The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet: Activate Your Body's Natural Ability to Burn Fat and Lose Weight Fast (15 page)

Sleep deprivation has been associated with many diseases, including obesity. I recently read a fantastic book called
Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival
, by T. S. Wiley and Bent Formby, which chronicles the rise in disease since the invention of the lightbulb. Once we were able to extend our days via artificial light, we fell out of sync with the natural seasonal rhythms and threw off the balance of our body’s primitive sleep patterns. In a nutshell, we could stay up later and longer, so we did, essentially tricking our bodies into believing we were in a perpetual state of summer. Our bodies are biologically programmed to store fat and slow our metabolism to sustain us through food-scarce months of winter, which, for most of us modern-day eaters, never actually come.

If you deprive your body of sleep, it increases levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin and suppresses the appetite-controlling hormone leptin. Sleep is a natural appetite suppressant, especially when it comes to sugar.

In my thirties, I worked long hours through the night at the ER and was always craving sugar. Cookies, ice cream—you name it, I ate it to keep myself going. If your body can’t get enough energy from sleep, you’ll look for it from food. Think about it: When you’re tired, aren’t you more prone to thinking, “I need to eat something”?

These ten days are a chance to see how powerful an effect getting adequate sleep can have on your appetite and fat-storing mechanisms. I recommend getting at least seven hours (but ideally eight hours) per night. In Part IV, you’ll find my favorite tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

Let’s get you prepped for your 10-Day Detox.

The key to weight loss and health is planning and preparation. The reality is that many people spend more time planning parties and vacations than planning their health. You have to design your life for success and create an environment that directs you toward the right choices automatically. For instance, if you have nuts in your pantry instead of a sheet cake, you are more likely to make a good choice. Setting up your mind, kitchen, and work or school environment right is essential for long-term health and weight loss.

Before you get started on the Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet, set aside two days to do the necessary preparation. To optimize your results and avoid detours and delays, you’ll want to have everything you need ready to go.

There are six simple things you’ll do during the Prep Phase:

1. Detox your kitchen.
   
2. Gather your supplies.
   
3. Taper off caffeine, alcohol, and sugar.
   
4. Align your mind and intentions.
   
5. Measure yourself.
   
6. Join the Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet online community (www.10daydetox.com/resources).
   

Up until now, your kitchen may have been under the cruel reign of the food industry. Now’s your chance to stage a revolution and reclaim it! We’re going to start right here, right now, getting the obstacles to weight loss and health out of your way and transforming your kitchen into a place of true nourishment and healing.

Ideally, on the first day of the Prep Phase, set aside a few hours to detox your cupboards, drawers, and fridge. Start by throwing away any item that falls into the following categories. (If you’re not sure whether it makes the cut, it doesn’t. Get rid of it. Be merciless!)

The following items also have to go, but if you feel uncomfortable throwing them away, just put them far out of sight during the detox, as long as you feel you can safely avoid them. You may choose to reintroduce some of these in your transition phase, which you’ll read about in
Part V
:

Here’s everything you’ll need to have on hand for the upcoming ten days:

Now that you’ve cleared out your fridge and cabinets, restock them with the whole, real, fresh foods that you’ll be eating during the ten days. On
here
you’ll find the 10-Day Detox Staples Shopping List, which includes the essentials I encourage you to have in your kitchen. These nonperishable items will enable you to make a variety of healthy meals, both during these ten days and after. I also recommend reading through, in advance, the 10-Day Detox Meal Plan starting
here
so you can choose your meals and shop ahead for the specific ingredients you will need for those recipes.

Many people struggle with the expense of buying whole, fresh, good food. However, if you consider the long-term cost of treating diseases that result from eating processed, toxic foods, not to mention the toll that being overweight takes on your happiness and well-being, you may come to view this differently. I encourage you to take an honest look at how much money you spend every week on coffee, sodas, convenience foods, and takeout. What you learn might surprise you. If you give up that daily latte, you could save almost $1,500 a year. You might start to see other hidden funds, too, that would be far better spent on good food and good health.

Having said that, I have a few secrets for shopping smart on the cheap. Seek out local farmers’ markets, where you can find fresh produce for less money, or lower-cost stores like Trader Joe’s and shopping clubs like Sam’s Club or Costco for vegetables, olive oil, fruits, nuts, canned beans, and fish. You can also think about joining a local food co-op, a community-based organization that supports local farmers and businesses and allows you to order food in bulk at just slightly above the wholesale price. Go to www.10daydetox.com/resources to learn how to find one, or check out www.localharvest.org for sources in your area. The Environmental Working Group created a pamphlet on eating well for less called “Good Food on a Tight Budget.” You can get it at www.ewg.org/goodfood.

This is a huge opportunity to make a change not just in your shopping and eating habits, but in your family’s as well. One detox participant told me her husband gave her grief at first for buying all these “strange” new foods, but by the end, he loved everything she cooked and became her biggest cheerleader.

By doing this detox for yourself, you can stealthily make your family healthier, too. Some members of your tribe may resist, but to the extent that they shift their eating patterns, even a little, they will feel better. I always told my kids that our kitchen was not a restaurant; if they wanted to eat, this was what we were having for dinner. The menu had two choices: take it or leave it. Enlist your family and do the kitchen detox together. Make a game of reading labels and finding the toxic ingredients. Providing your family with real food for ten days will give the important people in your life a chance to see what radiant health can look and feel like—and then they can’t help but get on board!