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!
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Day #21 & #20 Summary
Jan 10th - to be honest, I spent most of Friday sulking. I woke up again feeling very alert and ready to go. But when I jumped on the scale, it said I had somehow GAINED a pound. What?! Surely this thing is broken. So I stepped on the second scale and that piece of crap said the same thing. I was totally deflated and confused...how on earth can I have eaten so few calories, worked out hard, drank so much water and Chia pet tea and still gained a pound? I had to convince myself repeatedly that I'm not doing this as a weight loss program - I'm cleaning out my temple. Apparently I've got some heavy metals and other things still trying to work their way out!
My breakfast smoothie was quite good with the addition of a banana. I never thought I'd be so excited about a piece of fruit! I got to work and had a cup of Chia tea, had my second green smoothie with banana for lunch, a big serving of steamed/pureed cauliflower and the 3rd smoothie for dinner.
Around 7:00 I was very ansty and fidgety. Daughter would usually be watching something of interest on TV but she was out of town. Son would often be playing some action-packed video game but he had fallen asleep early and hubby was listening to his new police scanner. So what do ladies do when we can't figure out what else to do? That's right - we go shopping. I really DID need to shop for the next several days' worth of supplies. Who knew that Friday eve was such a popular time to shop?!?! The lot was PACKED! I got all but Brewer's yeast and sprouted sunflower seeds at Fred Meyer and then decided to head to Marlene's. Darn it! They had already closed by the time I got there. I got back home, the boys right where I left them and was pretty tired by that point. Read for a bit and zonked out.
Jan 11th - woke up around 6:00, gingerly stepped on the scale and had lost yesterday's pound. Yay! And I enjoyed my smoothie even more since I got to add not only a banana but an apple too! Followed that with Chia tea and began prepping as much of my next few meals as I could. My friend and I each had 3 recipes to make. Within an hour I had the Vitamix, food processor, measuring cups and beet juice all over the place! We were leaving at 9:30 to play soccer and then on to our local bar to watch the Seahawks game. I knew I wouldn't have time to go back to Marlene's after that so decided to go there before soccer. The timing worked out well and I got my heartrate up while running around with everyone on the soccer field. I had about a 5 minute spell of being light-headed during our game but it passed.
I drank my lunch on our way from soccer to the bar around noon. As soon as the free chips and salsa got put on our table I ordered a side of celery & a big glass of ice water with lemon. Who does that at a Mexican bar?! The buckets of Coronas soon lined our table and our 5 friends enjoyed them all. Honestly, it wasn't as hard to stay out of the chips & beer as I thought it would be. But then the hotwings came and got set right in front of me because there wasn't room anywhere else. OMG! They smelled especially spicy and delcious. I moved a bucket of beers in front of me and put the wings out of reach. Whew! That was close!
We stayed at the bar FAR longer than I ever anticipated and by around 6 I was getting a bit dizzy and cranky! By the time I got home around 7 I was very ready for my dinner smoothie and enjoyed a bit of naked baked potato on the side. It's amazing how quickly your body starts to absorb nutrients. Within 5 minutes I was feeling much better. I baked the last recipe for the start of the next phase of the detox tomorrow. I might actually miss the smoothie though, which is getting replaced with millet porridge. I don't know what millet or porridge taste like so am very curious. If it's as good as the oatmeal, I'll be a happy camper.
My breakfast smoothie was quite good with the addition of a banana. I never thought I'd be so excited about a piece of fruit! I got to work and had a cup of Chia tea, had my second green smoothie with banana for lunch, a big serving of steamed/pureed cauliflower and the 3rd smoothie for dinner.
Around 7:00 I was very ansty and fidgety. Daughter would usually be watching something of interest on TV but she was out of town. Son would often be playing some action-packed video game but he had fallen asleep early and hubby was listening to his new police scanner. So what do ladies do when we can't figure out what else to do? That's right - we go shopping. I really DID need to shop for the next several days' worth of supplies. Who knew that Friday eve was such a popular time to shop?!?! The lot was PACKED! I got all but Brewer's yeast and sprouted sunflower seeds at Fred Meyer and then decided to head to Marlene's. Darn it! They had already closed by the time I got there. I got back home, the boys right where I left them and was pretty tired by that point. Read for a bit and zonked out.
Jan 11th - woke up around 6:00, gingerly stepped on the scale and had lost yesterday's pound. Yay! And I enjoyed my smoothie even more since I got to add not only a banana but an apple too! Followed that with Chia tea and began prepping as much of my next few meals as I could. My friend and I each had 3 recipes to make. Within an hour I had the Vitamix, food processor, measuring cups and beet juice all over the place! We were leaving at 9:30 to play soccer and then on to our local bar to watch the Seahawks game. I knew I wouldn't have time to go back to Marlene's after that so decided to go there before soccer. The timing worked out well and I got my heartrate up while running around with everyone on the soccer field. I had about a 5 minute spell of being light-headed during our game but it passed.
