I gave up sugar for two weeks, and that's what came out of it

The site publishes an article by the writer and screenwriter Michael Grothausa a small experiment in the field of power, which has helped him to become much more productive. < I love to eat, that a few years ago, suffered too much excess weight. It was so awful that I came up with a special technology lotion to lose 36 kilos. It helped, and since then, I maintain a healthy weight mainly because carefully counting calories, do not overeat and do sports.

And for the most part everything went smoothly - I even ate everything I wanted: fish, chicken, pasta, diet soda, fruit yogurt and every day some sweetness (M & M's or brownies). I also like to drink coffee with a few packets of sugar. But calorie is a calorie, if I do not go beyond 2000 kcal per day, I know that I will not gain weight.

The American Heart Association believes that men should have not more than 37, 5 grams of sugar per day, and women - no more than 25 g. But the World Health Organization believes that even this much: 25 g must be maximum and for women and men. The average American eats 126 grams of sugar per day, sometimes without even realizing it. Basically it is the sugar that is added to the products during processing.

I told him about his diet doctor-friend, and she warned that even though I support the proper level of calories I consume too much refined sugar. And this is bad for the waist, and the brain. Refined sugar - which is the majority of sweets, soft drinks, white bread and pasta, almost all foods "low fat", fruit juices, yogurt, energy drinks, sauces and countless products - makes us irritable, pushes to hasty and foolish decisions. My friend emphasized, although I lean, and I do not have high blood sugar, yet the amount consumed me refined sugar is bad for health.

It was hard to believe that the sugar so much affects my cognitive abilities. My friend advised: give up refined sugar for two weeks, and you will see.

That's exactly what I did. On that day, when I started my experiment, I decided that this was a meaningless exercise, and I still did not notice. How wrong I was!

Diet sugar h2> Give up refined sugar in practice is very difficult. He is the almost all foods and beverages, that we buy in the store, and fast food (if you dine a Big Mac with fries and soda, then it to use 85 grams of sugar - 236% Daily Value!) That is to avoid refined sugar, I had to spend more time at home and prepare food from fresh ingredients, as well as to waive all drinks in jars, white bread, pasta, and these "healthy" yogurt, into which are added for flavor supposedly fruit juice. I also stopped to add in coffee sugar and milk.

My new diet for two weeks consisted of only fresh products: fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken, other meat, wholegrain pasta and Risto. Most of it, and so I regularly eat - only in conjunction with other products, which include sugar.

It is important to note that these two weeks I did not quite give up sugar - only refined. I ate a lot of natural sugar , which is found in fruits, and that the body converts to glucose from the meat, fat and carbohydrates. This is an important energy source for the body and brain.

Finally, in two weeks I did not change their normal calories, maintaining 1900-2100 calories a day, as usual. I also practiced as usual. And that's what happened.

Wow ride! h2> The first day it seemed to me that everything will be easy. I ate a lot of fruit, fish lunch and dinner, steak and vegetables. I missed the sugar and milk in coffee, but did not experience any problems.

The next day everything changed dramatically. Although I had a hearty breakfast and dinner (two oranges, eggs, wholegrain then rice and vegetables), about 2 o'clock in the afternoon suddenly seemed to me to move the truck. Lace and headache, which usually does not happen with me. And it continued with some interruptions, for another two or three days. At this time I passionately wanted a soda and sweets. On the third day I even shook hands. It was terribly, terribly hard not to eat anything sweet.

"Since you do not indulge his habit, your mind loudly demanded sugar, - says Rebecca Boulton, a nutrition specialist with whom I contacted in order to understand what is going on. - This is a period of adjustment during which the desire to become more intense, and then you feel better ».

Intense? By the end of the fourth day, I would have sold my dog ​​for one cake. I'm so lost focus, I was scared - I can not write articles that had to end this week. I even wanted to drink Energy "for health" (but restrained). I felt a great frustration and even depression. I became nervous and impatient, I was hard on something to focus.

"The body has been programmed to receive energy from sugar - explains Bolton - and it takes time to get it accustomed to it from somewhere else. It's like a hangover ».

But on the sixth day, something changed. Distraction began to leave, as well as headaches. Fruit began to seem more sweet. On the eighth or ninth day, I experienced a great focus and clarity than ever before in my life (well recently). I have become more productive - I listened carefully to the people during the interview, or rather caught their words and can quickly respond to their answers to new questions and ideas. At this rate, I have never worked. When I read a book or an article, I absorbed more details and information. I feel smarter.

Bolton said that heightened the sweetness of the fruit - a sign that the body adapts to the new regime, when it no longer consumes refined sugar in nonstop mode. A headache stopped, because the body is no longer struggling with the desire for sugar. In the last days of his diet, I was so focused that it seemed to me - I became a new person. And my mood changed, noticed that even friends. And no matter how foolishly as it sounds, I felt happier than two weeks ago.

Improved sleep h2> Sleep is extremely important: it not only allows you to take a break from daily affairs, but also flushes toxins from the brain and again allows the brain to work smarter. "When blood sugar is balanced, - says Bolton - it contributes to a more orderly sleep and gives a more stable level of energy, reduces fatigue and helps you focus. This is also reflected in the work of the rest of your hormones, which increases the level of energy, and the quality of sleep and the quality of the brain ».

I did not think that the refusal of refined sugar will sleep better, but it happened. On the sixth or seventh day I fell asleep 10 minutes after lay. But first I needed half an hour. I also started to wake up earlier and more natural, and to get out of bed in the morning was easier.

Weight Loss h2> I have consumed the same amount of calories as before. I ate a lot of fat (red meat, avocado) and a lot of carbohydrates and natural sugars. But the rejection of refined sugar has led to the fact that I dropped 5 kg in two weeks. «The use of large amounts of protein, fiber, fruits and vegetables increases the metabolism and the body burns calories more efficiently. It's not the calories, but as food and in how the body processes it, "- explains Bolton.

New Life h2> I still occasionally experience the feeling of hunger - but not so often
I do not miss the sugar in the coffee. When I see the chocolate shelf in the store, I see them as pieces of cardboard - there they do not want. For the first time in my life I feel the richness and nuances of flavor of fruits and vegetables. Now I understand why once gave children for Christmas oranges. Who needs chocolate when there is such sweetness?

But I am afraid that at some point I could not give up refined sugar. Everything is against me. Refined sugar is hidden in thousands of products, and it affects the brain stronger than cocaine
Yet the benefits that I have experienced, eliminating refined sugar from your diet for two weeks, is too powerful to ignore. I hope I have enough of that.



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