Written by Going sugar-free isn’t easy. And, I can’t claim that this will be a fully sugar-free summer because my wife’s birthday was this week and I did have cake. This wasn’t your typical cake, though. It’s the Raw Cashew Dreamcake and it does have some agave sweetener. It’s a lower glycemic load than table sugar, but it’s still a processed sweetener. So, other than than a weird, all-natural vegan birthday cake and one small square of ultra-dark 85% cacao chocolate, I’m closing in on three sugar-free weeks.
So what’s changed? My weight is down a couple more pounds to 224. I’ve stopped taking allopurinol for gout with no ill effects after stopping completely. I did, however, have a few days of knee stiffness after I initially cut the dose in half. That has since gone away. I’ve learned a little more about sports nutrition after trying to go for a run on glycogen-depleted muscles. I had a carb-free morning last week, set a new personal best for a crossfit workout, then tried to go for a run afterward. The crossfit workout drained me and I had nothing left in the tank, so I ended up with the worst run I’ve had in a long time (it also turns out that I had a virus for a couple of days, so that may have also been a contributor). I’ve since recovered and I’m back on track.
Breaking the sugar addiction has also changed my tastes quite a bit. The chocolate square I mentioned above? Prior to going sugar-free, I tried a square and it was practically inedible. Did you ever sneak into the pantry as a kid and grab a square of baker’s chocolate because you thought you would be in for a treat? Yeah, it was like that. After two weeks of sugar-free, I enjoyed a square and the complexity of the flavors. Really good! Also, I’ve never been able to drink a glass of unsweetened tea. Now? No big deal. I’m not quite there on coffee. Give me some unsweetened almond milk and a packet of stevia and I’m good.
And, for my blood chemistry, I had a lipid panel drawn after 2 sugar-free weeks and using the Slow-Carb Diet since January 27th. This is what happens when you cut carbs and increase meats, vegetables, and fats:
- Cholesterol 142
- HDL-Cholesterol 48
- LDL-Chol (Calc) 82
- Triglycerides 60
All in range and ratios looking good. I’ll take it and keep on going. And, assuming this all goes well, later on I’ll post some before and after pictures. I have the awkward and uncomfortable before pictures locked away on a password-protected, triple-encrypted drive in an undisclosed location. Those will come out only if there’s some dramatic, visible difference to show. Otherwise, you’ll just have to come to the beach this summer to see the man-flesh in person.