I drank my lunch on our way from soccer to the bar around noon. As soon as the free chips and salsa got put on our table I ordered a side of celery & a big glass of ice water with lemon. Who does that at a Mexican bar?! The buckets of Coronas soon lined our table and our 5 friends enjoyed them all. Honestly, it wasn't as hard to stay out of the chips & beer as I thought it would be. But then the hotwings came and got set right in front of me because there wasn't room anywhere else. OMG! They smelled especially spicy and delcious. I moved a bucket of beers in front of me and put the wings out of reach. Whew! That was close!
We stayed at the bar FAR longer than I ever anticipated and by around 6 I was getting a bit dizzy and cranky! By the time I got home around 7 I was very ready for my dinner smoothie and enjoyed a bit of naked baked potato on the side. It's amazing how quickly your body starts to absorb nutrients. Within 5 minutes I was feeling much better. I baked the last recipe for the start of the next phase of the detox tomorrow. I might actually miss the smoothie though, which is getting replaced with millet porridge. I don't know what millet or porridge taste like so am very curious. If it's as good as the oatmeal, I'll be a happy camper.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Day #23 and #22 summary
Jan 9th - I woke up, wide awake at 4:45. My alarm doesn't go off until 5:30. But I could tell there was no sense hoping for a few more zzzz's. I was AWAKE! And I was almost giddy during my workout in anicipation of FRUIT!! For the next 3 days I get to drink green smoothies with increasing types of fruits each day. Today was mixed berry day. And since I really hate to waste food, I pureed the last of the tomato/cucumber salad, added a bit of vinegar and created a makeshift cold soup, in case I needed a snack in between meals today.
I rather enjoyed my breakfast smoothie but really missed my oatmeal when I got to work. I wanted something warm so opted for a big mug of hot lemon water. Yuk! My tummy still felt a bit empty so topped that off with a big glass of Chia water. My co-worker caught me and couldn't believe what I was drinking. Honestly, neither could I. But I would later admit to him that I was still intrigued by those little seeds and was developing a great appreciation for them as they make me feel more full and are healthy for me at the same time.
I drank my lunch smoothie and eventually did end up drinking the cold soup as well. No dizziness today, which was good. I had a meeting at 4:30 with non-coworkers and needed to present some info. Only trouble is, the meeting was held at a freakin' specialty bakery and cake shop, that also serves ESPRESSO! The display case was filled with magical items and the sound and smell of the espresso machine was intoxicating! The meeting was just about to begin when the owner/host/treasurer of the business district said "wait" to all of us...he went around the corner and brought back a tray of bite size pieces of heaven: cake, eclair & brownie. Torture I tell you! I got a sideways glance as I took the tray from the person on my right and passed it to my left with the speed of lightening. And let me tell you, that tray called my name for the next 74 minutes & 36 seconds!
By the time I got home I was starving. I sucked down my smoothie in between big hunks of cauliflower. That didn't quite do the trick so I took my last pre-baked baked potato and cut it into silver dollars. I threw those on the griddle to crispy them up a bit. Again, I needed a texture. I took them off the grill and tossed with seasoning and vinegar and pretended they were fish and chips - minus the fish, minus the batter & grease, minus the tartar sauce. These are quite possibly the most healthy fish and chips on the planet! Oh, and I started this morning one pound ligher than yesterday. And so ends another successful day of detox!
Jan. 8th - my weight stayed the same. I really didn't want to drink another spinach & chard smoothie but knew that tomorrow I'd get to add fruit too. Mid morning I walked past the most amazing looking mini donuts. I swear they had just come out of the fryer and were still warm. Run away, Mo...run away!!
I needed something other than a baked potato for lunch so got creative. I cut it in half, then sliced one half into wedges & ate them cold. It had a different texture which was exactly what I needed. Then I took the other half, heated & mashed it, drizzled some no-salt spice and apple cider vinegar on it and pretended it was mashed potatoes. Ha! I'm so clever. Around 1:00 I felt a bit light headed, had a few jumbled thoughts and a bit queazy too. But nothing that a cup of Chia seeds couldn't cure. By 3:00 I was fine and looking forward to an early dinner before my first night of class.
