10 Lessons I Learned From the 21DSD
1. The 21DSD is a lot of food.
Week one I followed the meal plan almost exactly. The book says the meal plan is intended for two people. Since my husband would only be following the 21DSD for dinner I adjusted how much I needed to buy for breakfast and lunch. It was tedious, but I figured out how much I needed to buy by looking at the recipes for every meal and reducing the amount of ingredients needed to reflect my needs. However, even while doing this I still had to buy a ton of food. This left me with huge meals, lots of leftovers, overeating, and throwing away a lot of food. Not something I aim to do.
To fix this I greatly reduced the amount of ingredients I bought for each meal for weeks 2 and 3. If you take a look at the weekly shopping lists you'll see what I mean. How in the world can two people eat that much?!
2. The 21DSD can be expensive.
In total I spent $580.14 on the 21DSD. That's $200 over my monthly grocery budget. Week one was definitely the most expensive. Once I lessened the amount of food I bought, the grocery tabs were more reasonable. I also didn't buy all organic/free range/etc. simply because I could not afford to. I tried to buy the best options when I could but I was already spending way more than normal.
3. Don't be afraid to make something outside of the meal plan (as long as it follows the 21DSD guidelines).
As I said, I followed week one exactly. This resulted in me eating some meals I didn't care for all that much, which led to me being very bitter about doing the 21DSD. During weeks two and three I replaced the recipes that didn't look all that great to me with one of the thousands of options available through the internet and the 21DSD Cookbook. I discovered some delicious meals through this and it gave me the energy to finish the 21DSD.
4. The first week is the hardest.
I almost quit more times in the first week than the other two weeks. I felt like crap. I was dizzy, bloated, mad, and had a constant headache. But this was my body detoxing all of the built-up crap. This hard week led to an amazing two weeks. In weeks two and three I started to feel the benefits of the 21DSD.
5. Be prepared to spend a lot of time prepping and cooking your meals.
Since I was expecting this and have a lot more free time after work than I did while in school, this didn't bother me much. But if you have a tight schedule (or are cooking for more than two) plan for this. I had to prioritize my time and choose to cook when I would rather be doing something else. However, I was very thankful for the nights I prepped my breakfast and lunches as it set me up for success the next day.
The 21DSD book starts out with a lot of great information that you should definitely read before starting the detox to set you up for success. I also learned about:
Healthier options for ingredients I frequently cook with (coconut flour instead of wheat flour, for example)
How easy it can be to cook a healthy meal; while some meals took a long time to prep and cook, others were quick and great to have in my back pocket when I needed something fast.
My husband is willing to try most anything I put on his plate (thanks babe!)
There are ingredients out there I've never heard of
How it's possible to feel full without feeling heavy
Vanilla beans are much cheaper from Amazon
Saffron is hella expensive and a pretty good paella can be made without it
7. Be prepared to go to multiple grocery stores.
Shopping for week one was horrible. Not only was I stressed because of how much I was spending, but I had to go to three different grocery stores to find all of the ingredients I needed. Sometimes I still couldn't find the ingredient and needed to find substitutes instead. My only advice for this is, patience.
8. Be prepared to say no.
During week one of my 21DSD one of my colleagues brought suckers to our staff meeting. As they were passed around and everyone grabbed one, I had to be strong enough to say no. I was a HUGE candy addict before the detox so saying no to candy during week one was definitely a challenge. During week two my colleague asked my to split a pop and I went into the staff kitchen to find a box of donuts. No and no.
9. Be prepared to defend your reasoning for doing the 21DSD.
It is very interesting how I'm never questioned when I share my plans to go to happy hour and drink all the wine my heart desires. Or how it is fine for me to go to a Chinese buffet for lunch and eat until I'm miserable. But choosing to not eat sugar for 3 weeks can be controversial. Be prepared to defend your reasoning. Also be clear with yourself why you're doing the 21DSD. What do you want to get out of it? Be careful if your answer is weight loss...
10. You may or may not lose weight on the 21DSD.
I didn't. To be honest I'm still frustrated by this. I read countless testimonies of others who completed the 21DSD and had noticeable weight loss. Even though I continually reminded myself that weight loss was not my goal for completing the 21DSD, that little voice in my head was constantly wondering if I had lost any weight. I had my husband write down my weight during weeks one and two because I knew if the scale didn't reflect any weight loss it would be hard to continue. I was very anxious to reach the end of week three and step on the scale. So when I did and saw no difference from my starting weight, I was pissed. I then asked my husband what my weight was at the end of weeks one and two and broke down when he said my starting weight. After crying for about an hour and my husband reminding me my reasoning for doing the detox, my anger started to subside. While I definitely still have bitter feelings around not losing any weight, the changes I can see and feel in my body are huge. I have a ton more energy, I'm happier, I'm sleeping great, I haven't felt bloated for two weeks and I now have a ton of knowledge and motivation that will keep me on the track to success. The bloating is the biggest thing for me. I have felt consistently bloated for the last 6 months. It feels amazing to go through my day without a full, achey stomach. So make sure you are clear with yourself for why you are doing the 21DSD. And don't be mad if you don't lose weight. Even though I didn't, I feel great and am excited to continue to eat closely to how I have been while on the detox. I also plan to use my new energy levels to workout more.
I hope this helps if you are thinking about doing the 21DSD. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! I definitely recommend the 21DSD if you want to break your sugar addiction, get your energy back, learn more about sugar's effect on our bodies, and so much more. Good luck!
theartofmadeline
vaporwave
kaledo-art
kianamaiart
annaxmalina
baratheonpilled
discoholicmusic