Jan 29th-31st Holy cow! The last 26 days have FLOWN by! My weight didn't change over the final three days. Total loss at the end was 10 pounds, which resulted in cinching my belt down 2 notches. I can't even describe what a great feeling that is!
I'm loving the way I feel, especially when I wake up. I didn't get to sleep until about midnight last night and woke up at 5:30 this morning feeling well rested and ready to go.
I've set some realistic goals for myself as I return to 'normal' eating. I intend to continue to drink at least one green smoothie or eat one large green salad every day, minimize red meat, restrict beer drinking to the weekends and try to only drink coffee a few times a week. My cravings during the detox were suprizingly few but my GOD! Did I miss COFFEE!! That is the first thing I'm having tomorrow morning and I cannot WAIT!
I will also continue to phase out processed products and start introducing natural versions. I was already using natural bar shampoo but have switched toothpaste and deodorant too. I'm hoping the rest of my family will follow my lead.
So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed taking this virtual journey with me and that I've motivated you to try a detox/cleanse for yourself. Only good things will come from it. Here's to your health!
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Day #7, #6, #5 & #4 Summary - let the countdown begin!!
Jan 27th -down two pounds (net loss is 11 pounds at this point.) Worked out this morning as normal but started feeling feverish then chilled and a bit achy too so left work around lunchtime. Took a nap, had some hot lemon water and felt a bit better. Still very warm after lentil soup and salad for dinner but ears aren't so achy. Hope it passes as quickly as it came on. I can't believe there's only 3 days left!
Jan 26th - up a pound. Went to visit grandma and got my lunch schedule out of whack. By the time I was leaving her, even the care facility food smelled good. Then went to mom-in-law's for dinner. She served lasagne, garlic bread, salad and a chocolate cake with MOCHA frosting! Oh...be strong!!! I devoured my HUGE salad and sweet potato and was stuffed, quickly putting the cake out of my mind...until she gave us a bunch to take home. I admit, I set aside a small sliver for myself to enjoy on Friday.
Jan 25th - no gain or loss. Spent a large part of the day staying busy and running errands. Ended up eating lunch around 2:00 and then wasn't even hungry for dinner. Still have tons of energy! Finished my morning run before 7:00...on a SATURDAY!
Jan 24th - down a pound. Got to eat fresh guacamole and homemade tortilla chips for lunch with some spicy salsa. NOW you're talkin' about food I LOVE! My chips were more like leather strips so took an extra long time to eat. But it made my lunch last longer which is a good thing.
Jan 26th - up a pound. Went to visit grandma and got my lunch schedule out of whack. By the time I was leaving her, even the care facility food smelled good. Then went to mom-in-law's for dinner. She served lasagne, garlic bread, salad and a chocolate cake with MOCHA frosting! Oh...be strong!!! I devoured my HUGE salad and sweet potato and was stuffed, quickly putting the cake out of my mind...until she gave us a bunch to take home. I admit, I set aside a small sliver for myself to enjoy on Friday.
Jan 25th - no gain or loss. Spent a large part of the day staying busy and running errands. Ended up eating lunch around 2:00 and then wasn't even hungry for dinner. Still have tons of energy! Finished my morning run before 7:00...on a SATURDAY!
Jan 24th - down a pound. Got to eat fresh guacamole and homemade tortilla chips for lunch with some spicy salsa. NOW you're talkin' about food I LOVE! My chips were more like leather strips so took an extra long time to eat. But it made my lunch last longer which is a good thing.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Day #10, #9 & #8 Summary (Darn! Behind again!)
Time is really flying by. I'm continually waking up before my alarm clock and have lots of energy throughout the day. But come 9:00pm, I am WIPED OUT!
Jan 23rd - up a pound. Enjoyed my smoothies and especially my salad at lunch. But have been dreading tonight's 'bonus' treat - a full cup of olive oil. That's right! The huge amounts of apples we've been eating are meant to break down kidney stones and the olive oil is supposed to flush it out. We'll see.