By now the tomatoes in my dinner salad were a bit mealy and the cukes a bit soft. And I couldn't finish all the remaing veggie soup- blech. I was encouraged to know it was my last helping of those two menu items. As I walked to class from the parking lot I was immediatly overcome with the need for an espresso. What is school without caffeine anyway?! Then, on the last stretch before I entered the classroom, I passed a sushi restaurant. Gads! Good thing I steamed some broccoli to have as a snack during class. That would surely satisfy my craving for coffee and fish, right? I ended up not being hungry and class was over before I knew it. Got home, unwound, read until about 11:30 and fell asleep. I slept like a rock!
I rather enjoyed my breakfast smoothie but really missed my oatmeal when I got to work. I wanted something warm so opted for a big mug of hot lemon water. Yuk! My tummy still felt a bit empty so topped that off with a big glass of Chia water. My co-worker caught me and couldn't believe what I was drinking. Honestly, neither could I. But I would later admit to him that I was still intrigued by those little seeds and was developing a great appreciation for them as they make me feel more full and are healthy for me at the same time.
I drank my lunch smoothie and eventually did end up drinking the cold soup as well. No dizziness today, which was good. I had a meeting at 4:30 with non-coworkers and needed to present some info. Only trouble is, the meeting was held at a freakin' specialty bakery and cake shop, that also serves ESPRESSO! The display case was filled with magical items and the sound and smell of the espresso machine was intoxicating! The meeting was just about to begin when the owner/host/treasurer of the business district said "wait" to all of us...he went around the corner and brought back a tray of bite size pieces of heaven: cake, eclair & brownie. Torture I tell you! I got a sideways glance as I took the tray from the person on my right and passed it to my left with the speed of lightening. And let me tell you, that tray called my name for the next 74 minutes & 36 seconds!
By the time I got home I was starving. I sucked down my smoothie in between big hunks of cauliflower. That didn't quite do the trick so I took my last pre-baked baked potato and cut it into silver dollars. I threw those on the griddle to crispy them up a bit. Again, I needed a texture. I took them off the grill and tossed with seasoning and vinegar and pretended they were fish and chips - minus the fish, minus the batter & grease, minus the tartar sauce. These are quite possibly the most healthy fish and chips on the planet! Oh, and I started this morning one pound ligher than yesterday. And so ends another successful day of detox!
Jan. 8th - my weight stayed the same. I really didn't want to drink another spinach & chard smoothie but knew that tomorrow I'd get to add fruit too. Mid morning I walked past the most amazing looking mini donuts. I swear they had just come out of the fryer and were still warm. Run away, Mo...run away!!
I needed something other than a baked potato for lunch so got creative. I cut it in half, then sliced one half into wedges & ate them cold. It had a different texture which was exactly what I needed. Then I took the other half, heated & mashed it, drizzled some no-salt spice and apple cider vinegar on it and pretended it was mashed potatoes. Ha! I'm so clever. Around 1:00 I felt a bit light headed, had a few jumbled thoughts and a bit queazy too. But nothing that a cup of Chia seeds couldn't cure. By 3:00 I was fine and looking forward to an early dinner before my first night of class.
By now the tomatoes in my dinner salad were a bit mealy and the cukes a bit soft. And I couldn't finish all the remaing veggie soup- blech. I was encouraged to know it was my last helping of those two menu items. As I walked to class from the parking lot I was immediatly overcome with the need for an espresso. What is school without caffeine anyway?! Then, on the last stretch before I entered the classroom, I passed a sushi restaurant. Gads! Good thing I steamed some broccoli to have as a snack during class. That would surely satisfy my craving for coffee and fish, right? I ended up not being hungry and class was over before I knew it. Got home, unwound, read until about 11:30 and fell asleep. I slept like a rock!
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Day #24 is almost over
Jan 7th - I'm down another 2 pounds which ALMOST makes drinking my breakfast and lunch chard smoothies palatable. I even added a bit of Stevia but man! They're just not very good. Oatmeal hit the spot though. My baked potato still cried for some salsa at lunch but it wasn't bad with all the green onions and seasonings. Gladly, no headache today and even though I didn't sleep well last night, I felt very alert all day. But when a co-worker sat next to me with a fresh cup of coffee this morn, I almost punched him and stole his cup. Hmmmm...I'm blaming that on the detox! And just now I had to leave the kitchen because hubby was making Bratwurst and son some quesadillas. Mouth is watering!
Tomorrow should be interesting - I begin a 10-week night class which meets on Wednedsays from 5-9:00pm. I hope I don't sit by someone who muches on Doritos and candy bars all night while I munch on cauliflower, broccoli and Chia water. Wish me luck!!
