Reason #2: Fatigue!

I have to chuckle to myself as I start this post that is supposed to be all about how much energy I now have since living sugar-free. The truth is I am so friggin tired!! BUT it's not because of the food - Little Peanut has been waking between 5 and 5:30 every morning for a week and it is kicking my behind. There is no amount of healthy eating that can give you enough pep to outlast a baby's first year!

However, I can honestly say I notice a huge difference in my overall energy. I'm tired, but I'm not passing out during nap time like I normally would be. And the week before (when she was sleeping well past 6:30 like a good girl!) I was actually putting full days in without feeling tired.

I attribute the lack of fatigue to cutting out the gluten just as much as I do the sugar. Gluten makes me tired. I eat it and bam, tired within an hour. When I think back to my early 20s, I was abnormally tired all of the time. I would pass out in cars (passenger seat!), need to lie down immediately after work, and when I would try to do some physical activity (tennis or a hike) my legs would feel like dead weight. Seriously, like 100 pounds each. This was so much more than just being out of shape. But like most people I didn't attribute it to anything like diet, I actually just sort of accepted it. Now, it seems ridiculous that I wouldn't have thought to question why a young, healthy woman had such energy problems...but I think that's the way a lot of us live, right? I'm thankful that I woke up and started to take some control of my health.

My kids inspire me every day to be a better person and to take care of myself. And I want to be able to play with them and not have to take breaks because I'm tired (not all the time at least! 4:45 wake up call today...didn't have too much zip to my step...she really is lucky she's so cute and lovable).

I'm going to try to put a little fruit into my meals again this week. But this time I'm going to really limit the amount and make sure I pair it with some fat and protein to help slow the release of sugar into my system. Here's hoping I can handle it.