I stopped by the store to stock up on foods for the upcoming last phase of the detox, got home and started cooking. It was good to stay busy as I was trying to keep the olive oil out of my mind. But by 8:00 I could't take it anymore. I poured the lovely green oil into a cup and mixed with the prescribed amount of lemon juice. I stood near the sink in cased it bounced and came right back up. The taste by itself wasn't so bad but my body protested trying to drink it. My plan was to do it all at once but that was impossible. It's so thick that I ran out of breath before I got to the end. When I started the last 1/4 of it, I felt my throat and stomach clench up. With a bit of coaxing I was finally able to get it all down.
Fortunately, the lemon juice removed any filmy/oily residue from my mouth as it went down. Had that not been the case and my teeth and mouth had been left with any evidence of the oil, I'm pretty sure it would've done me in. Instead, I went, as directed, to go lay on my side for 30 minutes and pray I don't barf. Detox buddy had originally thought she'd postpone this step until the weekend in case the nausea lasted into the next day. But she ended up doing it at about the same time so we texted back and forth about how were were doing. Neither of us barfed! Yay! But I ended up sleeping on the couch with amazing heartburn and lots of olive oil burps.
I'm impressed she and I did it - but I can honestly say I think my body will reject it immediately if I ever try that stunt again!
Jan 22nd - up a pound. Pretty boring day as far as detox goes. Big salad for lunch was delicious though!
Jan 21st - down a pound. Smoothie for breakfast, another one for luch plus a huge and delicious salad, smoothie for dinner. Repeat for the next two days.
Jan 23rd - up a pound. Enjoyed my smoothies and especially my salad at lunch. But have been dreading tonight's 'bonus' treat - a full cup of olive oil. That's right! The huge amounts of apples we've been eating are meant to break down kidney stones and the olive oil is supposed to flush it out. We'll see.
I stopped by the store to stock up on foods for the upcoming last phase of the detox, got home and started cooking. It was good to stay busy as I was trying to keep the olive oil out of my mind. But by 8:00 I could't take it anymore. I poured the lovely green oil into a cup and mixed with the prescribed amount of lemon juice. I stood near the sink in cased it bounced and came right back up. The taste by itself wasn't so bad but my body protested trying to drink it. My plan was to do it all at once but that was impossible. It's so thick that I ran out of breath before I got to the end. When I started the last 1/4 of it, I felt my throat and stomach clench up. With a bit of coaxing I was finally able to get it all down.
Fortunately, the lemon juice removed any filmy/oily residue from my mouth as it went down. Had that not been the case and my teeth and mouth had been left with any evidence of the oil, I'm pretty sure it would've done me in. Instead, I went, as directed, to go lay on my side for 30 minutes and pray I don't barf. Detox buddy had originally thought she'd postpone this step until the weekend in case the nausea lasted into the next day. But she ended up doing it at about the same time so we texted back and forth about how were were doing. Neither of us barfed! Yay! But I ended up sleeping on the couch with amazing heartburn and lots of olive oil burps.
I'm impressed she and I did it - but I can honestly say I think my body will reject it immediately if I ever try that stunt again!
Jan 22nd - up a pound. Pretty boring day as far as detox goes. Big salad for lunch was delicious though!
Jan 21st - down a pound. Smoothie for breakfast, another one for luch plus a huge and delicious salad, smoothie for dinner. Repeat for the next two days.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Day #13, #12 AND #11 Summary (I'm behind!)
Jan 19th & 20th down a pound both days. (net loss is now 9#). I will combine these two days since they were a blur. All I got to eat was WATERMELON! Two full days of WATERMELON! My culinary creativity was in high gear. I pureed some and made a slushy; I cut up some into cubes and ate chilled; I froze some and ate like a sorbee; I sliced some into traditional picnic wedges and pretended it was summer; I drank the juice; I even heated some into a cup of tea.
On Sunday I ate every ounce of 3 small watermelons + some Chia tea. I never would've believed I could be FULL be eating nothing but the pink watery fruit but I was.
Today however, I wasn't even all that hungry so I let the kids have the leftovers. I probably only ate one and a half melons and stayed busy painting the bathroom - maybe the fumes acted as an appetite suppressant?
Sunday I woke up at 5:00 without an alarm, spent time cleaning out my iPod while I waited for daylight, went for my usual jog and was barely winded when I got back.
Today I was at Fred Meyer by 7:30am, bought paint and painted the entire bathroom by 2:00pm, including cupboards and drawers. My back's a bit tight but otherwise, I'm still feeling great!
