I'm eating a lot of trout, quinoa, sweet potatoes, herring, meat, eggs, baked onions, etc. My fruit consumption is going a bit down since I started as the cravings for sugar aren't intense anymore.

 

Day 14

2 weeks on lock. Looks like I surpass the streak I had going on in April, before falling back for 2 months. I'm pretty sure that if I hit 20 days, then that's the longest period in my life ever (probably) that I went sugar/gluten free.

Although I don't necessarily get out of my way to avoid dairy, I'm not really pursuing it either. I think that today was the first time I ate something with dairy, i.e. some Greek peppers filled with cheese (it was just an appetizer, no big amounts).

I'm trying to keep it clean as possible so I'm not very keen to consume dairy products. Alhough I do think that Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese for example are pretty healthy. Note that I also do this for skin health and testosterone optimization so I'm not sure if dairy fits in that picture.

Thoughts? @MindfulWarrior

 

Day 15-17

So, it looks like the cravings are gone, finally. In the beginning, I was constantly thinking about the concept of Sugar/GlutenFree in order to psychologically fight the urges (i.e. googling the benefits of sugarfree, looking up stories of people who did the same, watching YT videos about withdrawal/sugar addiction etc.). Now I'm not really obsessed about it anymore but I realize I have to remain vigilant about urges, because they can hit you like a ton bricks out of nowhere.

Yesterday I had an exam and I had a huge headache after it (only ate a banana that day and the exam was in the late afternoon), this made me want to buy a Coke when I was in the train station but bought sparkling mineral water instead.

You're right @MindfulWarrior, it's the extreme perfectionist black and white thinking that makes people lose track and fall back into the spiral. You ate something you regret eating? Don't look back and jump back on the horse.