Tomorrow should be interesting - I begin a 10-week night class which meets on Wednedsays from 5-9:00pm. I hope I don't sit by someone who muches on Doritos and candy bars all night while I munch on cauliflower, broccoli and Chia water. Wish me luck!!
Monday, January 6, 2014
26 day Green Smoothie Girl Detox - this is one serious way to start the new year!
Happy New Year to you all. It's been a LONG time since I blogged last. No excuses - I have plenty of good road stories from Vegas, Disneyland, Chicago and Sturgis. I hope to get back to those some day. But for now, I'm sharing my 'ride' on the Green Smoothie Girl detox/cleanse that a friend and I have just begun. She'd done plenty of research on it & it sounded like a pretty well-rounded plan. It even came with the promise that we wouldn't be hungry. Let's do this! Today's post will get you up to current and then I will try to post every day for the next 23 days...or until I quit. My daughter's response when she found out about this adventure was "Good luck with that." I'm using her remark as inspiration!
Jan 4th, 2014 - So we spent Saturday afternoon chopping, slicing and dicing - making some soup and salad for phase 1 of the plan, which lasts for 4 days. My friend went home and chillaxed while hubby and I met up with another couple so I could have my last 'real meal'. Did I mention that this cleanse has ZERO salt, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, meat or...NACHOS?! Iknow, I know! Pick yourself up off the floor. I went to bed with a lovely little buzz and visions of green smoothies in my head. Then I had a nightmare that I cheated on my very first day! Think of Randy "show us how the piggy eats" from A Christmas Story and you'll get the idea.
Jan 5th - When I awoke I was pretty upset with myself until I realized I hadn't screwed up at all. Just an axiety dream! Whew! I hopped on the scale to get a starting weight and headed down to make my first breakfast on the plan. It's a chard, lemon juice and water smoothie and is a very pretty shade of green. I'm supposed to drink a pint of it for breakfast and lunch. Do you know what else you drink in pints? That's right! Beer! So I grabbed a pint glass from the cupboard, filled it to the top & pretended it was St. Paddy's day. Hubby would later remind me that I chose an Imperial Pint glass which is bigger than the standard variety. This meant that I drank about 4 ounces more of the liquid salad than I needed to. Here's to my health! The oatmeal was very good and I was happy to get the bitter smoothie taste out of my moouth. We can use spinach or chard in the smoothie so I opted to ride my bike to the store, get some fresh air and buy some spinach, hoping that it would be less bitter. What? How can a healthfood store be out of spinach?! Instead I had to buy enough chard to get me through the next 3 days, a stick of non-aluminum deodorant and also grabbed some peppermint and cinamon flavored toothpicks. I usually chew gum throughout the day but it's not part of the plan...go figure!
Lunch was a HUGE baked potato with some green onions and no-salt seasoning along with a smaller pint of smoothie. I could barely finish it. My stomach started talking VERY LOUDLY after lunch and I could almost imagine what it was saying. I can't repeat it here since I'm also trying VERY hard to stop swearing so much. Dinner was a big bowl of cucumber/tomato/onion salad with apple cider vinegar and as much soup as I wanted. Add all that to the 70 ounces of water I drank throughout the day and I was sloshing around the house. Even though I was full, my daughter's grilled cheese sandwich looked MIGHTY good!
Jan 6th - I applied some of my new deodorant before I worked out. It's a bit slimely feeling and left my pits a bit tacky. But it smelled pretty decent and didn't leave any white cakey residue. I gave it the sniff test after the workout and it seemed to have done it's job. The real test will be to see if I pit out during the work day. Who wants wet armpits anyway? The scale says I actually lost 2 pounds. Bonus! I drank the breakfast smoothie at home but saved the oatmeal until I got to work. The smoothie was especially bitter this morning but I tossed it back anyway. I was already dreading the next dose at lunchtime but am determined to stick to the plan. My normal routine is to start coffee brewing as soon as I get to the office, as I'm finishing the iced mocha I too often get on my way to work. I took a reflective safety belt from my supplies and wrapped it around the coffee maker as both a visual and physical deterrant. But one by one, several others started making their own cups of Joe. It smelled so good!!
Come lunchtime I tried to imagine my second smoothie was an iced mint mocha. Ha! Nice try! It had gotten even more bitter and I barely choked it down. I was saved by my ginormous baked potato. As an 'after lunch mint' I enjoyed some peppermint droplets my friend had given me. Around 2:00 I decided to try a 'fair cheat' that is approved on the plan. It's some Chia seeds (yes, like the pet) and water. It is one of the most unusual textures I've ever consumed. Think of bubble tea but the blobs are about the size of a small grain of rice. My mouth was very confused by it but I drank it all up. Sure enough, in about 10 minutes I felt quite full again. I wasn't really all the hungry to start with but was interested to see how well the Chia trick worked before I was desparate for it.