But I AM looking forward to some real food tomorrow :-)
Jan 18th - up a pound. My body clock has continually woken me up earlier and earlier and I am full of energy! Today I played a bit of soccer AND softball and felt great! I do miss sleeping in on the weekends but I guess that's a small price to pay for feeling so good!
On Sunday I ate every ounce of 3 small watermelons + some Chia tea. I never would've believed I could be FULL be eating nothing but the pink watery fruit but I was.
Today however, I wasn't even all that hungry so I let the kids have the leftovers. I probably only ate one and a half melons and stayed busy painting the bathroom - maybe the fumes acted as an appetite suppressant?
Sunday I woke up at 5:00 without an alarm, spent time cleaning out my iPod while I waited for daylight, went for my usual jog and was barely winded when I got back.
Today I was at Fred Meyer by 7:30am, bought paint and painted the entire bathroom by 2:00pm, including cupboards and drawers. My back's a bit tight but otherwise, I'm still feeling great!
But I AM looking forward to some real food tomorrow :-)
Jan 18th - up a pound. My body clock has continually woken me up earlier and earlier and I am full of energy! Today I played a bit of soccer AND softball and felt great! I do miss sleeping in on the weekends but I guess that's a small price to pay for feeling so good!
Friday, January 17, 2014
Day #15 & #14 summary
Jan 17th - down a pound. I see a trend developing here! Woke up at 4:45 today. Jeeze! I hope THIS trend doesn't continue!
Breakfast was smoothie & millet porridge. Lunch was super yummy! The Nutritional yeast was mostly overpowered by the other flavors (like paprika) but it added some vitamins and protein so well worth adding regardless.
Dinner was the last of the wild rice soup and more smoothie. I had the muchies, craving popcorn, so came up with a crazy idea; why not break cauliflower into popcorn sized pieces, steam them, then sprinkle with Nutritional yeast? I was sure I could trick myself into thinking it was cheddar popcorn! Honestly, it wasn't bad. But it sure as heck wasn't popcorn. Hubby makes a killer batch and as time goes on, it is one of the few things I'm starting to crave.
As a side note - I cannot believe how much water I've been drinking since I started the detox. I am constantly thirsty! And therefore, constantly going pee! I should've bought stock in Charmin before I started this thing.
Jan 16th - up a pound. And woke up at 4:55, before my alarm. I know, I know...why not go to bed later so I will sleep until my alarm goes off? 1- I'm EXHAUSTED by around 10:00 and can barely read one page of my book as it is and 2 - there's some real merrit to waking up when your body is good and ready. NOT to the jolt of an alarm clock.
Breakfast and lunch were nothing new - except for the mold on the hockey pucks. I wasn't too sad when I tossed them as I don't think I could've eaten any more of that anyway.
I ran out the door after work, straight to my son's wresting match (he won!), then to COSTCO, then to Marlene's. By the time I got home I was really hungry so sucked down my smoothie while making dinner. I had grabbed a big bag of mixed greens at COSTCO but as I read the recipe, I was supposed to use only spinach. I spent 5 minutes separating the mixed greens, chard & kale from the spinach, then continued making the "mash" which consists of potatoes, cauliflower, wilted spinach and some spices. It wasn't bad. I added some Mrs. Dash and it improved the flavor quite a bit.
I also had to make a second batch of the crunchy salad for lunch for the next two days since I ate too many servings of it yesterday by mistake. On the first batch I used Brewer's yeast but my pal gave me some Nutritional yeast to try, stating that some say it has a cheesy flavor. Or really?! I stuck my finger in it and no sh&t! It really did! Sort of that sticky powdered cheese stuff on cheddar popcorn. I was really looking forward to having the salad tomorrow. Then I realized I added paprika instead of cayenne. I wonder how that's gonna taste?
Breakfast was smoothie & millet porridge. Lunch was super yummy! The Nutritional yeast was mostly overpowered by the other flavors (like paprika) but it added some vitamins and protein so well worth adding regardless.
