A sugar detox like this one is butt-kicking, brain-resetting, and, yes, life changing. But just because it’s life changing doesn’t mean it was any fun. And really. These 30 Days haven’t been any fun in the kitchen. But I made it through without sugar (mostly), and I’ve seen major changes both in my habits, my physical self, and my thoughts. Here are some of my lessons learned this month

• The bottom line is that I am healthier. I’ve lost about 10 pounds. I’ve lost all kinds of belly bloat and some swelling I had in my feet. I don’t have any joint pain. I have more energy, more focus. If that’s not evidence of healthier, I don’t know what is.
• The withdrawal symptoms do go away. Yes. They suck. But by fighting through the headache, fogginess, sleepiness, crazy crazy hunger, and even the weirdest sugar detox symptoms do go away. I just have to hang in there.
• I was worried that I would run out of things to eat without all the sugar and be stuck eating salad three times a day, but the opposite happened. My eyes were opened to more veggies and alternatives to some staples like almond butter. I tried new recipes that I will make again. Eye opening, I tell you.
• Preparation is key. I’ll say it again. Preparation is key. I was out of town for a weekend and slipped off a the bandwagon because I was lacking healthy choices. But when I plan dinners and snacks and anything else to put in my mouth, then I can stay on track, and I can succeed.
• I am stronger than I ever thought. At the beginning of the month I didn’t know that I’d make it a day, let alone a week. And all 30 Days, yeah right. And while I wasn’t perfect, I did better than I ever thought I would, and I got results that amaze and surprise me. I was addicted to sugar. And I’ve broken that addiction.

So what’s next? I don’t think I can maintain a no sugar diet long term. But I can maintain a low sugar diet for long term. The 21 Day Sugar Detox has been a great foundation to show me what my body needs. So I’m going to keep on giving my body what it needs, which is whole foods and healthiness. Sugar isn’t a necessity.

What have you learned this month?