Dinner was another big helping of soup and salad.
The plan describes a wide range of possible emotional and physical 'side effects' of the detox. So far I've only experienced a mild headache this morning. My friend let me try some topical peppermint oil on my forehead and back of my neck. I'll be darned if the headache didn't go away within about 5 minutes - and I smelled MINTY fresh!
Jan 4th, 2014 - So we spent Saturday afternoon chopping, slicing and dicing - making some soup and salad for phase 1 of the plan, which lasts for 4 days. My friend went home and chillaxed while hubby and I met up with another couple so I could have my last 'real meal'. Did I mention that this cleanse has ZERO salt, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, meat or...NACHOS?! Iknow, I know! Pick yourself up off the floor. I went to bed with a lovely little buzz and visions of green smoothies in my head. Then I had a nightmare that I cheated on my very first day! Think of Randy "show us how the piggy eats" from A Christmas Story and you'll get the idea.
Jan 5th - When I awoke I was pretty upset with myself until I realized I hadn't screwed up at all. Just an axiety dream! Whew! I hopped on the scale to get a starting weight and headed down to make my first breakfast on the plan. It's a chard, lemon juice and water smoothie and is a very pretty shade of green. I'm supposed to drink a pint of it for breakfast and lunch. Do you know what else you drink in pints? That's right! Beer! So I grabbed a pint glass from the cupboard, filled it to the top & pretended it was St. Paddy's day. Hubby would later remind me that I chose an Imperial Pint glass which is bigger than the standard variety. This meant that I drank about 4 ounces more of the liquid salad than I needed to. Here's to my health! The oatmeal was very good and I was happy to get the bitter smoothie taste out of my moouth. We can use spinach or chard in the smoothie so I opted to ride my bike to the store, get some fresh air and buy some spinach, hoping that it would be less bitter. What? How can a healthfood store be out of spinach?! Instead I had to buy enough chard to get me through the next 3 days, a stick of non-aluminum deodorant and also grabbed some peppermint and cinamon flavored toothpicks. I usually chew gum throughout the day but it's not part of the plan...go figure!
Lunch was a HUGE baked potato with some green onions and no-salt seasoning along with a smaller pint of smoothie. I could barely finish it. My stomach started talking VERY LOUDLY after lunch and I could almost imagine what it was saying. I can't repeat it here since I'm also trying VERY hard to stop swearing so much. Dinner was a big bowl of cucumber/tomato/onion salad with apple cider vinegar and as much soup as I wanted. Add all that to the 70 ounces of water I drank throughout the day and I was sloshing around the house. Even though I was full, my daughter's grilled cheese sandwich looked MIGHTY good!
Jan 6th - I applied some of my new deodorant before I worked out. It's a bit slimely feeling and left my pits a bit tacky. But it smelled pretty decent and didn't leave any white cakey residue. I gave it the sniff test after the workout and it seemed to have done it's job. The real test will be to see if I pit out during the work day. Who wants wet armpits anyway? The scale says I actually lost 2 pounds. Bonus! I drank the breakfast smoothie at home but saved the oatmeal until I got to work. The smoothie was especially bitter this morning but I tossed it back anyway. I was already dreading the next dose at lunchtime but am determined to stick to the plan. My normal routine is to start coffee brewing as soon as I get to the office, as I'm finishing the iced mocha I too often get on my way to work. I took a reflective safety belt from my supplies and wrapped it around the coffee maker as both a visual and physical deterrant. But one by one, several others started making their own cups of Joe. It smelled so good!!
Come lunchtime I tried to imagine my second smoothie was an iced mint mocha. Ha! Nice try! It had gotten even more bitter and I barely choked it down. I was saved by my ginormous baked potato. As an 'after lunch mint' I enjoyed some peppermint droplets my friend had given me. Around 2:00 I decided to try a 'fair cheat' that is approved on the plan. It's some Chia seeds (yes, like the pet) and water. It is one of the most unusual textures I've ever consumed. Think of bubble tea but the blobs are about the size of a small grain of rice. My mouth was very confused by it but I drank it all up. Sure enough, in about 10 minutes I felt quite full again. I wasn't really all the hungry to start with but was interested to see how well the Chia trick worked before I was desparate for it.
Dinner was another big helping of soup and salad.
The plan describes a wide range of possible emotional and physical 'side effects' of the detox. So far I've only experienced a mild headache this morning. My friend let me try some topical peppermint oil on my forehead and back of my neck. I'll be darned if the headache didn't go away within about 5 minutes - and I smelled MINTY fresh!
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