Dinner was the last of the wild rice soup and more smoothie. I had the muchies, craving popcorn, so came up with a crazy idea; why not break cauliflower into popcorn sized pieces, steam them, then sprinkle with Nutritional yeast? I was sure I could trick myself into thinking it was cheddar popcorn! Honestly, it wasn't bad. But it sure as heck wasn't popcorn. Hubby makes a killer batch and as time goes on, it is one of the few things I'm starting to crave.
As a side note - I cannot believe how much water I've been drinking since I started the detox. I am constantly thirsty! And therefore, constantly going pee! I should've bought stock in Charmin before I started this thing.
Jan 16th - up a pound. And woke up at 4:55, before my alarm. I know, I know...why not go to bed later so I will sleep until my alarm goes off? 1- I'm EXHAUSTED by around 10:00 and can barely read one page of my book as it is and 2 - there's some real merrit to waking up when your body is good and ready. NOT to the jolt of an alarm clock.
Breakfast and lunch were nothing new - except for the mold on the hockey pucks. I wasn't too sad when I tossed them as I don't think I could've eaten any more of that anyway.
I ran out the door after work, straight to my son's wresting match (he won!), then to COSTCO, then to Marlene's. By the time I got home I was really hungry so sucked down my smoothie while making dinner. I had grabbed a big bag of mixed greens at COSTCO but as I read the recipe, I was supposed to use only spinach. I spent 5 minutes separating the mixed greens, chard & kale from the spinach, then continued making the "mash" which consists of potatoes, cauliflower, wilted spinach and some spices. It wasn't bad. I added some Mrs. Dash and it improved the flavor quite a bit.
I also had to make a second batch of the crunchy salad for lunch for the next two days since I ate too many servings of it yesterday by mistake. On the first batch I used Brewer's yeast but my pal gave me some Nutritional yeast to try, stating that some say it has a cheesy flavor. Or really?! I stuck my finger in it and no sh&t! It really did! Sort of that sticky powdered cheese stuff on cheddar popcorn. I was really looking forward to having the salad tomorrow. Then I realized I added paprika instead of cayenne. I wonder how that's gonna taste?
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Day #17 & #16 summary
Jan 15th - down a pound this morning and officially cinched my belt down one notch smaller. I can definately tell that my slacks aren't as snug on my butt as they were last time I wore them. I'm likin' this! And looking forward to trying a new recipe for lunch too. It's a tomato, celery, cilantro, avacado and optional cayenne powder salad. I either went overboard with the cayenne, the first spicy thing I've had in over a week, or my mouth was simply in shock over being reintroduced to a bit of heat. Regardless, for the first time in several days I was warm all over! The salad was super yummy! That plus my smootie and I was still VERY full around 4:00 when I needed to get ready for class. I forced myself to eat dinner anyway because the guide actually says "force yourself to eat" because it gets digested so quickly. I spent about 10 minutes being VERY full but was much more comfortable when I got to school and stayed content for the next 4 hours.
I had rinsed out my smoothie container while at work and completely grossed out a few co-workers. I tried to assure them that the toxic green sludge was actually quite good but it was hard to speak above their shrieks of horror, disgust and disbelief :-)
I got home and checked tomorrow's menu and realized that I ate TWO servings of the delicious salad instead of one for lunch. Ooops! No wonder I was so full. Good thing there's next to zero calories in it!
Jan 14th - weigh stayed the same today.Porridge hit the spot for breakfast but the hockey pucks were yuk. My detox buddy had toasted hers and shared a piece...OK...at least now they're tolerable. Dinner was another sweet potato with coconut oil & cabbage salad - soooo gooood!
I had rinsed out my smoothie container while at work and completely grossed out a few co-workers. I tried to assure them that the toxic green sludge was actually quite good but it was hard to speak above their shrieks of horror, disgust and disbelief :-)
I got home and checked tomorrow's menu and realized that I ate TWO servings of the delicious salad instead of one for lunch. Ooops! No wonder I was so full. Good thing there's next to zero calories in it!
