Day 6

I've waited to update everyone on the status of the sugar and gluten fast because 1) I wasn't sure I was going to make it, and 2) this face basically depicts how I've felt for the last four to five days. But since I am now past the half-way mark and my mental state more closely resembles a depressed acceptance rather than hair-pulling, people-punching anger, I thought I would venture to describe my experience thus far.

Hell.

That's it, pretty much.

But if you want more details, here are some things I've noticed:

1) I LOVE sugar. I mean I really, really love it. But for a girl who would prefer eating dessert first, I am surprised to learn that what I miss the most is my vanilla or caramel latte. I'm not having caffeine withdrawals (I still maintain that caffeine doesn't affect me much), but I miss the whole experience of entering a coffee shop, ordering, studying, and of course, ingesting the rich, fulfilling nectar that is, let's face it, more of a dessert than a drink.

2) I use food as a reward A LOT - whether it be a little snip of chocolate, a good cup of coffee, or a glass of wine after a long day. These past few days my reward has been sugar-free gum. GUM!

3) Our social life centers on food. Thus, we will be hermits throughout this entire experience so as to not rub our noses in what we can't have. Even simple outings, like going to Target, is challenging. We made the mistake of going to the mall on Friday to look at wedding bands (I've given up hope of finding the ring until we pack up for our next big move) and decided that they must pipe in sweet smells to the entire building to entice you to the food court.

4) As an athletic person, I need carbs to maintain a certain level of activity. I've gone on two runs since this blasted fast and my energy level is WAY down. I'm talking needing 9-10 hours of sleep a night! A friend told me that's because I'm not eating enough, but I feel like I'm a vegetable/fruit/meat-eating machine right now! The first time I was hungry was last night and I think that was because it was Saturday and I'm used to eating junk on weekends. The good thing from this exhaustion is that, having taken place in the first week of the quarter, I was forced to cut some things out of my schedule that I probably otherwise wouldn't have...and they really needed to be cut.

5) If you have a partner on board, you can pretty much do anything - Ben and I are surrounded by temptation at our house (M&Ms, dove chocolates, non-water drinks, oreos, mac&cheese, chips, etc), but it's been easy to not think about them because we're helping each other. And if it weren't for him, I'm pretty sure I would have thrown in the towel by now. Plus...we have spent HOURS discussing exactly what our first fast-free dinner will consist of!