Jan 14th - weigh stayed the same today.Porridge hit the spot for breakfast but the hockey pucks were yuk. My detox buddy had toasted hers and shared a piece...OK...at least now they're tolerable. Dinner was another sweet potato with coconut oil & cabbage salad - soooo gooood!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Day #19 & 18 summary
Jan 13 - stupid scale can't make up its mind. Back up a pound. But the guide tells us this particular phase of the detox is not typically a weight loss week so I'm not too concerned. I started off with a Hot Pink smoothie for breakfast, whose name comes from the small amount of raw beets in it. That, added to a carrot, apple and the usual gobs of greens made this a VERY good smoothie indeed! I got to work and had a small helping of the porridge as a 'legal cheat'. Did I mention that lunch is a QUART of traditional green smoothie? I sloshed from meeting to meeting after downing that meal in addition to all the water and Chia tea I had already drank.
Dinner was a very mild but nice wild rice soup. I keep forgetting to mention that I've been unusually cold since I started the detox. I don't know if it's simply the fact that it also happens to be winter or because of my body adjusting. Regardless, the hot soup really hit the spot. I also thoroughly enjoyed another helping of the cabbage salad.
As far as detoxing goes, yesterday and today were pretty uneventful.
Jan 12 - the scale said I was down a pound which is a good way to start any morning. My cooking and meal swap plans with my detox partner fell apart last night so I had to do some baking and get to her place first thing so we wouldn't mess up each other's meals for the next several days. She gave me some millet porridge, no salt pumpkin bread, mellon & grapes and some soup. I gave her some cabbage salad and baked sweet potato. I think I came out ahead on this exchange! But everything looked great! I got back home and tried the porridge. It was slightly sweetened with coconut water and was quite enjoyable. Imagine cooked grains of white rice cut into thirds - the texture and size are very similar to this concoction. I'd never even heard of millet before and can't recall ever having a porridge. Bonus! I'm getting a culinary education in conjunction with the detox!
Lunch was a traditional green smoothie and some 'hockey pucks'. These are a baked item made of apple, carrot, oats and whatnot. They smell like pumpkin pie but the consistancy is tacky and soft and mushy. I don't care for them much but they're not completely disgusting. And you gotta love the name!
We had a rare opportunity to eat as a family so I decided to try a new recipe out on them too. They got honey-cranberry sauce glazed salmon, rice and salad. They said the salmon was good but I'll have to take their word for it. I spread some coconut oil on my sweet potato and drizzled the vinegarette-style dressing on my cabbage salad. OMG! The potato was AMAZING! I felt like I was eating a Mounds bar and guilty for cheating. I gave hubby a bite and he just about armwrestled me for the rest of it. Instant hit! I devoured the salad too. Mmmmm! I think I just might make it!
Dinner was a very mild but nice wild rice soup. I keep forgetting to mention that I've been unusually cold since I started the detox. I don't know if it's simply the fact that it also happens to be winter or because of my body adjusting. Regardless, the hot soup really hit the spot. I also thoroughly enjoyed another helping of the cabbage salad.
As far as detoxing goes, yesterday and today were pretty uneventful.
Jan 12 - the scale said I was down a pound which is a good way to start any morning. My cooking and meal swap plans with my detox partner fell apart last night so I had to do some baking and get to her place first thing so we wouldn't mess up each other's meals for the next several days. She gave me some millet porridge, no salt pumpkin bread, mellon & grapes and some soup. I gave her some cabbage salad and baked sweet potato. I think I came out ahead on this exchange! But everything looked great! I got back home and tried the porridge. It was slightly sweetened with coconut water and was quite enjoyable. Imagine cooked grains of white rice cut into thirds - the texture and size are very similar to this concoction. I'd never even heard of millet before and can't recall ever having a porridge. Bonus! I'm getting a culinary education in conjunction with the detox!
Lunch was a traditional green smoothie and some 'hockey pucks'. These are a baked item made of apple, carrot, oats and whatnot. They smell like pumpkin pie but the consistancy is tacky and soft and mushy. I don't care for them much but they're not completely disgusting. And you gotta love the name!
We had a rare opportunity to eat as a family so I decided to try a new recipe out on them too. They got honey-cranberry sauce glazed salmon, rice and salad. They said the salmon was good but I'll have to take their word for it. I spread some coconut oil on my sweet potato and drizzled the vinegarette-style dressing on my cabbage salad. OMG! The potato was AMAZING! I felt like I was eating a Mounds bar and guilty for cheating. I gave hubby a bite and he just about armwrestled me for the rest of it. Instant hit! I devoured the salad too. Mmmmm! I think I just might make it!
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